The Dreaded Before Picture

BEFORE PICTURE

Well, here is the dreaded "BEFORE" picture. I originally created this blog for me. A place to be a scrapbook of sorts of my weight loss/health journey. What kind of scrapbook would this be without the before picture? So here it is, and in the spirit of transparency, I'm also going to tell my weight. I'm 5'2 and 149.5 pounds. My ultimate goal is to be 125. Every book/blog I've read has said that between 115-130 is the healthiest place for a 5'2 frame, so my goal is 125.  

I RUN 4

Please take some time to visit this amazing website: http://www.whoirun4.com/ This nonprofit organization matches runners/athletes to children and/or adults who have special needs. Runners use their buddy (coach) as inspiration and post updates on the web weekly. Many runners spread awareness about their buddy's disabilities through t-shirts, body paint, etc... My friend Tara has a beautiful daughter named Giuliana who struggles with Apert Syndrome. Giuliana has a running buddy who has sent her medals and hats from her Warrior Dash races. Giuliana loves the gifts! To learn more about Giuliana and Apert Sydrome visit her facebook page http://www.facebook.com/LittleFlowerGiuliana. It takes several months to be matched to a buddy, but I can wait. In the meantime, I can post my updates to my "future buddy" and stay motivated by all the stories on the site. So this was the picture I posted today. I wrote,"Ran 6 miles today for my future buddy!"

Calorie Range/Limits

One reason I have quit MyFitnessPal over and over again is because I have this awful black or white, all or nothing attitude. The site tells me I need to eat 1200 calories each day to lose weight. That works for about two days. Then on day three, I'm STARVING. So what do I do? Ditch MFP and eat like a three day starved pig. After my tummy is sufficiently  full, the guilt slowly creeps in and I once again resolve to start with MFP the next day.
Yesterday, I was chatting with my friend Jennifer about this exact problem. She shared with me that she is tired of restrictive diets such as Paleo, Atkins, South Beach, etc... She also told me that if MFP doesn't have the EXACT food/recipe she is looking for, she just picks one that is close to it. (I'm thinking at this point, "HOLY COW! You can do that!? Is that even allowed!?"  Told you I was black and white minded!) Riding on the heels of that conversation, I decided to visit the Success Message Board of MFP. THREE different people who have lost substantial amounts of weight noted two things: 1) They ate within a calorie RANGE, and 2) They did not deny themselves specific food group.
So I've made a few decisions:
1) I'm tired of this 1200 calorie mess. I'm allowing myself to eat within a 1200-1500 range, and if I exercise, I get to eat more! Whoo hoo. I love to eat!
2) I'm not going to restrict any food groups anymore. Here's my reason why: In the past, I would eat awesome all day. Then I would eat a cookie. Cookies were not allowed. So I quit my diet and gave up. Once I gave up, I eat about 4 more cookies. So instead of convincing myself that I completely messed up by eating one cookie, why don't I just allow the dang cookie?
So that's it, Friends!
Have a great day!
--Dizzy Lizzy

Finding JOY Apart From Food

Christmas vacation has been the perfect time for Tasha and me to flex our creative muscles. You may think painting has nothing to do with weight loss, but I think it does. "Health is not merely the absence of disease. It is a balance of physical, mental, and social well-being."--Doug Willen, D.C. Although I would add a spiritual aspect to Willen's definition, I believe his view supports my opinion. Here are the benefits of my painting experience:
1) I had quality bonding time with my teenage daughter.
2) Art relaxes me.
3) Guess what I wasn't doing while I was painting? You guessed right. I didn't EAT the whole time. Painting distracted me from snacking. Each painting took about two hours, so that was at least four hours without munching on something.

My goal for 2014 is to Run My Race with JOY. Today (and Friday) I found JOY while painting with my daughter.  What activities bring you JOY? What activities distract you from snacking? What relaxes you? My goal for you is to restart a hobby or start something new that will bring you JOY. Have fun!

OWL ART

Here's the link we used to teach us how to draw owls. Really super easy to follow.
http://www.art-is-fun.com/how-to-draw-an-owl.html

LINE DESIGN ART

Here's the link we used to learn about line design. This activity would be good for fourth grade on up.
http://www.teachkidsart.net/line-designs-with-shading/

Love, 

Dizzy Lizzy

Love to Eat Hate to Eat

Can anyone else relate to this title Love to Eat Hate to Eat by Elyse Fitzpatrick? I don't know about you, but I LOVE food. Healthy food, junk food, cheap food, expensive food...It doesn't matter. I just LOVE food. Unfortunately, I have not been blessed with thin genes; therefore, my love of food often leads to weight gain. AND let the roller coaster of weight loss start once again! How aggravating! Anyone else feel me here?

Books

Over the years, I have dedicated hours of my life to reading about weight loss. I've decided to revisit Love to Eat Hate to Eat: Breaking the Bondage of Destructive Eating Habits by Elyse Fitzpatrick because her book is very different from most other weight loss books; this book focuses on our heart relationship with Jesus Christ. If you are interested in reading this book yourself, please click here for ordering information: Love to Eat Hate to Eat by Elyse Fitzpatrick.

Book Highlights

According to Elyse, there is hope for me. Being that my 2014 goal is to Run My Race with JOY, I'm choosing to highlight portions that lend themselves to this theme. Here are a few thoughts from her book. If something touches your heart, will you share it in the comments below?

Confidence: Where to Place it

"There is only one place where you should put your confidence. It is in your loving, faithful, holy, and powerful Father. He has promised you the JOY of His glorious presence."

My Thoughts: How many times have I leant my confidence to diet pills, a new healthy eating magazine, a different exercise program instead of relying on God? Why do I think that my faith in God is often separate from my weight loss journey?

Life Purpose: What's our main purpose in life?

"The chief end of man is to glorify God, and to ENJOY Him forever." 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, "Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

My Thoughts: How in the world do I glorify God with my eating? I'm figuring this is going to be a life-long lesson to be learned. Maybe I should stop equating so much JOY with food and focus on ENJOYING God instead. 

"Does God really care about how much we eat? Yes, God really cares. He cares because He loves you and me, and He cares because He created us to sparkle and shine with His light for others. Remember, Paul said that we can glorify God whether we eat or drink or in whatever we do."

My Thoughts: Of course God cares about what I eat. Don't I care about what my daughter eats? Don't I care about what my husband eats? Why wouldn't God care? 

Godly Change: The Reflection of Jesus in You

"The change that God wants to accomplish in you is something much more meaningful, penetrating, and permanent than (gaining or losing a few pounds.) He wants to change your heart so that you will become more and more like His Son, Jesus. Romans 8:28-29 says, "We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren."

"Does God want to change you? Yes, of course He does. Don't settle for some temporary outward change. Rest and REJOICE in His promise to you. God has something better for His children; His change is eternal."

My Thoughts: I'm glad God is not as shallow as the societal pressures that often plague me. This morning my pastor preached about how God doesn't change, but when we trust in Him WE change. I never have to worry about downloading the newest version of the Bible because God's promises NEVER change. There will never be a day that I grieve the death of God because He is eternal.  God is immense and holy; He is filled with perfect wisdom and knowledge. The joy of losing a few pounds simply doesn't measure up to the true JOY of loving, knowing, and worshipping God.

LIES

"If we could just look like the latest supermodel, we would find true happiness and contentment. We would have peace and JOY. We would have the adoration of others. We would no longer have to worry about paying bills or staying up with sick children. Life would be perfect....Our world's obsession with outward appearance and weight has led many of us to think in shallow terms about what makes for peace and JOY.....We believe the lie that outward perfection (which by the way, is an impossible goal) is the key to inner peace and JOY....."

My Thoughts: First, the obsession with outward appearance reminds me of 1 Samuel 16:7--But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look at this appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For The Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." I've thought about this passage many times, but never in the context of how God considers my weight. Here's what I think. There are many people, who are dear to me, in my life that struggle with their weight. Do I care about their outward appearance? Yes, but it's because I care about their health. So if I, being earthly, care about my friends' and families' health, wouldn't the Lord, being holy and perfect, care just the same for my health? 

Final Thoughts

As I've shared before, my goal with this blog is to be HOT: Honest, Open, and Transparent. Just keep in mind that I have serious commitment issues to my weight loss efforts, but NOT with Jesus.

1) 8:00 am this morning: Started my day with a super healthy low calorie Herbalife shake and logged it into My Fitness Pal.

2) 11:30 am: Joined the Weight Loss Competition at my Church. My Goal: TO FINISH (This will be my fourth competition, and I have yet to make it a goal to WIN)

3) 11:45 am: Ate Captain D's for lunch---(I WAS STARVING....Herbalife shake really didn't hold me over the way I was hoping it would. Thinking I need to add more protein to my breakfasts.)

4) 1:08 pm: Finished this blog on how God wants more for me than just simple outward change, and trying not to beat myself up for eating Captain D's. 

5) 1:09 pm: Wondering if I should ditch logging my Captain D's lunch into My Fitness Pal because I simply don't want to see how many calories and carbs I ate. 

6) 1:11 pm: Thinking I can choose to make positive eating choices for the rest of the day regardless of how many Captain D's calories I consumed.

7) 1:12 pm: A little worried that my 16 year old daughter is talking about tattoos.

8) 1:14 pm: Thinking I need to go back and reread the blog I just wrote to refocus my thoughts. 

Have a Happy Sunday!

-Dizzy Lizzy

Crab Spread-Modified Weight Watchers Recipe

So today instead of trying to stay within my calorie limits, I decided to follow the carb advice of one of my favorite people: Mark Sisson from www.marksdailyapple.com. According to his website, if you stick to 50-100 carbs a day you'll lose 1-2 lbs per week and still enjoy satisfying Primal meals. He calls the 50-100 carbs a day the Weight Loss Sweet Spot. If you are looking to maintain your weight, Mark believes a healthy 100-150 carbs a day should help you with Effortless Weight Maintence.  Let's be real here. On any given day apart from some momentary diet I probably eat WAY more than 150 carbs per day. According to Mark, 150 -300 carbs per day equals Insidious Weight Gain and 300+ leads to the Danger Zone of insulin production.  I wonder how many days I was in or near the Danger Zone? 

Knowing that my dear daughter, who hates seafood, was going to her boyfriend's house for dinner, I decided to make an old favorite Weight Watchers Recipe. It's meant to be an appetizer, but it works well as a snack or in our case dinner. Serve this hot crab spread with crackers, tortilla chips, or pretzels.

CRAB SPREAD

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups cottage cheese

3 oz cream cheese, at room temperature (opps...I used the whole thing)

1 pound cooked lump crabmeat (I used imitation because that was all that was available) 

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 scallions, chopped (I omitted these because I was not about to pay 2.00 $ for a billion scallions when I only needed TWO)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon mustard powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3-4 drops hot pepper sauce (I didn't include this)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Spray a 1-quart baking dish with nonstick spray.

2. Beat the cottage cheese and cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed in a large bowl until smooth and creamy.

3. Stir in the crab, cheddar cheese, scallions, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt, and hot pepper sauce. Transfer to baking dish.

4. Bake, uncovered, until bubbly, about 25 minutes. Serve hot or warm.

Serving Size: 1/4 cup

Makes 14 Servings

If you make the full-fat version like I did it's 119 cal, 7 fat, and 6 carbs per 1/4 cup.

If you make it with fat-free cottage cheese, fat-free cream cheese, and reduced-fat cheddar cheese then it's only 78 cal, 3 fat, and 2 carbs per 1/4 cup. 

Yum Yum! Can't wait to have this for a snack tomorrow too!

Barcode Scanner & Tea vs. Diet Dr. Pepper

MY DIARY & BARCODE SCANNER

One of many tools I've used for several years now is the MyFitnessPal website. Only yesterday, did I try the app on my iPhone for the first time, and I love it! I've posted a picture of my diary page showing that I actually stayed within my calorie limits for the day, AND I got out and exercised. I consider this something to celebrate. My favorite new feature of the MyFitnessPal app is their awesome barcode scanner.

Once upon a time, I spent hours dragging food boxes into my computer room and inputing every part of the nutrition label into the MFP database. Positive: Once it was there, I never had to do that again. Negative: It was very time consuming which is one major reason why I quit logging into MFP over and over again....BUT...now...we have the AMAZING barcode scanner! 

Just scan the item you ate and BaBam! Nutritional content already loaded ready to add to your diary. It takes just seconds and has rekindled my excitement for MFP. Seriously, I didn't want to eat anything that didn't have a barcode; I was having way too much fun!
But as we all know...I'm Dizzy. So don't expect MFP to last too long in the world of Lizzy.

TEA VS. DIET DR. PEPPER

Here are my nonnegotiables: Two cups of coffee with Powdered Sugar Free Coffee Mate Creamer and Diet Dr. Pepper. Every once in a while, I decide that I need to start drinking healthier beverages and try deleting caffeine from my diet. NEVER a good idea! Yesterday, I momentarily forgot that I'm addicted to caffeine and decided it would be smart to ditch all soda and coffee in place of caffeine-free tea. My compromise was this: Once all the tea in the container is gone, you can have a soda. Sounded smart in theory until the headache set in. My headache started with a dull ache and continued to grow throughout the day. Around noon, I ended up in bed with a migraine and an eye mask to block out light. Did I drink caffeine? No. Idiot me decided to wait it out with Ibuprofen and (you guessed it) MORE tea. Around three, I realized this headache was NOT going away and I broke my caffeine fast with a Diet Dr. Pepper. I was a little annoyed with myself. I had ONE cup of tea left in that dang pitcher. So what did I learn? Don't go cold turkey on caffeine. Tomorrow I'm going to try again, but this time I'm starting my day with two cups of coffee!

Dizzy Lizzy

I've decided to start my first post with my childhood nickname: Dizzy Lizzy. Synonyms for Dizzy include: dazzled, blinded, puzzled, out of control, and muddled. My nickname pretty much sums up my feelings towards two things: 1) weight loss and 2) colors. Yes, colors. I'm so indecisive about both! I simply have a commitment issue and cannot decide on just one. With colors this is easy; I simply say that RAINBOW is my favorite color. (Hence, the rainbow bathing suit from way back when!) However, with weight loss, I seem to be super Dizzy, completely Puzzled, thoroughly Muddled, and occasionally Out Of Control! I've started this blog to be a journal for me; a place where I can keep track of all my thoughts. My desire is to be HOT! Hot has two meanings for me: Honest Open Transparent and Beautiful Healthy and Sexy!

I've decided for 2014 to embrace my inner Dizziness, stop berating myself for ditching a diet after 3 days, and start encouraging myself for the positive choices I make, no matter how little they seem.