Just Checking In

So far, so good.  I'm at a total lost of almost 10 pounds thus far.  Valentine's Day/Week was hard since my loving husband brought me an extra large candy bar for Valentine's Day.  But last night I gave 1/2 of it away to Charlene's boyfriend Mark and told him to get it out of this house one way or another.  Seems to have worked.  I'll post more later on this month.  Take care and remember it's about being a better you.

The First Month

Humm… where to begin?  I find that when I can’t decide what to write about; then just start writing questions.  Usually you’ll find something to blog about. 

1.       Am I making life changes that will not only benefit me but my family as well?

2.       Am I doing those life changes fast enough?

3.       Am I being prideful in not wanting to verbally confess the personal realizations I’ve come to thus far in this journey?

4.        Or am I afraid that those realizations will be used against me if I voice them?

5.       Could I simply be afraid that if I do voice those realizations I can’t ever go back?

My answers:

1.       I believe so

2.       Yes; but I don’t see the results yet, so I feel as if I’m not doing them fast enough

3.       Somewhat

4.       A resounding YES!

5.       No, rather I voice those realizations or not; I don’t want to go back.

Maybe the next blog will be entitled: Personal Realizations… but I’m not making any promises because I can’t ensure that I’ll keep that promise….

Have a good and healthy day

TOTAL WEIGHT DROP FOR JANURAY WAS 3 pounds! But remember this journey is not only about losing weight; it’s about becoming a better ME!

The First Week

At the end on one week I have only lost 1 pound and that has fluctuate ALOT.  So after reviewing my daily food log here are the improvements I am going to make for next week:

1. Keep a more detailed log and LOG...
• have way too many missing meals and snacks
• remember that just because I didn't 'log it' doesn't mean the calories are not there
• plan better for those days that I have to drive in the afternoon/evening... this seems to be the place that I over spent on my caloric budget
2. Continue to use the 'talk softly' mode when in a conflict with a family member
3. Avoid situations and people who make me revert to food for comfort

FAMILY FUN DAY:
Was a blast!  Chantele, Lailah, and Heather all arrived around 6 p.m.  We had a little dinner and then started playing 'Phase 10'.... LOVE this game, even tho I lost!  Matthew was able to join us around 10 p.m. after he finished dealing with a problem at work; he took Mike's place in 'Phase 10' and Mike went into work.  Mark joined in around 11:30 p.m. and we changed the card game to 'Rummy'.... all seemed to have a good time.... even with the minor emotional outbreaks from Charlene.  I think she is having a really hard time dealing with being a 'grown up', along with some other issues at work.  Everyone at the table spoke to her, but Chantele seemed to have the wises words of all.... "due to your personality, you may need to look for another job, one that has less teenagers and/or adults who never grew up".   I've also spoke with her about her own perception of herself; meaning that if she wants to be seen as a young woman then she has to see herself as one first.  Right now, I think she sees herself as a teenager, as well as inferior to others in her life.  I advised her to work on changing her own perception and to formulate ways to help her accomplish this.  Okay, so Family Fun Day included a therapy session for Charlene, but it wasn't a bad thing.  I think it happened for a reason and everyone still had a good time.  The family is truly concerned about Charlene and her emotional outbreaks; so I think that with it occurring on a small family scale showed her that we are all here for her and that she has a strong family support system

While we played cards, Lailah played mommy, puzzles, and toddler time on Aunt Heather's phone; which by the end of the evening most the adults were wanting to play as well.  It is quite amusing and addicting.  Towards the end of the evening; around midnight, Lailah decided she wanted a PBJ so she helped me, Nanna, make one.  She spread the peanut butter on the bread and then the jelly/jam .  We then took cookie cutters and cut out fun shapes; a turkey and 3 stars. She then proudly carried them over to the table to show Mommy, Daddy, and Auntie Heifer; climbed up on Heather's lap and gobbled them down.  Lailah is such a delight and so well behave, even when she's mad.  Lailah doesn't throw the typical 2 year old bull-fit, she has what my mom as coined 'silent bull-fits'  ....   Too Cute!  I am so happy and joyful that I am able to spend more time with Lailah.  It's been hard the passed 2 years due to my work schedule, school scheduled, and health.  But now that I'm working mostly from home and have better control over my scheduled I seem to be able to make more time, plus I'm not in school right now so NO school deadline pressures and I'm feeling 100% better this year than I did last year!  Lailah is the joy of my life and I'm so lucky to have the best grand baby in the world!  No Joke... I've got the BEST!!!   LOL....

After everyone went home, the girls and I (oh and Mark) cleaned up, played a few more hands of Phase 10, and then all retreated to our rooms. 

It's been a good day today ..so far... slept in until 1:00 p.m. and now chilling at home.  Maybe the girls and I can play a game of Phase 10 or SET later on this evening after the boys go to work.

So, the plan for next week is to EAT LESS and EXERCISE MORE!!  Goal this week is 2 pounds....

Well, time to start planning the week... talk to you later... :)

My New Theme Song

Firework by Katy Perry

Coke: The Addiction

Sodas are EVERYWHERE and seem to give me the feeling of Ahhhh!!!... This little bit of heaven or joy that bubbles up inside when you take your first drink of the morning; the cold, yet warm feeling as it coats the inside of your throat all the way down to the pit of your stomach..... I get that same feeling each time I take a drink when I am stressed... an overwhelming feeling of RELEASE!!! ... other times I simply drink Coke b/c it's there and it's something to do. 

So... I'm trying to retrain my brain that in the morning the first thing (after going to the bathroom) is NOT to reach for a Coke but for Orange Juice or Milk... OJ seems to work better as it gives me that same bubbly and tangy feeling as Coke does.... but for some reason I don't require as much, which is less calories, plus OJ is much healthier than Coke... even though it does contain sugar, it's a natural sugar...

Next... I'm trying to simply reduce my stress level so that there are less times I NEED a Coke to provide me with the feeling of release.... this hasn't proven to be completely easy to do...I am in the middle of a huge blow out with my brother, mom and dad.... maybe someday I'll fill you in on the family blow out.... but for now let's just say we are all too stubborn to give in and some people don't understand the concept of  "let's agree to disagree"... they just keep trying to convert or even guilt you into conceding to their demands.... UGH!!!.....

and Finally.... the easiest change has been to simply replace 'having a Coke' for the sake of having something to drink with another drink choice... mainly Crystal Light, but also OJ, milk, and water....

COKE.... I wonder did the company ever realize that their product was so addicting?... hummm.... I think so ... have you seen their commercials?.... I have.... and those mouth watering bubble rising out of a crisp cool glass make you simple want to reach for a COKE.... maybe we should restrict soda commercials the way we do beer commercials?.... but... my personal belief system screams... HELL NO!!!  We have way too much governmental control as it is.... so NO.... it's my own personal choice to reach for a Coke rather than water....

The List

Below is the list of goals for this year:

1. Lowering my weight by eating healthier and exercising
2. Spending more time with my children and grandchild
3. Paying down our debt
4. Better Time Management
5. Becoming more organized

At this time I want to keep this list to 5 items.  I believe that too much on one list makes it seem unreachable and therefore many people give up, revert back to their old and bad habits and never reach a single goal.  As one goal is reached or at least pointed in the right direction, I may add to this list.

The First Day

Hi, I'm Tami and I'm not sure if anything I have to say is important or interesting to people out there, but here is where I'll record the next 365 days of my life and my new journey.  You may ask what is my journey; well simply put 'To become a healthier person'; both physically and emotionally.  In my opinion emotions play a huge part of why people are over weight, make bad money choices, divert blame to others, have chaos in their lives, etc, etc.  I'm not saying that my goal is to become Spock from Star Trek, you have to have emotions, but if you can learn to realize that emotions are controlling your life, then maybe just maybe you can learn to control the impulses or actions you do to relieve the overwhelming feelings that are enveloping you.


I start this journey at a weight of 276.0 according to my scale and a picture taken on a cell phone Christmas morning.  I looked at the picture and say, My God, what has happened to me.  I have become my own worst nightmare!  My first goal is move the above number to 270 by the 1st of February. That's a lost of nearly 6 pounds.  My biggest hurled is going to be giving up soda, as I truly believe that is the number one contributor of my weight gain.  I only had 1 soda yesterday and my weight is already down to 274.8, now I know that weight fluctuates so I'm not going to weigh myself everyday; only on the 1st of each month from here on out.  I just needed to confirm that I did good yesterday and that it DID make a difference. 

Losing weight is only part of my journey, the other part is to become more Steady with Who I Am, part of which is building a stronger relationship with my family.  Overall tho, I have to say I'm pretty happy with my life; I have a nice house, wonderful children, a job I LOVE, but there are parts that need improvement and it is those parts that I'm going to focus on this year.  I'm also a list kind of person, so plan to see many list on this blog.  I'll be posting 'The List' later on today. 

I hope to make lots of new 'cyber' friends whose own journey's could help me reach my goals.  Please feel free to comment on anything I post and all advice is welcome.  I do ask that we be respectful of each other's opinions tho.

My husband Mike and I at Locust Grove Re-enactment