Failure

Yesterday I was filled with excitement. So much that I could hardly sit still most of the day. The frazzzledness of mom taxi took over after school and we were off and running like always. As my mom taxi duties ended and my husband took over I remembered that the Biggest Loser was on. I didn't watch last season. I had pretty much tuned it out and thought I wouldn't watch this season either. But 2 of the children were gone and so was my husband so I decided to tune in. I was in need of a little motivation.

Over the past two years I have worked to change my habits. Our diet got a major overhaul and I work out 6 days a weeks. During those two years I have manages to lose 60 pounds and keep it off. But as I watched the HUGE numbers that the contestants put up on the scale I felt like a failure. I didn't feel motivated instead I wanted to eat chocolate and drink Diet Coke. (both of which I will never give up completely)

Journey Through ADHD

Ever since Parker was 4 I knew he was different. We was and still our child that pushes the envelope. If there is a rule he will challenge it. He is super smart. There are days I can't understand how his 10 year old brain can understand things that it does. For example: I received a new hose for my vacuum from Dyson. It was in a box on my desk. I was upstairs and as I came downstairs I see Parker has taken the part out of the box, taken the vacuum apart and put it back together with the new hose in place. That was a year ago. He has an understanding for the way things work.

When Parker was in Pre-K I asked the teacher if she saw the signs of ADD or ADHD. She assured me that he was just an active 4 year old boy who is the youngest of 4 and has a dad that is deployed. I didn't disagree with her. Although in my mom gutt I knew something wasn't right. We had many days of meltdowns and defiance. But on the day when our sweet Parker would emerge I could see he was in there but was having difficulty communicating with us exactly what was going on.

Scaling Down

Each week is never the same with the scale. Every time I get on I feel myself holding my breath ready to jump for joy if the number is good and ready with Chips Ahoy if it's bad.

As I continue on my weight loss/healthy living journey it's difficult not to look at the scale. I have been told a million times to not scale watch. I know you should take measurements and see how your clothes fit but I still look to the scale for answers.

The first time I started down this road I went it alone. I didn't ask God into my weight loss journey because I felt like I had failed. I felt like I had failed myself, my family and most of all God. When it was a bad week with my 'friend' the scale I would beat myself up about what I could have done better or "why did you have to eat that?" A bad week on the scale was just what the enemy wanted for me. He knew how to help me dig my hole deeper and deeper away from God.

It wasn't until the passing of my grandma that I finally gave this area of my life to God. I held my hands up like so many times before and said "Lord, you have to help me. I want to be better, I want to do better and I can't do this by myself." I felt the Lord hold me tight and calm my fears just like I knew He would.

Since that day I have had good scale days and bad. The difference is on a good day I give the glory to God because without His help I wouldn't be where I am today. On a bad day I spend quiet time with the Lord and ask Him to help see things I need to improve on instead of hiding with the bag of Chips Ahoy.

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” Proverbs 16:3 NIV

Healthy Coaching Habits

Today I had the second coaching session with my Health Coach from Military One Source. After I got off the phone with her I received my kit from the FedEx man. In the kit came a letter explaining what was in the kit, great resource book, a tape measure to take your measurements, a pedometer and a magnet for the fridge.

What I love about everything is that it says "I CAN CHANGE." What a great reminder everyday that I can change. Each day is a new day. What happened yesterday doesn't have to happen again today. Unless of course it was a great day.

You can find more information about the Military One Source Healthy Habit Coaching by checking their web-site.

My New BodyBugg

After having packed on some weight from having my children I decided it was time to take charge of my weight loss. I started last year at Weight Watchers. I had pretty good success. I lost about 40 pounds with Weight Watchers. I love the support meetings and the information that Weight Watchers has to offer. But counting points got old for me. I wouldn't track after a while. I knew about how much I could eat everyday and just tried to stay close to that.

Then life happened. We had to move from our rent house and look for some place to live. I told myself and my husband I would be happy if I stayed within 10 pounds of my current weight during the house buying process. I was able to do that. Once we moved and got settled in I decided I would go back to Weight Watchers. I signed up during the promotion so I received a free month of membership. I did okay. I took off the weight that I put back on while I was focusing on moving. But I could feel myself getting stuck in the rut of daily life and the same old same old. Then I found my BodyBugg.

I had seen the BodyBugg on the Biggest Loser. I couldn't imagine tracking your food that way and worrying about how many calories your burn. But I also didn't realize how motivating it is to see how many calories you burn everyday. I, like most Americans, think that we are more active than we really are. Since I home-school two of our children I thought I was moving more than I really was. The BodyBugg was able to show me how active I really am. I am also able to use the online tracking system that tracks how many calories I eat everyday.

I was worried that I would get stuck in a rut with the BodyBugg like I did with Weight Watchers. While I have only had the BodyBugg for a few weeks, one day is never the same as the next. You never burn exactly the same calories. Some days I have more of a challenge to hit my calorie burn than others. I have learned how to workout more effectively to help hit my calorie burn.

I would recommend the BodyBugg system to anyone looking to lose weight. It has been a huge help and it is highly motivating.