Happy Happy Turkey Day:)

Here's wishing you all a safe, happy and yummy Thanksgiving. Filled w/ good food, no work and good times:) We have much to be thankful for. Even thru all the crud, we have much to be thankful for.

What are your plans? Thursday morning, dull, rainy and early, I am doing my 1st marathon, we'll call it a walkathon, b/c this bum isn't doing anything that one could construe as running. 5k. How did I get myself into this you might ask? This is my reward for reaching my 1st goal. Some reward. No, it's a great gift. Something that will keep me working toward my next goal, and make me able to eat 1, maybe 2 pieces of pie latter in the day....

Thursday afternoon we'll be at my cousins w/ relatives on my moms side. My 82 yo grandpa who recently moved here from Alabama that I hardly know, so I'm looking forward to getting to know him some. Should be fun, the kids will see their cousins too.

And Saturday, we're off to dh's side of the fam. Lot's more people and further away, but much fun will be had:)

Hope you all enjoy your holidays!! xoxo

..and a side order of breasts please?

I went shopping last night. I got an unexpected check in the mail and dh and I agreed that I should use it to get a couple more pieces of clothes. It's a hard call when you know you're going to eventually outgrow them again. But I think I made good choices. Got to go w/ my bff and we had a good time. So, now I have a couple cute pairs of jeans, 4 shirts, and 1 pair of dress pants that fit just right. It's kind of like shopping for maternity clothes, you know you're only going to be in this place for a temporary period.

Anyhoo, A couple of the shirts I tried on, made very plain the fact that at least 10 of the lbs I've lost, have come from my boobs. The shirts would be much cuter on someone who still had breasts. Ronnie said I need a wonder bra. I was never really well endowed, but now, it's just sad. really. I never thought I'd be one of those woman who bought the bras w/ the padding in them. Now, I'll be 1st in line! That is the next thing on the list, new bras, complete w/ whatever it takes to make me at least appear to have breasts again.

As we were leaving the store I noticed a cute sweater on a manikin. I told Ronnie, "now if I could just get that sweater, and those boobs."

I bought a new pair of jeans to day. For the 1st time in like, 2 years. It was so exciting. From what I can tell, they're 3 sizes smaller than my old jeans. Could be 4, but we'll go w/ 3. You know how weird sizing can be. And, they're a brand that caters to big girls, so they're made especially for my pair shaped self, who has most of my junk, in the trunk;0) ah, finally, a company that sees that most of america is plus sized... *sighs w/ contentment*

and in the doula chronicles, i ask for your help.
I need to write a tiny little statement about myself for a pamphlet that will set me apart from every other doula in the area. WHAT SHOULD I WRITE!? I was thinking about advertising the fact that I teach a Christian childbirth class. I dunno. But, it has to be short, tiny. Teensy weensy.

Ok, something that sucks about loosing weight, not having clothes that fit! I have one shirt and one pair of pants that fit. That's it. Even my undies are loose. They don't count b/c ya can't see them. Thank God my bday and Christmas are coming up. Everyone who has asked me what I want, I tell them money, I need new clothes!

Yes, I know, this is a good problem to have. And at 1st, it was fun to have loose clothes. Something I've never had a problem w/, lol. But now, I just feel frumpy all the time. The one out fit that I do have is kind of dressy, so I don't wear it often. When I wore it recently one of my friends commented on how nice it looked. She said, "it looked like it fit. Everything I've seen you in recently has been so big on you."

It's so close to Christmas, and my bday. And both vehicles are in my name. Which is where all our extra money is going. I just don't have it in the budget to pick anything new up for myself you know? Plus, I'm still a plus sized girl, and plus sized clothes are more expensive. It's rough! I don't wanna complain, please understand. And, I know, I got myself into this mess. I will never blame my weight on anyone. I ate myself to where I am. But this is my blog, and I'm allowed to whine now and then right??

On the other hand, I can tell you something I am SUPER thankful for!! I was saving some money for a new pair of walking shoes. The pair I've been using I've had for 6 months now. And are just plane wore out! Anyhoo, I have this friend who is the master of knowledge of where the deals are. So I asked her where is the best place to get good shoes, GOOD shoes. She asked me what size I wore, we happen to wear the same size:) And she just bought a pair that are a little too loose. I tried them on and so for so good. Gonna wear them out of the house today. Hoping, if they work, I'll get to spend some of that on a pair of pants or somthin!!

little of this, little of that..

Something that took me by surprise in all this was how many people have said that I have inspired them to do something. B4 I made a decision to get healthy I was never inspired by people when I saw them loosing weight. I would tell them great job or whatever. But I never felt inspired. I felt guilty and crappy. I knew I should be doing something about myself and I wasn't. I've met a couple people like that, I can see it their eyes. I know b/c I've been there. But like I said, it's something that has to happen in a persons own heart.

And for today, a little snippet of something else I love....Monday night I was called in to labor w/ a most awesome mama :0) who birthed a most adorable 7lb 15oz little man Tuesday morning...more of her story coming soon:)

my weightloss journey...

I didn't talk about it for awhile Probably the 1st month. I emailed my friend. And walked w/ my partner, and of course, there was the dh. But I didn't really mention it to any one else. I have failed at this so many times b4. Why talk about it to any one this time?? What if this time isn't different?? I had to go back to the doc for a check up or some thing in 2 weeks, and of course, they want to weigh you, and I had lost 4 lbs. I was impressed. Then I had to go back again in 2 weeks, and I had lost 8 lbs. I was really impressed. 12 lbs!? When was the last time I had done that?? Probly when I was pregnant and puking, lol!

I figured I was on the right track w/ what I was doing. It was at that point that I had no more doc appts, and just asked if I could come back and get weighed. They were more than happy to oblige me.

A little more on the water. Yes, I do go more often than most people. But, it's a good thing, b/c your body has a lot of toxins in it. Drinking water flushes them out. I like to think about that when I go, I'm getting bad stuff o/o my body. Also, dehydration causes headaches, getting more water can get rid of some of those. I know that sometimes in my own kids when they complain of headaches, the 1st thing I do is ask them how much they've drank that day. I do get tired of water. It's then that I drink more of my own little concoction. I'ts just green tea w/ lemon. I sweeten it w/ stevia. But it's calorie free, caffeine free, so it won't dehydrate me, and it's still doing the same thing water was. Also, you can just pop in those little crystal light things into your bottles of water if you like. I try to stay away from aspartame and that though. (altho not always, i am still slightly addicted to diet dr. pepper, but that's a whole other post....)

And ya, sometimes 1500 calories a day just sucks. But I look at what I want my end result to be. And I can't get that any other way. Yes, I screw up sometimes. And in the beginning I beat myself up bad about it. I was so sure that b/c of the one time I ate a little too much, or went o/ to dinner the next time I got weighed I wasn't going to have lost anything. Which of course wasn't the case. If you screw up, you move on to the next day. Or the afternoon, or the evening.

At least that's what I do, on my journey....

more of my journey..

As I said, that day I went home and was feeling rather introspective. I started thinking about how I wanted to do this. What I had heard other people say they had done to loose weight. What I thought would be doable for me.

I had one friend who had said he had lost about 40 lbs just by drinking a LOT of water. I figured, how hard could drinking water be? I knew it was good for you, I'd start there. I drink about 64 oz of water a day. And when I don't, I don't feel right. My skin looks great also:) I get less headaches, all around, water is my friend. Yes, I peed ALOT at 1st, but people kept saying, hang in there, it'll get better after a week or so, and it did.

Walking. I knew I needed to start walking. It just so happened that I lived 2 blocks from a great park. So, the kids could play, I could walk around the park, like laps. I'm not sure how I got my walking partner, but I'm SO thankful I had her for as long as I did. We walked EVERYDAY for probably 2 months. Then we moved and school started and I lost her, boo:( But by that time I was/am much more disciplined in myself to do it on my own. Altho, I still have days, that I get depressed and sad if I don't have someone to go w/ me, so I don't go. (I can't believe how honest I am w/ you guys!) I had a pedometer, and figured o/ how many times around the park was a mile and then we added to it once a month till we were up to 2 miles. Which, I gotta tell ya, sucked in the summer time!

Then I added the counting calories. I asked my friend how many I could have and loose weight. She said she ate 1500 calories a day. I thought that sounded strict, I was thinking more like 1800-2000. But w/ in 2 weeks, I was down to 1500, and I hardly even realized it. She hooked me up w/ fitday.com and I started plugging my numbers in there. I could also look up foods I didn't know on there. I set my 1st There's tons of cool stuff on there. I'm not so dependant on it now. But it was very helpful in the beginning. I do find myself going back when I feel like I've been lazy and am eating too much or something tho.

I know there are different ways, but like I said, this is my journey..and what has worked for me...and that goal that I mentioned?? was 60 lbs by Christmas. I passed that goal a week ago=0)