The Intention of My Blog


Welcome, my beloved readers!

In case you're wondering, it's not a typo up there for you see the definition of goodly is:

used as an adjective to describe something
1. of ample or good size, ex: a goodly amount.
2. of a fine appearance, ex: a goodly young man.
3. Archaic. of good quality, ex: a goodly gift.

I am a mother who home educates her children; I would be pleased if you'd look around. You never know if I might have something to your liking. I've blogged about different topics. I hope you enjoy your stay here. May God bless you with peace, a renewing of your mind, and rest as you read my posts.

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Thanks to all for your patience as I have been on the mend. I had double heart bypass surgery in February of 2013, and I needed to focus on my recovery, which has been in steady progress. Thanks for your kind consideration.


Thanks for visiting!



Saturday, February 26, 2011

How I Lost Thirty Pounds

Me at my heaviest.
 About four years ago, after having gone on a trip to the beach, I saw some photos of myself.  I was amazed at what I saw.  My lower calf legs, which were my pride and joy, were too chunky.  Sure, I had been suffering with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and anxiety at the time, not to mention shortness of breath, every time I walked at all.  I just did not realize how much my extra weight really showed.

I decided to weigh myself and set on the course to weight loss.  I'm not saying that I went all out to try to lose the weight at once.  I knew that I had gained and lost weight before.  I had already had all four of my children by the year 2005.  I had already experienced the yo-yo of weight with all of those four pregnancies.

I chose a few methods to help me lose weight.  I read information on the internet, listened to doctors on television, and read books.  I compiled my ideas and added a few.  Here is what I came up with (in no particular order) that have helped me lose a total of 30 pounds:


1. I put on my tennis shoes.
 
I think this is the most important one.  I got this idea from a cleaning guru.  This person, the Fly Lady, recommends that you put your shoes so it can trigger in your mind to get up and do something in the cleaning arena of your life.  I just added it to my priorities because it did cause me to get up and clean, which involves movement.  When you clean, you sweat and exercise.

2. I drank less soda.

 I have struggled with this one recently.  When you take into account how much sugar there is in one can of soda, you would think that the mind would rule over the strange taste buds.

3. I ate less junk food.

 This one I struggle with nowadays; however, with food prices going up, this is one thing, including pre-packaged and highly processed foods, that I am hoping to give up.  I already announced this at a family meeting after dinner a few nights ago.

4. I ate more fruits and vegetables.

I made smoothies with anything imaginable.  I mixed yogurt, frozen strawberries, and fresh bananas.  I used whatever frozen fruit I had available and added cinnamon, flax seeds, and/or powdered supplements I thought that my body needed at the time.

5. I exercised with the help of the Wii.

This was a lot of fun.  The games include balancing a ball and dropping it into a hole, jogging in place, and using a hula hoop.

6. I used light weight dumb bells, a large exercise ball, and resistance bands, while exercising.

I often viewed exercise videos, which included using dumb bells.  Whenever I watched television, I used the dumb bells and resistance bands.  I became good at multi-tasking with the large ball by sitting on it, while reading my emails on the computer.

7. I drank more water.

I made it a point to leave bottles of water everywhere I might sit.  This encouraged me to drink more water than ever before.  I still have this good habit, four years later.

8. I drank water while cooking.

Okay, this one was easy.  Once I got into the habit of drinking water, I started to drink water while cooking because I would often became thirsty.  Also, this keeps you from over-eating when it is time to sit and eat dinner.  Your tummy is already somewhat full.

9. I danced while cooking.

I turned on the radio and danced to the oldies, disco, contemporary music or anything that was fun.  I found music videos at www.youtube.com to dance to with my hubby, after dinner.  I still do this on occasion.

10. I planted a veggie garden.

This is a big one.  When you garden, you are doing many positive things.  You are creating a self-sustaining object--you are feeding yourself off of the land you cultivate and plant.  You also exercise and sweat off the pounds and toxins.
 
This is me now.
I'm not a health guru by any means.  I have kept off the weight, yes, but I still have more weight that I need to lose.  I need to pick up these habits again (or gain some new ones) to lose even more pounds.  I'm looking to lose an additional 13 pounds for this year. I want to feel healthier and not just slimmer.

It is hard to lose the weight with all of the temptations and cost of food rising.  I have a husband who loves, loves, loves Pepsi and brings it home with him.  He is also guilty of bringing me junk food.  I am guilty of asking him to bring it home.  What is the happy medium for us both?

I know my husband wants to please me and comfort me.  I would rather make more smoothies with fresh fruit.  I want to make more nutritious meals, too.  I could enlist the kids to create menus that include vegetables, too.  Is that too much to ask for? 



 How about you, my readers?  Did you vow, at the beginning of the year, to lose weight?  to get healthier?  What's stopping you?  Let's do some research but then act on whatever we learn.

God bless you all with peace, my beloveds.

This is a Medical Mondays entry.

Disclaimer: The viewpoints that I discuss here are just my opinions.  Please consult your physician before altering anything relating to your health.  I am only suggesting here to take charge of your health.  Don't just leave your health in the hands of your doctors; become your own advocate.  You know best how your body is doing.

 

8 comments:

  1. Good evening! I have longed to read your blogs but with Ebay and emails, I haven't had time. Today I had to read because that is what I want to do, lose 35 lbs. I'm on day six and have lost six pounds! I am doing it completely by portion control. The other day I thought of the Fly Lady! I agree that getting on your shoes in the house keeps you from sitting. Thanks again, for supporting me, you always have a way to reach me, you always have. Love, Joni

    ReplyDelete
  2. Joni,

    Thanks so much for the comments. The thing about losing weight is that you don't have to do everything at once. Just pick a few things to change about your lifestyle. That's what Bob Greene, one of Oprah's gurus, would say--just pick one thing and then add others that are doable.

    Hope these ideas do help you or cause you to think more about you can do to improve your health.

    God bless,

    Rebecca

    ReplyDelete
  3. Following you back from the blog hop. Thanks!! Good Luck, I too am trying to lose some weight this year, and I love the simple tips you have to get started!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Kiana,

    Thanks so much for following me.

    After I made this list, I thought of some more ideas. I might make another list. :)

    Have a great week!

    Rebecca

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ahh weight loss. It's an ever going battle isn't it. Those are some great tips.

    Thank you for linking up with the Explore Play and Learn blog hop. Sorry it has taken me all week to follow you back. The creepy crud decided to take up residence in my head. Now that I am feeling human again I am following and commenting. We are hopping again tomorrow and all weekend long if you want to link up again! Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sara,

    Thanks so much for visiting.

    I hope you feel lots better, dear. I had a migraine earlier this year, and I had to cut out several foods. Looking at the ingredients in boxes is very eye-opening.

    I'll look into the hop again. I've noticed that I get a few followers if I participate in it.

    God bless,

    Rebecca

    ReplyDelete
  7. You look fabulous! I love the Flylady! I knew as soon as you mentioned," putting on tennis shoes" who you were talking about.

    I wish I could show my before and afer picture here, but alas.....I started 1 1/2 years ago at 160 pounds and am now 123 pounds (yes, i check the scale everyday!) I am a binge, emotional eater and it was (and still is) so hard for me to control that part. My wedding is in 7 weeks and I'm now at a weight I like but want to be toned now.

    Again, you look beautiful. I'm glad I found you here on BF. I really think this will be a nice place to pop into....I look forward to getting to know you. Blessings through Christ Jesus, Kimberley

    ReplyDelete
  8. Kimberley,

    Thanks for your comments.

    Yes, I used Flylady for a while until it became overwhelming back when it was in a yahoo group. I still remember some of the basic activities, like shining the sink.

    I also need to tone down some. I eat when I am stressed, too. I hope that your wedding turns out beautifully.

    Thanks for the compliment on how I look now. I hope to post some more pictures soon.

    God bless,

    Rebecca G.

    ReplyDelete

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