Update

Hello all! I realize it’s been almost 2 months since my last post. The reason I’ve waited so long is because I have been diagnosed with disordered eating, which is basically a non specific eating disorder. I don’t fall into the category of bulimic because I don’t purge. My counselor said I may very well be anorexic, however I would not get a clinical diagnosis of such because I lack one symptom….I’m not underweight. I have many of the symptoms of anorexia, and I am currently receiving treatment for that.

I have hesitated in posting, however I decided to share this with you in hopes of helping others. I need to find a balance because I have a tendency to binge…and with binging brings extra pounds. I need to find a healthy balance…which I have not done in the past two weeks. My February weigh in was good (about 1.5 lbs below goal), however I’m sure March’s weigh in will not be so pleasant. I did very well the first half of the month….but then Valentines day, DD birthday, and my birthday hit. I let myself indulge on more than one occasion, and it has been difficult to get back on track. Part of the reason I have had such a tough time getting back on track is because I haven’t felt well for about a week. I can’t help but wonder if the reason I haven’t felt well is because of all the junk I have eaten since the 14th. I’m all about enjoying things in moderation and not denying yourself, however I think I need to do a little denying for a week or so until I am firmly back on track. I’m thinking I need to cut a few things out…such as any candy (even hard candy) and mochas. You all know how I like my fancy coffees, but I think for a week or so I need to just limit myself to low fat lattes or iced coffees. Those options have far less calories and sugar than the mochas I get. I’m not going to deny myself completely, however I feel that I need to “detox” my body from all the sugar I’ve ingested in the past two weeks. I also informed my family that I would NOT be buying them sweet treat or snacks such as chips this week. As unfair as it my seem, I need to have a couple of weeks where these foods are not an option. My self control is weak right now, however I know if I can get a good week or so under my belt, that I will have some self control again. Another thing I have done is to hang a before/after photo on my fridge. I also have one that I carry with me, to remind me of how far I have come and how I don’t want to go back.

So that is it in a nutshell. The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. I’m only human…and I slip up now and then. Now it’s time to get back on track.

God Bless
Wendy

It’s that time of year…..

It’s that magical time of year. The gyms are packed with people making good on new year’s resolutions and the Sunday paper ads were full of sales on exercise equipment and workout DVD’s. I’m all for making goals for the new year, I made many myself. All I ask is that if one of your goals was to get healthy in the new year, do it! Make this YOUR year! Don’t lose your resolve before Valentines day and have to redo this next year….make it happen! My advice is not to go gung ho all at once…start by making small changes and work your way to where you want to be. If you go cold turkey all at once, you are libel to be right here next year with the same “resolution”

I’m rather happy the holidays are over. I do love Christmas time, however I let myself have a few too many treats in the past couple days, and I’m ready to get back into the swing of things and start eating my normal foods. While I thought I would enjoy letting myself have a few special goodies, it almost made me think MORE about food than when I am just eating normally. I started to slip into the mindset of “eat it now…because you have to get back on track soon!” Last night I ate way past a point of satisfaction..and I’m regretting it today. I just don’t feel good when I eat too much junk for an extended period of time. I’m ready to get back to business.

So how about you? What are your goals? How do you plan to implement and track them?

Wendy

Just the facts ma’am…..

This fun little fact sheet was sent to my email this morning.

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow.

Crunchy numbers

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 3,500 times in 2010. That’s about 8 full 747s.

In 2010, there were 55 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 114 posts.

The busiest day of the year was April 19th with 102 views. The most popular post that day was My Weight Loss FAQ’s.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were facebook.com, forums.loseit.com, christianmomsforum.com, memorialblogroll.blogspot.com, and Google Reader.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for this is the day that the lord has made, this is the day the lord has made, kids schedules, homeschool rooms, and heart murmur.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

1

My Weight Loss FAQ’s August 2009
18 comments

2

Home Management September 2009
5 comments

3

Our Homeschool August 2009
4 comments

4

Another update May 2010
3 comments

5

The Diagnosis September 2010
6 comments

Jan 1…Project 365

I started a Project 365 today…here is the link to the photo

New Beginnings by wdement · 365 Project.

New Year Time Capsule

Happy New Year!!!! Hope you had a safe and fun celebration! We started a new tradition yesterday….a New Year’s Time Capsule. The idea is that we would fill a time capsule to pack away with the Christmas decorations that we will open again on Dec 31st, 2011. I made a paper for the older kids to fill out with their ages, favorite book, favorite activity, favorite TV show, and what they hoped to achieve in the 2011. I helped Jadon & Bekah fill theirs out I also included our Christmas photo and a list of my New Years goals. Some of my goals included:

More/better Prayer/devotion time
Speak kindly and gently, pause before reacting
Do Project 365
Keep maintaining weight
Help others to lose weight
Spend more time w/grandparents
Keep up with fun Fridays
Do a fun subject w/kids (photography)
Clear clutter (52 organizing missions)

Here are some pictures of the kids working on the capsule:

I had secretly hoped they would put more effort into decorating the time capsule, however the new Wii game was calling to them…so I guess I’m lucky to get what I got! LOL Rachel & Matthew filled out their goals themselves.

Rachel let me see hers.
Matthew didn’t.
That worries me.

God Bless you all, and welcome to 2011!!!!
Wendy

Last post of 2010

Well, the year is at a close, and quite frankly, I’m looking forward to 2011! 2010 has been a long year!

We had a lovely Christmas, and are enjoying a quiet New Years at home as several of us have fallen victim to some sort of virus. I’ve exercised four days each week, and took off Christmas Eve & day, today, and tomorrow. It’s nice to have a bit of a holiday and get a little extra sleep. I’ve done fair food-wise. I have had a few more treats than I would like to admit, however I need to come to a place where I can just admit that I’m going to have a few special holiday treats at this time of year, and then move on in January. I need to come to a place where I can allow the treats knowing that I can get back on track quickly. The problem in the past has always been that the holiday stretched on and on and on…not just a day or two, but everyday from Thanksgiving to New Years. Then when I would resolve to get healthy, I would lose the resolve long before January even ended. Now that I have gotten to a healthy weigh (and maintained for about 18 months) I need to just face the fact that I will never be one of those people who sail through the holidays eating carrots and tofu turkey. I like to splurge every now and again! I actually can do just fine at holiday parties and when we go out to eat….it’s the evening time that gets me..specifically after the kids go to bed. Actually, most nights I do ok…it’s the weekends when hubby and I sit down to watch a movie after the kids go to bed that the cravings for junk hit. So I either need to make sure I have plenty of healthy munchies available, or just allow myself a treat a couple of nights a week and try not to overdo it.

I had hoped I’d come to a place where I could go through my day without think about food for 90% of it. I’m not there yet. I still think about it, worry about it, plan for it…etc. Somedays it’s exhausting. So I’ll keep plugging on….trying to come to terms with this lifestyle I started almost three years ago.

Hope you all have a safe and happy new years!! Have you made resolutions/goals for 2011? I prefer the term “goals” to “resolutions”, and I have been working on mine for a couple of days.

I’m ready for 2011

God Bless
Wendy

Goal Met! Now what?

Well, I met my goal of getting back to what I was on 5/22/09 when I hit my goal

Actually I was quite a bit bothered by my gain last week, and I have been sneaking peaks at the scale all week. It has become very apparent that my stomach issues (It was discovered earlier this year that my stomach doesn’t empty properly) greatly affect what the scale says. According to the scale, I managed to lose 3.2lbs OVERNIGHT. Hum….as nice as that is, I know I didn’t have a calorie deficit of over 10,000 that day. So I think now that I have reached that “magic” number, it is time to again take a break from the scale and chart my progress in other ways. My goals now are:

1. To keep up the exercise during the holidays.

I have been upping the intensity with my workouts by following the “advanced” girl on the 30 Day Shred as best I can. I have also been upping the intensity of my elliptical work by raising the resistance and alternating going forward and backward. I want to keep up the routine….except I will take Christmas Day off I don’t think the kids are going to wait on presents while mommy exercises. LOL

I continue walking a mile a day five days a week with the dog, even in the cold. I had to break down and buy a pair of these. The are wonderful!!!!! They keep me toasty in the nasty weather. (FYI…a men’s medium will fit a size 4/6/8ish woman with room to spare for cuddle duds, yoga pants, a tee shirt & a sweatshirt underneath. All at the same time.)

2. Use my measurements and how clothing fits to gauge if I’m on track.

The scale is such a fickle piece of equipment…and yet I keep jumping on and letting it mock me. As if my self worth was dependent on a number. When I gained weight earlier this year, my clothes did a very good job of telling me I had gained…without the help of the scale. So I will continue to track measurements and see how I do. At least I know that I can always go back to calorie counting if the tape measure moves up! For what it is worth…my measurements have shifted since I hit my goal on 5/22/09. Some are up, others are down….but overall I am actually down 3 inches. It must be the strength training.

3. I want to keep up eating 0-5 (Thin Within reference) Bottom line is, it is working for me. I want to avoid stuffing myself because there is great food to be had and then regretting it later. I want to be able to sit down after a meal and NOT have to get a pair of sweatpants to be able to breath. I want to enjoy the yummy holiday treats…in moderation! And most of all, if I have something good to eat, I don’t want to use that as an excuse to binge myself silly because “I have to start being good tomorrow”.

Everything in moderation.

I read a great article titled “Avoid the 12 Pounds of Christmas”. It is really a good read! I loved the part that said people who were too strict with their diets don’t really enjoy the holidays and tend to rebound later. That really hit me. I want to enjoy the holidays (in moderation!) and not be the spoil sport who is miserably munching on carrots in the corner. I think people take great joy in making special treats at Christmas time…and I for one would like to enjoy them! The article had several other great points. It is a short read that I would highly recommend. (For you locals..it came in a e-newsletter from the health food store Naturally Yours)

All in all, I’m excited and optimistic about the holidays. I hope you are too

God Bless!!!

Wendy