My Life in Training . . .

Why do we always make promises to others and try our best the follow through with them only to make promises to ourselves and then not do what we told ourselves we would do. For me that means – why do I say I am going to sit down at some point and take a break between task only to spend all my night continually working on my to do list. My list never gets done and when I finally get near the end of it I start moving things from my “I wish I had time to” list on to my to do list. It is now 11:13 and I am sitting down for the first time since lunch time with the exception of driving and watching my daughter do one of her dances at dance recital practice. I just so happened to come in right before her dance which made that stop a short one. I have been on a fieldtrip today and left there to go to Costco. Then I picked up my daughter and came home . . . and on and on my night has gone. One thing I did promise myself today that I was able to do was to eat dinner early. I have been eating as late as 9:30 and 10:00 some nights but I got to rotisserie chickens at Costco and my dinner was already ready. However, I have got to figure out a way to make myself stop for a little bit. Last time I checked there was no one passing out metals for those of us who don’t ever stop doing. Don’t get me wrong – what I am doing is good stuff. I am taking care of the needs of my family and on occasion friends and youth from my church. The person that I am not really taking time out for is me. I am starting to see it in my actions and in my speech and in the oddest place – in my sleep. You would think I would hit the bed exhausted but I sleep fitfully after I have trudged through my day. Then in the morning I need an IV hook up to the coffee pot.




Today I did accomplish something else that was very – very hard. I guess you can say I put feet to “relentless”. I have been looking up running training plans and I have found a new one that I want to work on. It is three days a week plan with one day is for a long run, one day for and easy run and one day to work on speed. Well today I decided to work on speed and I can honestly tell you that I would rather run 5 miles for over an hour then run 4 sets of .5 miles for speed with a .5 mile walk/jog in-between. I have never attempted speeding up my run. For me it has always been about how much further can I go? There is nothing like bragging rights in saying – yeah I ran 5 miles today or even I ran 2 miles today for that matter. The only people who have ever questioned my time on any of my runs have been other runners. I just answer them “I have never cared much about speed – I am just thrilled that I could run that far.” Well after 2 times down the road at full speed I had to remind myself – this is what relentless feels like. Let’s just say I had to repeat it several more times and give myself a pep talk too. I truly do not like speed training for two reasons – 1) it requires me to run fast (duh) 2) It requires me to stop running and then start running again. I don’t want to stop doing anything until it is done. If you want an example see the paragraph above. However, with speed training you must at some point stop running to walk or jog slowly before you start running full speed again. Well once I stop running I HATE to start again. Isn’t that one of Murphy’s Laws or something? Well I plan on sticking it out. “ It is only one time a week” is what I will try and sell myself each week. I sure hope and pray that God will teach me through this speed training how to incorporate the lesson on slowing down to recuperate into my everyday life as well. That is the great thing about physical training. It really isn’t only about physical training. It is also about training your mind and your will! I am kind of strong minded and strong willed so I guess I have a lot to learn but I know that God is faithful to continue to use running to teach me lessons in my life!



Thank you Father ~ that you don’t ever give up on me even when I get frustrated with myself. Thank you that you lead me and teach me and that you don’t waste anything!



Today’s meals – strawberry oatmeal w/ yogurt, apples, grapes, yogurt, veggies and dip, chicken, steamed veggies, strawberries



Today’s exercise – walk/run for one hour.

Going from determined to relentless

Happy Tuesday. It is a new day and I am trying to have a brand new attitude. I think I said it best on my face book status today. “I have always considered myself "determined" but now I think I am going to step it up a notch to "relentless" because I am worth every effort that I put forth to better myself physically, emotionally and spiritual! It isn’t going to be easy but again I am worth it. I guess I just needed to say that out loud!” I first had this thougth last night while I was running during Jesse’s ball practice. Like I said – I ran for an hour last night. Back and forth – up the hill to my old elementary school and then back down the hill to the other elementary school. (K-4 & 5-7) I am training for a 5K that is next weekend and it is going to be a course that is up and down hills so I figured it was good training to get me prepared for the hills to come. After the 5 or so trip up the hill I started saying I will only do this one last time. I did this about 3 more times. The music as good, the weather was wonderful and I was so sweaty that I really hated to go sit and wait for practice to be over. I kept thinking about how in the last set of 17 days that I really have not lost any weight. I have done a little cheating here and there. I had completely decided not to diet at all on Easter. I kept remembering the verse I found in Nehemiah early on in lent and I thought to myself there is no other day that is more of a celebration then Easter so I will not spend my day dieting. However, I really haven’t been all bad. I have eaten a few pieces of birthday cake here and there – which reminds me I did have a small piece yesterday but in all my frustration I forgot to mention that in my list of foods. I sure don’t want anyone to think I have been lying – I honestly forgot. Kevin and I did have pizza one night again and I tried to eat Mexican for dinner on Sunday night but it was not good. It was way too salty. I told Kevin I didn’t know if it was me not use to eating out and it was more salty then I was used to or if it just wasn’t a good meal. I told him to remind him how much I didn’t like it the next time I said I wanted Mexican. I can honestly say I really have not done that bad. However, the last few weeks I have not budge on the scales. So as I kept on running up and down that hill last night I decided that even though I have always been determined that I was going to have to be even better than just determined if I was going to get the scale moving in the right direction.




My husband has lost enough weight that people have now convinced him that he is too small and he needs to gain weight. I am not going to fight him on this – I didn’t make him do this and I am not going to start making a big deal out of it. He has said that he was glad he did it with me because it has caused him to eat much healthier and he for the most part enjoys what I cook. Honestly, as long as I cook for him – he will eat just about whatever it is I cook. I haven’t perfected my home made turkey sausage enough for him – but as long as I can buy it in a box at the grocery store I am ok with being the only one eating mine. So with my husband eating mostly back to normal I have decided to try my best to eat off the list of foods for the first 17 days. If I find myself in a place where I have to have a potato it will be ok but for the most part I am choosing to be relentless in making decisions that will help me see the scale start moving again. I see longer runs in my future and a little more cardio on weight training days. I am sure I could lose more if I would stop weight training but I enjoy it and it is good for me so I am not going to quit just so the scale will move faster. Strong muscles are good even if they do weight more. Plus I may not be a fast runner but I am strong! Now I just need to get my mind as strong as my muscles and get it set on eating the right way.



I know that I have lost enough weight to see it in how my clothes fit and to have people comment on it. However, I still have a ways to go and I don’t want to just give up on this because results are slow. That is why I have decided to step up my determination to another level and see where it takes me.



Today’s meals – eggs w/ a little cheese, chicken breast, taco salad, strawberries, apples, veggies and dip, grilled chicken and steamed veggies, yogurt.



Today’s exercise – weight training 45 minutes

Manic Monday - to say the least!

My Monday is officially done and quite frankly so am I. The only thing left to do is log off, turn the light off and the fan on. I am so tired. I feel like I have not quit since I got up this morning. I guess that is because I haven’t really. That is ok – because I knew it was going to be this way. However, I must say I am much more tired than I expected and a little more grumpy.




You want to hear something funny. Yesterday my husband told me I need to stop trying to be super woman. Well that is all well and good to say – but really can you give me some kind of directions on how to do that. I mean really . . . It is one thing to say it and a whole other thing to really be able to do that. I get up each morning before everyone and have to make sure they get up. I have to fix breakfast and lunches. I have to make sure everyone else stays on task to get where they need to be. I also have to go to work and then after it is all over I have to take everyone to their activities and make sure they have food and whatever special clothes and such for their activities. For instance today after work I had to go to the chiropractor and then take SAM to try on her prom dress for a last fitting. I had to get dinner for both kids because Jes had to be at ball practice next. All the while my daughter wants me to make it work out that she could see her boyfriend. (Of which I was unsuccessful) Then when I get home I have to change and get Jes changed and head out to ball practice. I was able to get in my run while waiting for ball practice to end – and when he finally finished a half hour late (2 hours to practice – really) I had to get gas before heading home. Had I known he was going to practice over I could have got my gas after my run. Anyway, then I had to head home where I spend the rest of my evening cooking dinner (of which I still had not eaten) fold clothes, chop up veggies for lunches and get things ready for tomorrow . There is still a long list of should-a, could-a, would-a’s but for me – tonight – I am done!!!!!!!! Everything else and everyone else will have to wait!!!



I’m sorry – I really don’t mean to have a pity party but there really isn’t anything in my but pitiful right now – as my daughter tries to call me on the intercom on our cordless phone. Seriously – I must go to bed before I hurt someone!!!!! I think I am going to have to put myself in time out! Oh my too late!!!



I guess what I wanted to say is even though my evening has been crazy – and really full I was able to stay on my plan today. I bought my kids Bojangles and managed to wait till I could get home to make my taco salad. I did have lots to do but I decided to go for my run instead of sit there at the ball field for a 2 hour practice (really – 2 hours). I know after my whining I may not be able to encourage others to do the same but I told myself that after spring break I needed to get back on track with eating right, exercising and writing my blog each day like I am supposed to. I hope somewhere in all this you will be able to see that staying healthy is possible. It may make you crazy some days but it is possible. I also hope that maybe if all else fails today I have at least given you a laugh, made you say Amen or at lease allowed you to see you are not the only one trying to squeeze into a smaller size cape!!! Good Night!



Today’s meals – apple oatmeal, strawberries, tossed salad with chicken, yogurt, apple, taco salad, yogurt



Today’s exercise – walked 15 minutes, ran for an hour!

Getting it all done . . . what does that require?

I am getting closer and closer to the end of my spring break. I am seriously wishing I could have another week off. I would really like a week off and have everyone else go back to work. I don’t mean it quite like it sounds. I just mean I sure would like about a week alone to completely clean and organize my house. I have not had much of a chance to get the things done I have wanted to do. I also haven’t been motivated to do anything with everyone being home all the time. (Well everyone except SAM who is out of town with a friend.) I guess I will just have to make do for a little while longer.




The next two weeks are going to be really difficult because of how busy they are going to be. Nothing says end of spring break like back to school, baseball games, dance recital week and prom! Whew – I get tired just typing it all. For the next several weeks Kevin will be on 2nd shift. I am really hating it too because I will be left alone to face getting everyone where they need to be each night. Dance recital week means there will be dance practice every night except for one. It means there will be two days of recitals next weekend. Then there is prom squeezed in-between both of those days. We will need time to get hair and nails done somewhere in there. That means I will have to go begging for help with getting Jesse to the ball games. Luckily he only has one game next week. Another good thing is we have a week off from Bible study next week so that will be one less thing I have to organize around. However, dance SAM will have dance recitals for the next two weeks. Oh My!



I don’t mind trying to get it all done. I am kind of used to that. I am a little worried about how I am going to get it all done and keep us all fed. It sounds to me like this schedule ahead of me will require quite a bit of eating out. That is one thing that can devastate this diet plan I am on. There isn’t so much I can eat while eating out without eating salads the whole week. I am just going to have to have a plan. I really wished my plan included a completely clean and organized home. However, I am going to just have to make do with that. I am going to have to make a workable plan for my evening meals. I may even have to do several salads. I guess what I need to do is go ahead and print out a calendar and start making my plan now. Maybe there will be some health left-overs from Easter lunch that I can drag into my next week’s plan. Either way – I must have a plan! Even if I don’t stick to it completely I must have a plan. Now that I think about it I will also need a plan to get my work outs in too. I may have to get up and do some early morning workout stuff over the next few weeks.



OK – that is enough worrying about next week. I am going to let it go for now. I am going to get my list going with several columns – like meals, exercise times, and who in the world can I enlist to help me out. Then I am going to do my best and see how each day works out. God knows what He has in store for me and I need to just not get myself so worked up about it. I guess it is just what we women do. We want everything so put together. We want to run the world AND have everyone happy with what we accomplish. I guess over this next week I need to remember to live instead for an audience of One! That would be the One who has the power to make my crooked path straight; the One who is the Father of Creations and has everything in His strong and mighty hands; the One who is with me where ever I go; the One who will never leave me or abandon me; the One who promises I can do all things through Him; the One who says my needs are met in Him; and when all else fails the One I am hidden with Christ in. I guess I just need to lean on God and let Him guide me as I go through the next coming weeks. I need to tell Him all of this even before I tell all of you! I need to then listen as He whispers back directions, wisdom and love. After which I can share all of that with the rest of you!



Whew – now I feel a lot better. Funny how just reminding myself of who I am in Christ and what His word says about me can make things so much better then reminding myself all that I am expected to do.



Have a great rest of your day!



Today’s Meals so far – chocolate oatmeal with a few almonds (not a huge success but it was ok), roasted bbq chicken, home fried potatoes and veggies, strawberries

Not sure what is on menu for later.

Today’s exercise – planning on going for a run a little later today.

Hello there again.

Well I am back. I know it has been several days since I have written. It is probably more like a week. You know you have heard people say before “my life is so crazy it is like a tornado has hit it” – well my spring break has been like that. However, this tornado has been real. Last Saturday, about 3:45 a tornado hit only 2 miles from my house. It struck down almost exactly at the school where I work. It actually took part of the roof off the gym of the school as well as damaged two other roofs on campus. It laid down a path of trees as well as put out several windows and took down air conditioning units. The worst of it was what it did to the gym though. We were lucky not to have any damage at our home. My daughter and I were home during the storm and at the worst of it we hid in her closet for fear that things were going to get bad. After the storm we kept hearing sirens but they never seem to get as far out as we were. We rode up to the school and saw all of the destruction. I was the first one on site that had keys and clearance in case of emergency so I was the one who walked one of the fire men around the building to assess the damage to the building. That was really very surreal. To walk through the building and see what the storm had done. At times I thought I was going to cry right there in front of the fire man but then I kept thinking how crazy that would look. After I finished with the fire man I went inside with one of the board members so that we could collect all the insurance information. After that I came on home. Later that evening we went out to eat because of the fact we didn’t have power. The next few days really seem like a blur. Sunday, we had church. After church one of my children had a fundraiser and the other had a ball game so I spent all day Sunday on the run. Monday I completely crashed and slept till 11:00 am. Then the rest of the day I felt miserable. Tuesday – my family and I spent the day car shopping and eating out. Tuesday was our “cheat day” and cheat we did. We ate breakfast at IHOP and lunch at PF Chang’s. I can say that even though I ate at IHOP I did eat off the lighter menu which was less than 450 calories. I had the French toast with sugar free syrup and a few bananas, egg beaters and turkey bacon. However, PF Chang’s was not as healthy. I had Honey Glazed Chicken. We did opt not to get an appetizer or a dessert. It sure was good. Then on Wed. we were supposed to move on the next set of 17 days. As I read over what that meant – I began to worry a little. The third set of days starts giving you even more choices of food. It does still cut out sugar and limits carbs to two a day. However, you don’t have to eat them by 2 pm. The thing about this set is it is really for people who are almost at their weight goal. I told my husband who has lost just over 20 pounds he was fine to go onto the next phase. Me however, I am not there yet. I have only lost 11 pounds and I still have plenty more where that comes from. I told him that I really was considering starting over at the first set of days. The good thing with this diet is any time during it you can go back to other cycles if you start to pick up weight or if you have not met your goal. I know that the first set is the hardest but it is where I think I need to spend a little more time. I can do this – with one exception – oatmeal. I still want to eat my oatmeal every other day. However, I think I will leave the potatoes alone and the red meat, pasta and nuts. I am going to try and keep my fruit before 2 pm as well. (of course dinner at dad’s every other Sunday will be another exception). So for the last two days I have done things like I did at the beginning. I have had the two fruits before 2 pm and ate fish, turkey or chicken, and ate “good for me” veggies and 2 yogurts.




I haven’t had the Spring Break I had hoped to have but I am ok with that. I am not moving on to the next phase of this diet yet and I am ok with that too. One thing I feel very sure of and that is that this diet is a very healthy way to lose weight. I am eating very healthy. I am exercising and drinking lots of water. I have cut out most all sugar from my diet and I am ok with that. I am splurging every now and then to enjoy food but not let food rule over me. It is beginning to take its proper place in my life. I am grateful for that! I am happy that my weight has gone down and that my clothes are starting to fit again. I am hoping they won’t fit to long because they are too big instead of to tight.



Next week we start the Made to Crave Bible study at our church. I am excited about that too. I am hoping that it is going to be just what I need to keep me motivated to keep on with this diet. I can honestly say after almost 40 days on it – it is more than a diet. It has become a new way of life for my husband and I. We are eating healthy 90% of the time. You can’t do much better that that! We have been working out for several years now so it is good to finally be eating in such a way that supports an even healthier lifestyle. I am really interested in seeing what his cholesterol numbers are going to be like the next time he goes for a checkup. Just the fact that he use to eat out every single day and now he only eats out maybe once every week is got to make a huge improvement in his number. Not to mention I cook almost everything fresh. I mean – I am making my own turkey sausage for goodness sake. Nothing but ground turkey and seasoning – the only thing healthier is eating only green veggies! I am hoping to get the turkey recipe perfect – right now it is still a work in progress – just like me!!!



Well until tomorrow . . .



Today’s meals –

Breakfast – oatmeal w/ yogurt and apples

Snack – strawberries

Lunch – roasted chicken w/ roasted cauliflower and carrots and an apple

Dinner – chicken and veggie soup and yogurt with fiber one



Today’s exercise – 10 minute walk & 50 minute run

Day – 15




Dinner for tonight. Scrumptious & beautiful!



Oh my goodness. I am now finished with day 15 of the second set of 17. I cannot believe that the second set of 17 days is almost over. I guess I need to get my book back out and start looking over what my next set of days includes. I know that it includes even more variety to my diet. I know that it includes turkey bacon and sausage. It also includes nuts! I am so excited about almonds in my oatmeal. I have looked over the next chapter but I haven’t looked really hard at it. I haven’t sat down and started making plans with it – other than almonds in my oatmeal. I can tell you that I haven’t lost as much weight on this set. I don’t know for sure how much because I weighted right after a 5K run today and man – it made the scale looked real good right after the run but I know that is not an accurate weight. I am not going to worry too much about it because with just a few cake exceptions I have done exactly what I was supposed to do. I have really done better at eating healthy with this diet then I have ever done on any other diet. I don’t over eat. As I have said before – it is really hard to over eat on health y foods like fresh veggies. I have eaten a very balanced diet. I have learned to be resourceful and find new ways to cook things that are on this diet. I have learned that there are foods that I do like that I didn’t know that I liked. One of the best examples of this is my favorite roasted carrots & cauliflower. Who knew that those two would be my go to foods when I need something to eat? I have also come to realize that I do not have to be addicted to sugar. I can go without it. Yes, I have cracked and eaten some sweets; however, I don’t have to eat something sweet to signal that my meal is over. I do not have to eat sugar to help me make it through my day. It is not a requirement in my diet.



So I have two more days on this set. I really wish that on this set that I could have lost more weight. I really wish I could have found this diet several months ago before I gained the 12 – 15 pounds I found since summer. This fall and winter has not been kind to me. I have really pondered the thought about how much less I could be weighing if I would have started this after I picked up those first 5 pounds. However, the past has pasted and I will not beat myself up with those thoughts. I am moving forward. I am grateful for every lesson that I have learned along the way - even the hard ones. The hard ones have probably taught me the most.



Well, as I said yesterday my spring break started today. I had a good day. I took SAM to breakfast with some friends and while I waited I got my grocery shopping done. I went home and went for a 5K run. It was a beautiful morning for a run. It took me a little longer then I wanted (42 minutes) but I was glad to finally get a chance to get out without rushing and just enjoy my run. I did have some big hills in my run because I will be running a 5K soon that is hilly. I figured I needed to do some training on hills now! I also calibrated my Ipod wrong the last time I did it so I don’t know how accurate it is . . . I really need to redo it so I will at lease stop second guessing it. I also spend the day with my son out shopping with his money from his grandpa for his great report card. I didn’t do a lot around the house but I did get a bunch of stuff off my back porch and off to the recycling center. I also got some clothes done. I also got some food chopped up and prepared for the coming days. So I am happy with what I did get done today.



Today’s meals:



Breakfast – oatmeal with apples

Snack – apples, cantaloupe, grapes, pickles and chunks of chicken

Lunch – taco salad

Dinner – grilled shrimp with veggies and mushrooms, spinach, tossed salad, yogurt



Snack - yogurt

Today’s work out: Walk 10 minutes & run for 42 minutes.



The plans of the hard working person lead to prosperity but everyone who is always in a hurry ends up in poverty. Proverbs 21:5





Let Spring Break Begin!

Easter Gift from my Secret Pal today! Isn't it just the greatest!

Let Spring Break begin!!!! I am so excited that today is my last day at work for over a week. I was so excited I decided to start my vacation a little early. I usually stay late on conference night but after the week I have had this week I could not stay late. I have felt so yucky all week all that I wanted to do was get through today without falling asleep at my desk. I don’t know what it is – but I do know that I need some time off to slow down a little and get some rest.



I do have plans to get some spring cleaning done while I am out over the coming week. However, I think in getting my house in some order will help me feel better too. I feel like I have neglected it almost as much as I have of my own body. It is really odd don’t you think . . . the two things that are probably my biggest responsibility (with the exception of children) I have neglected the most. My body and my home have fallen prey to the craziness that is my life. They have both taken back seats to everyone else’s needs. However, if I don’t take care of the two of them – they are not going to be much good at taking care of the rest of my family. So over the next week I plan to reclaim them both. I plan to clean. I plan to organize. I plan to spend some time in quiet - planning - organizing and cleaning mode in my mind as well. I need to get to a place this week where I can find rest and comfort in the place that I call home and in the body I call mine. I need to spend my next week focusing on some things that will make me feel better. I need to do some things that will make my days easier when I do go back to work. If I can manage to get cleaned up, get some organization in my home and schedule and get some much needed rest then I will have had a well spent week off! Wish me luck!!! I will just have to keep you posted.



Today’s meals:

Breakfast – eggs with homemade sausage

Lunch – tossed salad with chunks of chicken, grapes, apples, few pieces of grilled tuna

Snack – the rest of my grapes, apples and carrots, celery, cucumbers w/ dip

Snack – yogurt

Dinner – grilled tuna and yogurt


Today’s exercise – weights at the gym for 45 minutes and bike for 20 minutes



The plans of the hard working person leads to prosperity but everyone who is always in a hurry will end up in poverty. Proverbs 21:5

Redeeming my day

Today has been another hard day. I don’t feel well. I haven’t felt great all week. I can say that my normal ways of medicating has not worked for me this week because of this diet. Usually, I would take a healthy dose of chocolate followed by a healthy dose of peanut butter and then snacked on and off peanuts or potato chips. You know those normal feel better foods! However, this week I have had to turn to naps, Advil, and lots of water. Blah, blah, blah! I can say that I have had a few minor breaks from the diet due to “I can’t take it without sugar” outburst. They have been only a few and they have been minor and short lived. However, today I did give into another small piece of cake at a baby shower – of course I had not planned to eat the cake but I did snack on a few seasoned pecans which lead to the cake. I have got to say later I did regret eating the cake. It didn’t make me feel any better! It was not what I needed. I really wish I would have walked away. Then right before I left work someone gave me the last few bites of a peanut butter egg. She said if you don’t eat it then just throw it away. Well sorry I just couldn’t do it. It was only a few bites and it is peanut butter and chocolate. I did eat the last 3 bites of the egg. I am grateful that it was only the last of it and not the whole egg that I had been given.

I did have a decision I had to make. I had to decide to not let it ruin my day. I had to decide to get back on track and that it didn’t make today a total lost. I had to decide that I was going to have to shake it off and stay on track today. I am also going to have to realize that food is not going to make me feel better. I just have to keep reminding myself that. So after I left work I came home and started fixing dinner. I decided to grill burgers and onions and peppers. After I got the burgers ready to grill I decided to leave the grilling for my husband. I decided I needed to do something that would make me feel better. I took 3 Advil and went to bed. I slept till 5:30 when Kevin left for ball practice. I decided that I needed to get up and go for my run. I always feel better after a run. ALWAYS! I know that wasn’t what my body wanted to do but I know that it is what will make me feel better. So I went for my run and it did make me feel better. It made me feel better than the cake or the peanut butter. It made me feel better physically and emotionally. It was the best choice – after the nap that I did need. It didn’t make me feel guilty and burdened like the sweets. So I am glad that I did not give up because I had eaten the sweets. I am glad that I went home and did something to fix the problem by resting and exercising. Now I hope I can remember that tomorrow when I don’t feel that great. I hope I can remember it the next time I need rest or just to get out and de-stress.

Today’s meals: oatmeal w/ apples, tangerine, bbq chicken, broccoli, roasted potatoes, strawberries, veggies w/ dip, small piece of cake and pecans, few bites of chocolate egg, yogurt, hamburger, broccoli, grilled onions and peppers, and steamed spinach.

Today’s exercise: walk 10 minutes, run 30 minutes

Now doesn't that look like a healthy dinner?

The plans of the hard working person lead to prosperity but everyone who is always in a hurry ends up in poverty. Proverbs 21:5

Nothing much to say today.

Today has been a never ending day. I am tired and I don’t feel well. I had the hardest time getting up this morning and then I didn’t feel much like playing school today. Not that it was a hard day as much as I just didn’t feel well. I am seriously looking forward to spring break that starts on Friday of this week. We have two more early release days this week and conferences on Thursday evening and then it is time to take a week off. I need to add – not a moment too soon. With Easter coming late this year it has made for a long haul till spring break.


Well not much to report today. Of course it is Tuesday and that means a full day. So I hope everyone has a great evening and I’ll do better tomorrow – hopefully I will feel more like talking!


Today’s meals: eggs w/ homemade turkey sausage, tossed salad w/ turkey chunks, strawberries, roasted cauliflower and carrots, few chunks of grilled tuna, yogurt, BBQ chicken, broccoli and cheese, snaps, yogurt.


Today’s exercise: I went to the gym and lifted weights for 45 minutes.


The plans of the hard working person leads to prosperity but everyone who is always in a hurry in up in poverty. Proverbs 21:5

Sunday - Confession Time

Hello there my accountability partners. Have I got a story for you? This story begins with telling you that I have thought a couple times today about not blogging at all today. I have told myself that it is Sunday and no one will notice. Also, no one would think twice about me taking a night off. I have had to miss a day or two before. I have even said well there probably isn’t that many folks who even pay me any attention. However, my conscience would not let me just skip today. Why because today I was bad. So today I feel like I not only need to be real but I need to let you see that I am real. You see I have had too many people ask me how this was going; is it hard; & how do you do it for me not to tell you that today – I really didn’t do it very well. I have no desire to lie to anyone who may consider doing this diet or who may consider just trying to eat healthier. Today I just didn’t do well at all.


For starters, I was one of the children’s ministry team leaders heading up a breakfast fundraiser for church this morning. At first I had told Kevin that I was planning on eating a biscuit (tenderloin to be exact) and that I knew it wasn’t on our plan but today would be an exception. Then I realized we were going to dad’s house to eat lunch – there would have to be another exception. Then I remembered I was going to a bridal shower for the daughter of one of my oldest and best friends, who just so happened to be a wonderful cake baker. So I rearranged my plans and headed out with my apples and yogurt to church. Well when I got to church my friend with the tenderloin biscuits was in the kitchen fixing them and I helped her wrap them. Mistake number one. Well of course I talked myself right into one of them and it was DELICIOIS! Thanks Sonja!!!! It really was the best! Then I headed to lunch at my dad’s house. Kevin and I have already established that since we only eat there every other weekend that we would eat what dad cooks because he does this special for us and he LOVES having us over and doing it for us. Well the good thing is mom fixed turkey meatloaf because she knows we try to eat healthy. However, along with it came creamed potatoes and biscuits which I am proud to say I didn’t eat all of mine. The reason I didn’t eat all of mine is because the house smelled like the finest chocolate factory in the US. She was baking the most amazing molten chocolate peanut brownie lava cake thingy ever. I don’t know that I have ever had a dessert that my mother cooked as good as this one today. Kevin tried to help me out by “sharing” a piece with me. However, he wanted to rush and eat big bites. I wanted to eat very small bites and enjoy every minute. So I made mom cut me my own piece. Then of course later in the afternoon I went to the shower and wasn’t planning on eating anything. Then I realized my friend had in fact made the cake and I tried to get SAM to share a piece with me but she wouldn’t. So then I thought I will get a little piece and just eat a few bites. I should have thought about that a little longer because as soon as I picked it up I thought to myself if she sees me take 2 -3 bites of this and then throw it away (even though it is amazing) she will think I didn’t like it. Well I was not about to do that. I would not want her to ever be offended. So I left the shower feeling quite defeated with all those crazy comments that take over when I do what I don’t want to do. I know anyone who is reading this knows what this is like. The one that got to me the most was the thought, “Friday you had the most insane, crazy, busy day in a long time and you managed to eat right and exercise. Today you had nothing looming over your head other than the fundraiser and there was no pressure in that and you completely blew it.” A became defeated over a tenderloin biscuit and 2 pieces of cake. Then I started to remember a few of the things that I had read in the Made To Crave book. I couldn’t remember them word for word but there is this list of questions the author put in there to ask yourself when you feel like you had missed the mark. So I began to ask myself similar questions. The first and most important one I asked was “Did you run to any of those things today and eat them because you were stressed or looking for comfort?” Well of course my answer was “no.” Then I asked, “Do you really think that what you did today can’t be fixed by getting right back on track right now?” To which I also answered “no.” The more and more I thought about that voice that was telling me I would never succeed the more I realized that voice was not the Voice of Truth but it was really the voice of the deceiver and father of lies who wants me to believe that I am not worth anything and that I will never be able to accomplish anything. It is the voice who would love nothing more than for me to be defeated or for me to appear to others as fake because I didn’t post today that I ate cake. So today there are several things I have decided to do differently starting with I decided to believe in the things God calls me rather than the things the devil tries to accuse and defeat me with. I may not have been in direct tune with God while eating those things today but I can truly say I did not feel convicted by Him at any point. I didn’t hear Him once whisper to me “Tina, you know you shouldn’t.” I did hear Kevin say – you should share a piece of cake with me and may be that was my way out and I chose not to take it but nowhere did I feel conviction about any of it. It was only after all of it did I feel condemnation. So with all that being said I just want to come clean with anyone who is reading this that it is not always easy. There are days that we all fail. There are days when we all blow it. There are days when I don’t care how much planning you do it just doesn’t work out. However, on those days you just have to fall into the Grace that God alone can give you. Let Him remind you who you are and brush you off and stand you up again on your feet. I have got to – you have got to – we all have got to stop listening to the voice that says “you will never succeed”, “you aren’t worth it”, “go ahead and give up”, “go ahead and act like nothing happened” & “who cares anyway”. We have got to stop letting the enemy defeat us and knock us down or for that matter keep us down. We are Gods precious possessions that He loved so much even before the world was formed that He decided to send His son Jesus to this earth to die for us so we would not have to live apart from Him. We don’t need to let cake and biscuits or anything else make us feel unworthy of the gift that Jesus sacrificed everything to give us. So for me that meant being real right here before you and saying that I messed up. It also meant that I would do what I had to do to make sure the rest of my day was a success by staying on plan. I sure do hope me being real encourages some of you reading this to be real too. To really try in whatever way you decide to get healthy. To pick yourself up when you fall and listen to the voice of Truth. That would be the loving voice that corrects and never the condescending voice that nags and accuses. As soon as you hear that voice I challenge you to pick up your bible or go to a website like biblegateway.com and look up Psalms or Romans and check out what God has to say about your worth and value.

Have a blessed night!

Today’s meals: tenderloin biscuit, creamed potatoes, ½ biscuit, cabbage, broccoli & cheese, turkey meatloaf, chocolate divine cake, chocolate cake at the shower, yogurt, homemade turkey sausages (yes I took lean ground turkey meat and mixed in all the spices to make my own sausage w/out fat) and eggs, yogurt

Today’s exercise: cleaning - I know not much but it is all I got for today and I don’t usually do that on Sunday. (My hubby would probably say she doesn’t do much of that any day – but that is a whole other story.)


The plans of the hard working person leads to prosperity but everyone who is always in a hurry end up in poverty. Proverbs 21:5

Happy to see a Saturday

I am so glad to finally see the end of the week. I have been in desperate need of a weekend. My house has been in desperate need of a weekend. Really my whole organization of my home & life needed a Saturday some kind of bad. The last few weeks have been back to back stuff. There have been fundraisers and revival, meetings & conferences, work and exercise. There have been so many things going on that it is a wonder that I could keep this plan going. However, today there was nowhere I had to be. (My husband had to take Jesse to ball practice – but that was his thing. Thank goodness.)

I had decided that we would go to Durham today and go to Sam’s Club to do some shopping. We didn’t have a lot of time so we only got to go to Sam’s Club and Target. Then when we came home Kevin and Jesse left for ball practice. SAM went to take a nap. So I got busy in the kitchen. I had a plan on how to get organized and with the house quiet I was working on getting it done.

I had seen the other week on a web site where the family planned there meals ahead of time and then prepared for most of the meals all in one day. They chopped and seasoned and bagged everything and then put it all together in one container to put in the fridge until the day that the meal was being cook. Well I wasn’t quite that organized. I really would have loved to gotten THAT much accomplished. However, I did get a lot done & I am super excited about it. I got my strawberries & grapes washed and prepared and put into individual bags and then all bagged into a big bag. I also grilled 3 pieces of Tuna and diced it up & bagged it for snacks this week. I also chopped up roasted chicken breast and bagged them for snacks or breakfast, too. Then I chopped up veggies for several days and bagged them up too. I feel so ahead of myself because of the things I got done today. Not only that – I got the kitchen cleaned up – well it was even better then how I found it. I didn’t have THAT much time.

All in all I am grateful for what I have accomplished. This will help me stay on plan this week. This should help me the most on the days that my menu is more limited because I have got choices already made and individually bagged in my fridge.

Today’s meals: Oatmeal w/ blueberries, roasted potato, carrots, & cauliflower, yogurt, steak, salad, grilled veggies, yogurt

Today’s exercise: Walking . . . while shopping . . . and while preparing all my food . . .I have been on my feet most of the day but I haven’t done “real” exercise.

The plans of the hard working person lead to prosperity but everyone who is always in a hurry ends up in poverty. Proverbs 21:5
Guess this memory verse is working on me. . .

Day 8

Today is day number 8. I have finally figured out how to know which foods I can eat each day in the set of 17. You see on the 2nd set of days you can eat lean red meats, potatoes, rice and such every other day. Then every other day you are to eat like you did for the 1st 17 days. So I have figured the way I can remember which day I am on is by what I eat for breakfast. Every other day I get to eat my favorite – homemade oatmeal and on those days I get to eat all the other stuff, too. On the days I eat eggs I have a little more limited menu. It isn’t that bad except that what I cook for dinner on the days I can cook red meat – I can’t have that the next day for lunch. Just a little annoying glitch that I am going to have to figure out.


Today is our schools big fundraiser. We have been busy all day with volunteers everywhere. There are folks here cooking, and wrapping desserts. There are folks counting money and getting items ready for the auction. There are just folks all over the place. Of course there is food all around too. Someone came in my office before 8:30 and handed me a home cookie & not just anybody either – I of the best darn cooks that I know brought me this cookie. I still have it sitting on my shelf – right on top of a can of oranges. I brought the oranges and thought – open in case of emergency. I have not eaten any of my fruit today but I figure if I can stay away from all the other bad for me foods it won’t hurt too bad if I eat both my fruits after 2 today. I will be still running around here at 10:30 tonight more than likely so it will be a longer day the normal. The verdict is still out on that good looking cookie. . . I may eat it and I may give it to my daughter.


I am proud of myself for getting up this morning and coming up here to run. When I woke up I really wasn’t feeling much like going for a run but I kept telling myself, “You will feel so much better when you are done”. So I got up and got dressed and came on up to the school and ran for 30 minutes and I really did feel better once I was finished. I am also glad that can say even on this crazy busy day I got my work out in.

Also, when I went home for lunch I roasted some veggie and fixed me a healthy lunch. I also brought back some veggies and dip, yogurt, apples and green tea. Kevin is supposed to bring us a plate from the seafood place in town with baked seafood and steamed veggies to eat instead of the BBQ & Stew. I still bought 3 tickets for my children + 1 and I am sure there will be something at the auction that I will be getting to support the school tonight. However, if I am going to cheat on my plan it will have to be for nothing less than Mexican. Stew & BBQ is ok . . . but not the best way to cheat.

Today’s food: eggs, roasted chicken, salad w/ roasted chicken, roasted veggies

Today’s plan for the rest of the evening: the list of stuff from above.

Today’s exercise: walk for 10 minutes and run for 30! Yippee!

The plans of the hard working person lead to prosperity but everyone who is always in a hurry end up in poverty. Proverbs 21:5

End of wk 1 for 2nd set of 17 days and Kevin's totals are in . .

Thursday – moving right along. Today is day number 7 in our second set of 17 days. Tonight SAM told us that she would be glad when we got off this diet because she wanted to bake cookies. I told her that we would not be going off this diet. This was healthy eating and that was what we were doing – getting healthy. We told her after we finished this set of 17 days she could bake cookies and we could enjoy them then. She said she wanted to eat them all for herself. Isn’t she the sweetest?

Then Kevin told me how much weight he had loss. He has been telling me what he weighed on and off but he has not told how much. Well tonight I was surprised to find out he has lost 17 pounds. He kinda hesitated to tell me and then said “don’t get discouraged.” I told him that I wasn’t discouraged and I thought that was great. I told him that I was doing what I was supposed to do and that was good enough for me. Honestly, that is the truth. I think that it is great. I also know enough about weight loss to know that men lose easier and faster than women. Girls – can you imagine in less than a month to lose 17 pounds?

Well today has been a good day. Work has been busy with our annual fundraiser tomorrow. I will be crazy busy all day tomorrow. I will go in at 7:30 and probably not get to leave till 10:30 or after. We will have a BBQ & stew dinner and then an auction afterwards. It is our biggest fundraiser of the year. We have a lot of fun and do a lot of work mostly in 1 day. This means bad-for-me food at every turn. It also means no time for the gym. I have decided to get up early in the morning and go for a run up at the school. There is good lighting there in the parking lot and I can get back in time to get ready for my day. I don’t plan to eat BBQ or stew so I have asked Kevin to bring us some dinner. I just need to make sure I pack several healthy snacks and maybe an extra fruit will help me stay away from the endless supply individually wrapped desserts. Planning Is the key!

Today’s meals: oatmeal w/ apples, small bowl of soup, small bowl of chili beans, veggies and dip, apples, 3 mini meatloaves, broccoli W/ cheese, yogurt.

Today’s exercise: walk 10 minutes, run for 30 minutes

Wed. journal

I heard quote this morning from Beth Moore that really spoke to me. She said, “God will never give us a victory in a battle where we choose not to fight.” I had to rewind it and listen to that again. It really got me thinking about several things in my life. Of course one of the first would be my battle with my weight. I haven’t always been overweight. I have suffered with weight is since having children. Well my oldest is 15 now and I can really keep blaming her. My son is 10 so that really isn’t much better. I have tried for years to lose the weight. However, I have tried in my own strength to lose it. Well when I heard this statement this morning it made me think have I been really battling this or letting it defeat me. Up until I decided to do this diet AND blog about it to hold me accountable I can say I really haven’t looked at my health as a battle to fight. However, think about it – it really is. I have got to take care of this body. It is the only one I will ever get here on this Earth. I need to appreciate the gift of my health that God has given me. I need to take a stand and choose to fight for victory in this battle. Is battling easy? No – if it were it would not be called a battle. Is saying no to your craving for foods easy? No – we want what we want. However, I can’t just sit back and say “Lord take this from me, please”, and then do nothing. That isn’t how He works. If we want victory then we are going to have to not only pray but ask Him “what do I do?” & then listen and respond.

The great thing about going to God is that He never loses a battle that He has. If He is fighting for you then you are already be assured a victory as long as you follow His lead. You know what else? God tells you that there will be times that you don’t even have to do anything but Stand Firm. I love these two words in my Bible. I have begun to circle them each time I read them. One of my favorite places it in Exodus 14:13-14 “But Moses told the people. “Don’t be afraid. Just stand firm (stand still) and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord Himself will fight for you. Just stay calm & keep silent.” There the Israelites stood with the Red Sea before them and Pharaoh’s Army behind them. It looked helpless. They just knew they were headed back to Egypt or worse. However, God said “Stand Firm & I will take care of this to the point you won’t ever have to see these guys again.”

Another place I have circled “Stand Firm” is in Ephesians 6:13 “Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will be standing firm.” Also, 1 Cor 16:13 “Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. 14 And do everything in love.” Both of these verses tell us to stand firm but they both say it in such a way that it is an active event. It isn’t a passive command. It doesn’t mean do nothing. It means to take it, trust God enough not to flinch, draw back, or run hide.

God wants us to consider this in all our ways. For me He wants me to know that I need to stand firm in the way He is leading me to lose the weight. He doesn’t want me to back down or give up because it gets hard. He doesn’t want me to lose hope that He is going to take care of me. Now I must stand firm and be obedient. I don’t want to battle this forever. I want Him to deal with it once and for all and I just need to follow His lead.

So today – what do you need to stand firm on in your life? In what area is God telling you to stop worrying about this and let Him deal with it. What battle have you completely given up on and said I am not going to even try again? Stop, pray, listen and respond to what God tells you to do. Remember He has never lost a battle yet that He entered into.

Meals for today: Eggs, orange, tossed salad with tuna, roasted veggies, subway roasted chicken tossed salad, yogurt, yogurt w/ a little fiber one cereal added in.

Today’s exercise: 45 minutes at the gym lifting weights.

Tuesday - gotta get it done day

Today is Tuesday and that means running, running, running. This is the day that I have gotten good at pulling out the crock pot to fix dinner otherwise there would be no time for dinner. Today I will be from work to home, out for my Tuesday run, clean up, and get SAM to dance and then head out to Bible Study. I love Tuesday night Bible study, also known to me as “Therapy”. It is what keeps me sane and encouraged. It is also what keeps me in God’s word. I sure don’t want those women thinking I didn’t do my homework. Not to mention I like to answer the questions and talk in group discussion. You have to know what’s going on to do that. Right now we are reading and discussing Max Lucado’s book NO WONDER THEY CALL HIM SAVIOUR. We are getting our hearts right for Easter. If you have not read this book – I do recommend it. It is so well written and with its little chapters it can be easily picked up and worked on a little at a time.

I am happy to report that today has been a better day. I guess I should say – today has been a better day since the lights came on. We had a terrible storm last night and our power was out from 3:30 – 7:10 this morning. This made for terrible sleep because I ALWAYS sleep with a fan. This also made for a very hard morning to get my 15 year daughter up and convince her she was going to have to go to school regardless to the power situation. Luckily the power came on in the nick of time for her to get a shower and me to get a cup of coffee. Yippie. It did put me a little behind but I am grateful my boss understood.

I do have a theory of why my day may have been so bad yesterday. I told a friend of mine today in an email that yesterday morning I had brought a bulletin board to work that I had decorated and got some pretty push pins for. I put a note at the top of it that said “please post your prayer request, encouraging quotes, and inspiring scriptures on this board to help encourage and pray for those around you.” (An idea I got from one of my kindergarten teachers who has done the same thing in her building . . . thanks Stacey) I guess the devil didn’t like that and tried very hard the rest of the day to make me act very un-encouraging . . . well other than my pity party I didn’t let him get me down. I also didn’t let him lead me to comforting myself with food. Like my memory verse from last week said: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Gal. 5:1 Lord help me to continue to stand firm. I don’t want to be a slave to comfort eating.

After writing that I will go ahead and come clean – I ate a small piece of birthday cake today. It was a friend at works birthday and it was one of my favorite kinds of cakes made by one of my favorite cake bakers. I did pick at it and only eat half of it – my favorite half I do admit too. That would be the riches part of the cake with the icing. I can say that had it been an ordinary kinda of cake I could have easily eaten my apples and not the cake. I am not going to let it get me down. I can honestly say it was good but about 15 minutes later I felt kinda sluggish and wish I would have eaten less of it. I guess after going without sugary desserts for so long it has a physical effect on me when I do eat one. That is a good thing though. It will make me think twice about eating way too much of a dessert when I do choose to have one.

Today’s meals: oatmeal w/ apples, chili beans, pear, yogurt, apples, cake (strawberry w/ strawberry icing & cheese cake in between – a ½ piece mind you), crock pot pork lion, roasted veggies, yogurt.

Today’s exercise – walk 10 minutes and run for 30 minutes.

Side Note ~ After Thought
I heard a quote on the Biggest Loser tonight (DVRed from last week) that resonated with me. "My shape has been shaping my life." It hasn't been that way all my life like the lady who said it but it surely has been true since my children have been born. Just thought I would share that tonight because I am sure I am not alone in this statement. If you want to make a change just know that it is possible. You may not decide to do it the same way I did but pray about it and make a big choice. Then each day make lots of little choices to make it happen. Your - OUR shape should not be allowed to shape our life any longer!

Not so happy Monday

Today has been the worst day ever. Seriously – it has. I did not want to go to work because I was so exhausted this morning and my house is a complete wreck. Then when I get there I had several classes I needed to get coverage for which is never fun. Then as the morning progressed the health inspector came in to inspect the building. While the health inspector was still inspecting the fire alarm went off – the fire inspector was there to do his inspection too. You gotta be kidding me right. So I jumped up and called 911 and then headed out the building. When I got to the door I got my new sweater hung in the door and tore up the sleeve as well as my arm. . . Then my day just kept going on and on from there. I finally got to leave work (well after everyone else) and headed to the gym. When leaving the gym my oldest called me crying because she didn’t feel good. (Keep in mind she was home with her daddy – but that doesn’t matter when your child is sick!) I am certainly glad that this day is almost done. I really would like to go to bed early and put an end to today.

However, in all of this craziness of this day I hope you noticed that I didn’t mention food! Nowhere in my day today – even at its worst did I grab any kind of food for comfort. Before this diet I would have went for something chocolate somewhere in my day. That would usually lead to something salty which would lead to something sweet again. All the while the annoyance of the day are still coming and the food isn’t solving any problems. Well today I just faced the problems and did it without food. Yeah! What a great feeling of accomplishment now at the end of the day.

So now I am sitting here on my sofa and all is quiet. My husband and son have gone to Walmart. My daughter is sleep in her bed because she still doesn’t feel good. I am loving being here in the home alone! So forgive me if for today I am done!

Meal’s today: eggs, roasted turkey, orange, taco salad, apple, grilled chicken stuffed with spinach, tomatoes and feta cheese, grilled asparagus, yogurt for dessert and yogurt before bedtime.

Exercise for today: weights and 10 minutes on the bike

Im finally back . . .

Today is Sunday. I have not given up and Kevin and I are now on day 3 of the second 17 day cycle of this diet. We finished the first set on Wed. and then on Thursday we decide to eat (in moderation) some of the foods we have not been eating before going on to the next stage. So for lunch that day – I ate a chicken salad sandwich with my veggies and dip and a fresh donut from the Windmill Bakery. Then for dinner we went out for pizza which Kevin had been craving. We did not over eat; we just enjoyed the foods we had completely cut out for the 17 days prior.

We started back on Friday on phase 2. This phase allows us so new foods that we haven’t been eating for the last 17 days. Now we can eat stuff like lean red meat, shrimp, lean pork, beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice and my favorite oatmeal. On this phase you eat every other day like you have for the last 17 days and then on every other day you can eat including these new foods. You can have 2 of the new veggies or starches but you must eat them before 2:00 just like your fruit. This is a little difficult because you want to eat those things with your dinner but you can’t because you have to eat them before 2. However, it sure is nice to be able to eat potatoes and beans. I guess I will just have to cook them the evening before we can eat them and then have them the next day for lunch.

I haven’t lost any more weight so far but I know this phase doesn’t promise to have you lose as much as the first 17 days. I just hope that I can continue to watch the scale go down to help keep me motivated.
Today’s meals: oatmeal with apples, apple slices, ½ orange, yogurt, baked fish, potatoes, lima beans, taco salad, yogurt.
Today’s exercise – ha!ha! It’s Sunday – I napped all afternoon!