2012 Intentions.2 {{27 Lbs.}}

Ok. Here it is. I have worked really hard for the last two years to shed some pounds and get in shape. I successfully shed 70 lbs. yay!

Well over the holidays, I enjoyed a weight loss rest period and well, I put on 10 POUNDS!!!! I cannot believe it. So here is 2012 Intention #2. Lose 27 lbs. 27?? Why 27??

On January 2, when I stepped on the scale, I was up 7 lbs. After a week of pseudo dieting, I put on another 3! Yikes. That was a real wake up call. On Monday, January 9, I climbed back on the wagon and am tackling those 10 pounds and an additional 17 that will be my final goal. (I hope.)

I have a really big birthday next month. Summer is coming again. Shorts! Swim suits?! What? Oh no!

To hold myself accountable, I will post my progress here. Please keep me on track. If I don’t post, then I beg you to ask me about it. I want 2012 to be the last year that I have lbs to lose! By the strength of God and along with the encouragement of my friends, I want 2012 to be the year that I ultimately kick this weight thing in the tail!

Will you join me?

Love,
Traci {{24 lbs to go}}

2012 Intentions

2012. I woke up Sunday morning and it was a new year completely. Every day now, for the next several weeks, I have to remind myself to end the date with a 12 and not an 11. This will go on until 2013 probably.

With the dawning of a new year, most of us have ideas, notions, things that we intend to tackle or resolve to do better, more, less, etc. I have a few things that I intend for 2012. I will lay those out over the next few days.

The first is to read the Bible through all the way through. I started about half way through in July 2011, and thoroughly enjoyed the process and what God revealed through seeing His word in context in large meal-sized portions daily. I look forward to an entire year with the Word of God. This will be a first for me. I have never gone all the way through the Bible like this.

I have opted for the Daily Audio Bible (DAB) as my medium for this journey. You can find DAB as an iPhone app, an iTunes podcast as well as a mobile player at www.dailyaudiobible.com. I like the DAB because I can “read” while I’m walking or driving. I tend to focus better when listening to the reader than when relying on my own concentration while reading. Brian Hardin, who founded DAB and does the reading also shares a brief introduction to each book before starting a new book. I have learned so much already. I also really enjoy the community at DAB. There are literally thousands of people in this community who share their prayer concerns and are going through the Bible together.

Happy 2012. What are your hopes for this year?

Between You & Me… It’s hard to blog.

Can I just say to you that it is HARD to blog. This should be abundantly clear since this is my first post since September! This post is not to make any grand proclamation of a new resolve to be more consistent or that I have any worthy excuse. It’s just to confess that I have been a slacker in blogland and to say that I am sorry for that. I will do my darndest to do better! Will you forgive me is the bigger question? Do you even care that I have not blogged in 3 months? We shall see!

Tuesday’s Teacher: September 14, 2011

Yesterday, I taught a middle school writing class for our homeschool co-op. The lesson was on Quality Adjectives. The basic premise of the lesson focused on choosing quality descriptive words rather than boring, overused words like “good, bad, mean, ugly,” etc. This has gotten me thinking today.

I am one of those talkative types. My husband is definitely not! I always have something to say. My husband however makes sure that his words are necessary. How appropriate for me to teach a lesson on choosing quality words?! It could certainly be said that all my many words are not quality. I am certain that they are often frivolous and even unnecessary. Maybe I should have been taking the lesson instead of teaching it.

The Bible instructs that our words should be edifying and for building others up. These would truly be quality words. Far too often, my words are intended to elevate myself, to bring attention to myself, to be critical or just to simply fill the dead air. It is not often enough, that I choose to call and encourage someone who I know is facing a hard time; or choose to quiet my tongue when someone makes me angry; or just shut up so someone else can talk. Now that’s a novel thought!

It is my prayer today that God will teach me to quiet my tongue and help me be more like He has intended me to be… quick to listen, slow to anger and rich in love. Help me today, Jesus.

Love you so much!

Friday’s Fitness: September 9, 2011

Today, I pose a question.

Who’s race are you running?

For the past 3-4 weeks, I have had no joy in my running. I’ve done it, mind you, but without joy. In the weeks and months prior, I have really enjoyed it. I have looked forward to the time out on the street. Something has changed though. This morning, I figured it out.

Lately, I have not run my race. I have run my ego’s race. I have lots of good friends who run and lately, I have let my ego and my desire to run their pace rule my mind. When I’ve set out on my run, all I could think about was my pace per mile. I ignored the voice of my trainer. I pushed myself hard and my ego got a big boost, but the rest of me felt awful. It just wasn’t fun.

This morning, with my sneakers on, I said to my husband, “I’m just not feeling it today.” I went out the door though and put in my headphones. My “trainer” began his usual chatter of motivation in my ear. But today, he talked about the benefits of going slow. What? Going slow is a benefit? He went on saying that if you go slow, you keep your body in the aerobic state longer because you are able to stay moving longer. He then said, “And you’ll burn more fat.” Well, dang! That’s what I want anyway! I just want to be more fit and have less fat. I really don’t desire to be a racer or set any kind of record. My ego just didn’t want to be the slowest.

As I went along, I immediately made adjustments. I trotted along this morning at a pace that felt good and ignored the girl who tells me my pace at every mile marker. I ran 6+ miles at a nice slow pace and had a really good time. I actually felt better the second half of the run than I did the first half. I was even singing out loud at some points!

So, I pose the question to you… Who’s race are you running? Yours? Your ego’s? Or someone else’s?

I recommend you just run yours. Enjoy it and you’ll keep going. And don’t make me throw the WORD at you about pride coming before a fall. I was supposed to have learned that one already when I fell and got all banged up, but apparently not! Some lessons will have to be learned over and over, I guess!

Love you so much!

Wednesday’s Word: September 7, 2011

Beginning today, each Wednesday, my kids and I will be memorizing a passage in scripture. We will take a week to apply it to our hearts. I thought I’d share them with you in hopes to encourage you.

This week’s verse is:

Who else has held the oceans in his hand?
Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers?
Who else knows the weight of the earth or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale? (Isaiah 40:12 NLT)

Our God is big enough to measure the heavens with his fingers and hold the oceans in His hand. It makes my problems seem not so insurmountable!

Love you so much!
Traci

Tuesday’s Teacher: September 6, 2011

We are a homeschool family. Today is officially our first day of school for this year. My 5th and 7th graders are both furiously working on today’s math and language arts work. I love their enthusiasm at the start of each year!

Today’s post is dedicated to all our homeschooling friends. I am thinking of you today and praying that God’s wisdom and peace will guard your home.

Love you so much!

Friday’s Fitness: September 2, 2011

What are you eating? Are you aware that there is research that shows that insulin blocks access to your fat cells as a fuel source for your body? If your desire is to burn body fat as your body’s fuel rather than sugar, (and who wouldn’t want that?), then what you eat and when you eat it has a direct effect on that process.

Your best bet is to put your running shoes on first thing in the morning after a cup of simple black coffee. Coffee is a great metabolism kick starter. But don’t add any sugar or creamer! The first 10 minutes or so of your workout will burn body sugars, then your body starts to access its stored fat as fuel. Another tip is to run or walk for 45-60 minutes. If you need to go slow to do so, then certainly do. Let’s connect the dots… If your body doesn’t burn fat until 10 minutes into the workout and you only go 20-30 minutes, then you have missed a tremendous fat burning potential.

After your workout, eat a high protein breakfast and avoid carbs for a couple hours following your workout. This will block an insulin spike in your body and allow your body to continue burning fat for fuel.

Here’s my morning routine:
6:30 Coffee
7:00 Run/walk
8:30 Bacon and eggs
I add carbs at lunch time and throughout the day.

Please keep in mind that the above information only applies when working out for fat loss. If you are working out to build muscle, then carbs are definitely necessary. Also, if you are running super long distances, then sugar is a must post run.

Have fun! Love you so much!

Sunday’s Song: August 21, 2011

Friday’s Fitness: August 19, 2011

Let’s talk honestly. For years I have battled my weight. There are battles that I’ve won, even more that I’ve lost. I certainly lost the war for most of my adult life. When I stepped on the scale this morning, I was down 65 pounds. I am 15-20 pounds from my ultimate goal. Often, I get asked, “How have you done it? How are you losing weight?” I’ve answered that in previous posts, but have something specific related to that on my mind today. What I want to talk to you about today is mind shift.

I LOVE to eat!! I had a Paula Deen type of grandmother whose recipes we still enjoy today. My mom is no slouch in the kitchen. My hubby has some of his favorite things at her table. In addition to that, I don’t really enjoy fruit. I could go the rest of my life and never eat fruit again without shedding a tear. I would rather eat fried chicken, mashed potatoes, bbq, Mexican food, bar food like chips and dip, potato skins, fried cheese, etc. and follow it with a pint of ice cream.

Lots of people live with the misconception that losing weight means giving up all of these type foods. During the last year and a half of weight loss, I have enjoyed many bowls of ice cream and regular trips to Varsity BBQ or El Amigo. The difference now is that I’ve made sure to earn it. I regularly read the back of the package of anything I consume and am armed with the caloric information. If I plan to have my Breyer’s Oreo Ice Cream at bedtime, then I’d better still have 280 calories left that day. If I enjoy Milkshake Monday at Chickfila, then I have to prepare to have 1130 calories available to use.

How do you know how many calories to eat each day? There are easy online tools that you can use. Find a BMR (basal metabolic rate) calculator online. There are plenty of free ones. Your BMR is the amount of calories you burn each day if you did nothing but lie in bed all day. You can use this number as a starting point and then add in physical activity to know how many more calories you have available each day.

My favorite, super simple method is www.myfitnesspal.com. My Fitness Pal is free. You simply tell the site or the iPhone app some basic info… your age, gender, current weight and height. Then you set a goal like “lose 2 lbs per week.” It then calculates your daily calorie goal for you. You then plug in what you eat and it tracks the calories for you. If you workout, you add that in too to EARN more to eat that day.

This method does away with the cycle that comes with eating something that will give you guilt and defeat. If you’ve earned your bowl of ice cream by saving the calories all day or walking for 30 minutes, then victory is yours, not defeat. For me, this is freeing and empowering. The knowledge has been exactly that… EMPOWERING. I earn everything I eat and don’t feel guilty about anything. This practice has changed my life and made my choices much easier to live with.

What choices will you make today?

Love you so much,
Traci