New meaning to "making lemonade out of lemons"

This year for Christmas, Jerry and I decided to buy each other a practical gift.  One gift, that’s it.  We decided on a ping pong table.  Now that we live in a home that has a basement, we finally have room for one.  Also it’s a great source of exercise.  (are you getting the picture of whose idea this really was)

Anyway, I researched on Craig’s list and found a good deal on one that was relatively close to where we live.  So, last Saturday we went to look at the table.  It was a great one!  Hardly used at all.  We paid for the table, and with the help of the couple we bought it from got it loaded into the back of our truck.  Jerry spent a great deal of time securing the table with ropes and bungee cords. Did I mention that the temp was in the teens, we were up over 9,000 feet, it was windy and there was snow everywhere?  

With our Christmas gift secure, we started down the mountain.  We drove at least 4 miles on iced dirt roads with hairpin curves and grades of about 6%.  Pretty treacherous journey.  But we made it safely back to the main highway.  Awesome job.

We were cruising along feeling excited about our first competitive game we’d play as soon as we were home, when suddenly there was a heart wrenching sound.  I couldn’t look, but Jerry’s words “there it went” told me the sad story.  We had driven through some cross winds that completely picked up the table and sent it flying onto the road.  I couldn’t breathe and certainly couldn’t look.  Jerry turned around and drove back to the crash site.  There on the shoulder of the road lay the remnants of our Christmas gift.  Pieces everywhere.  Nightmare!

Jerry got out and started gathering up the debris.  I could tell he needed help so I got out and sunk immediately down in deep snow.  I think my adrenaline kicked in about this time and I suddenly had super strength.  We managed to get the big pieces into the back of the truck without getting run over by oncoming traffic.  I picked up pieces of metal, rollers, corners of the table and several broken ropes and cords.

We got home and I finally cried.  I had wanted a ping pong table for years and to be that close and still not have one was pretty overwhelming.  I prayed about it and asked God to help me be at peace.  I asked Him to bless the people we had bought it from and then I demanded that the enemy replace what he had stolen from us.  I went and told Jerry that I did not blame him for what had happened at all.  I saw how much time he spent securing the table and he had done everything he could. I knew he felt bad for me so I wanted to let him know it wasn’t his fault.

The next day we took the pieces out of the truck and put them in the garage.  We started looking at the damage.  Amazingly, all the important pieces were still there.  A little mangled, cracked, scratched and broken, but still there.  At first, I wanted to take the whole load to the dump and just get it out of my sight and move on.  However, the more we looked, the more I wanted to try and put it all back together.

We started straightening out metal, replacing screws, bending hinges and gluing corners back together.  The main bracket of the wheels was completely broken off, but Jerry was able to cut another board using the old one as a guide and we painted it the same color.  We bought two new wheels which was less than $9.00.  Jerry reconstructed the support legs and today we put all the pieces together. 

It is a miracle.  It doesn’t look brand new like it did when we bought it, but it works beautifully.  I would say it has a lot more character.  What I considered useless at one time, with a little elbow grease and vision turned into a great gift.  Today Jerry and I laughed, got some exercise and enjoyed our first game of ping pong. 

Merry Christmas to us!

I am so thankful that the table did not blow out and hit someone else’s car.  Thank you God for your protection!

 I'm posting a picture of the table!

 

 

 

 

 

Holding your position.

It’s been 3 months since my last blog so I decided I should let everyone know that I’m still on my journey.  I think this leg of the trip has been the hardest so far.  I feel like I know how to lose weight and I certainly know how to gain it back.  What I’ve always been a failure at is maintaining my weight loss. 

 MAINTAIN – “to continue in the present state or situation without losing control”.  This is where I am.  I honestly do not plan on counting points for the rest of my life.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the Weight Watchers’ points plus program and would recommend it for anyone who needs to get healthy.  However, now that I’ve lost 150 pounds, I want to be able to sustain my weight loss in the “real world”.  I’ll have to admit this is scary for me because it is a slippery slope.  I have slid down this mountain so many times in the past.

1. What makes this time so different?
2. Why am I so confident that I can do it solo?
3.  How have I done the last three months?

This time is different because I have experienced the taste of success and I liked it.  I really don’t plan on continuing my journey all alone.  I know I can’t do it by myself.  I need support from my friends, family and yes from Weight Watchers.  I am confident however that I have learned what is necessary to be successful and know how to navigate around problem areas.

The last 3 months have not been easy.  As most of you that read my blog know, we are anticipating a major move in the next few months. Everything in my life is changing.  We are leaving everything that is comfortable and familiar and moving to another state.  My husband and I are both changing jobs.  We’ll be leaving our family and A LOT of good friends behind.  This type of change in anyone’s life can sabotage your weight loss efforts.

 One way I’m dealing with everything going on in my life is I’ve continued going to the gym.  There’s something about disciplining your flesh that revives your determination to keep going.  When I’m on the elliptical I remember how when I first started I could barely do 2 minutes.  Now I can go much longer.  I know I’ve come a long way and I never want to repeat the last two years of getting where I am now.

My life is changing in so many ways.  However, my commitment to being healthy has not.  I will learn how to maintain and stay in control.  God is my greatest help and strength and He will be moving to Colorado with me.  With Him, I’m already a winner!

2012 Journey: So Blessed: So Thankful

So much has happened since my last blog.  Toward the end of the year the days start running together and time accelerates to warp speed for me.  At least that’s the excuse I’m using for not writing a blog in November.

My journey has continued through some ups and downs on the scales over the last couple of months.  I’m getting to the point where I’m getting comfortable with where I am and that’s not always a good thing.  I’ve learned that I’m pretty good at maintaining my weight which I know I’ll have to do the rest of my life.  However, I’m not at goal yet so I’ve had to push through those thoughts.  I will say that I’ve continued going to the Weight Watcher meetings and working out which I know has helped me get through all the holiday festivities.

With that confession out of the way, here’s what I have accomplished:

·         I’ve shed a total of 153 pounds.  That is a whole person!!  The new person that I’ve uncovered has so much more confidence and is excited about the future.  With God’s help, I will never go back to being the person I was before.  Miserable, depressed, angry, resentful, and on and on.

·         I made it to ONE-derland!!!  For all of you non-dieters, that means I now weight in the 100’s.  Going from 352 to 199 is super amazing.  For 30 years I have been in the 200 and 300 ranges.  I seriously wondered if my scale even had numbers in the 100’s.  IT DOES!!!!

·         My size 16 jeans are loose on me!!!  I have given away so many clothes and some of them I really didn’t get to wear that much.  No worries.  It’s time to shop for size 14. 

·         I’ve went from a size 4-5X down to an XL shirt.  I always wanted to shop on the other side of women’s clothes in stores.  Now I can!!  True freedom.  I don’t know how many times I’ve caught myself in the Plus Sizes at stores just out of habit.  I love holding my head up as I walk over to the “other side”. 

·         I got a pair of boots for Christmas.  Why is that such a big deal you ask?  My legs use to be so large that I couldn’t even think about getting a pair of boots to fit over them.  The ones I got zip and they do have an area that gives a little around the top.  That’s fine with me!  I can wear boots now. J

I obviously could go on and on, but there’s one more area that I want to cover in this blog.  It really doesn’t have anything to do with weight loss, but it’s the most important thing that’s happened to me in the last week.  I hope it will bless and encourage each of you.

In November, my doctor became concerned about a “mass” that was found in my body.  Even after a biopsy came back negative for cancer cells, she wasn’t convinced and sent me to a specialist.  After visiting with the Oncologist, we made the decision to go ahead with surgery. On December 26^th, I had a Laparoscopic Hysterectomy.  Even though there were a lot of tumors and they had to take one of my ovaries, THERE WAS NO CANCER!!!!  I am totally committed to Christ Jesus my healer.  I know the doctor was convinced it was cancer, but I was equally convinced that since Jesus had already taken stripes for my healing then I knew He didn’t intend for me to have cancer.

Whatever you are facing in 2013, it’s not too hard for my God.  Trust Him with your problems and concerns.  He has been my constant companion in my weight loss journey, and He’ll do the same for you.  He loves you regardless of your past and wants to help you.  Try it – He works 100% of the time.

Forgiveness

I know that sounds like a sermon topic, but it has played a huge role in my weight loss journey.

For years I carried around the weight of guilt and condemnation from past mistakes I had made in my life.  I couldn’t forgive myself.  I still remembered.  I still hated myself.  I just couldn’t seem to get pasted the past.  My past was ruining my future.

I did the same thing with my weight loss efforts.  I could not get pasted all the times I had tried and failed on losing weight.  I convinced myself that I could never be successful.  Failure had become the norm for me.

I needed to change something!!!  The first baby step I took was to forgive myself if I cheated on my diet.  Instead of throwing in the towel when I ate something I shouldn’t, I forgave myself.  Sure I blew it, but tomorrow was a brand new day.  A brand new slate;  A blank canvas.  I didn’t give myself permission to continue cheating.  The more I did this, the less I cheated.  It was amazing.  I didn’t have to feel guilty or ashamed anymore.  I gave myself the freedom to mess up and once I did, the pressure to be perfect vanished.  It was liberating.  It gave me the courage to continue and I have.  I haven’t been perfect, but I’ve been consistent.

This month alone,

·        I forgave myself for eating a whole box of Nilla wafers.  Yes, the whole box!  All in one day.

·        I forgave myself for gaining 5 lbs. at Weight Watchers.  The very next week I lost 5.8 lbs. and the next week I lost an additional 3 lbs.

·        I forgave myself for skipping a couple of workout sessions.

Can you see how immediately forgiving myself has actually kept me on track!!  This forgiveness process has changed me in so many ways.  It is essential to anyone’s success.

My current status is down 148 lbs. total.  Only 2 lbs. and I will have shed 150 pounds!!!  AMAZING!  Thank you Jesus.

Remember, by Thanksgiving my goal is to be in “ONEderland”.   

Vacation Conquest

At the end of my August blog, I mentioned that I would be sharing how I did on our vacation to Colorado this year.  Last year whenever we went, I gained 10 pounds back of the 50 I had lost on the HCG diet in one week!  That’s how I knew that HCG wasn’t going to be sustainable for me.  I joined Weight Watchers shortly after I got back home last September.

Well I’m happy to report that this year I lost over 4 pounds while we were on vacation.  Not only did I reach my 100 pound mark, but I actually exceeded it.  What a difference.  I stayed on program almost the entire time.  If you’re thinking I only ate carrots and celery, you are mistaken.  We ate out at least 7 times and met two different friends in their homes for lunch on two other days.  Rebekah and I also cooked meals during the week in our cabin.  We made out menus for 3 meals a day.  My son actually asked me if I was really going to eat all of the stuff that was on there.  My response was yes, in some sort of variation and my portions may be a little different than yours.

We had a great time and I never felt deprived.  I’m telling you that it can be done by changing the way you think, and refocusing your attention on something other than food.  We rode bikes and we also did some walking to earn activity points.  Riding a bike in Colorado is truly a workout for me!  The air is thinner and you start sucking air almost immediately.

One other change that Jerry and I have done is when we stop at rest areas while we’re traveling; we take a 10-15 min walk around the parking lot.  No more stopping for double stuff Oreos, candy and Dr. Peppers.  After we walk, we grab some fruit or a healthy snack and we always, always drink water.

As I’m writing this blog, we are actually on a weekend camping trip.  I have stayed completely on program the whole time.  How is that possible?  I plan for success.  I even knew it was supposed to rain this whole weekend so I brought more reading material, games and healthy snacks to keep us busy.  It’s so funny to look in my camper refrigerator and see stuff like lettuce, raw veggies, low calorie dressing, fruit, turkey products, grilled chicken, etc.  These are items that I use to NEVER take camping.  Now they’re staples for me.

I honestly love my new way of life.  My body is responding to the daily exercise it now gets and I feel so much better.  I have currently lost 145 pounds from my heaviest recorded weight.  I have a goal to be in One-der-land by Thanksgiving.  I’m thinking I’ll actually arrive there early.  Check back next month and see if I did.

It’s official!  I’ve now lost another 100 pounds!  That’s right, this is the second (and final) time that I’ve lost that much weight.  Back in 2003 I accomplished the same goal.  It was a victory that I only enjoyed for a few days because I immediately put it back on. Why?  Because I really hadn’t changed any of my behavioral habits that would sustain the weight loss.

This time is much different.  I have changed in so many ways!  I think the most important change has been in the way I view myself.  Before it was all about how I “looked”.  Since that was not a pretty picture, it tainted my whole life.  All the other “good” stuff that I had going on in my life didn’t seem to matter.  It all came back around to hating the way I looked. 

Don’t get me wrong, I still want to look good.  J  However, I’m not 20, 30 or 40 years old anymore.  I am a middle-age grandmother (I plan to live until I’m at least 100) who is so much more than a number on the scale.  I have a purpose in life.  God has great plans for me and created me for His good pleasure if for nothing more.

Another change is in my relationship with food which I’ve already addressed in one of my past blogs.  I have made a lifetime adjustment in my eating habits.  Whoever penned the quote “nothing tastes as good as being healthy feels” was absolutely right.  I think about the lasting results of anything that I put in my body.

I think it’s quite fitting that I would reach my goal during the same month as the Olympics.  I realize that I’m not an athlete and certainly am not trying to put myself in the same category.  I had the opportunity to read the backgrounds of some of these inspiring athletes and realized that most of them have had setbacks in their own journeys to being successful.  Disappointments, failures, injuries, discouragement, depression, it hits all of us.  The difference is they didn’t quit.  They pushed through, started over, kept training and it paid off.

Guess what?  I’ve done some of those same things.  Even though I lost 100 pounds before and gained it back (plus more), I started over.  I rejoined Weight Watchers for the umpteen time, renewed my membership at the gym, stopped eating junk food, and started taking care of myself.  It was harder and it took longer this time around, (I’m sure that being 9 years older had something to do with it) but I’m pressing on.  I feel like I’m still going for the gold.  I am a Champion in my own journey.  I weighed over 350 pounds at one time and now I’m almost in the 100’s.  Yeehaw!!!

My next challenge:  Going on vacation.  Make sure and read my blog next month to see how I did.  I assure you the outcome will be better than our last vacation because I’m going fully prepared to succeed.

Keeping it real!

I thought about not doing a blog this month since I really don’t have any “goal breaking” news to share, but the more I thought about it I knew I needed to keep it real. What I mean by that is not just sharing my successes but also I need to share my mess-ups.

We all know that we can’t be perfect all the time and I certainly fit into that category.  I still have to fight discouragement and my natural instinct is to turn to food.  My husband was off of work for 10 weeks without pay and that definitely triggered my stress level.  I wish I could say that I handled it perfectly and kept on track the whole 2.5 months, but that wouldn’t be true.  I want to add right here that God supernaturally provided for us during this time and we did not get behind on any of our bills and certainly didn’t miss any meals.  However, it was a daily struggle to keep my mind rooted on good things and not allow negative thoughts to take over.

What I realized during this time was that my battle with food is not behind me.  It’s a habit that I will always have to keep under control.  It really is an addiction and I truly believe that if I allowed myself I could fall completely off the wagon.  The good news is that I now recognize the warning signs.  I handle stress so much better.  Not perfectly yet, but a lot better.

Non scale victory this month has to be the realization that I’m beginning to like exercise.  (I’m not using the “love” word yet) I think what I like is the way it makes me feel afterwards.  It gives me a sense of satisfaction to make my flesh do something that it doesn’t want to do.  I guess it’s a control thing.  That coupled with not allowing myself to eat foods that my flesh craves is double satisfaction!  I AM THE BOSS!!! God has given me authority to rule over my body and I am taking my place!

This month I am maintaining my weight loss.  Some weeks I’m up a couple of pounds and then I’m back down the next week.  My 100 pound goal is still intact.  I will reach it.  It may not be this week or even this month, but it will happen.  I promise you!   10…9…8…7…6…5 – that’s right, only 5 more pounds to reach 100.