Check In On My Health

 It has been a while since I have given an update on my weight loss journey.  I have lost 55 pounds since the end of January and am feeling wonderful.  No special drugs or drinks to lose the weight just following WW (Weight Watchers) blue plan, walking daily, no eating between meals, intermittent fasting and just being active.  I do have to work on my hydration which I will be adding to my journey.  It has not been that difficult but I think it is because I am trying hard to watch what I eat.  Food was always a way I would reward myself.  Now I reward myself in different ways.  Food is now just something I need to have to live.  I just don't need a lot of it anymore.  This is a HUGE statement for me to make.  I do not crave anything and when I am bored and start looking for something to eat I realize I am not hungry and close the pantry door.  I still have a long way to go and I know the next several months it is going to be tougher than the first few but I am all in...Let's do this!

Big Stuf 2021

 I had the pleasure of attending Big Stuf 2021 in Panama City Beach, FL all week long.  It is a 7th -12th grade Christian "camp" (resort) that churches from all over the USA come to.  It is a week long camp with everything provided.  The music is amazing and the message at each worship service was great too. We brought 8 youth from my church along with the youth director and myself.  We did not stay at that resort because there were not enough rooms for us but we did get a place down the road Surfside Christian Retreat Center that was an amazing place to stay.  We were right on the beach, had our own pool and we were the only group there so it was a great place to unwind, relax and discuss the messages from the day.  It was a wonderful experience and the sight of over a 1000 teens enjoying the music and the message made me feel like we are going to be in good shape as long as these teens are in all our futures.  I enjoyed it so much that I volunteered to go next year too expect I hope we will be bringing a much bigger group.  Thanks #bigstuf2021 for a great week and thanks to the students who attended from my church.

My First Treadmill Experience

 I have never been on a treadmill before.  I know how they operate and I have seen plenty of people use them but I never had.  Well, last night I changed all that.  I was not able to get my walk in yesterday and I have two Stepbets going on right now so I needed to make sure I got my steps in.  Plus, I really wanted to take a walk.  It was too hot to take an afternoon walk and it was too dark to take an evening walk by the time I got home from choir.  So I did the next best thing.  I used my daughter's treadmill for a walk.  It was rather comical and I am sure if my neighbors were watching through the window they would of had a good laugh at how awkward I looked doing the treadmill for the first time.  I was trying to get my steps and rhythm in sync with the movement of the treadmill.  It took a few minutes of walking before I finally got a step rhythm I could get use to and relax a little.  In the back of my mind I had myself falling off backwards on the treadmill.  I successfully mastered my walking on the treadmill and now the next time I cannot take a walk outside due to extreme heat or rain I have the treadmill to walk on.  I hope it won't be too soon!

I Hit 50 Pounds

 Today, as I did my weekly weigh in, I hit my first big goal.  I have lost 50 pounds.  It took about 4 1/2 months but that is okay because it is gone!  I still have quite a journey to go to get down to my total weight loss of 110 pounds but at least I am going in the right direction.  I am doing this using WW (weight watchers) along with walking ( up to 5 miles a day), doing intermittent fasting (nothing from 8:00 PM to 8:00 AM), drinking water, no snacking between meals and getting lots of sleep (at least 7 hours a night).  This combination has seem to be a winning combination and so I will continue with it.  I do try to introduce something new every month and since I am still struggling getting all my water in that will be the next thing I truly concentrate on.  So today I will celebrate but not with food. Maybe a hair trim or a new outfit.  I guess I will wait and see! Happy to be 50 pounds lighter!

Happy Birthday Jenny!!!

 Happy Birthday to my baby, Jenny.  She turns 32 today and we are very happy to be celebrating her birthday.  Jenny is the one who had the brain tumor last July and luckily the doctors got the tumor and it was not cancerous.  We are so grateful.  She does have a few issues that will not go away but it is something she can live with.  So this birthday is a big one for us and her.  I gave her a plot in Scotland for her birthday so I could give her a new title.  She will forever be known as Lady Jen!  She loved the gift which made me even happier because I was not sure whether she would or not.  It was a success!  Jenny, have a wonderful birthday and thank you for being such a fantastic daughter.  You have truly made it a blessing and a pleasure to be your mom!  Happy Birthday Lady Jen!

Walking Is Good For You!

 Walking is good for you.  Walking is good for me.  I have discovered that I now truly enjoy my daily walks more than I have. I have done several StepBets in the past couple of years and I really did not enjoy them but I knew it was good for me.  I must say that all the has changed.  I look forward to my daily walks and plan around them.  I just finished up a three week walking competition and I won.  This means I made it all three weeks meeting my weekly goals.  I am currently in two Stepbets that have just started this week.  This means that I am committed to walking 6 days a week for the next six weeks.  Four of the days are my daily steps and the other two days are known as power days which means extra steps.  So far this week I have walked 5 days and all have been power days except one.  My goal is to do all power days going forward.  During my walks I listen to music and I just think, reminisce, work out problems, solutions and sometimes, in my head, I work out world problems.  It is a chance for me to just think and not be disturbed by anything.  Not only am I getting my body in shape but I am taking care of my mind too.  So, try a bit of walking the next time you need to clear your head...it works!

What A Great Mother's Day Weekend and More!

 I did not get a chance to post last week due to the fact that we went out of town for Mother's Day.  My daughter Jenny, SIL Nate and granddaughter Rory took me to Orlando for the weekend.  We rented a home through Air B&B and went to Sea World on Saturday and Old Town (Orlando) with a Fun Spot on Sunday.  We had so much fun.  The house was great and had a pool which was really nice. The kids enjoyed it.  Jason, Jessica, Emmy & Caroline (my adoptive children & grandchildren - Rory's God parents) came along too because we were also celebrating Caroline's 3rd Birthday.  We had a great time in Sea World and the weather was terrific.  It was mid 80's, sunny and little humidity.  We rode roller coasters, saw lots of sea creatures but no shows and a lot of the kiddie rides were shut down.  We still had a good time but it was different from the last time we all went.  We did get season passes so we can go back whenever we want to.  We spent Saturday night at "home" and in the pool and ordered UNO's pizza...yum!

On Sunday we went to Old Town Orlando that has a Fun Spot attached to it.  A Fun Spot is an amusement park with lots of great rides and the Sky Coaster.  We did it all!  The Sky Coaster is a harness that you put on and then you get lifted 300 ft in the air.  You pull your rip cord and free fall for a little while then start swinging back and forth.  It is so much fun.  The adults all did it...including me.  This was the third time I have done something like this.  We had a marvelous weekend and it was good to spend my Mother's Day having fun and just enjoying family time.  Thank you Jenny, Nate, Rory, Jason, Jessica, Emmy & Caroline for a wonderful weekend.

I have been doing great with my weight loss.  I have lost 45 pounds now and this is the lightest I have weighed in over 10 years.  A milestone?  Hmmm!  I am sticking with my journey and am watching what I am eating, exercising and doing intermittent fasting.  The next thing I will introduce into my journey is more water.  I am not drinking what I should be.  Little my little the things I am bringing on this journey are becoming habit which should be changing my lifestyle.  That is what I am planning on doing.  Well, I guess that is about it for now.  Thanks for following me and my endeavors.