New changes are a comin!

Just wanted you guys to know what is going on with me and my family. Right now we are trying to move back to Oklahoma City from the country around Chickasha area. We love love love it out here, but we are really struggling to survive out here between the extremely high gas prices and the higher rent and utility prices. My husband drives 45 minutes each way to work 5 days a week and sometimes we go up there on the weekends also. This means that we are spending 30 % of our income on fuel. We have found an apartment complex up in the city that is in our prices range and is all bills included. They are also kid and dog friendly. They even have a small dog park. It isn't in the best area but it is decent and I believe that this is where we are meant to be for awhile. We are in limbo though, because we don't have the money to put down a deposit and they don't have an apartment available. We have been approved though and that is a relief. John's boss has given us a brand new Sharp 55 inch LED television to sell . It retails for 1600 and we are asking 1000 that will pay our deposit. But it is a large TV and 1000 dollars is a lot to come up with. So we haven't had any luck. But I am confident that we will sell it and that we will move when God wants it to happen.
I am gearing up to finally start working on my first goal after we move. I have been extremely busy getting ready for a garage sale and packing at the same time. So I know that starting my plan right now would not be good for me. I have talked about The 6 week body makeover diet before. Last time I went on this diet it changed my metabolism, so that when I lost 20 pounds I did not gain it back when I got off the diet. Well I am planning on following the basics of this diet again but I am going to make it a lifestyle. Meaning that I am going to change from eating 3 times a day to six, probably for the rest of my life. I also am going to follow the tools it had for my specific body type. Noodles and breads aren't good carbs for my life. But Rice and Potatoes are. Eating lots and lots of fruits and vegetables with my meals to provide good vitamins for my body. keeping my portions small; knowing that my next meal is only hours away. But the most important rule is to watch my sodium and not eat anything processed. This means that I must make all the food that I eat. Any canned boxed or prepackaged item is off limits. Now that doesn't mean that Joslyn and I wont go out for ice cream once and awhile. But I think that it means more often that I will be making our ice cream and desserts so that I can control what goes into our food.
The biggest change about this weight loss goal is that I am going to blog about it. I will have Weight Loss Wednesdays. Posting my successes and failures for the week. My weight loss or gain and what I have eaten and how often I have exercised that week. You see I have learned a lot in this last year and I really feel ready to change my life. But I know that I can't do it alone. First of all God is in control! If I give him the burden of this change and pray when I am tempted to give up I believe that He will give me the strength to continue. Secondly I will need accountability partners to steer me back on the right track. Thirdly, I think that knowing that I will have to blog about my successes and failures may make me want to have more successes.

I will still blog about other things to. Eventually I would like to blog about a different goal each day. But we are going to start small and God will help me develop the blog into what it needs to be to mirror His image. Thanks for all of the support you have given me by reading my blog and commenting. This blog has helped shaped me into a better person. I love reading all of the blogs that I follow and I can't wait to see how we grow together even more!
PS the picture is of me when John and I were dating over 12 years ago!

Diet time!

So I am getting ready to start the 6 week body makeover. This next Monday is D Day. I am excited to get going on my goals, but I am afraid too. I have always used food as a shield and when you take that away I feel vulnerable. I post this so that you know what food does for me. I have learned through the years and Celebrate Recovery that eating hides the uncomfortable feelings. I am determined not to let this have control any more. With GODs help and my friends (that's you guys), I will beat this! Some of you have wanted info on this diet. I will tell you this. I have never been on a healthier food regimen in my life when I am on this.
6 meals a day
no extra sodium and as low sodium chicken broth as you can find
no dairy - though I add in a little dairy, doctor says to have a little.
eat protein with every meal - protein is what makes your metabolism work
some veggies are free - you can have as much as you want
cook with chicken broth instead of fat, butter or dairy
use any seasons on food except ones that have salt in them
3 ounces of lean meat per meal
3 meals a day you can have 1/2 cup carbs, though for my body type only rice and potatoes for carbs. the other 3 meals you have fruit with your protein.
its really good for you.

How will I ever do it?

150 pounds! That is what I want to lose. How will I ever do it? Well, I don't think that I have ever been more excited about this weight loss project, then all the times I have been on diets before. Mostly, because I am not going on a diet, I am going for a life change. What is the difference? Well obviously a diet is to lose weight, and a life change is to change my life. I just hope that weight is lost in the process. I have been on many diets and some of them work and some dont, but none of them I can stick to. So this time I am trying something different.

About a year and a half ago, my wonderful husband purchased the program The 6 week Body makeover by Michael Thurmond. I opened the package with mega excitement, did all of the preperations, and figured out my body type. We threw away all the food in the house and started over. The body makeover is a wonderful program, it has many great elements. First of all, you can't eat anything processed, meaning no dairy, I love cheese. No chicken nuggets, no barbeque sauce, ketchup, anything. Why, you say? Well, most processed foods have one common denominator, SALT! The main thing that this diet focuses on is sodium and the less you have the better. Secondly, the diet requires you to eat 6 times a day. That seems a lot, but it is very necessary if you want to boost your metabolism. These are great ideas! I lost 20 pounds in a month on this system and never gained it back. I mean still havent gained it back.

So, my plan is to start in 2 weeks back on this program, and I will do only this for 2 weeks. I want to get my body used to the eating 6 times a day, smaller portions, and the no sodium. Interesting fact, the first 2 weeks that your body goes without salt, everything taste very bland, but, after that anytime you taste a spice, it has more flavor than ever before. See we can't really taste the spices in their true form because of all the salt we eat. After, the 2 weeks are over I will slowly add in the things I love, like dairy, but stick with the portion sizes and 6 meals. The reason I want to do this is because, i got very bored with the makeover fast because I couldn't have the things I love. I know now that I can't fully give up everything I love or it won't be a true life change. Eventually, I will find a way to eat what I want and forget all that I have learned. I am so excited though, because I really want to start to enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables and this diet requires them.

Next, I plan to start walking. There are few things in life that are quite so easy, for someone like me. I like to complain about many things, but when I actually go walking I enjoy it. I really want Joslyn to start enjoying her surroundings, and this is a great way to make that happen. We live in a little community of trailer homes in which every member has 1 to 5 acres of land. I really love our neighborhood. It feels like a very safe place to be. Maybe our walking will inspire others to walk too. There are horses and cows, great sights for a little girl to see. Not to mention all of the other critters.

So, that is my plan and I hope that I can honor myself enough to follow through with it. After all, I am God's creation, and I am beautifully and wonderfully made. I hope that you will enjoy my trials and triumphs of this journey and that most of all God is glorified. Please feel free to comment with ideas and advice or positive thoughts. I have no room for negitivity in my life.

P.S. tomorrow I will post on some of my ideas for part 2 of my goals, going green! The picture is of a critter that lives very close to our land.