Fell off the Wagon...

...Saturday night! Wow! I can't tell you what

happened. My body was just craving chocolate - so I caved!

Had a Swiss Cake Roll!

It was good!

Felt a little guilty.

I'm over it!

It's a new day!

20 Smart Snacks...

for 150 calories or less (might I add!).

Got this from a really cool website. Been thinking of ways I can incorporate more healthy snacks into my daily routine. This way, I am boosting my metabolism AND eating less at meals. Here's that list...

1 Dill Pickle Spear
1 Jell-0 Gelatin Sugar Free Snack
1 Kiwi fruit
1 Chocolate Sugar free Jell-O Pudding Snack
1 Mozzarella String Cheese Stick (reduced fat)
1 cup Orange Sections
1/2 cup Post Grape-Nut O's with 1/2 cup blueberries
2 Strawberry Newtons
Jell-O Smoothie Snack
1 Pear
1 Banana
10 baby carrots dipped in low fat Ranch dressing
1 Kraft Single with 1 medium apple, sliced
1 container of Breakstone's Cottage Doubles - Pineapple
3 cups air-popped popcorn sprinkled with Kraft Reduced Fat Parmesan Cheese
3/4 cup Post Brand Flakes with 1/2 cup fat free milk
2 Tbsp. Hummus with 1/2 whole wheat pita
1 South Beach Diet Cranberry Almond High Protein Cereal Bar
1 Oreo (yes - I said Oreo) Thin Crisps 100 Calorie Pack with 1/2 cup fat free milk
1 oz. Planters Mixed Nuts Trail Mix

Losing it!

I'm losing it... weight that is. I'm actually amazing myself. To date, I have lost a total of 12 pounds. I don't know where I'm losing it from... but it's come off and I am geeked! Been eating less carbs, more fruit and veggies and no snacks. Drinking lots of water and been downing O.J. like it's going out of style. Why O.J., you ask... because I've been afraid of catching one of the nasty bugs going around. So - in my effort to remain healthy, I've been drinking 2 full glasses of O.J. a day with my b-complex and b-12.

My friend Jen shared with me last week about this awesome website - www.e-mealz.com. THANK you, Jen! You have to check it out! It's a neat website that allows you to choose from several different menu "plans". In addition, you even get to choose the shopping location you wish! For instance, I have signed-up for the low-carb menus from Wal-Mart. What e-mealz will do is every Thursday, they will email me a menu schedule for each day AND a shopping guide specifically designed for Wal-Mart SuperCenter. All I need to do is take my handy dandy shopping list with me to Wal-Mart and shop for the items on the list and then go home and follow the low-carb recipes for a new dish every night! I KNOW my hubby will be excited about this! It seems we have gotten stuck in a "chicken and rice" rut. I get home to defrosted chicken, stare at it for a minute and think to myself, "Okay, now what?" Taking advantage of e-mealz will allow for more variety in our week-to-week meals. Good news - it's only $15 per month (which equates to only 50 cents per meal! Yeah! I'll keep you posted as to how it works out for us.

In the meantime, I would appreciate continued prayers for my ongoing weight loss. I am fully relying on God to get me through. Discipline is not always easy, but I can do anything through Christ who gives me strength.

Pressing On...

W

Week Two and Three

THANKS to the many people who have been following my blog and supporting my quest to get healthy in '08. It's because of the amazing relationships I have with so many of you who support me on a regular basis that I am able to push through every week.

I have to say - it's not been as bad as I thought it would have been. I have found that making wiser choices is getting easier every day. It's a mind game, for me... it really is. AND it's planning ahead! When I know there's a time when I'm not going to get home to eat, I play it all out in my mind... Where should I go where I won't be tempted to eat something I shouldn't? What will I order when I get there? I actually find that having this all planned out before I even get to the restaurant helps. Actually, I don't even look at the menu, as not be to discouraged by all the yummy LOOKING things I can't have. Eating, for me, is all in my mind, so I just have to play tricks on it is all! :)

The other thing that has helped is having a couple people with whom I am regularly accountable to. Michele - you're awesome! THANK you for checking up on me weekly to get the low-down on my progress. That means more to me than you will ever know! Having the support is something that is truly making a difference.

Here are my latest healthy alternatives and tricks I have learned these last couple weeks:

• I have stopped eating after 7:30 p.m. It helps me to not be as hungry in the morning. If I find myself getting hungry past this time, I just drink a glass of water!
• I LOVE crumbled Bleu Cheese on my salads. I found a really good (and inexpensive) Meijerbrand that is low fat. And it's more than 1/2 the fat of regular!
• Croutons make a good little snack.
• I've never been a yogurt eater - but I have found those little things really fill you up. Harvest Peach Yoplait rocks!
• Still loving the lettuce wraps at Jimmy Johns. I actually think I'm enjoying them better than the sandwiches on bread! (Wow - I never thought I would say that!) My favorite is the tuna with sprouts and cucumbers! YUM!

I'm learning and taking baby steps every day. Thanks for the prayers. Thanks for the support. Thanks for the emails and keep 'em coming! :)

Week One Is Behind Me!

Well... week one of my new "lifestyle change" is behind me! I have to say, I'm pretty proud of myself. I did really well. It wasn't easy every day - there were times I REALLY wanted a piece of chocolate - but all-in-all, it was a successful 7 days.

Here's some changes I've made and some things I've discovered...

• I'm now eating breakfast. I've never been much of a breakfast eater, and I have to say, this has been a challenge for me to place into my daily routine, but it's really helped. What I have noticed is that I'm not as hungry at DINNER time when I eat breakfast. That's just weird?
• I've cut down my caffeine intake dramatically. I'll admit it - I'm addicted to pop. It's something I typically begin and end my day with. I have cut my intake to one a day - IF that.
• Two days this week I've eaten salmon for dinner. Wow - the energy I got from this fish dish was amazing. I'll be learning how to prepare it at home now for sure!
• Unwiches at Jimmy Johns ROCK. These are sandwich replicas simply done on whole pieces of lettuce. YUM-O! As good as their bread is - you really don't miss it. These lettuce wraps are pretty tasty!
• Juicing is pretty cool! We bought this machine last weekend and I really like it! Trevor made a new creation yesterday morning... carrots, grapefruit and apples. I know it sounds gross - but boy, was it good! We'll be making that one regularly for sure!
  

I have to say one thing I didn't expect was - my migraines are back. Some people have told me that this is actually my body detoxing from all the junk I had become accustomed to eating. I guess that makes sense. My body is asking for fries and I'm feeding it slivered almonds. It's craving a snickers bar and I've replaced that with a caramel corn rice cake. I can see why body is reacting this way! :)

Continued prayers for me are appreciated! Anyone who makes life-altering changes, knows that there are challenges and stumbling blocks, but with Him, I know all things are possible.

I will continue to update you on my progress.

Thanks for sharing this journey with me.

The Last Supper

It feels like we're going to our Last Supper. Tomorrow starts a new life-change for the Bender family. We will be eating healthier and exercising a LOT more! Pray for me. It's NOT something I do well.... these "New Year's Resolutions", but I know with Christ, all things are possible.

So - tonight is Small Group night and we will be eating spaghetti. I know, I know... it's not like that would have been my choice for our Last Supper. I would have made it something fried, but none-the-less, it is what it is. Tomorrow, January 7, is the beginning of a new life for us. I have a hefty goal... I will share that with you sometime later this month on this blog. I believe 2008 is going to be a great year.

Pray for us, will you?