Realization

I watch a lot of tv. Like a borderline unhealthy Im probably addicted amount of tv. I love it and Im not afraid to admit it..... :-)

So, tonight I found myself watching Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition. 

Yeah, the one with that guy....he's a hottie. Well, while watching it I started thinking to myself how jealous I was that this couple lost so much weight in such a short time and the circumstances weren't quite as unrealistic as The Biggest Loser is so why couldn't I do that?? After a few commercial breaks I had a realization. 

I AM DOING THAT!

Ok, I havent lost huge numbers in short time frames like them, but I have lost 44lbs in under a year and am still going strong! I have worked my butt off and actually started working my butt off, :-), and I need to stop being envious of others huge weight loss amounts because I soon will be one of them! I know I will because I know I can do it! I just need to get over this tiny bump in my journey. 

Think of me when you are eating that huge juicy burger and potato salad this weekend please because this momma has some food changes to make! :-)

Ill probably have a half a burger.....

Until next time....

44 lessons for 44 pounds

I am down 44 lbs total. I am so excited about finally being in the 230's! However, all I can see is that last 6 lbs until my first big goal! -50 lbs is so close yet so far away!

So, to get my mind off of those pesky 6 I am going to share 44 things I have learned since I have lost 44lbs.

1) I have too many clothes in my closet that I will never wear again.
2) I can ride my bike for 10 miles without stopping.
3) I can actually run.
4) I will succeed and make my goal.
5) I am worth it.
6) I can go a whole day without needed a nap.
7) I would rather walk or ride my bike than drive. But some places are just too annoying to get too!
8) Just because I am not a long distance runner, doesn't mean I am exempt from running injuries! BOO!
9) I need better sports bras.
10) I can not wear yoga pants to run in unless I want them to be at my ankles.
11) I am a weirdo who doesn't mind running without music.
12) It makes me feel weird and a little uncomfortable when people tell me I am an inspiration to them because I don't know how to respond.....I have never been an inspiration to anyone!
13) I really need to buy some new underwear....considering I haven't bought any since I have lost weight....
14) I crave water.
15) Fast food generally makes me sick when I eat it now.  Like stomach hurting sick.....
16) I can actually eat one serving of something and not feel like I am starving.
17) There comes a time when you just need to break down and get some smaller pants!
18) You can lose weight in your feet.....who knew!?
19) Even though I don't feel like I am getting smaller, I actually am.
20) Just because the scale isn't moving, doesn't mean I am not getting healthier and smaller.
21) Even though I feel like I am going to die, if I keep going, I will feel better when it is done!
22) I actually look forward to my evening workouts with my sissy!
23) I can go to a restaurant and not drink pop with my meal and still survive!
24) It is possible.
25) It seems weird to me to go on a "leisure" walk now...I feel like I have to take advantage of every calorie burning activity possible!
26) I don't care anymore about what people think when I workout in public.
27) It is much easier to run when you are not pushing a jogging stroller.
28) There is a term called chub-rub......You would think being a fat chick I would have known about this a long time ago!
29) I need new running shoes.
30) I need actual running shoes.
31) Shin splints suck.
32) Blisters on the bottom of your foot also suck.
33) It annoys me that I can run farther and longer on the treadmill than I can outside.
34) Have I mentioned that I really need to breakdown and buy some smaller underwear...lol
35) I am pretty much wearing 2 sizes smaller in both tops and bottoms.
36) Being lazy for more than a day will really hurt your progress on the scale.
37) People in Three Rivers really should know that the track belongs to me and my sister after 8pm....we are very territorial and you are cramping out style! ;-)
38) It is not easy to go on a two mile walk while pulling a wagon with 2 children who both weigh almost 40lbs up hill.
39) I now measure my work outs by how fast I go instead of how far I go.
40) 5 year olds and long distance walks/bike rides don't mix.
41) I need to break up with my scale.
42) I should have measured myself correctly when I started.
43) My FitBit is a really good motivator!
44) And last but not least I have learned that this has and will always be the most difficult journey I will ever be a part of!


Until Next Time......

Ignorance is not bliss...

Friday morning my son was officially diagnosed medically with Autism and Sensory Processing Disorder.  

This is a long time coming and I can honestly say that I am relieved that we are one step closer to getting things taken care of.  Let's give you a little back story: Around December I started feeling like there was more to Nathan's behavior than just "Terrible Twos" and being a boy. He was not talking, very angry, circling things all the time and just started lining up his cars. The researcher in me started googling and taking quizzes and was left with more questions than ever!  But I was pretty confident that Nathan was Autistic.  Everything added up and I will be honest, I was kind of happy that I had some ideas as to why he was different.  Obviously I took my questions to his Ped and step after step we have finally gotten the official answer!  So, I have officially joined the exclusive group of Autism Mothers.  However, during my research I have read many articles where parents talk about how devastating it is to hear that your child is Autistic. 

I guess I just don't get it.  Am I weird?? 

Autism is not the end of the world, it is not a death sentence, it is not some horrible disease. Nathan does not suffer from anything. He is a curious 2 1/2 year old boy who deals with things and learns differently than you and I, but he is not suffering. 

Yes it is hard at times to care for him, but it is not a tragedy. God chose me to be his mother for a reason, and it annoys me when people feel sorry for us because we have a special needs son. 

BTW, I do believe that ignorance is truly a tragedy! :-)

Until Next Time......

Health and Fitness Friday: I'm ON FIRE!

This weeks post is brought to you by my calves, who are officially SORE and ON FIRE!! 

(and hopefully soon will be smaller more toned calves)

Here is my workout log for the week:

Sunday: 

30 Day Shred workout 

1 mile walk/run on treadmill

Monday: 

Biked 4.5 miles while pulling bike cart with 2 boys

Short .80 mile walk outside

30 Day Shred workout

Tuesday: 

1.85 mile walk back and forth to the park

Biked 4.16 miles

Wednesday: 

3 mile walk on track

6 rounds of Bleachers at the track

30 Day Shred workout

Thursday:

2.5 mile run/walk outside

Biked 2 miles while pulling bike cart with 2 kids.    

The majority of my working out this week has been outside and I LOVE it!  I have been waiting for the weather to get nice and so I have been using every second I can to do some sort of working out!  The one thing I have noticed however, is that I suck at running outside.  I seem to have gotten so used to the treadmill that my outdoor running has suffered.  

I did have a big breakthrough tonight though! 

When I first started working out I would walk at our high school track conveniently right down the road.  I started by walking and then slowly started pushing myself to jog.  I set VERY small goals to get myself started and before I knew it I was jogging for 30 secs at a time, which was the equivalent of like a half of a tenth of a mile. (HUGE victory for someone who is 100lbs+ overweight and has never ran/jogged in their adult life!) Well, today I ran around the whole track one time non-stop before I had to stop to take a breath!  I did this twice!  Sure I still felt like I was going to die, but that puts me one step closer to my goal of running an entire mile without taking a break or walking!  

I wanna talk about a fun topic now.  Bathing Suit Shopping!!  I can say without a doubt that I am SO excited this year to shop for a new bathing suit!  My parents have a swimming pool that we basically move into all summer so bathing suits are one of my main outfits throughout the summer. In the past I have just settled for whatever they had available in my size and price range.  The past 2 years I wore my Maternity bathing suit even though I was not pregnant last year!  I tried on at least 10 suits last year and nothing fit me.  They were all either way too tight everywhere or too small in the bust area or just ugly and expensive!  So, I settled yet again for my go to Motherhood Maternity suit!  

Well this year I am not going to settle and I can not justify wearing a maternity suit again this year!  I have lost 40lbs!  Even though I am nowhere near the weight that I want to be and plan to lose more throughout the summer I still think that 40lbs warrants a new swim suit that actually fits me this year! Yes, I will still be wearing the normal "Big Girl Swim Dress" BUT it will be smaller and cuter and New! 

Here are some of the ones I have liked so far: 

Since I have already been shopping in my head now I just need to get the last 10lbs off so I can go shopping being 50lbs lighter! ;-) 

I pray that you all have a safe and Happy Weekend!  

If you need a great link up head over to my girl Jen's place and link up to her Health and Fitness Friday linky!

Until Next Time.... 

I Love this man.

Today, Leif and I have been married for 8 years. I can say with certainty that 11 years ago I knew I was going to marry this man and be with him for the rest of our lives.  I love him so much I can't even put it into words. I can not wait to see what our future holds for our family!

I Love You Leif. 

Here's to the next 8 years! 

Health and Fitness Friday (Saturday, kinda Sunday...) LOL

Yes, I realize that it is technically Sunday now...I started writing this blog post on Saturday (yes....I know that's still not Friday...) but I had to stop and am just now getting back to it!

I hit a couple milestones this week. I had a not-so good week the week before last so I was yo-yo'ing back and forth but I FINALLY lost that last pound I needed to hit -40 lbs!!

I am getting so close to my first "big" goal of 50 lbs lost that it is honestly bugging me! I just want to get my butt in gear and kick it up notch and get those 10 lbs off already!! :-)

One sad part (as if there can be a sad part about losing weight) is that MyFitnessPal finally prompted me to update my goals since I haven't updated them since I started....so of course, I lost some calories, which I need to get used to, but it really only calculates to 1 less snack during the day so I think I can handle that!

Another milestone I hit was riding my bike while pulling both of my children behind me (aprox. 75 lbs combined with the cart) for 2 miles and not getting tired!  I remember when I first bought my bike around 4 years ago and I couldn't even ride a block without feeling like I was going to die and stopping to take a break!  I have actually been considering using my bike more often for in town errands that I need to do during the day.

Speaking of doing work outs during the day I finally got myself a FitBit!

I have been debating between the FitBit and a heart rate monitor and finally decided that this would fit my needs right now.  I have only had it for a half day so I haven't gotten a full read yet but I think it is going to be very helpful and motivating to keep myself moving throughout the day!

One last thing I wanted to add is that I can finally say that I am kind of excited to go bathing suit shopping this year!  I have some bathing suit related material planned for next week's post let's just hope that I can actually remember to post it on FRIDAY! :-) 

Hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday! 

Until Next Time....  

Ps: Thank You for giving me a shout out Jen even though I was a slacker this week and late with my post!  I love you girl!

Health and Fitness Friday: Shut up or Give up!

Today's Friday and I finally remembered before Saturday to join my girl 
Jen at A Daily Dose of Davis for: 

Today I'm not gonna lie, I'm kind of annoyed.  

I'm annoyed at all of the excuses I keep seeing or hearing.  

Makes me want to say, Shut up or Give up!! 

Yes, I had excuses, probably 15 years of excuses but I am living proof that today is the day to give them up!  Today is the day throw out "I'm too big to workout!" and say "I'm WORTH it!".  

No longer am I going to ignore these: 

1. I don’t have time.  MAKE TIME!!  If you have to workout at midnight, you workout at midnight! 
2. I can’t afford to eat healthy or go to the gym.  I cant afford a gym membership either, but I can afford to walk outside or OnDemand workouts for free or a $9.99 workout video! As far as food goes, you gotta do what you gotta do. If you have to give up your monthly Vera Bradley bag to get healthy then you need to do. 3. It is too hard.  Life is hard!  School is hard, work is hard, marriage is hard, going to the grocery store with kids is hard.....I can go on...4. It is uncomfortable.  Can you honestly say being overweight is comfortable? 5. I love to eat.  So do I. But you can make healthier choices and still love to eat. 6. I don’t know what to do or where to start.  Start by getting off the couch, simple as that!7. I don’t have the willpower.  Read this: http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/weight-loss-does-willpower-matter  Just do it. 8. I don’t have support from friends or family.   Get over it and make a lifestyle change for yourself, not the people around you.  9. I have a medical condition (thyroid, disabled, food intolerance, and many more). Many health conditions can disappear once you lose weight. Why wouldn't you want to get yourself healthy?

10. I have an injury to my (select all that apply) neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist, back, hips, knee, ankle, and/or baby toe.  There are plenty of workouts that you can do where you don't have to use the injured limb.  

I guess the reason why I am so annoyed is because I know it can be done!  I know if I can give up my excuses and lose 39lbs so far then anyone can do it!  I know that it is hard, the hardest thing I have ever done in my life, but it is worth it!  The end results are there, the excuses are just clouding your vision to see the finish line. 

All that being said, I finally took a recent progress picture. 

There I am: 282 lbs with every excuse in the book who looked at this picture and said, "I need to get off the couch".  I need to change this. As simple as walking 20 minutes a day jump started my love for running and working out.  I know you can find 20 minutes, hell, if you can only find 10 minutes DO IT!  I guarantee you will start to feel better and that 10 will turn to 20 to 30 to 60. Trust me, I know it can happen.  As long as those excuses stay in the trash. 

Until Next Time.....

Ultimate Blog Party 2013 - Who is Steph from As Told By Steph?

I'm excited to link up this year!  I honestly can't remember if I missed last year or not!  That's how crazy life is! 

Sit down and relax.  I'm Steph. :-) Wife to Leif, Stay at Home Mom to Cadence and Nathan, Crafting business owner and certified procrastinator! I married my best friend 8 years ago, Cady is 5 going on 15 and Nathan is 2. I blog mostly about parenthood, marriage, my strange addition to gnomes and owls, my weight loss journey and just life in general. 

I take on way more than I can handle, I procrastinate like the best of them, I tell myself that I work better under pressure and I stress out about the little things.  To say that I LOVE my life would be an understatement!  My kids and my husband are my reason for living. 

I'm on a journey to a healthier me.  I am currently taking my life back and have lost 39 lbs since August.  I have recently discovered that I am a runner. 

I watch way too much TV and surf way too much net at night after everyone has gone to bed, I love God and am currently dealing with the Autism and Sensory Processing Disorder diagnosis of our son and all that comes with the life changing events that will be hitting our family sooner rather than later.  

My husband is my best friend.  He has stuck with me through BiPolar disorder, depression and crazy wife moments.  He is one of the hardest working guys I have ever met. (of course besides my daddy! :-)  He does what he can to support his family so that I can stay home with out children.  He is a video game lover, book lover, Netflix lover, movie lover.  We have been together for 11 years and married for 8, he is defiantly the other half of me. 

Cadence and Nathan are quite opposite of each other.  

Cady is all things girl.  She loves barbies, music and dancing.  She fully believes that she will be a star one day, she is sweet and loving and we are so much a like that we often butt heads! Cady has taught me to stop and hear the words of a song and dance around if I feel like it because life is too short to care what others think.  

Nathan is all things boy. He love Thomas the Train, anything with wheels, jumping and running, playing outside and his sister.  He is Autistic and has Sensory Processing Disorder.  He is the easiest and hardest child I have ever encountered.  He is very shy and quiet most of the time.  Nathan has taught me that everyone is different and their own person and that isn't a bad thing.  He has taught me that the little things in life are what really matter.  Because he is delayed in areas I feel like I get so much more joy from seeing him hit a milestone because I know how hard he has worked to get as far as he is right now.  Because he doesn't speak much I find myself tearing up every time I hear him say "Mommy".

There aren't enough hours in a day for all of the things I commit myself to and I all of the things I love.  

I could keep going but I know there is so much more I could tell you that you would be reading all day! 

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope to see you soon!

http://www.5minutesformom.com/75741/ultimate-blog-party-2013/

Until Next Time....

God's Battlefield or Mine?

"Our battlefield as women is being faithful to fulfill the calling Jesus Christ has given us."

Wow. 

How can we deny that?  

I went to Lay Minister Training this weekend at one of my favorite places in Michigan, Wesley Woods Camp.  If you ever get a chance to attend a Retreat here I highly recommend it!  This place is just awesome and I can't imagine how awesome it is in the summer when it is full of young blood at their summer camps!  

So, I almost wasn't going to go this weekend.  One of my best friends from High School got married tonight (Dana, I'm SO sorry I missed your big day!  But know that I was there in spirit!!) and I didn't want to go by myself and not know anyone!  Even though I'm getting older now, I still don't like to be the weird girl that doesn't have any friends! But that's neither here nor there! LOL  

But God was calling me to go.  He was pushing me and erased any doubt that I had about going so I signed up.  He had a plan for me that I couldn't see yet, but he knew that I needed to be there this weekend! 

I took a class on Storytelling, even though I went into it thinking I am pretty boring and I don't have any stories to tell.  I was wrong.  I met the most fascinating people this weekend!  The stories that were shared were unbelievable!  The people that were in our class were so different yet so a like at the same time!  I was just in awe the entire weekend! 

I met a girl while there named Sarah.  She is a high school senior who is getting ready to graduate and start college this fall and is considering Ministry.  In the short time that I got to talk with her and hear her story I can already tell she is going to do great things in her life!  She is one of the most inspirational people I have ever met!  

Meeting her really got me thinking about what God is calling me to do in my life.  I have always thought that I would work with children or youth.  I've worked with youth before and loved it!  However, lately I have been feeling the need to work with young adults.  Yes, one could call me a young adult myself, but come on...I'm pushing 30 now!  But back to my point. I have been feeling like I need to do more with my ministry than I am currently doing right now but I haven't really figured it out yet.  Could Sarah be what I am looking for?  Did God place us both at the same weekend Retreat in the same class on purpose?  ABSOLUTELY HE DID!! God knew that we needed each other and he brought us together. And I'm not gonna lie, I am pretty darn excited about it! 

I want to finish this post by asking you all to pray for me now.  Pray that I can be a good mentor and role model to Sarah.  Pray that our friendship will blossom and grow!  Pray for her as she is ending a part of her life to begin a new and exciting part!  Pray for the both of us as we are both growing in our faith and learning new things as we go and Pray that we will never forget that "Our battlefield as women is being faithful to fulfill the calling Jesus Christ has given us.". 


Until Next Time....

Breakthrough

I'm a fan of reading the success stories on MyFitnessPal.  (Hit me up Steph8084 :-) lol) Everytime I read a new one I always think to myself "I Wish that were me." I sometimes find myself a little jealous that they have been working out for a shorter period of time but lost more weight or they are the same weight as me but look smaller, etc.  So even though I somewhat tortue myself with my thoughts I still really enjoy seeing other peoples progress and knowing it really can happen.

Today I woke up feeling all around icky. Headache, body ache, sinus crap, sore throat....and it got worse as the day went on. I remember falling asleep around 5 on the couch and waking up around 8....Im assuming hubby took care of the kids during that time....hopefully....haha Well, long story short even though I felt like I was gonna fall over and die I forced myself to walk on the treadmill for at least an mile or 30 mins. I finished my mile in 20 mins and called it good. I then sat down to record it in MFP and read some more success stories like normal. Only today I noticed something different about myself. I realized that instead of being jealous and wishing that were me I was thinking "I cant wait until I have a success story to post!" I really think that when I pushed myself to jump on that treadmill even thought every ounce of energy I had was screaming no I actually showed myself that I WILL be a success story! I will do it and I can do it! 
I had a breakthrough tonight and you better believe you will be seeing my success story in the future!