Bloggy Face Lift

I've told you before that I enjoy change, at least I enjoy the kind of change that I can control. I have been dying to give Living a Changed Life a face lift. I have put it off for several weeks, because I did not know what I wanted to do and how I wanted it to look when I was finished.

Yesterday while searching through other people's blogs, I finally received the inspiration that I needed. I knew that I wanted my blog to have a clean and sleek look, but also remain user friendly. I believe that I have achieved that goal! I also wanted to avoid anything seasonal, because I do not want to change my blog more frequently than I have to.

I even made the header myself! It took a while, but I think it turned out pretty good.

Have a great weekend! Don't forget to let me know what you think about the changes!

Thankful Thursday: My God and My Jon

Recently, I found this on quote on Pinterest and it really got me thinking about thankfulness. 

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Many of the stores here in Texas already have Christmas stuff out! It feels like retailors have decided to skip Thanksgiving all together! Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas and the month of December. I am ready to listen to Christmas music and decorate my house. However, in the past I have not taken time to reflect on all the things I have to be thankful for that year.

I have decided that this year things are going to be different! Every Thursday, throughout the month of November, I want to focus on being thankful for the things that God has given to me!

I hope that you will join me throughout the month of November and focus on really being thankful for all that you have been given! The Bible says, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:18

{My God}

I am so thankful to Jesus who died on the cross so that I might live! God saved me from my sins and now I have a real relationship with Him! I am thankful that God is at work in my life! If you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus, please click here to read about how you can begin to have a relationship right now!

{My Jon}

You do not have to follow my blog for very long, before learning about how much I adore my Jon. I cannot begin to tell you how thankful I am that God brought my husband, Jon into my life. Please do not misunderstand me when I say this, because our marriage is not perfect. We have our arguments and struggles. However, Jon is a man after God’s own heart and I can trust him to lead us in the way that we should go.

What are you thankful for today?

Wordless Wednesday: Skinny vs. Healthy

Tricks, Not Treats

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Here is the Meeting Summary from October 29, 2011.

This week in the meeting room we talked about ways that we can stay on track over Halloween. Here are some great ideas from a Weight Watchers article I found.

Forget the haunted house; the spookiest Halloween specter is the candy. We show you how to deal.

Talk about scary: Halloween is a hard time to stay on plan. What can you do when those 5-pound bags of candy go on sale at the grocery store, or when your kids have laid out their loot on the living room floor? We've surveyed some people who have had success with Weight Watchers, and found out how they tackle the scariest Halloween candy scenarios.

Resist the sales
"My biggest Halloween challenge is not falling for the coupon in the paper," says Linda. "A 5-pound bag of Snickers on sale is still a 5-pound bag of Snickers."

By late
"The closer to Halloween you buy the candy, the better," says Maggie. "In fact," she says, "never, ever open the bag before the first trick-or-treater comes." That way, you'll have less total temptation time to cope with.

Buy candy you don't like
Dina says she heads straight for Mounds and Almond Joy when she has to pick up the Halloween candy. "Coconut is the one thing I don't like," she says.

Make up a game plan
If you decide to go for the mini Reese's that the kids will love you for, says Maggie, "Start giving out more as the night wears on, so there's less left over." If there are still remainders, get them out of the house. Give the candy away to a food charity, collect it all and offer it to the neighbors, or bring it to work (and drop it off in a different department).

Go out on a full stomach
If you have to walk your kids around to trick-or-treat, make lunch your big meal of the day, so you're not walking around hungry with bags full of candy. Carry a thermos of something hot to sip on, or, as Manhattan meetings Leader Liz Josefsberg says, chew mint gum throughout the night. It’ll help kill your urge to put candy in your mouth.

Come up with a candy strategy
When the candy's at home, work with your kids to decide what to do with it. Have them pick their 10 favorite pieces: If they're young, encourage them to leave the rest out for "The Great Pumpkin." And if they're too big to believe, encourage them to save the rest for lunches and parties.

Freeze!
Liz suggests putting left-over favorite candy in the freezer. If you get weak and find yourself digging into them, they will be rock solid and it will take time to get through even one.

Ditch the sense of occasion
Remind yourself that you can buy yourself candy any time of the year. There's no need to load up on fun-size bars on October 31 when you can enjoy them whenever your heart desires.

Keep things in perspective
Eating a little bit of candy on Halloween doesn't make a person overweight — it's constant overeating that can pile on the pounds. So don't assume you can't enjoy even a single treat, especially since deprivation is a dieting tactic that often backfires.

Slimming treats
Halloween means candy wherever you look, and it can be hard denying yourself outright. For those who like to have a candy bowl nearby, we searched the shelves for candy that was lower in PointsPlus™ value, but still gave a bang for the buck. Miniatures are a great deal in terms of portion control, while chewy candies turn out to be a big mouthful bargain and hard candies and lollipops score high for long-lasting satisfaction.

The 3rd Annual Pumpkin Carving Party

Happy Halloween!

Not this past Saturday, but the Saturday before last (October 22, 2011), Jon and I attended our 3rd Annual Pumpkin Carving Party! Every year our Sunday school class has a pumpkin carving party. This is the 3rd year that Jon and I have attended the party and we always have a great time! Here are so pictures from the party!

{Thing 1 and Thing 2}

Jon and I before we left for the party.

Jon as Thing 1

Me as Thing 2

{Pumpkin Carving}

Our pumpkin before we carved it.

Ben and Kimberly gutting their pumpkin.

Jon working on carving our pumpkin.

Courtney working on her pumpkin.

I'm getting ready to carve our pumpkin.

John and Elise hanging out with baby Memphis.

Jon and Miller

{The Finished Pumpkins}

Ben and Kimberly's pumpkin

Courtney's finished pumpkin!

Our pumpkin!

{The Costumes}

Shane and Courtney

John and Elise

Bob and Janet

Ben and Kimberly

Jon and me

Three Year Anniversary with Weight Watchers

Today is my three year anniversary with Weight Watchers!!

Here is a before and after picture so that you can see just how much I have changed in the last three years!

{Before}

Before Weight Watchers in July 2008

{After}

After Weight Watchers in October 2011

I have changed so much in the last three years both on the inside and out!! I am not the same person I was when I started this journey. This year I have even become a Weight Watchers leader!! Who would have ever thought that I would be able to call myself a Weight Watchers leader!? It is such an honor. 

Normally, in the Weight Watchers meeting that I lead, it is all about my members. I try to let my members share as much as possible. However, because today is my anniversary with Weight Watchers I am going to focus on myself for a little bit! I want to share with you the top three things that I have learned since I joined Weight Watchers.

{#3: I Am A Priority}

I would not have lost 90 pounds if I had never made myself a priority. I was so used to putting others before myself that I did not even know it was a problem! As I began to attend Weight Watchers meetings I learned that in order to be successful I would have to make time for me! I needed an hour each Tuesday evening to come to my Weight Watchers meeting and weigh-in. I needed time to prepare my healthy food. I needed time to exercise. I needed time to relax, so that I could avoid emotional eating. It's might sound selfish, but it's not.

If you do not make yourself a priority you will not achieve your weight loss goals. Here is a blog post that might help you make yourself a priority. Are You, Your #1 Priority?

{#2: It's Not A Diet. It's A Lifestyle Change.}

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When I first started my weight loss journey Weight Watchers explained to me that I was not on another diet. They told me that I was making a lifestyle change, which is very different. Weight Watchers explained that in order for the changes to last a life time, I needed to lose my "diet" mentality.

I can honestly say that Weight Watchers has taught me how to change my habits so that I could lead a healthier lifestyle. The education that I received at my Weight Watchers meetings continues to impact the food choices I make even today! I am far from perfect and there are days when I slip up, but overall I lead a much healthier lifestyle than I did three years ago.

{#1: All Things Are Possible with Christ}

"I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me." - Philippians 4:12

I am living proof that all things are possible through Christ! I could not have reached my weight loss goal without the Lord. God has put incredible people in my life, like my husband Jon, to be there to encourage me when times got tough. God has reminded me that I am His child! God has showed me that my identity is found in Him and not in the number on the scale.

If you are just starting your weight loss journey I hope that you will invite God to be apart of your journey!

I look forward to being able to celebrate many more anniversaries with Weight Watchers!!

To read previous blog posts about my Weight Watchers anniversaries click the links below.

One Year Anniversary

Two Year Anniversary

Halloween Candy PointsPlus Values

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I will be writing more about Halloween in next week's meeting summary blog post. However, I thought that this list would help you as you prepare for Halloween.

Halloween Candy PointsPlus Values

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Almond Joy, Snack Size, 2 PointsPlus value

Baby Ruth, Fun Size, 2 PointsPlus value

Bit-O-Honey, 1 piece, 1 PointsPlus value

Bit-O-Honey, 6 pieces, 4 PointsPlus value

Butterfinger, Fun Size, 3 PointsPlus value

Candy Apple, 5 ounce, 5 PointsPlus value

Candy Corn, 20 pieces (41 grams), 4 PointsPlus value

Caramel Apple, 10 PointsPlus value

Charms Blow Pop, 1 pop, 2 PointsPlus value

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Crunch, Fun Size, 2 PointsPlus value

Dots, Fun Size, 2 Points Plus value

Gummi Bears, 14 pieces (38 grams), 3 PointsPlus value

Heath Bar, Snack Size, 7 PointsPlus value

Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar, Snack Size, 6 PointsPlus value

Hershey’s Miniatures, (any flavor) 5 pieces, 6 PointsPlus value

Kit-Kat, Snack Size Bar, (three 2-piece bars) 6 PointsPlus value

Lemonhead, Fun Size, 1 pouch (11 grams) 1 PointsPlus value

M&M’s Milk Chocolate, Fun Size, (1 package) 2 PointsPlus value

M&M’s peanut, Fun Size, (1 package) 3 PointsPlus value

Mounds, Fun Size, 3 PointsPlus value

Nerds, 1 box (12.6 grams), 1 PointsPlus value

Oh Henry!, Mini, 2 PointsPlus value

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PayDay, Fun Size, 3 PointsPlus value

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup (2 cups) 6 PointsPlus value

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, Fun Size, 3 PointsPlus value

Reese’s Pieces (51 piece/40 gram bag) 5 PointsPlus value

Skittles, Original Fruit, Fun Size, 2 PointsPlus value

Snickers, Fun Size, 2 PointsPlus value

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Take 5, Fun Size, 6 PointsPlus value

Tootsie Roll Midgets, 6 pieces (40 grams), 4 PointsPlus value

Twix, Fun Size, 2 PointsPlus value

Twizzler Twists, Fun Size, 4 PointsPlus value

Whoppers, Fun Size, 2 PointsPlus value

York Peppermint Patty, Fun Size, 1 PointsPlus value

Click the link to read last year's Halloween blog post about Surviving Halloween.

I posted this back in October 2009, but it still applies, so check out the Top 10 Signs You're A Trick Or Treating Weight Watcher!