Barb's journey part III

In the last blog I wrote about the challenge I had Barb and Michael do: Spend one day doing as many things as they can BACKWARDS. They must have thought are you kidding me.... we've spent the last year + doing what works for us why change it? But both of them said "yes, we will do it"

My purpose was to show both of them sometimes we can get comfortable in our ways. Our daily routine stays the same day in and day out but sometimes as we all know, life changes. We can either continue down the same path or we can try to adapt new ways. Barb and Michael are all about adapting to their situation which is why I knew they would do well with it. After their day of backwards I sent them each a list of questions. Some of the things they did were better... like sitting at a different spot for meal time. Some of the things did not go better, I repeat DID NOT go better. Michaels response to my question "What did you find more difficult?" "What did you like the least?" "What would you not do again?" Michaels answer: Peeing while sitting down, Peeing while sitting down and Peeing while sitting down!........ So I guess for Michael.... Peeing while sitting down is not the answer! LOL!

My favorite response was when Michael wrote the answer to my question (and I just have to say this, Michael responded fully to my email which took him 90 min to type.... a pointer attached to his cap tapping letter by letter word by word. You are a man of strength, courage and determination Michael!)  If you cold tell Barb one thing you are most thankful for what would it be?  his answer: "her unconditional, unfailing love...... and when she smiles." Awe...... don't you just love Michael? So sweet! 

Barb Brandt is like a strong piece of iron to me. Not in a way you might think; unbreakable, strong, magnetic, although she is that too...... but more in a manner of "iron sharpens iron".  Anyone who has really nice knives knows how to sharpen them: It isn't the strength or the speed at which you sharpen, it's the angle at which you hold the knives. Working at the wrong angle would be worse than not sharpening the knife at all. I believe this process can be used to describe the work of our friends in our lives as well "as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another" Proverbs 27:17  We all need people in our lives that sharpen us, people that can be there for each other in the really big battles as well as the small battles. I am truly grateful to consider Barb that kind of friend.

A bit of information I just learned about....  Michael has been asked for the 3rd season to give the Famous Lou Gehrig "Luckiest man on the face of the earth" speech at the Twins game on May 14th. GO MICHAEL GO!!!!

Lastly I want to encourage you to take a look at the ALS foundation that Barb and Michael are associated with. ALS TDI is doing research to find a cure.

Barb and Michael there 2 boys along with many friends will be biking on May 18th for 14 miles in St. Croix to raise awareness and money to help find a cure for this disease.

CLICK HERE TO HELP THE BRANDT FAMILY to donate and for more information.
Thanks everyone!!!

"We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame."   Romans 5:3-5

Barb's Journey part II

Barb has this undeniable strength, which she believes people think she is stronger than she is. I have personally seen this strength and I can tell you.... I admire her. Barb spends most of her day tending to her husbands needs. The simple things you and I take for granted are a big deal in the Brandt household. Starting their day at 5am, getting herself ready, Michael ready and their 2 boys off to school is a task. But one that Barb has fully embraced as a gift.
It is easy for me to understand where her strength comes from but hard for me to understand how she endures. It's not like Barb has a hard day or two and then a man on a white horse shows up. No, it's a daily, physically and mentally enduring job they both face EVERY DAY.
 Barb and Michael accept his diagnosis as if Michael were chosen to have ALS for a purpose. A purpose that may be greater than they fully understand at this time, but one they fully embrace. Barb and Michael love the Lord. They both love to share their story and as believers feel it is their purpose to share with whomever wants to listen. Does that mean that Barb has never wondered "why us? Why Michael?" of course she has, she is human. Does that mean she doesn't ever wonder why bad things happen to good people?  of course. But what Barb and Michael SEE and believe is so incredible it makes me question how I would stand on my own faith when challenged with such an enormous battle.
Barb sees that God has brought many blessings out of this diagnosis to their household. Prior to Michael's diagnosis he was a work-aholic, he traveled a lot and did not have a lot of time at home with his family. He's now home 24/7!  Michael's ALS has allowed them to be on a platform in front of many people and speak about what it is like to live a life facing a terminal disease. It has put them in touch with so many people (one being me!) and touch so many lives.

What I love about Barb and Michael is that they continue to go about there day with fun and exciting activities with just a bit more.... planning. You can often see them tooling down the road in a sweet red convertible mustang, Barb the one driving Michael directing. Hanging out at Caribou or relaxing in Barbs favorite spot... the couples massage table. Yes they are ordinary people living an ordinary life.
I asked Barb "does anything ever get to you, what do you struggle with?" She said "yes, but we take it one day at a time" I dug a little deeper to see what daily things are a struggle. She said "brushing his teeth" now for me I think it would be getting him in and out of the car, Michael is a tall dude. But Barb struggles with the teeth. It kills her back, the position she has to be in and Michael cannot swallow so his head has to be in the right position. There were a few other things that they struggle with and Barb gets a bit frustrated with so I put on my "challenge cap" and asked them to try something. I asked both of them to participate in one day of doing EVERYTHING backwards. Wait it gets better.... I said Barb can't complain and Michael can't tell her how to do it. As if the daily tasks weren't hard enough!!
They were troopers and followed through (yes, we are still friends).
Follow me tomorrow to see how they did!

Meet Barb Brandt

Barb Brandt is one of the strongest women I know. Strong in her physical strength, Strong in her faith and strong in her mind. I met Barb about a year ago in bootcamp. I didn't know it at the time but soon I would find out that she was going to be a big part of my journey. You see Barb is the type of person that kicks you when you are down..... I don't mean in a bad way, I mean the kind of person that says "you fell down.... now get up off your butt and get going" and she means it! When I am slacking I have Barb in my face pushing and yelling at me to get moving! Barb has become one of my dearest and most trusted friends.
Barb has her own journey.... a journey that is not easy for me to write about. One that makes you feel as a friend you wish you could just take some of her burden, take some of the sorrow that must be felt and carry her heavy load for her. Barb's husband Michael was diagnosed with ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease 2 years ago. Barb and Michael have faced this battle head on, with unbelievable strength, courage and faithfulness.
I hope you follow me on this journey over the next few days, it's worth every tear you may shed and laugh you will laugh. And Barb and I laugh A LOT!!!

Amazed

Do you ever spend time in your head "trying to figure things out". Why is it that we always try to "fix" something, spend a lot of time and energy on trying to figure out the issue when we really may need to focus on the solution. I have been so focused on why I am struggling to get these last pounds off that it has put my thoughts and my spirit in the dump! In my mind I keep telling myself "You've lost 80lbs WHY can't you finish it??!!!" ..... because I am too busy focusing on the issue or the problem and not busy enough focusing on the outcome. Basically.... I got lazy! Lost sight of what I am trying to do, became comfortable with what I am currently doing and in that process got myself into the negative thought process. 

Yesterday I went looking for inspiration. Looked at old pictures of myself, looked at motivating videos, quotes, and then I posted something on Facebook which read: "If I have inspired you in any way; loose weight, exercise a little, make small changes anything, post it here or just say ME!" to be honest I didn't think many people would respond.... I do know there are a few but honestly I had NO IDEA that there were so many of you that really followed, really watched and really cared, for that matter. I am completely blown away by the response. BLOWN AWAY people!!!! So THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Thank you for having the courage to let me know, thank you for hangin' with me this past year, YOU have INSPIRED ME to keep pushing, keep going and finish this thing! I have 6 more pounds to get to my personal goal of 90lbs. I have a goal date that I set of May 17th. My trainer and I have set up a consequence. really it was my trainers idea, because I would never pick this one..... My consequence is: not working out at the gym or training for 30 days. This to me is a BIG deal. Because that is one thing I love a lot. It's a good choice because he knows I will use any and all measures to get to my goal.

The reality of it is.... and don't tell him this I not only want to make my goal of 156.... I want to SMASH IT! I mean kill it, like...... surpass it, amaze and SHOCK and AWE it! So how am I going to do it?

I don't know?.........

So kidding! 70% of weight loss is in the kitchen so I am CLOSELY watching what I eat, low sodium, low sugar, lower fat when I need to, mixing up the carbs a bit depending on how I am working out. I am hugging the hungry line which is REALLY hard for me because it takes a lot of will power not to cave. Like seriously, I was at Barns and Noble the other day (safe place right? wrong!) you know how they have starbucks.... well they just happen to be having FREE SAMPLE day, seriously I mean come on! I have been in Barns and Noble 100 times and I have never run into free sample day. I was sooo tempted especially when the lady said, "do you want to try a sample of our new hazelnut macchiatto?" I'm like yeh of course I would! But that would just set off a chain of events for me, like going up to the counter and ordering a bit bigger size than the "free sample" and then I would have the BIGGEST sugar and caffeine high due to the fact that it has been a year since I have had any of the sorts. So I kindly said "No, but thank you!"

Ahhh will power, I know it well.   

What else am I going to do? PRAY..... A LOT! Especially on Tuesdays when I meet head to head with my trainer who trys to KILL me... did I just write that? I mean On Tuesdays when I meet with my personal fitness trainer who does such a great job of giving me amazing exercises to do in a fun and loving atmosphere where I leave feeling energized refreshed and renewed! And I am going to try really hard to run outside.... in the allergy infested air with 2 knees that feel like I still have 246lbs of pressure riding on them :) Did I mention I don't really like running? BUT I WILL! because that is what is going to take me there and really I love sunny warm days, it's my happy place..... just not the allergies! 

So here I go!!!! Time to SMASH my goal....... take it to another level of discipline! Thanks for the motivation!!!!!

Jen

6 more plinks!!!!!

"I committed"

I would be lying if I didn't say this journey can be a REAL struggle. It's so strange how some weeks a person can feel so strong and confident in their goal and have the desire to reach it. Only to have the next week feel so completely..... defeated.
It's like I want something so badly I can see it so clearly and then other days it's really foggy. Those days that are foggy is when fear sets in. Fear of many things like commitment, fear of failure and fear of pain.
It's funny how some simple words out of the blue can strike a nerve. Today I heard the words "Dad, I committed" from my sweet 10 year olds lips. In our house if you don't like what was made for dinner your other option is to make something else yourself. My husband had previously taught our daughter how to heat up the skillet and make "grilled cheese". No there really is not a healthy way to make grilled cheese but for some reason using whole wheat bread and organic cheese makes it sound better :) She had tried previously to make it with dad, but just couldn't manage flipping the sandwich for fear of getting burned by the skillet. Oh I so remember those first few times I used a skillet or putting in and taking out the cookie sheet from a hot oven... ouch!  Well this night our daughter was determined to "make her own dinner" because she was not going to have fish!! Gene and I were sitting at the table when I hear "DAD.... I COMMITTED!" " I DID IT!" I was like what is she talking about and why is she jumping up and down so excited? I came to find out she "flipped it" and she did it in the smallest skillet possible which makes it even HARDER!  Last time Gene was teaching her he said to her "all you have to do is commit to it, just flip it and it will be fine"
I heard those words and the excitement in her voice and it actually made me feel like "wow.... my 10 year old gets it" She just learned a really valuable lesson that, believe it or not will help her later in life. In such a small way she learned if she wanted something bad enough all she has to do is "commit to it"
And oh how some simple words can be so powerful if you listen. I mean REALLY LISTEN to what's going on around you. My trainer often tells me "just go.... just do it, don't think about it!" but my head says "NO", you've been down that road before and it hurts..... it burns like that skillet. If I listen to my head.... where will I be in a year if I don't "commit" to it? I will tell you.......I will be EXACTLY where I am at right now in my journey: the same weight, the same mindset and the same outlook on life. Some people might say "what's wrong with where your at?" I would say I feel sad for myself, because that would mean I don't dare to dream bigger, I don't dare to look at a future full of promise or a life full of vitality and fulfillment.  That would mean I would settle for what I currently have...... and I personally desire so much MORE, a life that I can look back on and say "WOW..... that was a life worth LIVING"

Fear can be a powerful thing if you let it. I hope this post and my 10 year old inspires you like she inspires me........ to get burned a little bit and "COMMIT" to it! Here's to a new week of stepping out of my comfort zone and committing to it!!!

Jen

Day 28!!!!

It's finally Day 28 and Gene is done!!! Final results:

Starting weight:201

Ending weight :184

Total weight loss -- 17 pounds

Measurements

Chest: 42 3/4            39 1/4
Waist 39 1/4             37 1/4
Hips   41 3/4            39 1/4
Thigh  23 3/4           22 1/4
Arm   13 1/4            12 1/2

Total inches lost 10 1/4 inches!!!!!

Wow! Way to go Gene, My Man, My main squeeze, My stud .... okay enough I know. Sorry :)

I asked Gene what he has learned from this whole journey?

His words: If you REALLY want to do something you CAN do it. You have to put your mind in the right place and don't let anything stop you.  It's a lot of planning but it for sure all paid off. I'm glad I lost the weight but most of all I feel better. For the first time in my life I realize that food really affects your performance and how you get through your day. AND I realize how hard my beautiful wife has worked to get over 80lbs off her body. I would like to thank Jay Altman Altman Fitness for the opportunity to take part in the 28 day Fat loss program and for the encouragement.  Also to my wife for pushing me, inspiring me and encouraging me to work my butt off.... literally!

More than weight loss Gene has also noticed:

Less brain fog

Overall more energy

No headaches

No back pain, joints feel good

Taste of food is heightened. 

Great job Gene, I am so proud of you!!!!

Jen

sex

You are in for treat here and boy is this title going to drive a lot of traffic from the search engines!  A fellow friend wants me to write about sex..... Yes that's right, she said to me "I'm waiting for you to talk about your SEX life on your blog" So here you go Joan this one's for you!  First of all let's make this a bit more comfortable for all of us.
The statistics:
*Did you know you can burn 180 calories having sex for 30 min?
So next time you want to have that midnight chocolate cake or ice cream treat... have it, then have a little romp afterwards and burn it all off!
*The greek word "gymnazeim" or gymnasium really means to exercise naked... who new?
*The first couple shown on tv in bed together were Fred and Wilma Flintstone. Ever notice how Fred was always crabby?? I think you could compare me more to Fred than Wilma Flintstone: big and stalky and my husband would probably say I wore the same outfit from the day, to bed at night.... Attractive!
I'm not sure how much sex Fred and Wilma had but I can't image it would have been very often on that awfully hard stone bed! But Barney Rubble..... always had a smile on his face (okay Gene MADE me put that last part in)  Prior to my weight loss I would say we were more like Fred and Wilma, rarely had sex. For many reasons; low energy, low desire, low self esteem and just plain fatigue. I mean who wants to get their heart rate up at 10:00 at night after  putting in a full day?
I would say this decreased sexual desire (on my part) added to stress on our marriage. After all men think about sex every 7 seconds right?  And women they just want to be held and made to feel loved right? Problem was.... every time he held me all I could think of was "oh how embarrassing he is holding my roll"  or at my peak weight a bakers dozen!
Sex is a hard thing to talk about, for some reason society has made it out to be some dirty thing. And our parents.... they NEVER talked about sex, would not even say the word, usually they spelled it in a really quiet voice... s - e -x.. am I right? And whoever would want to think of their parents having sex? oh... yuck!  But really it's not yuck. It's beautiful. It's healthy. It's what I believe is a true way for a husband and wife to unify.
With this journey I am healing my body from the inside. It's more than weight loss and having a thinner, more toned body. It's about embracing the person I have become; I have energy, I have stamina, my hormones are regulating, my brain is functioning and firing so I can enjoy what God has created between a husband and a wife. One of those things is Sex.... And it is beautiful! And we would say thankfully..... it's quite often! So if weight loss or getting your body healthy is on your mind.... Sex will defiantly be better and more enjoyable with a healthy body. ( just a side note, I know there are people out there that will say there sex life is fine, It probably is... but imagine it with a well fueled high energy body! )
I am being bold and out there with this blog. But I am done with being so guarded about my body. Women judge other women all the time. But what some of us don't understand or at least I didn't is that women are not perfect, there are things that ALL of us women hate about our bodies.... EVEN the women you believe have the perfect body.  For me, my body is better than it was for sure! But the girls sag, my belly has war wounds and excess skin, and I hate... repeat hate how big my arms are. But I say if you hate it.... change it! I still have weight to take off, muscles I can tone and most of all a heart and lungs I can strengthen then we will see how it all looks...... and hopefully by then...... I will have also grown in my confidence and learn how to except and embrace how my body looks just the way it is!
Life is a work in progress, just make sure your making progress!  And have lots of  s - e - x ! 

Jen

Day 26 for Gene

Wow how fast did that go??? Gene is on day 26 of the 28 day fat loss program. Sunday morning will be his final weigh, measure and pictures!!! His current weight....
184.......amazing! That is a 15lb weigh loss in 26 days! He has 2 1/2 days to make his 180 goal. He CAN do it if he kicks his exercise into gear! Go Gene GO!!!!
Click here to see more about the program Gene is doing:  28 day fat loss formula

a life of meaning!

Does your life have meaning? What is your purpose?
We can live our life day to day, feel good by making good choices. We can accomplish goals that are gratifying. But without a higher purpose and meaning we are still not living our lives to the level intended.
I can think of just a few people in my life that are using their strengths and talents for something larger than they are. Those few people really are leading a full life.
For me, I now believe I am leading a full life, it's a work in progress but I believe I am. Sometimes I feel like an arrow. An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backwards. Sometimes life drags you back with difficulties, but you have to look at what is coming next....... It means it's going to launch you into something great! You have to keep your focus and make sure you don't miss the target.
I have to believe that my tomorrow has purpose. Because of my faith I believe nothing is meaningless. I believe you are reading this right now for a reason. Maybe you are feeling lost, alone, fearful. Maybe you are struggling with something: addiction, weight, relationship, financial, identity. Maybe your just curious? Or maybe your a great friend who likes to support me by reading this blog. No matter what.... nothing is meaningless, and the truth allows us to throw the best of ourselves into everything we do, no matter what the outcome may be. That is a full life, even during pain or struggle.
Use your gift, use your talent and live your life with purpose.


Jen

If at this point you feeling like "yeh, I want to lead my life with purpose.... go back and read the pursuit of happiness part II about setting goals!!!! You can do it, I believe in you!

Part III.....does negative thinking have power?

The last blog I wrote about setting a Goal. So when you set a BIG goal how do you maintain stamina? How do you keep yourself moving forward and not taking 2 steps back all the time?
Eventually we all fall into that negative thinking. "I'm not good enough" "I can't do it" "I've been down this road before"  I'm sure any one of you reading this has at one time said this to yourself.

Negative thinking only has power IF you let it.
The way I see it, you can either let that negativity drive you and drive you in the wrong direction OR you can stop it, and stop it dead in it's tracts.  The hard part is negativity comes in many forms: It can come in the form of a friend or family member who is jealous of your new happiness. Some people just don't like to see others happy. The hard part... you have to dump them. Or at least move them out of your inner circle.
It can come in the form of social media... T.V., Radio ( I actually don't listen to certain stations anymore because of the negativity) Facebook. If you keep reading that negativity over and over it will take it's toll on you and you need to block it and stop it!!!!
Your own poor self talk..... Yep, that's a hard one. I know I have tried to dump myself, block myself and stop myself. But sometimes you just can't. This is where you need to have KEY people in your life. People that you can reach out to and trust that they are not going to give you the pity party talk you are looking for. You have to find the person that is willing to give you the hard knocks truth talk you may not want to hear. (And trust me I have been there.... and it hurts.... but you come out a better person).......YOU MUST have those people in your life to be successful.  If you don't have someone to be that person.... then hire someone, not kidding!

The hard truth is we all have good and bad experiences, it's a promise and it will always be that way.  Do you ever notice that unhappy people tend to ALWAYS focus on the negative?  They block out all the positives and hold onto the negative. If you want to be happy you need take all your thoughts captive and "think well".
Try spending ONE day being very careful and notice your negativity. I promise you will be surprised. When I started doing it I was shocked at how negative I really was. I would say I was negative 75% of the time. Now that I am aware and I hold my thoughts captive, I would say I am negative 5% of the time. It's always good to do a self check and be real with yourself.

Jen

Next blog..... a life of meaning

Added bonus: Gene is at 187!!!!   14lb loss, he is on day 23

Pursuit of Happiness part II

Over  a year ago if you asked me what my goal was I would say it was to get through my day without chewing off my arm. The daily grind of living was exhausting. Managing a family, house, photography business, my career job and so on was more than I could handle. I had no desire.... or at least a pathetic one of being able to climb into bed at 10pm and get a good nights sleep.
For most of my 30's that is how I was living. Just get through the day... tomorrow will be better. Or "It will get better when __________" Or "If I could only _____________"
And then I met my trainer, I sat down with him and discussed my concerns. There was a moment when he made me feel like there was "Hope".  Hope led to setting a Goal.
Do you know what a goal can do for you? A goal can give you desire to move... to take action.... to live. In the past I have felt like I was just existing. Day after day, and yes there would be a few great moments but then it was back to just existing. It's not a way to live people! A life that is just existing and never strives to reach a goal can feel lost. I can 100% attest to that....... I felt lost!
Do you know what is even better than the Goal...... the pursuit of the goal! Don't you just love that word pursuit? It's like your in some action show like Miami Vice and your in hot pursuit with Don Johnson oh my gosh I just aged myself... i was like 3 or maybe 6 when that show came out..... okay I have a better one I'm in pursuit with Matt Damon in the Bourne Supremacy..... getting wayyy off base, sorry! get back on track....  Okay Pursuit, I have been in pursuit of my 90 pound goal for 14 months 5 days and 8 hours. but who's counting. Throughout my journey both Jay and Kelly would say to me "enjoy the journey" I would keep telling myself "heck no"  I just want to get this over with and get this weight off! But now I realize I am finding Joy in the pursuit. The process of working toward the goal is  just as important as attaining the goal.

Some of the things I have learned during my pursuit:
1. Patience - this is my least favorite and is taking the longest!
2. With success......... comes sacrifice
3. People care and people love me for me... and I accept that.
4. The impossible......... is possible
5. When I dig deeper............the desire gets stronger

Make sure you choose a goal that fits. Make sure it's a goal you desire. If you chose a goal that someone else has set for you it will hold no value to you and you will not work as hard to achieve it. Once you have your goal, add structure to it.
For me this is what it looked like:
1. I set a concrete goal to loose 90lbs
2. I found the best trainer that I was confident would get me to my goal
3. I formed a support group. My family and my friends at bootcamp my trainers push and encourage me and do NOT allow me to give up.
4. I gave up my time and money to get me there.
5. I allow myself to reach out to my trainer and my support group when I loose focus.

Make your goals specific, attainable, measurable, realistic and smart. And Lastly Dream BIG!
I believe God made us like Him. A person who is creative, has talents, brains, and abilities. And can see into a future that does not yet exit. Setting Goals will help you bring all of that together. Create your dreams........... my trainer encourages BIG dreams...... and why not? Use your talents and your abilities to create the future you envision. Because when you do... It will add to your happiness and bring you to a life you never thought could exist.

Dream BIG,
Jen

The pursuit of Happiness

I have decided to do a  week on the "pursuit of happiness". As much as I would love to have Will Smith in all his handsomeness make an appearance on this blog..... I don't believe that is going to happen, sorry :)
I thought I would start with SUCCESS. No, I don't know why success popped into my head first, but I'm going to roll with it. So hang in there....... it's going to be a fun week!
What does it mean to be successful?
If you would have asked me a year ago It would have sounded something like this: success is measured by how much money you have ( I know totally shallow!) and by your possessions. (again totally shallow I know, but we all do it. We all look at who has what and how much)  Material things like: house, clothes, car you drive. Not saying  you had to be extremely wealthy..... but in my eyes people that had 2 nice shiny cars, a big two story house with all the bells and whistles, take vacations and the ability to have their child in every activity possible..... meant success, and I wanted it!

My view is very different now. Did you know that 90% of Americans are in the TOP 1% of the wealthiest people in the world? (yes even those on welfare and assistance plans ) Yet most of us live our lives paycheck to paycheck OR owing more than we make.  And we find ourselves wishing and hoping for MORE.......More money so we can..... get more, do more and live more!

But what has more given us? I know what it has given me..... It's given me LESS!  Less time to do the things I wanted to do with my life.

Less time with my kids
Less time with my husband
Less time with my church
Less Sleep
Less time reading and learning
Less time to myself
Less time exercising
Less time relaxing
Less time with people I love and care about
Less time looking into a friends face and hearing their voice over lunch
Less time being outside, taking in the colors and the smell and the beauty
Less time preparing and cooking a good healthy meal
and a whole lotta other less's

So what I really THOUGHT was more, was really so much LESS.  I realized this last year success to ME is not measured by material or wealth...... Success is how content and happy I am with my life today, right now Today I would consider myself Successful. I would like to consider myself Extremely successful and for that I have some things to work on. One of which I am going to share on here... I am making a promise to myself and my family that I will turn off my phone during the hours they are home. No facebook, No text, No emails, No calls........ for 1 week.  This shouldn't sound hard right? For me it will be..... really hard. But I know I can do it....... because I want MORE.
What is keeping you from more? I challenge you to look at your life, what is sucking you dry? What is keeping your from living the life of your dreams? What is it you desire?
Put legs to your desire go after it....... and reach it!

Jen

Next post..... GOALS!

tough week

Many people have asked if it is still just as hard to lose weight and eat right after spending a year changing my eating habits and working as hard as I have worked.  Well the answer is..... YES!  Some days are hard and some days are not so hard. This week.......and well lets just go as far as to say, the past 2 weeks are the HARDEST weeks for me out of the entire year! For some people Christmas,Thanksgiving or a weeks vacation away from home would be hard. For me... it's right now. And it happens EVERY year! Both my kids have their birthdays 5 days apart plus Easter falls into the mix.

 I find these two weeks are a food frenzy.  It's two weeks where I let "sweets and Junk food" into my house. Along with family party, friend parties, and then they each get to pick where they want to have birthday dinner...... Plus Easter food and sweets! 

This is where I lose it! Ugh!!! So why don't I plan, prepare myself mentally.... I don't know? You would think I would learn!!! Needless to say I have gained a bit, eaten things I would not normally eat...... (hahemmmmm  cinnabon..... birthday cake!)  and in the end it has made my body feel terrible! This is not to say a person should never indulge.... it just should end with one indulge :)

Tonight was my son's 6th birthday and he of course picked.... Tommy's malt shop! AHHHH both my husband and I are like, seriously........ the most delicious hamburgers, sweet potato fries and amazing malts? Come on! Kill me now, just put me back in the fat suit and roll me out the door.

My poor husband Gene, his favorite food is..... hamburgers! He has been doing AMAZING on the 28 day program, it was killing him to smell those juicy, hand pattied and grilled to perfection hamburgers. But...... we decided together, we are NOT going to cheat, "we are in control of what we eat" AND 

"We can do it!!"

And that is what we did! We each had a salad and a glass of good old, H2O. While our kiddos indulged in some burgers fries and brownie marshmallow malts! (They really are happy,  but somebody did not want a picture taken :) Gotta love Mom the photographer and blogger!

Now, to make it through both of their friends parties and I can go back to my happy place!!! I can do it! I can do it! I can do it! I can do it!!

And my husband.... he has will power of steel, I don't get how guys have the ability to just disconnect? 

So not fair!!

His current weight.... 189! he is down 12lbs in 17days   Way to go Gene!!!

Until next time!

Jen