Live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, drink the wild air. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

This past weekend greeted us with abnormally warm weather, so I laced up my old tennis shoes, and headed out to our local nature area with Kody and my camera in tow.

Poor Kody gets tied to stumps while I take photos. Next time I'll have to sweet talk someone into going with me.

I didn't get a ton of pictures because Kody wasn't in the mood to be patient, and I wasn't feeling terribly inspired, but that's okay because I still got to spend an hour or so enjoying the gorgeous day. It's amazing how much better sunshine and fresh air makes one feel. I love warm days in the midst of winter. They're a ray of hope telling us that spring is coming. We've just got to hold on.

:j

Another post on weight loss

Last week I set a goal of writing down everything I ate. I can't say I accomplished the goal perfectly, but I definitely did better than normal. Granted, I hadn't been keeping a food journal at all, so anything is better than nothing. I started writing down what I ate, why I ate it, how hungry I was, and the number of Weight Watchers Points+. I know that seems like a lot of info, but it's helped me really think about food. I hope to continue the goal this week because I'd love to hit it 100%. Enough about that.

Lately I've been thinking about my reasons for losing weight. I'd love to say that my primary reason is health, but that wouldn't be entirely accurate. If I were being honest, I'd say my #1 reason is to be more attractive. Which sounds so silly when I type it, but isn't that why we all pay attention to our weight? We all want to be pretty.

I lead a Bible Study for sophomore girls. Last week, we memorized 1 Timothy 2:10 (NLT)....

And it really made me stop and think about the importance looking attractive plays in my life. As a single girl, it's a big deal. It's been ingrained in my head that guys want a girl who looks a certain way, and I have only met a handful of single guys (if even that many) who contradict that thought. If I lose weight to simply be attractive to a male, then what will happen once I attract one? And if a guy is drawn to me because of the way I look, what will happen when I get old and my beauty fades away?

This week I learned that my reasons for eating the right foods, spending time in the gym, and losing weight have to be deeper than just wanting to be attractive. It has to be deeper than wanting to fit into a certain size or see a certain number on the scale. It has to revolve around health. Sure, losing weight and becoming smaller is a great benefit of health, but it can't be the primary reason for an entire lifestyle change if I want that lifestyle change to stick.

Last week on The Biggest Loser, one of the contestants said, "Health isn't a chore, it's a gift." There are people in the world that would love to be able to go for a walk, take a yoga class, or meet a friend at the gym, but for whatever reason they can't. I take so much for granted, and my health is one of the biggest.  Weight loss is slowly becoming more about health than vanity, which hopefully is a sign that it is becoming a lifestyle instead of just a diet. Which is a good thing because I want to live a healthy and active life so I can make the most of the gift I've been given. God made me healthy, and I aim to make the most of it.

:j

Fridge Clean Out

Last week at Weight Watchers, we talked about cleaning out our fridges. It was more of a metaphor about getting the junk food out and the healthy food in, but I took it literally. My fridge was in high need of TLC. Take a look for yourself...

Yeah, it was pretty gross. I won't get into details, but lets just say the holidays hadn't left my refrigerator yet. #yuck The first thing I did was turn the fridge off. I didn't even know you could do this, but as I started the process I realized that there was an off knob on my fridge thermostat.

Yes, I do see the grossness surrounding the thermostat. I'm happy to say that is no longer there.

Then I took EVERYTHING out. I mean everything....food, shelves, the butter tray, everything.

This left me with a nice blank canvas to being cleaning.

At this point, I learned if I ever need to mail myself somewhere, a box the size of my refrigerator would be sufficient. I literally climbed right in there. I wiped everything down with a hot, wet wash cloth first, then I bleached it, and then I wiped it down one more time. If there were stubborn spots (like that huge gross one you see in the photo above), I got out the baking soda. Once the spots sat with baking soda on them for a minute, they came right up. I also took glass cleaner to the shelves while they were out of the fridge.

Then it was time to put the shelves back, but first I lined them with non-sticky, heavy duty shelf liner.

I also threw away some stuff, repackaged a few things, and got my fridge organized. Now it looks like this....

I moved the stuff that I don't really need to be eating down low. My veggies are nice and center.

Now it's time to get some grocery shopping done!

:j

Weight Loss Episode 13

I used to title my blog posts with quotes, but then one day I stopped. I think I want to go back to that, and there is no time like the present.

I chose this quote because today I want to talk about goals. As many of you know, I am a goal setter. I like to make a list of 28 things I want to accomplish before turning 28 or 50 things to accomplish in 500 days. But one thing I've hardly ever set goals for is my weight loss. Sure, I'd like to lose a certain amount of weight by a certain time, but I don't like setting that goal. Sometimes when I get on the scale on Mondays I will think up a goal in my mind, but I never commit to it as a real-life-work-for-it-and-do-my-absolute-best goal.

Why, you ask, Internet? Simple. Because I'm afraid that I might not achieve the goal. I'm not a big fan of failure. (Shocking, I know.) The easiest way to not fail, is to just not give yourself anything in which to fail. If I don't set goals, I have no chance of not making those goals. It's one thing to fail at "Figuring out how to solve a Rubix Cube," but it's another thing to fail at reaching something real-life; something that I really want to accomplish.

Weight loss is a bit of an enigma. I can do the work and make the right choices, but I can't guarantee that the scale will reflect that. Eventually it all pays off, but week to week it can seem like a Vegas Casino game. Some weeks I do everything right and gain; some weeks I forget that I'm even on this journey, yet I still lose weight. Because of that, specific goals don't seem to fit. However weight loss isn't all about weight loss. The heart of the matter is health. As much as I'd love to fit in that pair of jeans hanging on my closet door, it's much more important that I'm healthy, and that I treat my body with respect. It's about learning a different life style from the one I've lived for years.

Therefore I'm going to start setting goals. They won't be about losing a set amount of weight in a set amount of time. They won't be to hit a certain size by a certain date. They will be about healthy habits and little changes that will make me better. It'll be good.

First goal: To write down everything I eat this week. Studies say that people trying to lose weight should keep a log of what they are eating. It's something that I've never been good about. Actually I hate "Tracking," "Food Diaries," or "Lunch Logs." (I think I made up that last one.) Regardless, I'm going to try it this week, and I'll let you know how it goes. Wish me luck.

:j 

One of these things is not like the other....

A few months ago, my friend group got really into the Meyers-Briggs personality tests for about a day ... or maybe a weekend. We all took the personality test to figure out which 4 letters defined us. If you've never taken the test, you can take an abbreviated version of it HERE. It really is extremely interesting, especially if it's Momma taking the test. Here are a few quotes she said while taking it...

To my sister in law - "What, you're already finished? I'm on question 16." (Of 72 questions)
Reading a question aloud -  "'Do you prefer the scientific method?' Hmmm...I'm not a huge fan of scientists, so I'm going to say no."
To my dad - "Jackson, I could take this quiz for you much better than I could for me because I know you so well."
On question number 25 of 72 "How long is this quiz? I don't have a good attention span."

After taking the quiz, I quickly realized how different I am than the people I hang out with. Which is in no way a bad thing, but it is something that I find intriguing. I test as an ENFP or ESFP depending on the day. Most of my friends were ISTJ's or ESTJ's. Momma was an ESTJ. My sister-in-laws were ISFJ and INTJ. All of these are almost the exact opposite of me, so I guess it just proves the fact that opposites attract.

Which makes me happy because let's be honest, life would be boring if we were all the same. It fascinates me that I am a rather "grey" thinker and I'm surrounded by people who are "black and white." I love that I am an outgoing extrovert, but my family is full of introverts. I think it's wonderful that I am a peacemaker - almost to the point of being annoying, and my friends are good at 'critical conversations.' I'm enthusiastic, friendly, creative, and loving. I can get overwhelmed easily by stress, I lack a sense of routine, and I avoid conflict like the plague.

Hence the reason opposites are so important because it's really good for me to be around people who are structured. I need someone in my life who thinks in a more logical fashion when I'm bouncing ideas around every which way. I respect people who can communicate ideas or criticism in a precise way that causes others to listen and take note.

The beauty of it is the way God created each of us to fit together. My weaknesses are someone else's strengths for a reason. I was given my traits for a reason. You were given your talents for a reason. It amazes me how perfectly individual we are - no one is like the others, and no one is without purpose. Only a creator with an infinite amount of creativity could do that. And that is mind-boggingly beautiful.

:j

Weight Loss Episode 12

It's Monday, and that means a Weight Loss Blog Post.

Sometimes weight loss is actually kind of easy. Carrot sticks seem like an awesome option. Working out is a breeze. Cookies are the least of your worries.

More often than not, it's pretty tough. It's hard work to break habits that you've instilled in yourself for years. It's difficult to re-learn an active lifestyle.

Right now I'm remembering how much work it can be. 

At a time in the year when it seems like everyone is "being good" on their diet, I'm finding it difficult to continue "being good." It's not that I want to throw in the towel, it's just that I don't want to have to work so hard. It's day in and day out. It's moment by moment. It's every choice I make, and it's exhausting! This is just me having a bit of a come apart because sometimes a girl just has to vent. 

(FYI A "come apart" is a fancy term for a hissy fit. I learned it from Cousin Tracie.) 

I really have nothing to share that is special or new or revolutionary, so that's why I'm just sharing my honest side. Change is never easy. Anything worth having is worth working for. There are a lot of cliche sayings that I could continue to list, and there is a lot of honesty in many of them. 

The real truth is, if I really want this, I have to find the motivation inside me. I have to decide day by day, moment by moment, choice by choice that I want to put forth the effort. I have to break bad habits and learn new ones. I have to re-train my body to crave health. And I have to stay the course step by step. 

It'll totally be worth it....actually it already has totally been worth it!

:j

2013 Memory Verse (1)

I'm participating in Beth Moore's Siesta Scripture Challenge again this year. Here's my first verse, so if you're someone who I actually know in real life, feel free to quiz me from time to time.

:j

Post Cards

Text it to me

When I was in school, if I needed to talk to a friend, I had to call their house. I couldn't just call their personal cell phone; I had to actually call and ask for my friend. Some kids were cool enough to have their own line, but usually it was a shared thing, so if Momma needed to use the phone, I had to stop listening to my friend breathing on the other end, and get off the phone. Kids now have it good. They don't have to politely ask for their friend to come to the phone, they get to just text their friends when they want to.

And here is my confession for the night: I'm a terrible texter. It's not necessarily me though, it's my phone. I use this system called Swype, which means I never lift my finger, so I can text 94 words per minute. (I might be exaggerating a bit.) It sometimes results in some miscommunication, but most of my friends just ignore it anymore because it's to be expected. I thought I'd share a few of those with you tonight.

My side of the conversation is in blue.

Attacks | Starbucks pretty much the same thing.

It foots me might be a new thing, you never know.

1,000 mites - apparently she had bed bugs.

 

I don't know who I was being, but I'm sure it applied.
And pay no attention to the table runner scarf photo.
I'm not to be trusted after a certain time at Target.

I have no clue what i was trying to say here, but it sounds exciting.

Shying is a legitimate word, right?

I think I accidentally called Raylene a peasant here.

We gleaned our hearts out that night.

I think she was going on a date with Hitler or something....

But today, I went a little overboard with my miscommunication...

I would advise against drinking the kool-aid at my parties.

Unfortunately this happens a lot, so this may need to become a new regular post on the blog...

:j