Sweet 16!

Day 16..... I've lost 16 pounds and Donato has lost 23.5. We are SO excited! :o) Love, -tam

Fourteen baybeee!!!!

I won't say much....just that I've lost 14 pounds in just 10 days!!! Donato has lost 17. :o) We are happy.

Weekly Weigh In - March 20, 2011

Well, here we are, only 5 days into our new way of living and eating right. Which to most, really means nothing, I suppose. But we are really excited! :o)

I was expecting to be disappointed with this new diet. Why?

Every time I try to diet I will lose a little - and it takes so long, suffer through a horrible eating regimen only to quit 'cause I don't lose a lot weight and I get frustrated 'cause it's not going fast enough and isn't instantaneous. Well....I feel really good, am generally never hungry and I am losing weight. Hallelujia!

10 pounds less.

I have to admit that it feels really good, it certainly motivates me to keep disciplined and stick to my daily meal plan.

So let’s break it down shall we?

Things I did right this week:

I followed the meal plan, ate sensible portions, no large helpings, no seconds, no double portions. We measured everything and kept track in a daily journal.

Ate most of my fruit and vegetables raw.

Drank at least 6 bottles of water a day.

I did 20 minutes of aerobics a day (except on my free day).

Things I didn’t do right this week:

On day 4, we had to go to a wedding, which threw off our meal schedule. We didn't eat our first meal 'til about 12:30pm. This made for a very "cravy" and hungry evening. It was not a good idea to skip breakfast.

Lesson learned and understood: Breakfast is definitely the most important meal of the day.

Things I want to do next week:

Do 45-50 minutes of physical activity every day. This is going to be a big challenge....and we're ready and excited for it! :o)

Continue to follow the meal plan diligently.

Drink more water.

I am so excited for the week to come....I'll try to limit my diet update to once per week....but I can't make any promises! :o)

The First Day of the Rest of my Life

I was recently asked by a brave soul, why I was so overweight if I didn't eat a lot. Without skipping a beat, I replied to her that my sedentary lifestyle is about 80% to blame. Each day I get up, get ready, go to work, sit at my desk and work all day, come home, have dinner, sit and watch TV, then we go to bed and start all over again the next day. I'm just too tired to do anything else. I am first to say that my eating habits aren't so good either. I make bad food choices....I'd much rather have the big juicy cheeseburger, carne guisada tacos, homemade mashed potatoes or yummy cheesecake over a piece of fruit, a lean piece of chicken or yogurt, any day. Match that with my sedentary lifestyle...well, it just equals to simply being overweight and unhealthy.

You don't have to be a math wizard to figure out that if you take in more calories than you burn in a day, well....the calories will just accumulate day after day after day. I have become very lazy doing my same ol', same ol' routine, mindlessly, every single day. And as we all know well....our days become weeks, become months, become years, very quickly. And....here I am.

For those of you who know me well, you know that the years of excess weight have added to the stress on my knees; I now have osteoarthritis. It makes it much more difficult for me to exercise these days. Time, weight and simple use, make my knee joints feel much more painful to do even the easiest of things...riding a bike, spending time in my garden, just standing around, even walking....those common simple things are to me, like climing Mt. Everest. But as someone once told me and this has stuck in my head, "People climb Mt. Everest every day." I will never forget those words. They have become my new motto. I made a sticker with those words and they look at me every day from my monitor at work......and they will encourage me on my weight loss journey ahead. (thank you, Angel.)


A friend of mine has lost over 100 pounds in the past year. I asked her how she was doing it. She recommended the book, "Fat Smash Diet" by Ian K. Smith, M.D. I picked up a copy at Barnes and Noble this past Tuesday and began it the very next day. I read through it within about an hour and a half. It is very easy....very sensible....very good. Donato & I are through with day one and are in the midst of day two. You're not going to believe me when I say this, but just changing my diet and adding exercise (another major change), the scale reads that I am 6 pounds lighter today. I know that much of the weight in the beginning is going to be water weight loss.....but I am amazed how just changing a few things can make such a big difference. I am ready to do this, and though I whine whenever I am "craving" something (not hungry for something), I have to pray and ask God to help me through the craving, and realize that I'm not really hungry....I just crave certain foods. The diet is great in that you get to eat 4 smaller meals throughout the day, along with 2 snacks. It's really going to be easy to follow. This week is the hardest and next week will be a little easier....after that things shift and get nicer, as far as a few more things we can add to our diet. I highly recommend the diet, along with exercise. I bought Jane Fonda's "Prime Time" workout DVD's (don't laugh, it's been a while for me), and I'm off and climbing! :o)

I will try to update everyone here in my blog on a weekly basis to record how my diet and exercising are going. I am already receiving lots of encouraging emails, messages and texts. I can't tell you how wonderful that is! I need all the encouragement I can get....thank you! :o)

I'm glad in God, far happier than you would ever guess—happy that you're again showing such strong concern for me. Not that you ever quit praying and thinking about me. You just had no chance to show it. Actually, I don't have a sense of needing anything personally. I've learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I'm just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I've found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. I don't mean that your help didn't mean a lot to me—it did. It was a beautiful thing that you came alongside me in my troubles. -Philippians 4:13 (The Message)

Overcoming Jealousy - Causes and Cures for Jealousy, by Karen Wolff

When you look closely at the word jealousy there's something vital that stands out. The feeling of jealousy makes you feel lousy! Karen Wolff of Christian-Books-for-Women.com considers the causes of jealousy and then describes simple, practical steps for overcoming jealousy.

Current Status

How do you define jealousy?

The word "jealously" in Webster's dictionary is defined as "zealous vigilance." Somehow this definition doesn't seem to carry the powerful force of emotion in jealousy. The Bible says in Proverbs 27:4, "Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?" (NIV)

That seems to give a little more meaning to the word.

Background

What ever happened to the days when people were genuinely happy for one another? Do you remember those days when nobody ever wanted something that someone else had? Oh, wait! Those days never existed.

Jealousy is probably one of the world's oldest emotions. It's been around since the beginning of time. Look at Cain and Abel. Now there's a prime example of jealousy run amok.

Causes of Jealousy

What causes jealousy? Why does it start and how do we overcome jealousy?

Common Causes of Jealousy:

•Unmet expectations. Many times we place unrealistic expectations on ourselves and the people around us. Often times we feel things should come easier and faster to us. Then if things don't happen when we think they should, we inevitably run into someone who already has what we want. All of a sudden, we feel this surge of ugly, green emotion called jealousy.

•A sense of entitlement. For some reason we have this ingrained attitude that we are entitled to things. Kids leaving the nest for the first time believe their own standard of living should be the same as their parents. They don't consider that their parents have worked for years and years. Many times people with financial problems feel "entitled" to buy things on credit, even though they know it's a bad idea. Having the nicest car and the newest toys seems more important than getting out of debt.

•Insecurity. It is so easy to look at other people and wish we had what they have. And so many times it doesn't stop there. We start berating ourselves for not having what they have. Then we begin to believe negative junk ourselves. The next thing we know, we've developed insecurities in our relationships.

Cure for Jealousy?

So what can we do about jealousy?

After reading about all the stuff that can cause feelings of jealousy, we may feel like we're doomed. We may think we'll always come up short in some area of life. But that surely isn't the case.

Overcoming Jealousy

Here's some good news! There are a few things we can do to stop the jealousy ball from rolling right over us.

How to Overcome Jealousy:

•Stop comparing yourself to other people. You were created as a very unique and special person. God had a plan for you long before you took your first breath. Relish that thought. Love the fact that you're special. What God has in mind for you isn't the same as for someone else. So you don't have to feel bad that you don't have all the qualities, features, money, or anything else that someone else has. Your journey is just that — yours.

•Stop worrying about you all the time. Find a way to be a blessing to someone else. When you change your focus away from yourself, all of a sudden your self-image improves. You get to experience the feeling of satisfaction that only comes when you're a blessing to someone else. Your priorities start changing, and one day you realize that the things that used to make you so jealous and so nuts, don't bother you so much anymore.

•Stop wanting what other people have if you're not willing to go through what they did to get it. When you see a person who is physically fit and looks positively great, it's easy to feel really jealous. But are you willing to work out every day? Are you willing to eat healthy and look for ways to be healthy? If you're not, then there really is no reason to feel jealous, is there?

•Start focusing on all that's positive in your life. God has given you so many wonderful gifts that many other people don't have. Focus on using those gifts to help someone else. Since your mind can only consciously think about one thing at a time, doesn't it make sense to make sure that "one thing" is positive and is moving you toward the really great things in life?

Resolution

Breaking free from jealousy starts with your thoughts. When you change the way you think, you change the way you feel and act. The easiest way to change your focus is to begin by helping others. It will definitely be time well spent. Or better yet, thoughts well spent.

Prayers for Mr. Gonzales

Lord, please heal Ray's dad.

Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise. -Jeremiah 17:14 NIV

painting by, Jenedy Paige

Our new home.

We feel so blessed - we move into our new home on April 1st. Get ready for a house-warming party! :o)