new day.

Well, Its monday. And I am sad to see the weekend leave with it's glorious weather. But hopefully this will be close to the last dose of winter we have for a while!

I have a few updates...

1. I have been wanting to try butternut squash fries. Sadly, they don't sell these frozen at the store. SO, I purchased my very first butternut squash. My husband was disgusted by it from the start. I love www.hungry-girl.com and she has a recipe for these things. The thing that is awesome about them is they are ZERO points plus on WW. So, I really wanted to try to make them. Yesterday I set out on this quest. First off, a butternut squash is not easy to cut up or peel. Honestly, I broke a sweat just doing that. I don't have the best knives and so that makes it even more difficult. But if anyone has any tips for cutting a BNS (butternut squash...its too long to keep writing.)- let me know! After peeling it, I decided to leave half of it whole and cook it in the microwave and to chop the other half for fries. They looked like orange slices. Then I sprinkled them with sea salt and some paprika and put them in a 425 degree oven for 20 minutes and then after that flipped them and let them go another 20 minutes. The above picture is how they came out. They were really ugly. Andrew thought I had burnt orange slices. They were soft and mushy, but also, kinda burnt. Truthfully, they tasted ok-but were not what I was expecting. Just look at Hungry girls pic and then you will understand how sad I was...

www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/1460

I will probably try again. But they looked yucky and were a LOT more work then what they were worth!

Update 2.

I went to weight watchers yesterday and had gained. I knew I had. I was up 2.4 lbs. It was so sad and frustrating for me. And, now they have the scale where you can see your number-meaning so can the people around you and I noticed a lady next to me looking at my number and she kinda shook her head. She was skinny and was a lifetime member. I wanted to punch her. I didn't. I didn't even want to go to the meeting, but I did and I'm glad I did. It was on setbacks. Of course. Our leader talked about how to handle setbacks. She talked about what our anchor is. She was saying our anchor cannot be the scale. Although our goal is shown on the scale, sometimes the scale might or might not reflect our hard work. All depending on all kinds of things- water retention, if you ate that day, hormones, exercise, even the clothes you wear. She talked about how our anchor has to be something else. For me, If I don't lose another ounce, I am still going to pursue health because It makes me feel better. I am more confident when I am living a healthy and active life style. I am more relaxed when I am living a healthy and active life style. I sleep better, I am in a better mood, I have less stress and anxiety. All of these things have to be our anchor for this life style choice. Not the scale. We cannot let that number determine our failures and success. She talked about letting this week be a new week. So it is. I'm not beating myself up. I'm just starting new today. I got up and ran and then had a great healthy breakfast and feel so great today. New day. New beginning. New grace.

Mid course change

Happy Sunday!

I hope everyone has enjoyed their weekend. We have had glorious weather here in the ATX so I have LOVED our weekend! It has felt like spring and we have had our doors and windows open, heater off and been basking in spring. I know it is all a mean joke though...apparently very cold weather is headed our way this week :(. Its ok. Spring will be here soon enough!

Today Andrew and I went to Westlake Hills Pres for worship. One of our youth kids was in town with her wonderful choir from Baylor. They were singing in the late service, so we wandered over to westlake. Its crazy to think that a year ago tomorrow was my last day of work there. I really love going back there. It feels like home and is so wonderful to see so many friendly faces. The pastor there is one of my favorite pastors ever. He is really genuine and honest. His name is Peter Barnes and he is just an all around genuine and good man. He also is a good preacher. Today he taught about "Mid-course changes". He got the title from apollo 13 when they had a problem and ended up having to abandon their mission. They got off course from the problem that happened on board, so they had to make a mid course change. He compared their change to the life of the apostle paul. That he had a major mid course change. He was a hateful man who killed christians. God got hold of him and Paul's life dramatically changed. Peter challenged us to take a look at our course-our direction- and see where it is we are headed. Do we need a mid course change? He pointed out that God walks us through these changes. For me, I see that I need a change. I'm headed that way-by taking control of my eating habits and pursuing health. But I know that the tools to pull this change off are all in the hands of the Lord- to walk me through this. I just really loved Peter Barns' picture he painted. We may feel like we are where apollo 13 was. On the wrong side of the moon, off course, with certian death upon re-entry. But they made the changes, got back on course and made it home. I keep praying for Gods grace as I pursue a mid course change.

Im headed to Weight watchers. Not excited at all. Since I did'nt exercise at all this week, I know I'm going to be up. But today is a new day-and my back feels so much better...So new week. Mid course change.

poor prister....

So I thought I had a bad day on wednesday. Well, not near as bad as one of my best friends in life, Priscilla. Pris and I have been best friends since high school. She and her husband live in Nebraska and she accidentally drove her car into her gym this week. Thankfully everyone was okay...even her car. :). But I just want to point out something I so love about Priscilla-she just doesn't take herself too seriously. She shared her story and even this amazing picture on facebook. It made me laugh so hard and love her so much. She was willing to lay down her pride and show that we all sometimes do stupid things. Honestly, this could have totally been me and that is why I am able to so identify with pris. Love you, Pumpkin! Glad you are okay! Oh, and her nick name is "prister" to my family because in high school she had surgery on her wrist and when she came over one time after my dad said, "hey prister! Hows the wrister?" and it just stuck. Ha. love it.

Now, I want to share something I struggle with and see if anyone else has this problem and how you handle it. Here goes- I struggle with WAY over-snacking at night. About 9pm I get so snacky. Usually by this time I have had a great dinner and even dessert. So I should be DONE but for some reason I always find myself in front of the TV with a snack. It's not like Im eating hot dogs or fries or pizza...Its usually something "light" whether is popcorn, hummus and crackers, baked chips, light cheese its-whatever. Its something salty and I dont need it. I ate 41 points yesterday- and it wasn't even that I really treated myself. I just over ate healthy things. How do I avoid this? Help!

Thanks friends! Looking forward to your helpful hints!

Happy friday and I love you, Priscilla!

lighting your own torches

Hi friends!

I am feeling lots better today. Still sore and moving slow, but able to work and feeling lots better. The girls have been in their high chairs playing with play-dough for 40 minutes which is amazing...

Yesterday afternoon I ventured to a local coffee shop just to get out of the house and I ended up spending some time praying and reading my Bible. I want to share with you what I learned!

When we were at our planning team meeting, Chuck Neder also shared a Scripture with us that I camped out on yesterday...

Isaiah 50:10-11 (New Living Translation)

¹⁰ Who among you fears the Lord
and obeys his servant?
If you are walking in darkness,
without a ray of light,
trust in the Lord
and rely on your God.
¹¹ But watch out, you who live in your own light
and warm yourselves by your own fires.
This is the reward you will receive from me:
You will soon fall down in great torment.

I think what really hit me was verse 11. About living in our own light when we are in darkness. In the ESV it says "Beware you who light your own torches..." Such a good word for us to remember to live and seek God's light. When we create our own light, it really is false light. So I was thinking about what are my torches that I light when Im in darkness? What are my lights I create? I think for me its obvious that I create false light with food and drink, with people and attention, with material things. I run everywhere first before I run to the Lord. I found myself hearing the Lord whisper to me- "Live in my light. Not your false light. Put out your torches. you will get burned. Not with me. My light is everlasting. Live in me." I was really in darkness yesterday and for me- i would have comforted myself with any of the things listed above, but I felt called to spend time with the Lord and it was so amazing to hear him speak over me. So my question for you is, What are the torches you light? Are you living in your own light, or in Gods light? Lets seek to live in His true light...

Ok, on to food. I made an amazing dinner. I mentioned that I seek comfort in food and one of my favorite treats is a sandwich called "the mo-pac" from whole foods. You would think its from whole foods, so its healthy-right? Wrong. But it is sooo good. So I made a weight watchers friendly version and it was amazing!

here we go!

The healthy Mo-pac:

1 flat out light flat bread (at heb they are in the bread isle. really good for a panini wrap)

honey dijon mustard (to taste)

1/4 avocado

2 slices of boar's head ever roast deli chicken on slice size 1

2 table spoons of fat free shredded mozzarella cheese

8 slices of turkey pepperoni

(Total 8 point plus on ww)

Put everything together and put in a panini press or on a skillet until cheese is melted. So so amazingly good. I also LOVE sweet potato fries- HEB has frozen sweet potato fries that you bake that are amazing! I made a serving (30 fries for 4 point plus on WW) and had them with my Mo-pac sammie and it was AH-MAZING!

Make it and love it!

down for the count...again.

Hello friends!

Well, again, I am home from work today. It is the worst feeling when you miss work and you know that by missing you are putting someone else out. Worst feeling. But, here is why I missed...On Saturday I went for run and felt OK, but noticed my back was sore. Then on Sunday, Andrew and I went for walk and after I noticed my back really hurt. I took aleve and put heat on it and on Monday it felt better. Well, after carrying around 2 17 month olds, my back was sore again so I rested it Monday night and yesterday at work, it was hurting so badly, I couldn't hold either girl. I also could barely walk. As a nanny, you need to be able to do both of those things...

So I called the Dr. and got in at 3 yesterday and left work early. He told me it looked like I tore muscles in my lower back and it was spasming and inflamed and putting pressure on my sciatic nerve, and causing pretty bad pain. He gave muscle relaxers and vicodin. Most people would be really glad with that prescription. Not me. In high school I broke my collar bone and was given vicodin and it made me SO sick. But my Dr convinced me that I would be fine and to take it with food. False. Not fine. Throwing up all night and heart racing and shaking. Not fine. So I am home today with a stomach ache and with a really hurt back. Boo.

I also am so sad because the Dr. told me to not exercise for up to 10 days. I am going to try to swim maybe, but I don't know. I'll let you know!

Sorry I am Debbie downer right now. But reality is, I will get better, this isn't forever. So I don't need to be so sad.

I am going to run over to a coffee shop in a bit to work on a few things, so being out and about will help me feel better too. Hopefully next time you hear from me, I will be on the mend!

weight watchers brownies? What?

Hi friends!

So I did something amazing tonight. It really is remarkable. I made BROWNIE Muffins with only 5 weight watchers Point plus points! I know. The above pics are of this amazing treat. I love the one of Andrew Bell. That is the face he made when I told him to act like they smell. This is what he did. It looks like they came from heaven! Im telling you, they are so easy and the girls in my bible study tomorrow night are going to get to try them! woo-hoo! Here is how I made them:

1 box of chocolate devils food cake mix

1 can of 100% pure pumpkin

(thats it. really. no water, no eggs, no oil. Just the two ingredients!)

just mix it together, follow the directions on the box for baking and when they are done, add a hershey kiss on the top and let it melt your heart.

I got this recipe from Hungry girl. She sends out emails during the week with great recipes and great food swaps. You can subscribe here http://www.hungry-girl.com/

well, hungry girl just got a show on the cooking channel and she made these delish brownies this week on her show! It is so wonderful to feel like you have a community of people seeking health who have amazing options for us!

On a saddish note, I kind of hurt my back yesterday. :( . Andrew and I went for glorious walk yesterday (6 miles!) and today my back is killing me! So- I still am having to take exercise easy. BUT, I just made sure to keep busy today at work. I was always moving and trying to make sure that even though I wasn't working out, I was active! Pray my back feels better!

Hasta Pronto!

What do you love?

Hi friends!

I hope everyone has had a great and restful weekend! Andrew and I had a great weekend full of rest, relaxation and all the wonderful things that go with weekends! I weighed in today and here is the verdict...

I lost .2lbs...sigh. Honestly, this is to be expected with my Monday cheese fry eating as well as getting sick and not exercising at all except for yesterday and today. A loss is a loss, so I will take it and just keep on keeping on! It’s about that time when people who make new years resolutions tend to give up on them and I am NOT going to be that person. I have a few things I am excited to share with you guys-One is a realization and the other is a new recipe!

Realization first...

What do you love? I don't mean real love. Because we could all say our families, spouses, God, friends, children, etc.

I mean what things are in your lives that bring you life? Of course all those things I listed about are indeed life giving...But what makes you smile? What are things you love? Here are a few things I love right now...

1. Baths-I LOVE a nice warm bath. In fact I take one everyday of my life. Now this bath is not for cleaning purposes...although it achieves that goal also, but I love a bath because its warm, relaxing, I smell good and just gives me a moment at the end of the day to calm down and relax. It truly is part of my everyday that I love. It is life giving to me.

2. Having a clean house. Now some of you are laughing because you know I am not the tidiest person. I didn't say I like "cleaning"- I love having a clean house. I have found with my anxiety battle that if I'm living in peace and without clutter that my life feels less cluttered. I married well for this purpose. Andrew is like one of those suckerfish in an aquarium. He just goes around cleaning up my messes. I know this is not his favorite thing, but it helps me out so much. And, since the New Year I have worked really hard at keeping our house clean.

3. Having fresh flowers in my house. I have found that January and February tend to be gloomy months, so I keep fresh flowers around. They are life giving. I love them.

4. Coffee. I love coffee. I love the smell. I love coffee culture. Have you been to a coffee shop at 2pm on a Thursday and seen adults sitting there, sipping their americano's and reading a book? Who are these people? Do they not have jobs? I typically am in and out grabbing some cafe' for my day...but rarely do I have hours to sit and read...I love coffee.

5. I love music. I know this one may seem so obvious...but I am not that cool Austin person who is at shows every weekend discovering new cool bands. But, when I come across a new album or band and can't stop listening to them- I love that. Right now I am so so loving Mumford and Sons. Not that they are new-but I am just falling in love with them all over again. Check them out if you get a chance.

Now none of the things I listed are vital to my life like my friends or family. But they are small things I really love. Most of them are cheap or free and I just realized that they are still luxuries to me.

I encourage you to look at your life and see what small things you love and be mindful to really do them this week...

Ok, here is my new recipe. My mom sent it to me a few weeks and I just tried it yesterday. I have started to love to cook all our food on Saturday or Sunday so we just warm it up and eat it all week. It's a time saver for sure!

Mexican pot roast

1 lean pot roast

2 cans rotel

1 cup of dry pinto beans

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can fat free cream of mushroom

lots of garlic salt

cayenne pepper to taste

cumin to taste

mix all together and put in crock pot on low for 9 hours. Totally falls apart and is so good in a corn tortilla with some onions and cilantro and a dab of fat free sour cream. About 6 points plus per serving!

So easy, so yummy!

Have a great Sunday afternoon!

treasure's hidden in darkness

Happy friday!

Thanks to my great friend, Todd Wyrick, I got the scriptures that Chuck talked to us about this weekend at planning team. I am really excited to share them with you guys....

Is 45:3

"I will give you treasures hidden in darkness-Secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name."

I love love this scripture. I love it because I think so often "Christianity" is sold to people as "if you say this prayer, everything will get better and life will be great". Which is not the case. The truth is, when we walk with Christ, we don't walk through an easier life-in fact-sometimes it's harder. But when we are with Christ, we are never alone and He always blesses us in our brokenness, or as this scripture says, in darkness. As I think over my struggle with both food and my larger and harder struggle with anxiety, I can so see Gods blessings hidden in the darkness. For example, I see how when I literally thought I was a crazy person and was curled up on the floor in our living room bawling at 3am because I couldn't stop my panic attack, and my brand new husband came in and laid behind me, wrapped his arms around me and just rubbed my back and helped me breathe through it....that is a treasure hidden in darkness. When I walked with a dear friends through her own anxiety battle of panic attacks and isolation-that is a treasure hidden in darkness. When I know how it feels to be the biggest girl in the room, but can't stop eating-yet know there is grace and forgiveness and peace in Christ-that is a treasure hidden in darkness. I think that really is the beauty of walking with Jesus. It's not that we walk always in the light where everything is perfect- but that in Christ, there is always a treasure hidden in the darkness.

If you are walking in a dark time right now. I want to encourage you that there is a treasure in the darkness. You may not see it for a long time. But it is there. We can trust that in Christ everything is in His control and ultimately for His glory. I love that the second part of this scripture is that he does this so that we may know him...the one who calls us by name. How He loves us so...

what is your treasure today?

A quick update on me:

1. I am feeling SO MUCH better! Thank God for medicine. I am working today and have lots of energy to keep up with my little ladies-who are 17 months today! Happy 17 months to caitlin and izzy!

2. Andrew and I decided to participate this year in the Capitol 10k here in austin! I had set my sights on the Austin half marathon, but didn't finish my training and actually just burnt out on running in general. But, I think a 10k is much more reasonable for me. I am excited to start that training. In july I got the app for my phone called "Couch to 5k". It basically gets you ready to run a 5k in 10 weeks. It was great. So I just bought an app by the same company called "Ease into 10k". I'm excited to start that this weekend! Its a 3 day a week running program, so I will also continue to shred with Jillian. The race is March 27th if anyone wants to join me! Here is a link to all the info!

http://www.statesman.com/cap10k/

3. I got a pair of Jeggings. I know-that is insane. But i have to say, they have kind of changed my life. I got them at Gap and they really look like skinny jeans, but just stretchy. I will post pics at some point. I also have to say, I don't look terrible in them...just sayin.

Love you guys! Happy weekend! I weigh in Sunday, so I'll let everyone know how I did! But I feel skinny. Its probably my awesome jeggings...

nothing can hold this food addict down!

So yesterday I was super sick. The above picture pretty much is what i looked like most of the day...I woke up with my nose so stopped up that literally I could not breathe. No way, no how. I boiled water in a pot hoping the steam would open me up some and it did. Enough for me to go to work. While at work, I decided to get out and about with the girls (they are dropping their morning naps and so I am doing everything to keep them awake in the morning!). While we were out my nose began to run in a way I have never experienced. It literally felt like my nose was crying....and I felt like my head was in a bucket. After our errands, i put them down for their nap and called their mom and told her I had to go to the dr. Good thing I did. I have sinusitis and double ear infections plus horrid cedar allergies. I thought only kids got ear infections...apparently not. So I am taking today off to get better. I always call myself a stay at home mom that gets paid...but real stay at home moms dont get sick days. So to all of you moms, I am thankful for you and so not ready to be you. I like sick days...

A plus to being stopped up was I couldnt really taste anything...so I hadnt really eaten much yesterday, which led me to eat a lot last night...obviously. Even not tasting food can't keep this food addict from doing her thing. I found myself feeling like I "deserved" a treat since I was sick. Really I think I was letting myself be comforted by food. No, I didn't go buy doughnut holes...I ate my mushroom chili-but too much of it. I can see why it is so important to not let yourself get starving. Becuase you end up eating 2 bowls (huge bowls) of chili. I felt out of control-and i dont like that. But I am so thankful I recognize that.

It was amazing to have Chuck Neder share what he was learning with us over our meeting in Dallas last weekend. Unfortunately, I didn't write down the scripture he used and now I cant find it. I have sent out emails to get that info and hopefully I can get that up tomorrow. Sorry it's taken so long!

I don't really know what my meal plan is today. The allergy meds he gave me can maybe make your appetite go away for a bit. Im sure it will make me starving-but we'll see. Im so glad for my day of rest. Needing it.

May you find rest today!

Yummy!

Well, I was so excited for tonight! I signed up to take a class this semester called Perspectives. I have heard of this class, but I had never had the chance to take it and it finally was available in Austin! So tonight was our first class. They offer classes on Monday nights and Tuesday nights-but the tuesday night class is apparently super far from me. Class started at 6:30 and at 6:25 I was stuck on Mopac and Westover...which basically means I sat a in traffic for an hour and only made it about a mile from my house. Needless to say, I didn't make it to my class tonight. Hopefully I can just listen to the podcast of it and be able to go next week! But, since I ended up having a night at home I didn't plan for, I used it for good! I cooked! Today at the house where I nanny, I saw and interesting concoction in the fridge. I immediately emailed my boss and she emailed back the recipe entitled "Cinnamon Oatmeal apple bake". Hey-o! I also noticed she was simmering something in her crock pot and when I looked it was a beautiful chili...which also inspired me to make that! So I tweaked both recipes and made them healthy and so so stinkin good. The above pics are of me and my bake as well as the bake itself and the chili I also was inspired to make!

Here is the bake recipe:

2 cups unsweetened almond milk

1.5 cups of old fashioned oats

1 huge honey crisp apple cut up

1 huge banana (i had it, so i thought, why not?)

2 teaspoons of flax seeds

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

1 cup of sliced almonds

1 table spoon of cinnamon

1/3 cup of non fat greek yogurt

mix it all together and put it in a baking dish (spayed with pam) and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes. Let cool and then cut up. So good for breakfast!!

(4 points plus per serving. 12 servings per dish)

Here's my chili recipe:

1 large can black beans

1 large can kidney beans

1 regular can pinto beans

1 can spicy rotel

1 can petite diced tomatoes

1 can corn

and then I also added 2 large portobella mushrooms diced (if you are a texture person, skip this. It is kinda weird. But my love affair with the portos must endure...)

and 2 cans full of water

a generous amount of garlic salt

cayenne pepper to taste

cumin to taste

bring to a boil and then let simmer for 45 minutes...so good

(6 point plus per serving. Serving size about 1.5 cups)

It was so easy and killer yummy.

I think as we seek to honor our bodies by eating food that is good for us, we should make it yummy. Healthy does not mean nasty. It can. For sure. I remember my mom telling me that old school weight watchers made you eat liver once a week and there is a recipe for tuna chili. Woof. barf. sick-nasty. So thankful that we have delicious healthy and I love learning to cook and getting to create new amazing food!

I promise to share what I learned from Chuck tomorrow! Promise!

3 day weekends...

I LOVE when Monday is a holiday. If only every week began with Tuesday. I would be so happy all the time!

I have missed blogging, but I just didn't have time while I was in Dallas planning Fun in the Son. It was such whirl wind weekend! But was really fun and so so great to see so many friends! Here are a few highlights:

1. I got into Dallas-Love early so I stopped at a bar to get a bloody mary. I love tabasco and olives and salt,so a bloody mary is a delicious treat for me.(and only 4 points plus on WW)..I sat down, ordered, and then when the bartender told me it would be $7.50- this old man next to me said, "Don't worry, I got it." I looked up and low and behold, IT WAS WILLIE NELSON. I said, " you...you..." and he said, "Yes, I am Willie Nelson." Then he turned and looked at the football game on TV and said, " Can you believe those guys are playing football in the snow?" He then finished his martini and went to catch his flight. It was a pretty cool experience!

2. Every year we have our annual planning team meeting and we always go to a nice dinner. This year we went to steak house that was wonderful. I had planned for the fancy meal, so had not eaten much so I had plenty of points, should I choose to spend them. I ordered grilled salmon, asparagus and mashed potatoes. I hate half of it and it was so so good. I also ordered dessert, but literally only had 2 bites. It was a victory and I didn't at all feel deprived or out of control. The best part of the night was catching up with old friends.

3. We also went to a dallas staple (i guess?) called Snuffers. Apparently Sunffers is famous for their cheese fries. Now I can pass on steak, I can pass on dessert, but salty cheese goodness is very difficult. I made the decision I was going to eat them, but not lose control. I filled up my small plate and had some. They were amazing. But I was so so proud of myself for not losing it. I enjoyed the fare and then moved on. I had the power. The food didn't. I also ordered a grilled chicken breast and green beans for my actual lunch. That's one thing I love about Weight Watchers. It allows for cheese fries...just in moderation. I felt Gods grace all over me.

4. I weighed in sunday before I left and I lost 2 lbs. So that puts me at 5! Boo-ya!

I learned some pretty cool things this weekend from Chuck Neder. He is in charge of all the YCM camps and is a beacon of wisdom. I will share those things with you guys tomorrow!

I also have some new recipe's I'm excited to share this week!

Weekend!

So I am super excited for this weekend! Not only is it a 3 day weekend, but I have a fun event I'm headed to! As I wrote in my thursday post, I attend a camp every summer in South Padre Island. It is a Christian camp and it is called Fun in the Son or FITS. I started going to fun in the son in 1997. Since then I have attended every year but one. I started out going as a camper, then as work crew, then as a leader, then as a church staff member and now I am on the camp planning team. I have loved every aspect of this camp for as long as I can remember. It is so great because it just isn't your typical church camp (obviously, if it's in south padre, right?). It's really geared toward the non-christian student. The motivation is to share the gospel with these high school students and do it in their environment. The days consist of morning meetings and evening meetings with hours of playing sports on the beach and swimming in the gulf (woof!) during the afternoon. I love this camp because:

1. My husband met Jesus there when he was a junior in high school. What is so cool is we were there at the same time and had no clue who the other one was!

2. My brother and I have a special bond over that camp. The top is a pic of me and my brother, Chris. My first year I went, I really was too young to go. No one my age went and it was all around a rough year. I remember all the girls from our group stayed in a condo and they made me sleep alone on the pull out couch in the living room. Now in my mind, I thought it was because they thought I was so awesome that no one wanted to hog me and have me in their room, so I had my own palace in the living room. But realistically, I was a smelly chubby talky child that was sent to sleep alone. Ha ha! Anyway, as we were walking to covention center one night, I was looking hot in my winnie the pooh dress and covered in body glitter, and overheard some older girls talking about how annoying I was. This devastated me. I literally cried for hours. Well, my brother, who is 5 years older then me and was in college, was there on work crew and came over to our group each night to lead worship for family time. That night he clearly saw how upset I still was and in the middle of worship wrapped his arms around me and held me and told me he loved me and thought I was cool. This obviously had quite an impact on me! Every year after that if we both happened to be at FITS, we made sure to get some time alone and pray for each other and our parents and I typically cried. This past year was really cool because I was there on planning team and Chris brought his wife and their baby and was camp doctor. It was amazing to see how God has impacted our lives through fits.

3. So many of mine and my husband's bff's are a part of fits. From Matt Mitchell to Rob McClellend-So many people that have had a huge impact on my life and I love so so much are there each year.

So, this sunday and monday is our FITS Padre planning team meeting. I love this meeting each year. I love talking about camp. I love praying for camp. I love planning camp. I cannot wait to see some of my best friends and spend time planning a week of a lifetime for high school students. I think it's important to be a part of something you really love. Thats why I do this. Because I love it and my life is dramatically different because of how God moves there. And it all happens in freaking south padre! Now that is IRONIC!

I know I will have lots of opportunities to "celebrate" while I'm there. Please pray for wisdom and freedom. Pray that I seek to find my freedom and satisfaction in the Lord.

i won't post until tuesday, Probably. So look for something then! Love you guys!

here is a link to find out more about fun in the son!

http://ycmhome.org/

Live in the light!

secret's secret's are no fun...

Happy friday! So excited for my weekend! I get to leave work a little early today and am going to meet one of my favorite friends, Melissa Carter, for lunch at Taco Deli. The first pic is a pic of us there last spring with Lissa Scott and Alex Guilbeau! It is an amazing local taco shop. I love it because they have super healthy options. My fave taco is called Portobello frontera fundida. I get it on a wheat tortilla and it has grilled portobello, Onions and green peppers in it. I add guacamole to it and get a side of black beans. It is so good and good for you. They also have DELICIOUS mole'. But i think mole has added sugar and just overall extra calories...so i'm going to pass on it today :). Then Im off to get my hair cut. Thank God. I'm am lookin' a mess. Anyway, fun friday!

I spent some time yesterday with another one of my favorite friends, Kaimey Ela. That is a pic of us at a wedding in 2007. I was also pretty slim then. At least I have evidence! Ha. Anyway, Kaimey and I were in the same college ministry when we went to Tech and then we worked together at Westlake Hills Pres. She is fun, funny, and amazing mom to her twins, amazing wife to Scott and loves loves Jesus. I love spending time with her. We were talking about my journey and I shared something with her that I was kind of afraid to share, but from her reaction, I thought it would be beneficial to share it with you guys...so here goes...

I am a secret eater. Not always. But it is a dirty little habit that I have had on and off through out my life. I would eat secretly in high school all the time. I was basically half bulimic. Would binge, but not purge. Once I got on weight watchers in 2003, I stopped. Mostly because on weight watchers you can have anything, you just have to be accountable to it. So if I wanted a doughnut, I had it and counted it. No big deal. Well, somehow, over the past year or so, I have began secret eating. I don't even know who I was hiding it from. My husband wouldn't care...But really I think I was so ashamed by it that I would hide it from me. If no one knew, it didn't happen. Well, I hadn't really had a secret eating issue in a few weeks until recently. On wednesday night my friend had made some muffins. She had told me she was making them and didn't want me to feel tempted. Well, I was, so I had one bite. And I mean bite. It was tiny. But it set something off in me. I became this monster that wanted 100 muffins! After I left, I needed to go to the store and basically decided I was going to get something bad and eat it in secret. I ended up buying a thing of krispy kreme doughnut holes. I paid for them and got home. I went to the bathroom first and while I was sitting there( sorry if this is tmi) decided to talk to God about this. Here is what I said, " Lord, I know this is not what I should be doing. I know that I am going to only feel shame after I eat all of those. Help me..." and here is what I heard the Lord whisper to my heart. " Whitney, in me you are free. There are no secrets and there is no shame. If you want a doughnut hole, by all means, have one. You are free to have it. Then throw the rest of them away. You have the power here. Not the food. Enjoy one and then let them go." So I did. I had one then threw the rest away. Because I know I am a little piggy, I went ahead and ruined them in the trash can by squeezing ranch dressing all over them so I wouldn't go pick them out later. Anyway, I know this concept may seem so weird to some of you. But for me, it was freeing and I think when we live in the light, there is freedom. Kaimey was very encouraging to me as I shared this with her. So I decided to share it with you. I invite you to live in the light today! You are free. There are no secrets and there is no shame. Live in the light, live free.

I feel normal.

I love thursdays. Its friday eve and that makes it so fun. So happy friday eve, everyone!

My Dad's birthday was tuesday the 11th. I always remember his birthday because it is my half birthday. I used to love it that I had only 6 months until my birthday. Now I don't so much love it because Im just that much closer to 30! ahhh! I cant be close to 30. I'm only 22....wait. I'm 27. and a half! ick. Anyway. Something happened on my birthday this year and I didn't really realize it until this week. Every year on my birthday I am at a church camp in South Padre Island. It is one of my favorite weeks of the year. I am surrounded by my best friends and hundreds of high school kids there to worship and experience the living God. Above is a pic from camp last year. This is all the girl leaders from WHPC. We are a class act! Anyway, this year on my birthday I was telling my friend Emily Rice that I had gone the longest, to that point, I had in years with out a panic attack. And that for the first time in a long time, " I felt normal". Many of you may know that I have battled a debilitating anxiety condition for the past 4 years. It was the most difficult things I have ever walked through. I had weekly panic attacks and would go weeks with only hours of sleep. It effected my health and took a toll on my physically.It was the main reason for my weight gain. I felt like a crazy person and spent so much time and money on Dr.'s and Therapist's. It really was awful.

I got into counseling August of 2009 and it was amazing. Through weeks and weeks of therapy we realized that my main trigger of anxiety and panic was my job at Westlake Hills Pres. I dont really know why- I loved that job. But either way, I was in a very unhealthy place mentally with my job. Through prayer and seeking lots of advice- I stepped down from that job last January. It was so hard, but what I had to do. It took until July to realize it had been 6 weeks since I had experienced any anxiety. And I hadn't really realized until this week that it has been 6 months since declaring to Emily that, " I felt normal". But since it has been I am overjoyed to say, I do feel normal. I am free from anxiety. God has healed my mind. I believe through learning healthy thought patterns and how to protect myself from panic, I have been free. Its like losing weight. You have to keep up your new healthy patterns. If I dont, I will easily slip back into bad mental habits. Just like I have slipped back into bad eating habits. Anyway, just wanted to share that I really thought I would never feel normal again, and by Gods grace and hard work, I do. And it has been 6 months. I praise Him for the journey!

As usual, back to food!

Today in my detox I can re-introduce dairy! Thank God! I had missed milk!

So here is my menu!

Breakfast: Banana and de-caf non fat misto from starbucks. So good!

Snack: Apple and almonds

Lunch: Grilled chicken breast, sweet potato and green beans

Snack: Hummus and veggies

Dinner: 1/2 cup brown rice

1 cup black beans 1/2 avocado

1/2 cup salsa

Dessert:1 peice of whole wheat bread toasted with 1 tbl spoon of almond butter and 1/2 cup of skim milk! yum!

Live in grace and enjoy the journey!

freedom!

Hi friends!

I got some amazing responses from yesterday's post. One of which is from one of mine and Andrew's best friends- Justin Edgar. Justin was our college pastor while we went to Texas Tech and is one of our favorite people in the world. Above is a picture of us with him at our wedding, He preached at our wedding and was amazing! (i was so skinny then....sigh.)

Anyway, Justin is super wise and left an amazing comment in response to my confession yesterday and I just wanted to share it with everyone! enjoy!

Whit,
I too struggle with celebration. Celebration is an excuse for me to be a glutton - plain & simple. I am a glutton. What's hard about celebration is that we have so much to celebrate as Christians. We should be a joy filled, celebrating people. We are accepted as gluttons, so shouldn't we celebrate? The question becomes for us, how do we celebrate and not be gluttonous in our celebrating? And I'm not quite sure. We do walk in grace, praising God that He loves us as gluttons. We should pray for the Spirit to produce in us self-control. And I think we should think of the good life. What is the good life? Is it us stuffing our faces with rich, pleasing food? Or is it be satisfied with good things and giving good things to others. We must think on what version of the good life we are buying when we over-celebrate. We also need to practice things that help ingrain in us this vision of the good life. Practicing embodied things, physical things. So, shredding it with Jillian, is one practice that produces in us that vision of the good life we seek. What are other practices that form Christ in us that are real tangible things, not things out there in idea land. Maybe working regularly with those who over-celebrate, the addict among us and working with those who have no resources to celebrate, the broken among us. These practices may help us bring celebration into it's right standing. Also I think we must live in the Gospel and allow it to be our security and motivation. The Gospel gives us a good conscience. Sin can no longer condemn. It's power is cut off. We are still gluttons, but we can't be condemned as gluttons. This allows us to confess that we are what we are, which is what you are doing here, and in this confession there is freedom to be real with others and be real with God! So, to all us over-celebrators, rest in the Gospel, which gives us something to really celebrate.

I love that response. Love it. Lets stand in the gospel today and celebrate life in Him who is the giver of life!

P.S. I made the most amazing dinner last night. I had planned to have a sweet potato and portobello mushroom, but I didn't feel like a sweet potato. I wanted pasta, so here is what I did!

1 cup of whole wheat spaghetti

1 portobello mushroom baked with balsamic vinegar and 1/2 cup of newmans own marinara sauce

1/2 cup fresh spinach

6 kalamata olives

I mixed it all together and it was AMAZING. My husband was even kind of jealous. So good!

Todays plan is:

breakfast: Banana

Snack: Apple and almonds

Lunch: left overs from dinner last night :)

Snack: 1/4 cup hummus and veggies

Dinner: Turkey chili? Im going to dinner at Emily Rice's house and she said she was making turkey chili. Hopefully it will be good for me!

Have a great day!

confession

Happy tuesday!

I got home last night and after chatting with a dear friend, thought I needed to post today and do a bit of confession. I need to confess that I indulged a bit too much in one particular toxin this weekend...and his name is pinot grigio...I didn't include that in my blog yesterday because I don't think it's a bad thing to let loose and enjoy life. But, when I am trying to watch my calories, my indulgences need to be few and far between. Which leads me to this question....

Why am I so bad at celebrating without completely indulging myself?

I mean if I only "celebrated" at Christmas and my birthday, I would be money. But literally, there is some sort of celebration every week of my life! Either someone's birthday, an out of town friend who is visiting, a big game, a random holiday....whatever. And for some reason, I can't keep myself from just throwing everything out the window for the sake of celebration. I wanted to share this because I want to as honest on this as I can. I want everyone that reads this (all 5 of you-one of which being my mom:)- to know I am walking in this journey honestly. And I also want to know if any of you struggle with this mindset as well. I don't think I used to struggle this bad with celebrating (I want to clarify that by celebration, I am not only talking about alcohol- I mean food! queso, chips, burgers...all of it!). I guess this is just one of those cases where we ask the Lord for grace and for discipline. And create good habits. I guess it's at least good that I recognize this. Ha. I should rename my blog "grace" because that is pretty much the main ingredient to this journey.

Thanks for walking with me. I really am learning so much!

Here is my meal plan for today:

Breakfast:

Banana (I have not been starving in the mornings lately)

Snack:

Honey crisp apple and almonds

Lunch:(same as yesterday and so yummy)

3 oz of grilled chicken

1/2 baked acorn squash

1 cup steamed broccoli ( i like ketchup on my broccoli. i know, don't judge me. It is SO good.)

Snack: Veggies and 1/4 cup of hummus

Dinner: grilled portobello mushroom

baked sweet potato

spinach salad with bell peppers, mushrooms and kalamata olives

Dessert:

grapefruit

Love you guys! Happy and healthy love!

Monday funday!

Hi Friends! Ugh, Monday is not my fave. But I'm glad to have this week started so well. I rolled out of bed and shredded with Jillian this morning. I feel like I should be losing tons of weight by the amount of snot I'm getting rid of... too much? Sorry. But the cedar is KILLING ME.

Anyway, I had a great weekend. It was interesting to say the least! Welcome to my life! Never a dull moment. I ended up doing really well food wise and am proud of myself for that. I also went to Weight Watchers yesterday and was down 3lbs from last week! Yay! I hadn't lost any since the last time I weighed in (before Christmas)-So this is a great start. I am feeling great and am just learning to be mindful as I eat! So that's amazing to see my progress in a week.

As far as my detox goes, I am back on from my weekend off. But honestly, I didn't stray too far this weekend, so it's not like I'm starting over. I am doing the same as last week, but have introduced Wheat back into my diet. So I'm still caffeine free, alcohol free, dairy free, and only lean proteins. Here's my meal plan for today:

Breakfast: Banana and 100 Calorie pack of almonds

Snack: Grapefruit

Lunch: 3oz grilled chicken breast

1/2 baked acorn squash (I cut it in half, sprinkled it with cinnamon and nutmeg and baked it for 45 minutes at 375.)

1 cup steamed broccoli

Snack: 1/4 cup hummus and raw veggies

Dinner: 1/4 cup brown rice

1/2 cup black beans

1/2 avocado

1/2 cup salsa

Dessert: Banana and 1tbl spoon almond butter

Pretty excited for this new week.

Before I let you go, I'd love to share what I heard at church last night. Andrew and I have been attending The Austin Stone Community Church. We love it. One of the reasons is it has a 5pm service on Sunday which means we sleep in! hey-o! Anyway, last night, one of their pastors preached on the word of God. As he preached, he mostly spoke from Psalm 119. One of the things he said that really made me pause was, " You are what you behold." He asked us what it is that captures our attention...food, work, alcohol, money, exercise, Jesus? I wondered what it is I behold. I think food is something I tend to let capture my affections. I also allow myself to be beheld by media...specifically Bravo....specifically the Real Housewives. Now I'm not saying don't watch TV or enjoy food. I just was struck by the thought you are what you behold. I am praying today to behold Jesus. To behold the depths of His perfect love. May we behold the Lord and allow Him to draw us into His perfect love!

Happy saturday!

So as I wrote yesterday, I am taking 24 hours "off" my detox. So i'm allowing some of those foods back in my diet for the weekend. I know this is probably so against what I'm supposed to do, but I'm doing it for me. To help me feel not deprived. I was worried about eating out and we ended up going to a wonderful Austin cafe last night, Kerby Lane. Now Kerby Lane has some of my favorite food in the world. Specifically, Kerby queso and pumpkin pancakes. (Not together, although I probably would have no problem eating it :). But last night with Andrew's help we both did great! I got Chicken and black bean tacos on wheat tortillas-with no cheese and a side of guac. it was pretty much on my detox plan outside of the tortillas. I also had 1 glass of red wine....ahhhh. It was well deserved!

My plan for today is to clean my house. I think starting new eating habits should be a platform for new changes in my life. Including having a clean house! So I'm excited for that as well as hanging out with my girl, Jillian! I'm going to shred today! boo-ya!

I have no idea where we are headed for dinner...We have some dear friends in town, so I am going to have to roll with the punches and make good choices! Pray for me :)

I hope you guys have a great and wonderful saturday!

P.S. Love that A&M lost. Giggle.

Day 5- TGIF!

Can I get an "Amen" for it being Friday!?!

I am so so happy for the weekend. I feel like this week has been the hardest back to work week of my life since I have had such terrible allergies! I am slowly feeling better, though!

So one of my favorite things about having my blog is my precious mom calling and emailing me about my typo's! I need to make a disclaimer that I am dyslexic and a horrible speller. I am no grammatical genius, either. I write just how I talk. I feel if we all have this understanding you will be gracious with me :). I will however, continue to have my mom check and get back to me when I misspell things. Apparently there is a "p" is raspberry? Who knew? And garbanzo has been spelled wrong for days now.... My bad, friends! :)

I am so excited for day 5 of my little detox. This morning I rewarded my self with a trip to starbucks before work. I missed my friends there. And I had to stop my fave barista from making my usual drink and request a caffeine free tea. She recommended a tea called Vanilla Rooibos. It might be the most delish tea I've had all week. I highly recommend it!

I have to admit I am nervous about this weekend. I am nervous I will fall off the wagon! But Andrew and I have a game plan and as long as I stick to that, I should be good. Something I decided to do when i started this journey is allow myself 24 hours off of my detox each week. So during that 24 hours, I can have coffee. dairy, a glass of wine and bready products. I am not allowed any time off of my weight watchers program, but I can have a weekend and enjoy it. So my 24 hours will most likely begin tonight at dinner through tomorrow night at dinner. I feel like I need to do this to not deprive my self. I know from past if I do that, I will end up bingeing. So this is to prevent that! yay! Here is my menu for today!

breakfast:

banana and large tea (I was not very hungry, so I skipped the smoothie)

Snack: Grapefruit and 100 calorie pack of almonds

Lunch: 3oz of grilled chicken breast

1 sweet potato

1 cup of steamed broccoli

Snack: 1/4 cup of hummus and veggies

Dinner: (We will probably go to dinner at Cheddars, so here is what i will get)

1 glass of red wine

lunch portion of grilled salmon

side of green beans and steamed broccoli

dessert:

1/2 cup of dryers slow churned coffee ice cream and 2 dark chocolate Hershey kisses

That sounds like a yummy and healthy day!

I bought a new work out DVD yesterday. I am obsessed with biggest loser and love jillian and bob. So I got her dvd, "Jillian's 30 day shred". Its awesome because it's full body and is only 20 minutes per workout!!! Which is wonderful! It was $9.00 at Target, so I fully encourage you to purchase it and join me! You will need hand weights-i use 5lbs. Which is wimpy, but all I can handle!

Have a safe and healthy weekend!

Day 4- Hello!

Its day 4 of my detox and I feel pretty good. I still am amazed at how easy it has been. I think it has just been mind over matter. Making the decision and getting it done. It is just such a great picture of God's grace and mercy. I could have really damaged my body and health by not caring properly for myself and yet He has given me all the tools I need to honor him. Mostly, His grace to pursue discipline. I am writing this as I am watching the Today Show and they have been interviewing Ted Williams, a homeless man who has an amazing speaking voice and longs to be back on radio. It is amazing to see how in 6 days he went from being on the streets in Ohio to being on the today show. I love his interview because he is SO REAL. He is overwhelmed, crying, and keeps having to stop to breathe and take it in. He said," I am so overwhelmed. I could really use a nerve pill or something. But NBC let me talk to this nice lady-a therapist- and she taught me to breath. She told me to meditate before I medicate."

I was blown away by that statement. I think it applicable with food, alcohol or anything we use to medicate us. I love the picture of God giving this man, who was broken and just given up the idea of a normal life and given him the opportunity to live again. To stay clean. To use his gift. Amazing. Lets think of Ted when we feel like we are struggling today. Think of God unconditional love for us. I also challenge you when you come across a homeless person or someone just down on their luck, to see them with Gods eyes. As a broken person looking for grace. After all, aren't we all just that? Let's love with His unconditional love.

Back to food :)

My meal plan for today:

Breakfast:

Berry smoothie

-1 banana

-1/2 cup almond milk

-1 handful of rasberries

-1 handful of blue blueberries.

(3 points plus)

Lunch:

1 portobello mushroom

1/2 cup garbonzo beans

1 cup fresh spinach

10 kalamata olives

1 tbl spoon light vinagarette dressing

(points plus 7)

Snack:

1 grapefruit, 100 calorie pack of almonds, 1/4 cup hummus, veggies

(points plus 6)

Dinner:

1 cup black beans

1/2 cup brown rice

1/2 avocado

1/2 cup salsa

(points plus 12)

Dessert:

1 banana and 1 tbl spoon almond butter

(last night i heated up the banana for 20 seconds and the almond butter for 30 seconds and then drizzled the butter over the banana-it was KILLER GOOD. Do it....you know you want to!)

I also want to apologize for a typo from yesterday...I baked the mushrooms for 40 minutes-not 4 :). Love you guys! Keep up the healthy living!

p.s. If you want to see the video that got Ted all this attention, here it is!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-k2i0VC6Jj0&feature=related

Day 3-JOY!

Happy Wednesday!

I had a rough monday and a pretty rough tuesday. Mostly terrible headaches-I think a mixture of no caffeine and a terribly clogged sinus. But I am feeling way better today. Anyway, I have been amazed at how little I have craved and how full I have been. I think keeping busy has been good too. I have realized a couple of things already...

-I am a creature of habit and routine. I have things I do each day that I love. Those things have turned into habits. So I like to have coffee each morning. Preferably coffee in the form of a $4.00 latte from starbucks. This week i have missed that-but have started a new routine which has allowed for more sleep time and saved money :). I make a smoothie at home, drink it in the car and then when i get to work, put on hot water and have hot tea there.

Another one of my habits is I love when I get home from work to pour a glass of wine and watch the news. But, since I am not drinking alcohol this week, i have missed that too. I have come home and poured water in a wine glass and then dressed it up with a squeeze of lemon and lime. Not wine, but its about replacing the routine-modifying it, not erasing it.

The other routine I have missed is my afternoon diet coke. I LOVE to go to sonic happy hour and get a route 44 cherry lime diet coke. After my detox, i will return to doing this-but not a route 44 and not everyday! But for now, I have either gone to sonic and gotten a route 44 water with lemon and lime or gone to starbucks and gotten a venti refresh tea. These have both been good options for me. I'm learning to modify modify modify :)

My dinner last night was killer good. I mean, delish. So i highly recommend it. It was simple, but so good.Im having it again tonight! Here is my menu today:

Breakfast:

Banana and Almond butter smoothie (same as yesterday-really like it a lot!)

Snack: Veggies and hummus

Lunch: balsamic portobello mushroom (i baked it in the oven for 40 minutes at 350 drizzled with olive oil and doused in balsamic vinegar).

1 cup garbanzo beans

1 cup fresh spinach

8 kalamata olives

Snack: grapefruit and 100 calorie pack almonds

Dinner: 3oz chicken breast

sweet potato baked

side salad

Dessert: Banana heated up and sliced with 1 tbl spoon of almond butter

Hope your day is full of wholeness and health. And, when i weighed this morning i was down 3.8 from from monday morning. I realize so much of this is water weight, but it is encouraging non the less!

Day 2, after a rough day 1...

Ok, so yesterday was terrible. And not because of my detox. I am terribly allergic to cedar and Austin is completely COVERED in cedar. So I feel like death. Maybe this detox can help me with my allergies. I literally slept for 11 hours last night because I felt so awful. But the good news is I wasn't starving! I love this detox because it encourages rest. So even though I didn't get up this morning to work out, it's ok. I just have to take care of myself. That is what Im learning, that there are no rigid rules, except to take care of myself. I am planning to take the girls I nanny on a walk today and that should be some good exercise!

Here is my meal plan for today!

Breakfast:Banana and almond butter smoothie (same as yesterday)

Snack:

Grapefruit and almonds (same as yesterday)

Lunch:

1 cup black beans

1/2 cup brown rice

1/2 an avocado

a/2 cup of salsa

snack:

2 tbl spoons hummus and fresh veggies

Dinner:

3oz chicken breast

1 sweet potato baked

small salad with light dressing

Dessert:

Apple with 1tblspoon of almond butter

I was REALLY hungry yesterday afternoon and so i drank a ton of water and since I was at work, the only thing i could really snack on that they had here that was part of the detox was fruit. I really ate 3 clementines and a banana. Good thing fruit is 0 points plus points :). I am also really loving hot tea. I have that in the mornings to replace my coffee. It feels great on my sore throat.

Hope your day is great! Remember to rest and take care of you! Even if that means sleeping 11 hours! Oh, and since yesterday morning, I lost .8 lbs. Good start, right!?!

Day 1

Good Morning! It is 9:41am and I have already had 3 glasses of water, 2 cups of tea and an amazing smoothie! And have had a great work out this morning. So far, detox is great. I thought I would really be missing caffeine this morning, but I've been ok! I think everything has been overshadowed by my terrible allergies! I weighed this morning and am only 1 lb up from before Christmas, so that is not to shabby! Here is my meal plan for today:

Breakfast:

Smoothie-1cup of vanilla flavored almond milk

-2 table spoons of almond butter

- 1 Banana

- 3 large strawberries (points plus 8 points)

Snack: 1 large grapefruit, 100 calories of almonds (3 points plus)

Lunch:

Small salad- spinach, red and green bell peppers, cucumbers, and mushrooms

3 oz of grilled chicken

2 tbls spoons Kens light olive oil and vinegar dressing

(points plus 4)

snack:

2 table spoons of hummus

baby carrots

raw mushrooms

(Points plus 3)

Dinner:

1/2 cup brown rice

1 cup black beans

1/2 avocado

1/2 cup salsa

(points plus 12)

Snack:

Apple

1 table spoon Almond butter (points plus 3)

This puts me at 33 points plus points. My points plus daily target is 38-but i am ok with being under a little bit.

I also am trying to drink lots of water. I love diet coke so this is hard for me, but something i've been doing is putting a cut up cucumber and fresh jalapeno (no seeds or vein) in my water pitcher. It tastes so fresh and I have really enjoyed it!

I'm off to spend sometime in the word! Have a great day!

A new beginning!

Dear Friends,

As it is the beginning of a new year, it is also a beginning of a healthy Whitney! As many of you know, I have battled a weight issue for most of my life. I found success during college when I joined weight watchers and slowly started to see the weight melt off. Though I never got to my goal weight, I did lose 50 lbs and looked pretty thin for me :). Well, since I got married in August of 2007, i have gained back all but 10 of the lbs I lost. I have slowly slipped into terrible eating habits and have allowed myself to spiral out of control...and I'm done. I am done with being unhealthy and abusing my body. I know God calls our body a temple and my temple is in need of a better care taker. So, 2011 is my year. I'm doing this. I called this blog "2 lbs a week" because I really would like to lose 100 lbs. I realize that sounds drastic, but if I were to lose 100 lbs, I would be at my ideal weight for my height. I do, however, know that I might not need to lose that much. So it's goal I have set, but can leave open and change it. Honestly, any loss will be a victory for me. I invite you join me on my journey and follow me!

Here is my action plan:

1. I am already a member of weight watchers, but I am going to follow their Points Plus program and attend weekly meetings for accountability and to track my weight.

2. I am starting this journey with a detox. Its not a psycho one, but is a healthy way for me to jump start my journey. It's from the magazine Whole living and is a 4 week detox (http://www.wholeliving.com/photogallery/4-week-makeover#). Week 1 is the most intense-No caffeine, no alcohol, no carbs, no gluten, no peanuts, no dairy. I am modifying it a bit, mostly because my local HEB doesn't have millet...whatever millet is. So i am doing some substitutes. I'll post my menu and let you see what i'm eating!

3. Exercise. I have always been fairly active. I like to exercise and am pretty athletic. I am going to make it my goal to exercise 5 days a week. I need change to keep me from getting bored, so I am going to try to do different things. I 'll keep you posted on that adventure as well.

4. Pray-I believe this is glorifying God by allowing him to fully have my body and mind. I want to daily spend time with Him to be able to center myself and seek him in all I do. To trust him when things are hard and seek whole health-body, mind and spirit.

I encourage you to join me in this journey! 2 lbs a week! Here we go!