Sweet tooth...

Since I can't indulge in sweets as much as I want to or used to, I can at least talk about them! For fun, I'd like to know the following....

What's your favorite:

1) candy bar

2) type of Girl Scout cookie

3) kind of Blizzard

4) all time favorite dessert

Week 3

One more pound down!! I've TOTALLY slacked this last week (and most of week 2). Our anniversary celebrations allowed for some indulgences (but not as much as I expected to give in to). So I was happy that I actually lost weight this week! Tomorrow, I am back on the treadmill first thing!!

I am happy to welcome 3 new friends to Spark People! SP, DM, & ND...I was SO HAPPY to get the email from SP informing me that I had a new friend join my page! It is so motivating when you know you aren't in this alone! I look forward to keeping up with all of you during your journey and having you keep up with me! I have a total of 7 friends on my spark page and it is so fun!! Check out www.sparkpeople.com if you want to join us. My user name is skinnyjme

The main lesson I am learning about myself with this is that I HAVE to workout FIRST thing in the morning. Otherwise, no matter how good my intentions are, it just doesn't happen. My eating habits are so much better too (when I workout in the morning)! I am more likely to watch my calories so that I don't "ruin" all my efforts on the treadmill.

Biggest Loser had a great episode this week. All the contestants went home for the week. It was a good reminder to still stick with my plan no matter what my circumstances are (anniversary, etc.... I can still have a great time, but I don't have to go nuts just b/c I am celebrating something.)

Also, I really liked my friend, ND's goals she put on her spark page....
#1) plan my meals.
#2) exercise.
#3) stick with #1&#2

That about sums up my plan and the bottom line of what actually works! It's simple but not always easy!

Anniversary with Alec

So Murray and I spent the night at an adorable Bed & Breakfast this weekend in a TINY town called New Palestine. We drove to another TINY town about 15 min. away to have dinner at "the nicest restaurant east of Indy all the way to Columbus, OH." It's located in the basement of an old Public Library in Greenfield, IN. I cannot stress how tiny this town is. I mean, no one has ever heard of it. Nothing big is around...anywhere.

We are enjoying our dinner when our waitress stops by and calmly says, "Don't freak out, but I wanted to tell you that Alec Baldwin is sitting two tables behind you". We do the casual look see and can't believe that she's right. It was such a bizarre sight. (Major fish out of water experience). He's sitting 10 feet from us having dinner with 5 college students. We asked our waitress if she knew why he was in Greenfield, IN (this town wouldn't hardly show up on most IN maps!). She wasn't sure but guessed that it was b/c he was writing a book about the mistaken identity case involving 2 college students from Taylor Univerity (which is located about an hour away from where we were). He's spoken in some churches about that event. I am not sure what his connection with that story is but I want to try and figure that out.

Anyway, we aren't big celebrity freaks (well....I'm not, Murray tends to get pretty excited about meeting someone famous...). But we both couldn't get over how odd it was to see Alec sitting so close just having dinner like he lived here. He was the first celebrity I've met that actually looked like he does on TV (the other ones looked so much smaller than they do on screen). He was pretty robust, barrell-chested and tall.

We didn't bother him. He sat with his back to everyone so it was obvious he was trying to lay low. He must be either really funny or very intimidating b/c the people at his table were laughing loudly every 5 minutes!

4 years!

Yesterday, I got to celebrate the BEST day of my life! 4 years ago, just before midnight, I walked down the aisle to the most HANDSOME man in the world!! Since then, my life has continued to be filled with countless blessings! (two of my favorites are named Faith & Eli)! I am so thankful for my husband, Murray and the way that he loves me.

When I met Murray, my faith in God was renewed. Meaning, it went to a new level. I saw in such a remarkable way, how well God knows me and cares for me b/c Murray truly exceeded my hearts desires! He was not only what my heart was hoping for, but also what my heart NEEDED! He has made me a better person (even though I don't make that the easiest job most of the time!).

I love you, Murray! Looking forward to 50+ years with you!!!

Week 2

Well, it's been 2 weeks since my "new day" began. Sadly, I have no weight loss to report this week. Gladly, I have no weight gain to report either! I totally slacked with my workouts last week. I only completed 1! I wasn't as disciplined with my eating either. I DID log my calories and workout every day last week which is one of my goals on Sparkpeople! I told Murray that I can't imagine how many calories I used to consume each day if I am STRUGGLING to get by with my allotted 1200-1550 each day. I usually end the day around 2000 (that was last week's average).

My goal this week is to get back to my workouts, especially the strength training ones! I've already gotten one in today!!! I am also going to do better at staying within my range of calories! Late night snacking is getting the best of me! I am going to go to bed earlier (as long as Eli cooperates). I've been staying up TOO LATE (I'm such a night owl)) and that's when the late night snack binges come into play!

I'm happy to report that I've had 2 new friends join sparkpeople with me. It's been fun to chat with them, give them spark goodies, and share the struggles and victories with them! I'm not sure if they want me to mention their names so I won't but I'll still give them a shout out by using their initials!! Way to go CS, KG! Another shout out to my 2 friends that joined me during week 1....KF, JH--keep up the good work! EL--I still can't find you on sparkpeople!

My username is skinnyjme if you want to join sparkpeople look me up! We'd love more friends!!! ( www.sparkpeople.com )

I'll be back next week with another update! Thanks for all the encouraging emails and comments. They really do help a lot!

Rain, Rain, Go Away....

Needless to say, we are ready for the rain to stop!!! Here's a view of our backyard....

Week one!

Well, I am 2 pounds lighter!! Yep! I am happy to report a 2 lb. weight loss this week. I forgot to take my measurements last week so all I can compare is my weight. Overall, I am VERY PROUD of my progress. I set 2 main goals and stuck with them 100%!!! Here are the "tools" that I am using...

1) sparkpeople.com You've GOT to check out this website!!! It's the coolest thing for helping you set up your goals, nutrition plan (it even makes your grocery list for you), fitness routine (figures how many calories you need to burn per week to reach your goal), allows you to track your daily nutrition & fitness activity...not to mention all these special teams you can join for extra encouragment and support...some not even related to weight loss (fave tv show, etc). Anyway, there's a silly reward system that I am embarrassed to say motivates me to try to earn "spark points". My sister and friend, Jerri have joined. If you want to join us, go to the website and sign-up. It's FREE!!! I seriously have never had anything help motivate me more than this site. My 2 main goals are to track my food intake and fitness activity daily. Knowing that I have to write down everything I eat has saved me from eating WAY more than I should! BTW--my user name is skinnyjme if you want to look me up!

2) the treadmill! I LOVE having one in our house now. Going to the gym was such a chore (packing up the kids, etc). I love hopping on the treadmill and being done with my workout in aprox. 30 min!

3) Biggest Loser Cardio Max and Power Sculpt DVDs. Another home exercise that I've REALLY ENJOYED!! The trainers are great and the workouts are set-up to increase as your cardio/strength increases. I love seeing REAL people working out!! Make no mistake...the workouts are hard...even at level 1...Murray and I got our tails kicked!!

4) Dove Dark Chocolate Hearts...I REALLY enjoy having something sweet a couple times a day. (It used to be after every meal and for several snacks). I eat 1 or 2 of these a day and they don't take up many calories (about 40 each). It helps give me that sweet "fix" without spending too many calories.

5) Support....I have to give my sister, Kim, the prize for this one! She's right there with me and we talk every day about what we did well, didn't do well, etc. We've swapped a few recipes. But somehow just knowing she's sticking with it, helps me to do the same. I really appreciate all the emails and comments you guys sent me last week. They are super encouraging too!!

I did have 2 setbacks this week. A snack binge at 11:00 Thursday night and Superbowl Sunday dinner. I did WAY better on Superbowl snacking than I thought I would but I still consumed more calories than I should've! The best news for me to report is that I immediately got back on track after both setbacks. I would've just scrapped the whole week and then said "next Monday I'll start over" but I didn't do that this time!! I restarted the next morning!

My two biggest challenges are drinking enough water and NOT snacking after dinner.

Well, that's it for this week's weight update! Thanks again for helping keep me accountable!

Prayer of Faith

Hands together, head bowed, eyes looking around.....

God,

Mommy, E-I (Eli), Daddy, Sydney, Al-kicks (Alex), Tiffy, PJ at work, lots of jibberish, E-sa (Lisa), Benny, Jack, Mark, Wow (Will), lots more jibberish. (Mommy helps remind her about the food)---food, JE-sus, BIG SMILE....AMEN!

It THRILLS our hearts to hear this precious prayer every day (the names vary). Faith started praying totally on her own. We love to hear the prayers in her heart! What a special gift that is to parents!!