Before photo

I posted it, yep finally put up a before photo. 
 You can see it here at this link.
http://www.allthangs.com/p/before-in-between-and-after.html

If I am going to get past all that fluff and stuff I have to see for myself that I am really fat. It is an unhealthy fat too. I have never been this large in my life. I am worried for a number of reasons. 
I have a daughter who needs me to be here for her. I am in pain in my lower back all the time, and it really hurts to bend over to tie my shoes. I feel really miserable.

I have been working at it since the beginning of the year. I have been taking note of what I have available here at home that can help me with exercise. Here are some of my ideas.

I have an elliptical machine. 
I have resistance bands.
5lb dumbbell weights.
Yoga mats.
Body fitness ball.
Step with extensions and the video to go with it.
Nintendo Wii games that make you move like:
Zumba, Just Dance, and Rayman's Raving Rabids.


I love yoga, it is the best stress reducer in the world. Also it helps with circulation. I have been able to breathe a lot better since I have incorporated Yoga into my life. I am also not so uptight. I am able to do this by visiting Hulu.com. I like the videos from Yoga Zone. They are great episodes. 


Exercise videos are great too. You need to make sure you get approval from a physician before starting a workout plan. This is to make sure it is right for you and safe.


All this I can do from my own home without the need for a gym.

What do you eat that is healthy?

You see, as I am writing this I am eating this salad. I promise it tastes really good!
 That is why I am going to tell you how to make it.


What do you eat that is healthy?

Well I love vegetables, really I do. 
So, I will tell you how I built this salad. It is not a huge salad. Just enough to fill one of those storage Rubbermade bowls. 
Things you will need:

• Spinach lettuce (the greener your leaves the better it is for you)
• Chopped carrots
• Grape tomatoes
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 slices of mushrooms chopped
• 4 thin slices of Ham Oscar Mayer sandwich lunch meat-chopped
• 2 tablespoons of ranch dressing
• 1/2 teaspoon of bacon bits

Chop, tear, rip, place in bowl, and drizzle salad dressing on top, and all that is required for you to do is take a bite and say yum.


Eating healthy is one of the promises I am making myself. I have found over the years (with experience of course) that if you gradually change your diet by adding more nutritious foods to it along with what you normally eat. You will learn to like those foods more. For example, I never liked mushrooms. Now I eat them in a number of dishes. I have to have them on my pizza. I am not happy unless I do. They are yummy.


I have also noticed I haven't been craving the junk food I was once addicted to. I am weening myself off of it, and hopefully one day I can just kick the habit. That would be great!
Colas are harder though, and I have switched to drinking "Diet Cherry Coke Zero". I have not wanted much cola lately. Sometimes I will cave and have a regular Coke; however, it is just one.


Here is to eating food that does not make you feel guilty afterwards.

Under Construction...(there is a meaning to this so read between the words).

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

This site is undergoing some changes and also so am I.

I have been working on a lot of things lately. It always seems like I am busy doing something. I just do not like to sit still. However, I do have to say that I was inspired yesterday to blog/write again. Yep, I will be writing again and hopefully I will stick with it. 

I am trying, I promise.

If you are frequent to this website of mine you have probably noticed some things are missing. Well they are because I took them down.
I will no longer be posting about coupons and deals at stores. 
    With returning back to school and trying to run my business; I do not have time to write term papers, go to class, and find all the coupon deals and sales. Sorry...
So something had to go and the coupons and sales were just a bit too much.

I have found myself stretched thin, and I wondered to myself early one morning (if you know me at all I wake up before the sun does) how is it I love to write and chat about stuff, but I am so burn out on it all that it is driving me crazy to do it. I would look at a blank screen and just turn it off again. I am serious. It wasn't really writers block. I was just tired.
So, I prayed about it, and then did what I normally do every day which is sign on to the computer and get ready to go through all my e-mails. I have a lot of e-mails and they seem to generate within an 8 hour period. Although, I didn't sign into my e-mail I was fixated on this article I was reading on the main home page of Yahoo; then, I found myself inspired.


I am on a weight loss journey. I have been working on this for a while, with loosing a considerable amount of weight already (10 pounds is a big deal to me) I am still over 200. 209lbs to be exact. I know you all are putting your hand over your mouths saying "OMG! SHE ACTUALLY SAID HOW MUCH SHE WEIGHED."


Well isn't that what you have to do in order to have success? You have to confess the truth, and the truth about it is, I am still heavy. I used to not be this way, but somewhere down the road I picked up the annoying hitchhiker called FLUBBER!  You know the one that you offer a ride to and they have you take them everywhere. Some may call it fluff, fat, love handles, beer gut, baby fat (that you have held onto all your life), junk-in-the-trunk, badunkadunk,and you get my point. It has many names, but it is nonetheless the hitchhiker that never seems to leave.


I am sorry to say this, but it HAS TO GO.  I am tired of taking and carrying around all this extra baggage.  It is not good for my health, sanity, or my emotional state. It really can bring me down. Being fat is like having a bully that is stuck on you and it will not come off. Now it is time to kick that bully's butt. I am serious it has to go.


So, you can join me on this journey called UNDER CONSTRUCTION. I will be posting about:

• What I am eating.
• What types of exercise I am doing.
• Weigh ins. (gotta love those, not)
• Celebrations.
• New ideas
• Recipes (yum)

This will be fun. I have done something similar before, and I know it works. My goal is to be 135 lbs again. It will take a while because I am going to do it "the right way";however, I feel that I can share this with others. I hope this also not only helps me lose, but maybe I will be able to inspire others who want to get rid of the bully that we carry around with us every day. 

Wish me luck!

Twas the Month before Christmas

Twas the Month before Christmas

Twas the month before Christmas

When all through our land,

Not a Christian was praying. . . Nor taking a stand.

 See the PC Police had taken away the reason for Christmas and what you could say  

 

 The children were told by their schools not to sing

 About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.

 It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say

December 25th is just a ' Holiday '.

 

Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit

Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!

CDs from Lady Gaga, an X BOX, an I-Pod

Something was changing, something quite odd!

Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa

In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.

As Targets were hanging their trees upside down

At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.

At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears

 

You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.

Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty Are words that were used to intimidate me.

  

Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen

On Boxer, on Rather, on Osama, on Clinton !

At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter

 

To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.

 

And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith

Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace

The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded

The reason for the season, stopped before it started.

So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'

Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.

Choose your words carefully, choose what you say

Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS,

 

not Happy Holiday  

Christ is The Reason' for the Christ-mas Season!

Been very busy

I have been very busy lately.  Fall semester at the college started recently and I have a part time job along with running my handmade business, and being a mom.  I realized the other day.... I AM HUMAN lol.  I have been on the go, go, go and more going.  However, I do know it will all pay off soon.  I have faith in myself.  I just wanted to let my readers and friends know that I am okay and still kicking.

You will be seeing changes to this site soon. I hope to have many items listed on here and also some more posts about some great offers.  I love keeping people informed.  I do apologize that I have not been on here much, but I promise it will get better and more interesting.

I love feedback and new ideas for items to make so send me a request, email, or shout.  I am always nearby.

If you have a custom request I want to also let you know they are very welcome and I do my best to get it exactly right just for you.

I hope everyone is having a beautiful and blessed day.  Keep in touch and sign up for the emails so you can get notifications.

Happy Tuesday.
Melissa