Place the Oxygen Mask on Yourself First, Then Help Others

Although the holidays are always fun with the people and presents, it was a challenging one for me because I injured myself over Thanksgiving and spent December and January in a brace.  Don't worry, it only hurt when I breathed!!!  Not being able to exercise was quite a blow.  I did gain seven pounds during that time, but as soon as I could, I got back on the treadmill and pulled out the exercise bands and hit it.  I've now lost 50 pounds!!!  That's a small child or a good sized dog!  Those dark days of inactivity really made me appreciate my health and abilities.

Since I've embarked on this self-improvement journey of mine, I sometimes stop and wonder if it's just too much about me, me, me!  Each day I concentrate on what I (and my family) eat, what I drink, how I exercise, what I read, what I see, what I listen to, if I'm getting enough sleep, what I wear, and if I'm responding positively instead of negatively to a situation.  My Calvinist upbringing tells me all this emphasis on self is a sin.  But then I got to thinking, how can we bring joy into the lives of others if we, ourselves, are sick, tired, spreading gloom and doom of our own?  As the flight attendants say, we need to put the oxygen mask on ourselves first, and then help those around us. 

We need to be our best selves so we have the tools and resources to help others and impact the lives of those around us.  So many times, friends have come up to me and told me they can't believe how happy I am.  It's like I'm glowing with joy!  What a compliment.  I want to be the one that brings only positive things to the table, figuratively and literally.  There are so many negative things going on in the world today (same story, different era) and there always will be.  I just don't want to add to the huge stinking pot of smoldering poo in the world.  My actions here in little Jerome, Idaho, may not make a difference in the Middle East or North Africa, but it makes a difference in the lives of the people with whom I interact.  Feeling healthy and confident in myself gives me the incentive to say yes to helping those around me.  So, I may only be making a small difference globally, but in my own little part of the world, I think I am making a big difference.

Tell the Truth

I haven't blogged in a while and thought I'd better get my much smaller rear in gear and get some thoughts down. I've been doing my Live the Life program for 16 weeks now and I've lost a total of 45 pounds! The last four weeks I've been losing 1-2 pounds a week, and I have to say, I'm not very consistent with my exercise. If I was, the loss would be even greater. I seem to be so much busier. I have all this energy and I'm always wanting to go somewhere, or do something, or start a project. My chiropractor has me on some herbal supplements that really boost my energy, too. I want to be down 50 pounds by Christmas, that means I would have lost 24% of my body weight from last year! What a gift to myself!

I still have 20 pounds to go to get my BMI in the "normal" zone. Once there, we will just see if I level out or lose even more. The beauty of eating this way is your body will find the right weight for you. You don't have to say, "Well, I've reached my goal so I'll stop losing now." Do any of us ever get to that point? This is a lifestyle of healthy, clean eating. I only eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm satisfied, not full, satisfied. I'm eating less meals than the program offers. I eat four meals a day at the most, but usually three. I don't need to snack and my energy level is always up, no afternoon bottoming out. Out of habit, I always combine a complex carb with my protein at every meal. Minimally processed, wholesome food is my first choice. My food is tasty and very satisfying. As I've said in past posts, our food expense is way down. I have energy to cook and prefer not to eat out as much. Not that we don't eat out, it's just that it's a treat now.

Our son and daughter-in-law (my Live the Life buddy) loaned us their Wii with the Wii Fit and Personal Trainer programs. Can't wait to start that up. Something new and fun to mix up the exercise. I'm loving the new smaller clothes. But before we know it, we'll be uncovering our skin for Spring and I don't want there to be too much jiggling with mine. There may always be room for Jell-o, but just not in your skin!!!

A New Phase

Today was the end of the 12th week of my Live the Life program. That's an 84 day journey to becoming a better person not only physically but spiritually and emotionally, too. I'm so excited that I have lost 3 pounds this week for a total weight loss of 40 pounds!!! That's about the size of a kindergartener. Imagine carrying a 5 year old around all day and all night. Yikes!!! No wonder I feel so incredible.

I still have 25 pounds to go and will keep my Live the Life precepts close by to help me achieve my goal. I know I will get there because I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I can almost see the beautiful sight that will greet me as I emerge from this path to a place of peace and joy. I'm experiencing some of it now, but it will be so much better when I've completed my journey and enter a new phase of my life of maintaining all that I've accomplished and enjoying all of the rewards. I realize that I will still have the same challenges, problems, dissappointments and everyday boring tasks. But I will be meeting those challenges with a stronger, energetic, healthier body. With a clear head and strong heart, a person can accomplish many wonderful things and slay the most formidable dragons. Here's to the next 25 pounds! ~ The Dragon Slayer

I Love Saturdays

Well, I missed posting the last few weeks because I've been so busy. With all this new found energy, I'm taking care of business on the weekends!!! Since I last posted, I've lost another 5 pounds for a total of 37 pounds! Woo Hoo!! Every Saturday I weigh myself and every Saturday shows a weight loss. I love Saturdays! This whole clean, healthy eating lifestyle has become second nature to me. I never leave a restaurant without a take home box because I never finish my meal. The portions they serve are just so big. I regularly make substitutions because I have to stay gluten free, so I end up with a custom meal that's actually good for me. I'm sure being off the wheat, rye, and barley has made it easier for me lose because I'm never tempted to eat a cookie or piece of cake or pie because I will get sick. Not just fat, but sick. So I thank the good Lord for my little "thorn in the flesh" because it is making me a much healthier and happier person.

Next week is technically my last week on the 12-week Live the Life program. I don't think I'll ever be off it because now it's a lifestyle choice with me. I eat sensibly most of the time, indulge when I want to (usually at parties and I have to bring my own treats), and engage in physical activity. It's what is right for our bodies and I feel great because of it. I believe I was made the way I'm supposed to be. I embrace my gluten intolerance, keep a positive attitude, and thank God for my many blessings. I no longer eat out of boredom or melancholy. I'm too busy and happy to resort to that. I know that if I have a problem, I can deal with it, with the Lord's help. I do what I can (because now I have the energy to do that) and leave the rest to God. I know things will work out as they should so I have no need to worry. That might be a little pollyanna-ish, but look at the results. I'm slimmer, healthier, happier, and I have a positive effect on those around me. Why not jump on the bandwagon and experience the good life when you Live the Life!

Short and Sweet

Just a short post this week. Lost 2 pounds for a total of 32 pounds. It was a great week and I even enjoyed a few treats here and there. I do have a bit of a cold but I'm still moving around and getting things done. Celebrated my 37th wedding anniversary this week, and my husband sent me the most beautiful arrangement of flowers. He's such a sweetie. Enjoying some new clothes and I have a feeling a smaller size will be due by Thanksgiving. I've lost a total of 4 1/2 inches off my waist and 4 1/4 off my hips. No wonder my clothes keep getting baggy. I'm in a pretty good routine now and eating is not a problem. I don't seem to mind that others are eating lots of sweets when I have just a taste. I find I'm much easier satisfied now. That's all for now. I'll be back in a week and, I hope, 2 pounds lighter!!

Another Milestone

Well who thought going back to work could be so healthy for you. I'm back at school working with children. I have lost 3 pounds this week for a total of 30 pounds! Yeah! I have to admit that I was a little concerned about leaving the comfortable controlled environment of my home for the active and sometimes unpredictable one of school. First of all, everyone at work is so encouraging about my weight loss. They are a great bunch of people and fun to work with. Second, I make sure to have a good breakfast before I go (all the Live the Life breakfasts are tasty and healthy) and, third, I pack my lunch. Since I can't have gluten, I can rarely eat anything offered at school. I have access to plenty of water to drink so I'm set. I found I had plenty of energy for playground duty, rearranging books, furniture and hopping from classroom to classroom. And I seem to be more alert - no brain fog! What is a wonderful result of this lifestyle is I sleep so soundly and usually wake up BEFORE my alarm goes off at 5:45 a.m.! Now who could have predicted that? I also wake up bright eyed and bushy tailed! I'm now more conscientious about my appearance and take care in applying my make-up and styling my hair. I can remember some time back, hitting the snooze button repeatedly and just having time to brush my teeth, wash my face, run a comb through my hair and run to work without breakfast. Now my mornings are unrushed and I can enjoy my breakfast and visit with family before leaving at 7:14 a.m. It puts a great big smile on my morning and the rest of the day seems to follow in the same manner.

All in all, I feel like my life has turned around and I will just steadily lose weight until I reach the point where my caloric intake and burn even out. Then that will be my ideal weight. I don't believe God made anyone fat. He made us as we should be, and if we listen to our body and feed it only when it's hungry and stop when we are satisfied (not full), then our body will maintain a proper weight for maximum health. Not eating when I'm bored or depressed has been a huge change for me. I find I'm rarely bored or depressed and I think that's due to my energy level and proper rest. I also find I don't do "busy work" to keep my mind off of something. I deal with whatever the issue is as best I can, and if I can't deal with it, I leave it to God and trust Him. Let me tell you, your blood pressure will settle down and you'll be happier and healthier with that attitude.

Economizing

It was back to work this week. I had a lot of great compliments from my co-workers. They are so caring and supportive. It really bolstered my resolve to eat clean and stop mindless eating. So this week I lost another 2 pounds for a total of 27 pounds lost!! We've had great dinners this week and I've also eaten out a few times and I've still lost weight without feeling deprived or weak. My energy level is amazing. People are even commenting on that. When you work with 10 and 11 year olds, you'd better have energy.

Here's one of my little insights into having a leaner body. I noticed this week that I use a lot less lotion on my body after my shower! I know it's not a big thing, but to me, it's huge! With a smaller body you can buy better quality of lotion, use less, and end up spending the same amount of money!

Another aspect I've added to my new lifestyle is getting in tune with my body. What it wants and needs and how it feels. I eat only when I'm hungry. I wait for hunger to call me and then I respond with one of the great meals from the Live the Life program. I eat my favorite parts of the meal slowly and gauge my fullness level. I don't really eat until I'm full, I eat until I'm satisfied and the hunger's gone away. Then I wrap up my leftovers or get a "to-go" box and go on my merry way. I'm good until hunger comes knocking again. Then I repeat the process. I was kicked out of the "Clean Plate Club" and lost weight because of it! I've had a physically demanding week and I was never weak or dizzy. I made sure to drink plenty of water since I worked up a sweat this week and we live in a dry climate. But, aside from the water, I find very little food sustains me just fine and I feel great. It's a very powerful feeling when you can take one bite of pie after a good meal and feel you are satisfied. Why eat it all and be miserable physically and emotionally. No more regrets. And I'm really saving on my food bill.

So here's the summation: Eat less, lose weight, save money, buy clothes! Have a great week and have a caring conversation with your body. It will thank you.

Being Legal

Well folks, I've lost 3 pounds this past week for a total loss of 25 pounds! I now weigh what is printed on my driver's license. I'm legal! I'm now entering week 6 on my Live the Life program and I'm looking forward to the waffles, the egg-turkey breakfast muffin, banana pancakes, shrimp and potatoes and all the wonderful recipes for this week. Each week seems to get better and better. The family and I have found some new favorite dishes because of the program. Not only delicious but good for you. When I make anything now, portion size and clean eating come second nature to me. This has been a busy and rewarding week for me. I still am feeling the best I have in years and enjoying altering my clothes and buying new clothes. It just seems to get better and better.

Sewing Skills

Well, here I am beginning week 5 of my Live the Life program and I've lost 3 pounds this week! That's a total of 22 pounds! I'm still surprised on Saturday mornings when I weigh myself and find I've lost weight after eating so well and so much all week. Of course I don't need the scale to tell me I'm getting smaller, my clothes are shouting that at me. I went on a shopping excursion with my daughter, Katie, and bought 5 new pairs of pants. I am a fairly good seamstress and can alter clothes easily, but good trouser pants (for work) need to fit well. So I'm taking in tops and shorts but I thought I'd better just buy my pants. It was so gratifying to try them on in a smaller size and they fit, comfortably!!! I have been going to thrift stores and buying some of my clothes because, I know in a few months, I'm going to need smaller sizes again! And all that shopping is burning calories. Yea, I like retail exercise!

People have been noticing the changes in me and it feels so good. Still feeling great, have lots of energy, and sleeping very well. As a matter of fact, my husband's even sleeping better. Not because of his eating program, but because of my lack of snoring!!!!!!! I know, that's an overshare but these are wonderful things that you can experience, too, if you want. Come along with me and enjoy a peaceful night's rest (for you and your partner) by joining Live the Life at www.kristiapproved.com. I was having a moment of discouragement (only a brief moment) this past week and out of the blue, Trish Allen, co-founder of the Live the Life program, called me. Her warm exuberance just washed over me and put me right back on track! What wonderful personal service. I think of Trish and Kristi more like mentor-friends than the knowledgeable, capable business owners-teachers that they are. I am looking forward to more wonderful discoveries as my new body emerges. Peeling away the layers of fat, opens you up to so many possibilities. I see many wonderful opportunities ahead for me. Won't you join me?

Omar, You're Fired!

Another week of clean eating and good food has passed and I've lost another 2 pounds. That's a total of 19 pounds! It comes off so effortlessly that on Saturdays when I weigh myself, I still don't expect the weight to be gone. But it is. Yea!!! This week I made myself a dress to wear to a wedding today. I didn't want to buy one because I figured it will just be too big in a month or so. It was a labor of love because I was making this for my new body. It has shape and I have been wearing shapeless clothes for years. I'm excited how it turned out, how it fits, and how I feel in it. Like a woman instead of a blob! So it's goodbye to Omar the Tent Maker and hello couture. I might go out and by an Instyle magazine or something! I feel like I can enter the "fashion" scene again. Not that I'm such a natty dresser that I keep up with all of that, but now I feel a participant in life and not a spectator. I love this feeling of worth and I want to go out and do things instead of just sitting home, hiding and eating. I feel more a part of what is going on in the world and that I matter. What a great feeling.

I treated myself to a mini-makeover with a mani-pedi and new hairdo. When I'm out I seem to always have a silly grin on my face. Like I know a wonderful secret that nobody else knows. Even if I hadn't lost any weight, I sleep wonderful, have loads of energy, and feel great. That feeling great part is huge and makes all the things the world throws at you seem smaller and easier to deal with. Stuff happens everyday, but it's the way you deal with it that says volumes about your character and who you are. It's amazing that this part of your life, your eating part, can have so much impact on how you view yourself and others. For me, I see that I was a compulsive eater and used food to numb me so I didn't have to feel things I didn't want to feel or deal with. It was my drug of choice and one that's acceptable in our society. Which, by the way, is the most overweight society in the world. We Americans are also crazy high for the number of cases of Adult Onset Diabetes (type 2), which is mainly caused by being overweight and sedentary. It runs in my dad's side of the family and I don't want to join that group. So I am moving more and eating less. I want to be able to dance at my grandkids' weddings and bust a move instead of breaking a hip! I want to participate and embarrass my grandchildren instead of being the the little old lady in the corner munching on cake!!! Don't they have a lot to look forward to.

The "Aha" moment that turned me around was getting on the Live the Life program by Kristi Approved. If you're game and want to get back in the game, go to www.kristiapproved.com and join. Then you can fire Omar, too!

Another One Bites the Dust!

I've just finished Week 2 of my Kristi Approved Live the Life program and I've lost another 2 pounds. My overall weight loss since I discovered KA in mid July is 17 pounds! Also, another dress size bit the dust and I'm in a new smaller size I haven't seen in years. New clothes here I come! I'm surprised at the changes in my world now. I get in and out of the car easier. I get in and out of restaurant booths easier. I dash up stairs easier and putting on and lacing up my shoes is easier. Life is just easier at a smaller size! And it's happier. I feel great, sleep great, and seem to be always on the go. It's hard to settle down and blog because it's sedentary. I'm making a dress for a wedding I will be attending next Saturday, and I had to wait to make it because I'm getting smaller every week! If an easier lifestyle with more energy is what you crave, join me at http://www.kristiapproved.com/ and start Living the Life. Henry James said, "It's time to start living the life you've imagined."

Livin' It, Losin' It, and Lovin' It

Woohoo! Just finished week 1 of the Live the Life program and I've lost 5 pounds! So that's 10 pounds on the 7 Day Challenge and 5 pounds on Live the Life = 15 pounds in all!!! And I've lost an inch off my waist and an inch off my hips!! Feeling good and going strong. I had a goal to achieve 45 seconds on the center plank hold (an amazing resistance exercise that sort of targets everything) this week and I did. I love feeling stronger each time I come back to an exercise. It's exhilarating to feel yourself getting stronger and accomplishing more and more at each workout. And my clothes are hanging on me. I went to change clothes, and forgot to unbutton and unzip my jeans and I simply slipped them off! When I realized what I'd done, I tried just pulling them up, and they came up like sweat pants! I smell a shopping trip coming up.

I'm excited about the new menu for this week. I already love the Blueberry Graham Ice Cream for meal 1. I mistakenly got chocolate protein powder, and, yum yum, is that good in this meal. I haven't run into anything I haven't just loved. Some Live the Life members have said they were apprehensive when looking at the recipes, but when they ate them, the taste just blew them away. I trust that the Kristi Approved meals are not only great for my body, but great for my taste buds. So I approach each new recipe with anticipation and excitement. I'm loving Live the Life and losing the weight, the inches, the bad self talk, and the old clothes. I'd like to repeat, woohoo! If you want to go shopping with me, go to www.kristiapproved.com and begin living the life, reclaiming your confidence, and saving your pennies for our shopping spree!!!

Really Living the Life

Well, my new 12-week Live the Life program came yesterday. I started it today and there, at 6:25 this morning, was a welcoming and encouraging email in my inbox. A couple of the meals this week are similar to what I had during the 7 Day Challenge (and they happen to be two of my favorites) but the new ones are very delish and I think my new fave is the Apple Crunch Chicken Salad. Sooo good and filling and satisfying! The resistance training is just a little different but still the same exercises today. Still doing 3 sets but working up to 15 reps. I was a little intimidated but found the strength I'd built over the last 11 days on the 7 Day Challenge had me ready for this next step. I'm also having to speed up the treadmill for it to be a satisfying cardio session. And I feel so energized after my cardio. They have you do the resistance training first then the cardio, and boy that makes a big difference in how I feel afterwards. Like I could take on the world! I think my body is really beginning to transform. No cravings, no fatigue, sleep like a baby, and I wake around 6 a.m. without an alarm and I'm ready to go.

This Kristi Approved Live the Life program is the bomb! I'm noticing my skin seems fresher, hair shinier, body stronger, back stronger, posture better and I enjoy being busy and getting things done. Can't see a downside to this. We ate out tonight and I got grilled chicken, sweet potato, and broccoli. It was yummy, gluten free, and on the Live the Life plan! If you want to join me in transforming your life, go to www.kristiapproved.com and get all the info. Here's to living the life!

We Are Family

So I'm still doing the 7 Day Challenge, just repeating the past week. I'm waiting for my Live the Life Program book to come in the mail so I can start it. It's more detailed and you get personal coaching over the phone or email. I've incorporated these meals into our family meals now that Darrell and Katie are back from their trip. So this clean eating thing has become a family affair.

I've watched many of the videos Kristi Approved have done on their website and You Tube, and have noticed that they use the "Magic Bullet" blender to make their smoothies. I got one and love it! It's fast and convenient and doesn't take up hardly any space on the kitchen counter top. It would even fit in a good sized purse if you wanted to take it to work or on a trip. I'm all for convenience and the Live the Life team makes everything so easy for you. Check them out at http://www.kristiapproved.com/. Happy blending!