I will not say much about this because I know this is an area that almost all women struggle with. I have never really had a problem with this area or even given it much thought until after I had two kids. Even after Abby Kaye was about one I had about 5-10 pounds to lose, but that is pretty typical after having kids. I realized that I was needing to work on this area after Thanksgiving this year when I bought a scale. I was kind of given indications of that from a couple of pictures that I saw of myself. Another hint is that I kept having to buy bigger clothes and ones that I had bought when we first moved to Dallas did not fit anymore.
I am kind of slow as some of you might have guessed. My only thought on the matter was that I spent a lot of my Dallas days (of about 3 years) in the car. My jobs that I held there involved a lot of travel and I was very busy so I would grab a candy bar here or there. Also, I discovered some yummy bread from this bakery in Dallas that had olives and some other amazing stuff in it. We would get it for free when we lived in our first apartment and we would get it every week. Ok, so between the candy bars, the bread, and my incessant love of sweet tea I could shed a few pounds (like 40). I could not believe it when I first got on the scale. Sure enough, I had gained at least 25 pounds since I had Abby Kaye. Now I am not saying that I was ugly this way. I know that God made me beautiful and He loves me either way. Also, I know that my husband does not care one way or another either. He loves me regardless! But He and God both want me to take care of my body and to feel good and have the most out of life. So that led me to "The Diet".
I was a little unsure of what diet to choose because I have heard the good, the bad and the ugly from all of them. I decided to go with Atkins, you'll love why! I love bacon, sausage and any kind of meat. I could live off of meat and cheese. Now, I will say that I usually like some bread with my meat, but I decided that if I could have meat and cheese I can do without the bread. So that began it. From a little advice from my mom I started with only 20 carbs a day. I cut out all of my cokes and sweet tea. I switched to Crystal Light and asparagus! :) The end result, I have lost 25 pounds as of December first. A lot of people said I was crazy to try to make it through the holidays on a diet. My thought is that it made me stronger for the long, weary days ahead. I stuck with the 20 carbs or less for a couple of months very strictly. I did bars and drinks to supplement when I was in a bind or starved for food. My goal now is to just lose one pound a week. I should hit my ultimate weight goal on July 17th. I can tell that my body is very happy with it's new life. I plan to maintain my goal by keeping the carbs low and continuing to give up my coke and sugar addictions.
I still have a treat every now and then, but really I do not feel deprived and I really just needed to get started and get my body weaned off of all that sugar and bread that I was eating. I had to break those habits of stopping by Sonic for this or that.
Just a side note for those who are struggling with your weight. Your weight is not the end all of life. God loves you just the way you are and if you are married, your husband loves you just the way you are. My sweet husband just now decided that I am a little skinnier (after 25 pounds). He wanted me to mention he really thinks I am hot now even after some of my areas have diminished. :)
This was good for me not just because of the weight loss but having my body under submission. I am the one who makes the calls here. Just because my body says, "I must have sugar now!" I can choose what my body needs. Now, I know that Splenda and Atkins have gotten a bad rep because after all the guy is dead but I just needed something to kick start and get on a better track. I eat more salad than I used to. I almost always eat breakfast. I eat a good lunch and I try to not eat as much dinner as I used to. Another trick I learned is to have a Protein shake before dinner (in that I am ravished and stressed time. . .you know the time. . .the kids are whiney. . your husband is coming home. . the house is a wreck. . .and you want to just say, "Calgon, take me away!"
So that's the scoop on the diet and weight loss. I have not only shed pounds, but I have shed addictions. I will update you every now and then on the journey. Since it is a little warmer, I have started walking to give my body and health a boost. I plan to continue this. I have to admit though, I am a bit of a bum when it comes to cold weather. I am almost in hibernation during the winter. But now that the weather is a little nicer I am enjoying my walks and time to reflect on life. Ok, so I said I wouldn't say too much and I guess I stretched that a little. But if you know me, I don't say just a little about too much of anything! :)
Love,
Desiree'
Easter Update
It was a very cold morning to wake up to. Help started showing up at 9:00 with their Spring Parkas on. We got the signs hung up first that were donated by RC Cola. The huge banners read "Easter Egg Hunt, Rain or Shine, 10 am sponsored by Fellowship Bible Church of Batesville."
Honestly, this hunt was more fun than I have had in a long time. I think there are a couple of reasons that it is fun for me. For one, I am bossy by nature. I can see it in my daughter. She yells in her adorable five year old voice, Caleb Rutter!!! You get in here this instant!!!! So, yes I realize that I have bossy blood. I prayed before the event that my bossiness would come out loving and caring way, thinking more about the person than the details of the event. Hopefully, that is what happened! I guess I will find out later.
One of the other reasons is that I love planning something like this is seeing it come to fruition. It is a wonderful feeling to see all of the details loved and embraced by each individual. We set out coloring tables for the kids and it was wonderful to see the kids (and even some adults) hovered around it, drawing their finest Easter pictures while they waited for the next event.
The other thing and hopefully the most important thing I love about things like this, is that no matter how much I plan and fret and stress and yell and worry. . . God has it under His control and no matter what I do. . .His plan will be fulfilled! He will show Himself and He may even show out! I really felt like Christ Himself were there with those little children. The kids had fun hearing the stories about Christ and His resurrection. They even got to take the story home with them in the Resurrection eggs that they made. What a wonderful celebration. We had about 75 kids and about the same amount of adults. We even made the local newspaper, first page. We beat out the story of the Easter Egg Hunt with hay on the street and the man who was arrested for stealing a chicken. Big stuff here!!
Love,
Desiree'
Honestly, this hunt was more fun than I have had in a long time. I think there are a couple of reasons that it is fun for me. For one, I am bossy by nature. I can see it in my daughter. She yells in her adorable five year old voice, Caleb Rutter!!! You get in here this instant!!!! So, yes I realize that I have bossy blood. I prayed before the event that my bossiness would come out loving and caring way, thinking more about the person than the details of the event. Hopefully, that is what happened! I guess I will find out later.
One of the other reasons is that I love planning something like this is seeing it come to fruition. It is a wonderful feeling to see all of the details loved and embraced by each individual. We set out coloring tables for the kids and it was wonderful to see the kids (and even some adults) hovered around it, drawing their finest Easter pictures while they waited for the next event.
The other thing and hopefully the most important thing I love about things like this, is that no matter how much I plan and fret and stress and yell and worry. . . God has it under His control and no matter what I do. . .His plan will be fulfilled! He will show Himself and He may even show out! I really felt like Christ Himself were there with those little children. The kids had fun hearing the stories about Christ and His resurrection. They even got to take the story home with them in the Resurrection eggs that they made. What a wonderful celebration. We had about 75 kids and about the same amount of adults. We even made the local newspaper, first page. We beat out the story of the Easter Egg Hunt with hay on the street and the man who was arrested for stealing a chicken. Big stuff here!!
Love,
Desiree'
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