I am probably going to regret this!!!

I can see some differences in these pictures, but it is hard to tell since they are taken at different zoom levels on the camera.

If you need assistance finding the differences, look near my waist, at my arms, and my face. Don't mind the cheesy grin in the first one; I was laughing at the thought of a before picture when she snapped the picture! The picture on the left was taken in July, 2008. The picture on the right was taken in March 2009.

My journey continues to be an up and down battle. I have been sick off and on, injured off and on, had sick children, lived through the holidays and so on. It is called LIFE and everyone lives it everyday! It isn't an excuse! The one constant: I haven't given up! Is this taking longer than I would have liked? Absolutely!!! Is it hard to stay motivated day in and day out? Most definitely!!! Would I go back to being my couch potato self and gain back the 28 pounds I have lost? NO WAY!!!

The point is that it is hard! It takes commitment! It shifts your focus from everyone else to you! But it is so worth getting up and the morning and having energy. It is fun to make my abs sore so that I can see results! It is worth it for me and my health. It is worth it for my kids and the habits that I am teaching them. My 1 1/2 year old eats salads with me. She loves lettuce, carrots, apples, bananas, and so on! The boys are eating better and exercising.

The best thing I did in the last couple of weeks: I started watching Biggest Loser. I am addicted to that show. I watch it every Tuesday night, and I watch the repeats on the Style Network. If those people who weigh a lot more than I did when I started can do it, then what is my excuse? If they can make a marked difference in their life, why can't I? The hardest part to any of it is just to start!

The other thing that has made a difference is I changed my diet up again. I am following Paula's Bikini Body Diet. It is 50% protein, 30% fruit/veggies, 20% good fats at each meal. Then you have proteins and/or fruits/veggies for snacks. You still eat 5-6 times per day. You cut out all processed food, sugar, carbonated drinks, and bad carbs like potatoes and bread. You eat one whole grain serving each day...Thank God for Brown Rice and whole wheat bread!

I have been eating a salad with every meal! I love lettuce! And for those that know me this will be a shocker, but I have given up table salt! The most table salt I have had in my mouth in weeks was saltwater yesterday to get rid of a sore throat! Even season salt has gone by the wayside! It has been a gradual shift away from Diet Coke, salt, processed foods, and so on. I couldn't have ever given up these things cold turkey, all at once.

And I have made myself accountable! I have my blog. I have my trainer. I have my dear friend who I workout with! I have the support of my family. It is easy to diet/exercise and not care if you quit or gain 10 pounds when no one is looking. Try it when EVERYONE knows! Try it when people know you have been going to a trainer. Try it when you post your weight online. It makes the will and determination that much stronger torwards success!!!

Have a great TAX DAY!!! I hope you all have finished them and didn't procrastinate! And remember today is just as good of a day to start making healthy choices as January 1st is!!!

COMING SOON...BEFORE AND AFTER

I wanted to warn everyone before I did this...You may want to run and never look back at this blog again!!! LOL

In the next couple of days, I am going to post the before and after pictures that my trainer has taken of me. I saw the most recent picture of myself next to the picture I took in July of last year and in December....OMG!!! I was shocked! I haven't lost the weight like I wanted, but the pictures tell a different story! I am taking them to WalMart and having copies made and posting them everywhere, in hopes to get my booty into better shape!

Hopefully, by Friday, I will have everything copied and posted! It has been so crazy around, that who knows! But, come back towards the end of the week for a surprising treat!

Still going

Despite everything else going on in life, I am still moving onward!

I have been sick yet again. If anyone has suggestions on how you stay well, I would love to hear them. I had what I thought was strep. Kevin had had it and Damon was complaining about his throat. Well, after going to the doctor, we both had infections in our throats. LOVELINESS!!! He said our allergies were draining so much, that it had literally rubbed our throats raw and caused an infection. After two days of antibiotics, it is starting to feel better.

The wind is sweeping down the plains today. And it is trying to take everything with it. Really great on the allergy front!

I have made a personal discovery that was quite eye opening, and also kinda of sad. I am glad that it happened. I just hadn't put any thought into it until a couple of weeks ago.

I posted about the pastor that I liked from St. Luke's in OKC. I think it was his ability to be different. It is so easy as a Christian to become stagnant in our worship practices. Dr. Long is very different from what I am used to on Sunday morning. It is not a bad or good different. It is just different.

I was in a Christian rut. Prayer is something that happened occasionally and on Sundays. The Bible would get opened a couple of times every other week. It was just easier to put those things away for when I thought I would have time. That was almost a year and half ago. It was right about the time that Kinsley was born and I started on my journey to becoming a virtual assistant.

As I look back, I realize how different the path might have been had God been centered where he should have been. I started listening to a Joyce Meyer's series last night. The kids were in bed and Kevin went to his fire meeting. I took seven pages of notes over 1 of the CDs. There are four in the collection. It is called "Managing Your Emotions." I listened to it, prayed for direction, and then went and climbed in bed. The most awesome thing happened: I went looking for a Christian show to watch. Joyce was on TV as she is throughout the day. But her sermon just happened to be on the same exact topic that CD had covered. It even referenced some of the same stories told on the CD.

I have had those CDs for over a year. I had never gotten through them. God knew when I would need them the most and laid them in my path. It gave me a renewed sense of strength and direction for my life.

I encourage each of you to really examine your life. Look at the things that have gone right and wrong. See if there is something missing from you daily routine. It can truly make all the difference.