There are moments in everyone's life that can be considered "mountain top" moments. I define this as having a feeling of certainty, a time of clarity, and/or feeling the spirit of God wash over you. Recently, I had all three of these things happen at once.
Each morning there is an assorted group of friends that meet at 6am to hit the pavement to walk, run or walk and run. We are all at various stages of athletic ability but usually there are enough of us that we end up being at least paired up for the trek. Occasionally you may end up by yourself and this particular morning I was alone at the end of the line. I had been pushing myself to run but was finding it difficult to sustain the pace and of course I was berating myself about being a big, fat slow poke.
As I topped a hill at about mile 2.5 my eyes were opened and I had my "mountain top" moment. There standing at the edge of the woods staring at me was a deer. I never stopped walking but this deer and I just kept looking at each other for what seemed like an eternity. When it did decide to walk away it wasn't in a hurry but just turned to leave. When I turned my eyes back to my path I saw the sun coming up over the mountain and it's rays were beaming through the morning clouds. I felt God's peace wash over me. I was so humbled and thankful that I began to cry. Between the tears I began to thank God outloud for all of my many blessings and for allowing me to be out there and be able to take charge of my well being. No longer did I feel like the fat girl left behind. I was reminded that I am a daughter of God and He gave me the ability to change my own situation.
It was that moment that I concluded that it does not matter if I walk, run, hop, skip, jump or spread my wings and fly. The most important thing is that I am out there putting one foot in front of the other and I am making progress one step at a time. Let me just say that it feels great!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
recipes
SQUASH CASSEROLE
1 onion
about 5 yellow squash
1 cup of greek yogurt
20 wheat Ritz crackers
1 cup of cheese
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter
pre-heat oven to 400
Slice squash and onion into a pot and add water to boil
boil until tender, drain
mix in cheese and yogurt
add to casserole dish
crumble Ritz crackers on top
spray with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter
bake until crackers are toasted
8 servings
3 points per serving
SMASHED POTATOES
bag of small red or yellow potatoes
salt
pepper
garlic powder
olive oil cooking spray
pre-heat oven to 450
boil potatoes and remove from water
spray cookie sheet with cooking spray and sprinkle garlic powder
place potatoes on pan and mash them down with a large spoon or spatula
spray potatoes with cooking spray
salt and pepper to taste
bake until crispy (to taste)
**I also roast other vegetables (squash, potatoes, cabbage, peppers, onions are some faves) in the same way without boiling them first. I just cut them in fairly thin slices and put them on the pan. **
1 onion
about 5 yellow squash
1 cup of greek yogurt
20 wheat Ritz crackers
1 cup of cheese
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter
pre-heat oven to 400
Slice squash and onion into a pot and add water to boil
boil until tender, drain
mix in cheese and yogurt
add to casserole dish
crumble Ritz crackers on top
spray with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter
bake until crackers are toasted
8 servings
3 points per serving
SMASHED POTATOES
bag of small red or yellow potatoes
salt
pepper
garlic powder
olive oil cooking spray
pre-heat oven to 450
boil potatoes and remove from water
spray cookie sheet with cooking spray and sprinkle garlic powder
place potatoes on pan and mash them down with a large spoon or spatula
spray potatoes with cooking spray
salt and pepper to taste
bake until crispy (to taste)
**I also roast other vegetables (squash, potatoes, cabbage, peppers, onions are some faves) in the same way without boiling them first. I just cut them in fairly thin slices and put them on the pan. **
Some recipes
I have been unable to follow my regular routine so I thought I would post some recipes.
TOASTED TACOS
1 pack of flat bread ( I like the brand Flatout)
1 jar of salsa
1 pack of taco seasoning
1 lb. hamburger
1 pack of mexican blend cheese
1 can of mexicorn
cooking spray
cookie sheet
pre-heat oven to 400
brown ground beef, drain, add pack of taco seasoning (follow directions on pack)
spray pan with cooking spray and add flatbread
spread salsa onto the flatbread leaving about a 1 inch edge on the bread
sprinkle ground beef and corn to taste
place into the oven and leave until the bread starts to crisp
add cheese and put into the oven until melted
We love these and even add sour cream on the side. The measurements on this are pretty much to taste but since I do Weight Watchers when I make them I measure them to be about 5 points.
TOASTED TACOS
1 pack of flat bread ( I like the brand Flatout)
1 jar of salsa
1 pack of taco seasoning
1 lb. hamburger
1 pack of mexican blend cheese
1 can of mexicorn
cooking spray
cookie sheet
pre-heat oven to 400
brown ground beef, drain, add pack of taco seasoning (follow directions on pack)
spray pan with cooking spray and add flatbread
spread salsa onto the flatbread leaving about a 1 inch edge on the bread
sprinkle ground beef and corn to taste
place into the oven and leave until the bread starts to crisp
add cheese and put into the oven until melted
We love these and even add sour cream on the side. The measurements on this are pretty much to taste but since I do Weight Watchers when I make them I measure them to be about 5 points.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
What's my story?
Ok. Here I am. This is my official blog about the changes and new direction in my life. My endevor into blogging is at my sister in law's insistence that I would be able to encourage or inspire someone else with my journey. So here is the story....
My mother is heavy and has been for as long as I can remember. When she was young she had a small waist but I suppose marriage and kids changed that. She is a wonderful cook and always made sure we had hot, huge meals on the table everyday. She cooks like a southern lady should and a meal without home made biscuits was a meal that was incomplete. My dad has never been over weight. He is one of those annoying people that only eats so he won't be hungry. Upon opening his kitchen cabinets you will find sparse amounts of food and if there is any "junk" food it is the occasional box of Little Debbie cakes. To him people are fat because they are weak and he judges people based on their size. You can almost understand why a marriage between these two could not be expected to last. She the food loving cook and he the man with a need to eat basis attitude.
I have been over weight all of my adult life. This is not uncommon or suprising in some way because of my DNA and from what I have observed most of America is above the recommended number on the scales. My love of food came not only from having a mother that prepared and served wonderful butter enriched, carb loaded and fried concoctions but also from having a grandmother that thought "eating a bite" was the best thing a person could do to soothe their soul, pass the time or show gratitude. She let me eat what I wanted when I wanted and it made her happy to see me eat and enjoy something she had placed before me. I am not blaming these wonderful women for my obesity but just giving them credit for passing on the love of food. I eat because I love food. It is my best friend and my worst enemy all at the same time.
As a child I was a fairly normal size and I think that was because I stayed pretty active. I rode bikes, swam, rode horses and played outside as much as possible. By the time I was in my teens I was over weight but it was not severe. My self image included the idea that I was fat and yet looking back at photos I see how wrong I was about that. By my second year of college I was to a point of needing to beconcerned about my weight and I clearly remember stepping on the scales and realizing that I was at my heaviest in my life. I am five nine and I weighed 220 pounds. At 22 I had my first child and my memory fails me as to what I weighed then but at 32 I was tipping the scales at 275. It was then I decided to do something about my weight and drastically changed my eating habits, types of food and activity level. I started in Jan. and by June had dropped 65 pounds. During that summer I slowly slipped off of the healthy lifestyle wagon. By August I was adding pounds back to my weight and exercise did not fit my schedule anymore.
At age 34 I found out that I am a diabetic. This was not shocking because my mother is diabetic, her sister is diabetic and both of their parents were diabetic. It stood to reason that I too would be afflected. I went to work to change those nasty eating habits once more and right away I lost 35 pounds. Of course I just could not completely let go of the chocolate splurges and carb feasts so even though my diabetes stayed in check with meds I continued to eat unhealthy foods and not exercise regularly. Just before my 36th birthday I found myself looking at 252 on the scales. That is when my husband, Chris, said the words that have changed my life.
"Honey, I want to join Weight Watchers." These were the words he looked into my eyes and uttered. I was absolutely overjoyed to hear him say that. My handsome, wonderful husband is 6 feet 5 inches tall and weighed in at 453 pounds. If any two people needed to make life changes it was certainly us.
As of today we are in our 13th week of WW and I have shed 38.4 pounds, Chris has melted off 67 pounds and my mom has even joined in and is going to meetings too. We have become a family on a mission to get control of our health and well being. I am determined to become fit and healthy and to show my children that you can go through your whole life making healthy chioces.
This blog is my attempt to keep record of my journey. I can not promise a masterpiece just an honest account of my feelings, ideas, ups and downs.
My mother is heavy and has been for as long as I can remember. When she was young she had a small waist but I suppose marriage and kids changed that. She is a wonderful cook and always made sure we had hot, huge meals on the table everyday. She cooks like a southern lady should and a meal without home made biscuits was a meal that was incomplete. My dad has never been over weight. He is one of those annoying people that only eats so he won't be hungry. Upon opening his kitchen cabinets you will find sparse amounts of food and if there is any "junk" food it is the occasional box of Little Debbie cakes. To him people are fat because they are weak and he judges people based on their size. You can almost understand why a marriage between these two could not be expected to last. She the food loving cook and he the man with a need to eat basis attitude.
I have been over weight all of my adult life. This is not uncommon or suprising in some way because of my DNA and from what I have observed most of America is above the recommended number on the scales. My love of food came not only from having a mother that prepared and served wonderful butter enriched, carb loaded and fried concoctions but also from having a grandmother that thought "eating a bite" was the best thing a person could do to soothe their soul, pass the time or show gratitude. She let me eat what I wanted when I wanted and it made her happy to see me eat and enjoy something she had placed before me. I am not blaming these wonderful women for my obesity but just giving them credit for passing on the love of food. I eat because I love food. It is my best friend and my worst enemy all at the same time.
As a child I was a fairly normal size and I think that was because I stayed pretty active. I rode bikes, swam, rode horses and played outside as much as possible. By the time I was in my teens I was over weight but it was not severe. My self image included the idea that I was fat and yet looking back at photos I see how wrong I was about that. By my second year of college I was to a point of needing to beconcerned about my weight and I clearly remember stepping on the scales and realizing that I was at my heaviest in my life. I am five nine and I weighed 220 pounds. At 22 I had my first child and my memory fails me as to what I weighed then but at 32 I was tipping the scales at 275. It was then I decided to do something about my weight and drastically changed my eating habits, types of food and activity level. I started in Jan. and by June had dropped 65 pounds. During that summer I slowly slipped off of the healthy lifestyle wagon. By August I was adding pounds back to my weight and exercise did not fit my schedule anymore.
At age 34 I found out that I am a diabetic. This was not shocking because my mother is diabetic, her sister is diabetic and both of their parents were diabetic. It stood to reason that I too would be afflected. I went to work to change those nasty eating habits once more and right away I lost 35 pounds. Of course I just could not completely let go of the chocolate splurges and carb feasts so even though my diabetes stayed in check with meds I continued to eat unhealthy foods and not exercise regularly. Just before my 36th birthday I found myself looking at 252 on the scales. That is when my husband, Chris, said the words that have changed my life.
"Honey, I want to join Weight Watchers." These were the words he looked into my eyes and uttered. I was absolutely overjoyed to hear him say that. My handsome, wonderful husband is 6 feet 5 inches tall and weighed in at 453 pounds. If any two people needed to make life changes it was certainly us.
As of today we are in our 13th week of WW and I have shed 38.4 pounds, Chris has melted off 67 pounds and my mom has even joined in and is going to meetings too. We have become a family on a mission to get control of our health and well being. I am determined to become fit and healthy and to show my children that you can go through your whole life making healthy chioces.
This blog is my attempt to keep record of my journey. I can not promise a masterpiece just an honest account of my feelings, ideas, ups and downs.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)