Day 93

It's been a while since I've posted.......I guess it's safe to say that I've been stuck in a "diet rut".  After Spring Break, I got VERY frustrated over the fact that I was still only 10 pounds down. I decided to try something different to help me with my weight loss goals.  One of my biggest obstacles, as I've mentioned before is that I am HORRIBLE about eating veggies. At first, I looked into "juicing" but decided if I can't stand to eat veggies....I more than likely wouldn't be able to stand juicing them either.  Next, I considered the "old school" Slim Fast diet.......then after looking at all the "mystery" ingredients it contained.....I decided that wouldn't be a good choice either.  Then, I remembered someone telling me about "Manna 360" when I started my blog in January.  I began to research it and learned that the product comes from local company based out of Sarasota, Live Smart 360.  The more I read about it....the more I wanted to try it.

Here are the highlights that "sold" me on giving "Manna 360" a try:

One Manna 360 shake serving (3 Weight Watcher Points): 

• Helps weight management feel effortless.
• Fulfills your body's daily nutrient requirements (RDA).
• 77 vital ingredients.
• 40 fruits and vegetables, protein, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, super foods, antioxidants, enzymes, prebiotics, probiotics, and adaptogens.
• Provides 32% of your daily recommended fiber.
• Supports nutritional needs during weight-loss efforts.
• Naturally reduces cravings and appetite.
• Naturally recharges healthy energy levels.
• Enhances fat burning lean muscle mass.
• All-natural, top quality "no compromise" ingredients.
• Contains NO artificial sweeteners, added sugar, preservatives, chemicals, or controversial ingredients.
• Formulated to be 99% lactose free.
• Easy to take along - traveling, camping, to the office.
• Easy to store. Does not require refrigeration.
• Convenient. Mixes with water or any beverage.
• Saves money vs. buying individual supplements.
• Saves money vs. buying expensive whole-foods.
• Saves money vs. throwing away spoiled foods.
• Saves time vs. preparing whole-food meals.
• Saves time vs. shopping for expensive whole foods.
• Tastes terrific - It tastes like Vanilla icing to me.  Yummy!

Only a few minutes after researching the product I discovered that a Facebook friend had recently become a distributor...........all the signs were pointing in the "Live Smart 360" direction!  After a phone conversation with her, she told me about additional products that would help me reach my weight loss goal.  I have now been using them for two weeks and I must say......I feel great!  I have one shake for breakfast, a healthy lunch, a shake for an afternoon snack, and eat dinner with my family each night. My energy has increased, I'm sleeping better, and I'm getting the nutrients my body needs.  I don't know how many pounds I've lost yet because I decided to step away from the scale.  It was beginning to frustrate me, so I'm trying to stay away from it and only weigh once a month.  BUT......according to my 7 year old's "hug test", I'm moving in the right direction.  The other day he said, "Mommy, you're getting littler.  You know how I can tell?  My fingers can touch when I hug you!"  Hearing that feels better than seeing a smaller number on the scale in my book!

I think it is no coincidence that the product I am using is called "Manna 360". Exodus 16 speaks of how God provided Manna to the Israelites when they were in the wilderness.  They began to lose faith in God and he sent the manna down from Heaven to test them.  Just as the manna tested the faith and strength of the Israelites, Manna 360 is a reminder that I need to keep my Faith in God throughout this journey and always remember.........Everything 4:13!

      

Day 76

Heaven got an amazing angel, Wendy Suarez.  

Wendy was taken from us too soon.  

She was in the best health of her life, was blessed with a wonderful husband and beautiful family.  She had big plans in her job as a school administrator.

It is times like this that you can't help but wonder........Why?!?

Why would God let something like this happen to such an amazing person?

It is easier said than done at times like this, but 

FAITH in God 

is what helps get us through.

 

My path has crossed with Wendy's several times in my five years in Bradenton.

I first met Wendy during my first year teaching in Manatee County

when she was subbing for the Assistant Principal at Tara Elementary.

Two years later, we met again when she worked as Assistant Principal at my current school, 

Gene Witt Elementary.

Last year I had the opportunity to shadow Wendy for several days while she worked as

 Assistant Principal at Jesse P. Miller Elementary.

Although Wendy was a mentor for me as a school administrator, 

she was MUCH more than that.

Wendy had a way of making everyone feel special.  

Her kind-heart, sincerity, and determination were among her best qualities. 

She was a wonderful example of an effective school administrator.

It was not only Wendy's work as a school administrator that inspired me.

Wendy's recent weight loss was an inspiration to me as well.

In the past few years, Wendy lost quite a bit of weight and became a devoted runner.  

She frequently posted pictures on Facebook that motivated and inspired me:  

She posted before & after pictures of her weight loss, pictures of her and her husband at the finish line of races, and pictures of her and her family.

Wendy didn't only look amazing......most importantly, she looked........Happy.

I must admit........my weight loss journey was put on a brief "break" this week of "Spring Break".

Wendy's passing, however, has inspired me to continue move forward and reach my goal.

Thinking about how healthy and happy she was motivates me to do the same.

I know Wendy is up there in heaven in her tennis shoes running the most beautiful courses we could ever imagine.....with a huge smile on her face.

I am going to make Wendy proud.

Now, my weight loss is not just about me and my health......

I want to do it to honor the memory of Wendy as well.

Please keep Wendy's family, friends, and co-workers in your prayers as they cope with her loss.

The faculty, students, and teachers of Jesse P. Miller Elementary will need lots of prayer and support as they face their first school day without Wendy tomorrow.

Mercy Me's, "Homesick" is a song that gives me comfort in remembering that Wendy is "Home" and 

we will one day meet again.

Remember.......Everything 4:13!

Day 70

It's Spring Break!  What does that mean for me.......Spring Cleaning!  Since getting our house decluttered is a top priority before we put our house on the market, we decided to send the boys up to Georgia to visit their grandparents this week. 

 It is amazing how much easier it is to "chunk" stuff without your kids there to remind you of how Buzz & Woody felt in Toy Story when they were given away.  Needless to say.......I'm 3 days into my cleaning frenzy and I've gotten MUCH more done than I ever would have imagined.  I miss my kiddo's like crazy though.  Thanks to the wonders of Facetime, we've been able to "see" them even while they are away. 

I pinned the recipe for Tex-Mex Chicken Salad a few weeks ago & made it today.  It is delicious! I changed a few things from the original recipe, mainly because I can't stand fat-free mayo.  Even with the "real thing", it's still only 7 points per serving.  Here's my version of the recipe.

Tex-Mex Chicken Salad

6 servings

7 Points+ Per Serving

Ingredients:

1 whole Rotisserie Chicken, shredded

2 tbsp. mayo

1/2 c. plain greek yogurt 0% fat

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp chili powder

1 small sweet red pepper, chopped

1 small green pepper, chopped

2 medium uncooked scallions, sliced

11 oz. can sweet yellow corn, drained & rinsed

1 c. low-sodium black beans, drained & rinsed

Combine ingredients & chill.  

 

As I continue to clean and declutter, I can gain comfort from the fact that I'm burning calories in the process.  Remember.......Everything 4:13!

Day 67

Well, I'm 67 days in and I have officially run out of stuff to write about.

So.............. In honor of Spring Break, 

I've decided to take a brief hiatus from my daily posts.....at least until I have something interesting 

to say, a delicious recipe to share, or exciting weight loss news to tell the world about.

Remember Everything 4:13!

Day 66

Here I am at Day 65.....with nothing to write about.  So, here are a few weight loss tips I thought I would share.

Remember..........Everything 4:13!

Day 65

 One of my closest (& skinniest) friends shared some exciting news today............

She reached her "magic" number on the scale.

I must admit.......I had mixed emotions with her announcement.

Part of me was thrilled for her because I know how hard she has worked and how much she wanted to reach her goal.

Then......there's the other, selfish and jealous side of me, that wanted to say........REALLY?!?!  

If you're overweight, I'm sure you know exactly what I mean.  

The weight she was before she reached her goal weight is about twenty pounds LESS than my goal weight, so it's hard for me to be sympathetic with a skinny person being excited about losing weight.

Once I put my selfish and jealous thoughts to the side and focused on my friend's success, I began to look at her weight loss from a different perspective.......her "skinny" perspective.

It doesn't matter how much you weigh or what size clothes you wear.........the goal is to be comfortable in your OWN skin.
There are many women out there that would love to be my weight just like I would love to be the weight of my friend.
Every woman has a "magic number" in their head of what they would like to weigh or what size they would like to wear.
The size or number doesn't matter........the important thing is being happy with who you are and who God made you to be.

Even though my friend has reached her goal weight, I know that she continue to support me as I reach my goal and celebrating (& shopping) with me when I get there.

So, the next time my friend says she's fat, has a big butt, or can't fit into her jeans........instead of saying "Really?!"as I roll my eyes.........I'll be sure to say..........."How can I help?" instead.

Remember..........Everything 4:13!

Day 64

 Last night was my favorite episode of Biggest Loser every season.......Makeover Week!

There is just something special about watching the looks on the contestant's faces when they see themselves in the mirror and realize how much they have changed.  

Their smiles are priceless.

Yes, I admit......I tear up every season.

Danni is my "pick to win" this season.  

She just seems to "want it" more than the others.

In last night's episode, she expressed some of the same feelings

 I have always had about shopping.......dread!

With her newly transformed body, she was full of smiles, tears of joy, and amazement.

I can't wait to get there too.

I've mentioned before how much I dislike shopping.  

It's not that I dislike shopping, 

I just dislike the dressing room and the whole process of having to actually 

TRY on clothes and deal with the disappointment 

when something doesn't fit or look good.

I have had a few brief moments in my life when I actually enjoyed the dressing room, 

but they are few and far between.

So I'm going to follow the advice of the Biggest Loser trainers so I can eventually reap the rewards of my hard work in the dressing room.

I will make conscious choices, keep fighting, and keep moving, and

Remember.......Everything 4:13!

 

Day 63

It was Chick-fil-A Spirit Night for my school tonight. 

So, of course, that meant I could enjoy a night away from the kitchen and support my school at the same time.

PLEASE keep your political opinions to yourself........plain and simple, I LOVE their food.

Being on Weight Watchers, however, there are some things on the Chick-fil-A menu you can still enjoy AND some things you need to avoid.  

If you're watching your waistline, you may want to avoid the following foods or at least enjoy it only on special occassions.

 Chick-fil-A milkshakes are heavenly, BUT the points value is sinful at 21 points!  Yikes!

Click here to view a recipe for a Skinny "copy-cat" version of the Chick-fil-A Banana Pudding milkshake.  It's still not "super healthy", but is definitely better than 21 points!  

Waffle fries......yum!  But at 10 points for a medium serving.....they're worth almost the same as a regular Chick-fil-A sandwich.

I love putting Chick-fil-A sauce on my sandwich or dipping my waffle fries in it, but with a points plus value of 4 for a condiment......not worth it!  My other favorite sauce, Polynesian, isn't much better at 3 points.  The best choice for dipping sauces is the Buffalo Sauce at 0 points or Honey Mustard at 1 point.

Don't worry though, all hope is not lost.  

You can still enjoy Chick-fil-A without destroying your diet in the process.

Here are a few of the Chick-fil-A items with a Points Plus Value of 7 points or less.

Chargrilled Chicken Sandwich:  7 +Points

8-Piece Chicken Nuggets:  7 + Points

Fruit Cup:  0 +points!

Chargrilled Chicken & Fruit Salad w/ Light Italian Dressing:  6 +points

Icedream Cone:  5 + points

My favorite, is the Classic Chick-fil-A sandwich.  

At 11 + points, it's definitely a splurge, but I must admit.......

 It was sooooo worth it!

So, go ahead, enjoy some Chick-fil-A.....it won't destroy your diet. 

(At least as long as you skip the milkshake OR you don't crave it on a Sunday.)

Eat Mor Chickin and

Remember...........Everything 4:13!