Love is my new fuel.

I came across this story on facebook:

A while back, at the entrance of a gym, there was a picture of a very thin and beautiful woman. The caption read: "This summer, do you want to be a mermaid or a whale?"

The story goes, a woman (of clothing size unknown) answered the following way: "Dear people, whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, seals, curious humans), they are sexually active and raise their children with great tenderness. They entertain like crazy with dolphins, and eat lots of prawns. They swim all day and travel to fantastic places like Patagonia, the Barents Sea or the coral reefs of Polynesia. They sing incredibly well, and sometimes are even on cds. They are impressive and dearly loved animals, which everyone defends and admires.

Mermaids do not exist.

But if they existed, they would line up to see a psychologist because they suffer from split personality: woman or fish? They would have no sex life and could not bear children. Yes, they would be lovely, but lonely and sad. Besides, what man wants a girl that smells like fish by his side?

Without a doubt, I'd rather be a whale. At a time when the media tells us that only thin is beautiful, I prefer to eat ice cream with my kids, to have dinner with my husband, to eat and drink and have fun with my friends.

We women, we gain weight because we accumulate so much wisdom and knowledge that there isn't enough space in our heads, so it spreads all over our bodies. We are not fat, we are greatly cultivated. Every time I see my curves in the mirror, I tell myself: "How amazing am I ?! "

I love this. Being skinny doesn't equate to being beautiful; and being overweight absolutely does not equate to being ugly.

Even though I didn't know it, I was beautiful at 206 pounds (my husband even told me so).

I keep telling myself that I will be beautiful when I am at my goal weight, of 120 pounds. I've subconsciously told myself that until then, I do not deserve beauty. Nor do I deserve to love myself. I have to tell myself every. single. day. that I hate the way I look. I tell myself that I have to loath what I've done to my body, and that I'm not good enough at the weight I am. I use hating myself to motivate me to get to 120 pounds.

No wonder why it has been a struggle to get there.I cannot look after something that I hate.
And using hate to fuel my motivation to lose weight, makes no sense at all.

From now, through to the finish line, and beyond, I am going to love every stretch mark, and every fat dimple. I am going to love every single pound that shows up on that scale. All of these things made me wiser. They have made me who I am. They are apart of ME. I am going to love myself so freakin' much, that I want to take care of this beautiful body I have been given.

Love is my new fuel.

My 21 day challange

This little quote got me to thinkin'I don't think I've had 21 straight days of good, healthy behavior since starting this weight loss journey over a year ago. It's always a good day, followed by an, 'Eh" day. Or a good week as far as eating goes, but the gym was nowhere insight.

Taking a month long vaca from my diet screwed me up a little more then I thought it would. My head is all out of whack. I've allowed lots of little cheats in my diet, thinking they won't add up. I've been telling myself I can eat 2 brownie squares and drink a can of soda, and still lose weight. And we all know that isn't true. You are what you eat, and if you keep eating the same things, you will always weigh the same. Plain and simple.

I need to whip my butt back into shape (quite literally). I need to get disciplined, focused, and stay consistent. I need to stop allowing myself little cheats in my diet, and do this.

So, I'm taking a 21 day challenge:

• 21 days of eating healthy. No junk. Cut back on sugar. and NO LITTLE CHEATS.
• 21 days of doing at least some form of exercise.
  
• 21 days of drinking at least 64oz of water.
  
• 21 days of tracking my food and meal planning.

21 days of discipline and 100% dedication = Life long healthy habits.
That sounds so refreshing to me right about now.

To help me get started on my 21 day challenge, I bought a (huge) calendar/planner for my fridge.Everyday I'm going to track my food/meal plan, and write down my goals for the day (going to the gym, drinking all my water, etc) on this calendar. At the end of each day, during the 21 days, I get a sticker if I've had a day full of healthy habits, and I've crossed everything off for the day.21 days to a new me!
Day 1 is tomorrow!

Are you up for the challenge?

Do I want this, or that?

I've been struggling a little to get back on track, after my diet vacation.

Why is this so hard sometimes?

I mean, it's not rocket science.

Do I want a body like this:
Or do I want a hamburger?

Do I want to finally feel comfortable in a bathing suit:
Or would I rather have a pizza instead?

Do I want to have a jaw line like Jen Anniston's:
Or does a brownie sound better?

Do I want to go on a date with my husband to the cheesecake factory,
Or actually look sexy for him?:
Do I want to be able to wear skinny jeans:
Or have Chinese takeout?

Do I want Oreo's more then I want a butt like this?:Heck no!

It's not all that hard, when I look at it that way.

I want to be a sexy, fashionable girl, that has a jaw line, and a firm bootay, on the beach.
And I want it WAY more then I want all that unhealthy goodness.

Nobody said it was easy, but man
it's going to be worth it!

What would you take over a cheeseburger?

Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've been in a little bit of a diet funk since Monday.

Monday night I was tired, lazy and in pain (thank you for all your comments!). Fast food seemed to be the answer to all those problems (food comforts me when I'm in pain. But that's a post for another day...). I had fast food that night for diner, and junk food for dessert. Those poor diet decisions leaked into the next few days, and sent me into my little diet funk.
I hate those...

I asked myself what advice I would give to someone who was in my situation?

It would be to set goals, and to think of what you
enjoy doing in this weight loss journey, and focus on doing more of that.

For some that might be going to the gym and working up a sweat, running, etc...

mine is to
transform unhealthy food, into deliciously healthy food.
It's to be creative in the kitchen, experiment, and to have fun with my food, all while being healthy and losing weight!
It's a fun challenge for me.

So that's just what I did!

Have you tried these coconut M&M's? They're good all by themselves (for only 210 cal.), but they're delish inside a cookie! My husband, the cookie monster, can second that. He loved (devoured) them!

Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies:

This is what you need:

• 1/4 cup butter, softened (I used smart balance butter blend)
  
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 bags coconut M&M's, coarsely chopped (I didn't chop mine, but I would recommend it. That way you have little chocolaty coconut bits in every bite!)
  

This is what you do:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

• In a large bowl, mash together the butter and sugars with a fork until well combined. Add the oil and egg and beat until creamy. Mix in the vanilla.

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well. Stir in the M&M's and mix well. Using a tablespoon, scoop the batter onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes.

To help myself not overindulge, I baked 6 cookies, and froze the rest.

Here's what I'm thinking:

• Makes 1 1/2 dozen
• Serving size: 1 cookie
• Calories per serving: 140
  

Enjoy!

I've also set a couple goals for myself (I'm still thinking of more):

#1. is to get my butt exercising again! I'm going to start back up my daily and nightly walks, starting TODAY! I'm also going to get back to the gym. My plan is to go 3 times a week.

#2. is to lose 3 pounds by the end of August (1 1/2 weeks). That would put me 165 (I've gained a pound since Mon.), which is 1 pound past my 40 pound mark! I'm DETERMINED to reach that goal by the end of August!

As it turns out, I give pretty good advice ;) as this was just what I needed!

Watch out world, cause Brittany's got her groove back!

Deadlines and I, Don't get Along!

I knew I was thinking about something that was stressing me out, but I didn't know what it was. I sat down and really thought about what was on my mind. Suddenly, I got a flash of
Moose Creek.
Confused?

Every 5 years we have a family reunion. My Great Grandparent's children, and their families (on my Father's side), meet up and camp out near the ranch my Great Grandparents used to own (Moose Creek). I love going there, and I look forward to it every time!
I'm excited to see all my family (even the ones I don't really know), but I'm really excited to have my immediate family all together in one place (there's 8 of us kids, so it's rare that we're all together at the same time).

So why am I stressed out?
It's another deadline.

If you remember, the last time I had a deadline (my hubbies graduation), I sabotaged myself.

My family saw me at 120, before I got married. The next time they saw me, I was 180. And the last time they saw me in April of 2009, I was over 200 pounds:It felt horrible seeing my family, after gaining so much weight. I felt like instead of being excited to see me, and giving me a hug, they were more like, "Whoa! What. The. Heck. Happened to you?!" And that was totally understandable. I had changed dramatically. But the thought of it, still hurt.

I would of course try to lose weight, every time I was going to see my family. It would start out like this:
"Okay, I have 4 months. I can lose 40 pounds before I see them!"
I wouldn't go on a diet. It would turn into this:
"Okay, now I have 2 months. It's better then nothing. I could lose 20 maybe even 30 pounds before we leave!"
Again, I didn't go on a diet. My goals would get more and more unrealistic:
"Sigh. Alright, I have 1 month before we go. Maybe I can still lose 20 pounds?!"
Still not on a diet. It's time to take drastic measures:
"I have two weeks! I'm going to go on some crazy diet! I'm desperate! Hmm, maybe a cleansing diet! Okay, I'm not going to eat anything for 2 weeks, and I'm only going to drink lemonade!" (There's actually a diet like that!)
That would last for like, 2 hours, and I'd say this:
"I give up. I'm going fat. Hope they still love me!"

Before, every time I went on a diet, it was to meet a deadline.
This time was different. I didn't go on a diet because I was afraid of what people would think of me. I went on a diet because I wanted to be healthy. I went on a diet because I wanted to get pregnant, and have a baby. I went on a diet for me! There was no deadline in sight, and what do you know, I was finally successful! I lost weight, at a slow and steady pace, without a deadline stressing me out.

So when a "deadline" comes up, my old way of think comes out:
"Okay, I have 2 months! I can lose 20 pounds! I have to lose 20 pounds!"
My old way of thinking always led to failure. Therefore, I'm determined to fail. It's what I'm used to. I start to believe whole heartily that I can't do it!

This is the point I sabotage myself.
"I cant do it! I can't do it! I can't do it! Where's a donut?!!"
Can't beat em', join em'.

But this time is different.
I've already lost 35 pounds!
Even if I don't lose any more weight from here, I've already been more successful then I've ever been. I'm the thinnest my family has seen me since I got married! I would have killed to be 35 pounds lighter, the last time I saw my family!
(A pic from my last little photo shoot)
My solution to the deadline thing: Don't make it a deadline!
Continue what I'm doing. No pressure. Don't even think about it. If I only lose 5 pounds between now, and when we leave (2 months), then I will have lost 40 pounds! And that's awesome! Of course I want to lose more then 5 pounds in 2mo, but I'm just saying.
I know I can do this, because I am doing this!

How do you deal with deadlines? Do they help you, or harm you?

***

Yesterday's (although it's going to be like 1am by the time I post this, so it's not quite yesterday;) weigh in results had me at 172, for a 1 pound loss.

I'm frustrated with myself. I was really wanting to see 170 this week.
About half way through the week, was when I subconsciously started sabotaging myself.
Fortunately I took the time to figure it out, and hopefully everything will be better from here!

Today was a Good Day

Today, something seemed to be in the air. Spring?... Whatever it is, it has me in a joyful mood!

Today, I had the perfect lunch, and I just had to share it with you!

While my father-in-law was here, he went on and on about how good a grape and tuna fish sandwich was! As Joe and I gave him funny looks, he would say, "Don't diss it, before you try it!" He had actually bought all the stuff to make it, but we never got around to it. So, today as I was raiding the fridge and pantry, trying to find something for lunch that hit the spot, I couldn't get my father-in-law's voice out of my head.

"What the heck Brittany. You only live once." I told myself.

So, out came the whole wheat bread, the canned tuna (in water), the low-fat mayo (gross. If I had low-fat plain yogurt I would have used that. I just used a tiny tiny bit), the already chopped onion I had left over from tacos, and the grapes.

I chopped up the grapes, mixed everything together, and put together my sandwich. I gave myself an extra side of grapes, then let out a sigh, "Here goes nothing." I took a bite.
"Oh my gosh! This is so good!" Light bulb moment: "This is blog worthy!"
I rushed to grab the camera, took a couple pics, and sat down to enjoy my YUMMY
Grape and Tuna Fish Sandwich!!"Don't diss it, before you try it!" ;D
Seriously. It's pretty darn good folks. The grapes add the perfect sweetness!
Calories:
About 220, not including the extra side of grapes.


After lunch, and some cleaning around the house, I finally sat down to see how everybody was doing in blogland.
I clicked on over to CBG blog, and saw that she was hosting a
photo comparison challenge! You take a picture of yourself today, and compare it to a picture of you at your heaviest. Then you compliment yourself on the changes you've made!!

It's hard to compliment myself, or to even see the difference between me at 206, and me at 180. Sometimes I convince myself that I'm exactly the same. This challenge was a great way to help me see the progress I've made, and give myself a pat on the back!!

Here it goes! :

Before picture:
(February 2007)This isn't actually me at my heaviest. I was about 190-195 (my heaviest was 206). This was either right before or soon after I found out I had low thyroid, and got put on low thyroid meds. And it's before I found out I had PCOS. It's pretty weird that I'm only about 10 pounds lighter now, then I was in these pictures. Back then I was bloated, and my hormones were all out of whack. This was a very painful time for me. I gained 50lbs in 1 year. I didn't know what the heck was going on. All I knew, was I was fat, unhappy, and embarrassed. I refused to meet new people, and to be honest, I didn't go out of the house much. I never wanted a picture taken of me. The only reason I have these pictures, is because it was valentines day, and my husband insisted on getting a picture of his beautiful wife, on v-day. I love my husband so much for loving me during that time, and still telling me I was beautiful each and every day. Gosh I'm lucky.

Today's Picture:I see quite a big physical change. My chubby cheeks aren't so chubby. I don't have as much acne now (glad that's gone!). And I have a bit more of a jawline!!

But the true changes I see, go way past my physical appearance.
For one, I'm posing for the camera, and I was actually having a fun little photo shoot (in my bathroom;). I actually feel pretty enough to snap away with the camera! I feel worthy enough to be apart of the world (although I'm realizing now that I was always worthy...).

Looking at my before pictures, reminds me of all the struggles, heartache, and confusion I had back then.

Today I'm happy.
I can see it in these pictures, and I can feel it.
I'm taking charge of my life, and my health. I'm no longer confused, and feel like I have no control over what the heck my body is doing. I'm in control. I'm on one of the most wonderful journeys. Everyday I wake up, I know I'm getting closer and closer to my happy ending, and that fills my heart with excitement, and hope, each and every day. Two things I did not have, in my before picture!
Today, I'm :Deliciously Healthy! And man it feels good!!

I Have Some Business to Attend to...

Hi everyone!

Well, something annoying has come up, that I can't get into right now. What I can say, is that for the next 2-3 weeks I'm not going to be home much, and when I do get home, I will most likely be physically and emotionally exhausted. I'm going to do my best to post as often as I can, and keep up with all of my blog friends. Please forgive me if I'm a little distant for a while.
In 3 weeks, I promise I will tell you all about it! ;)

I also have a little blog business to attend to!

1st up, I took part in Tiff's, I am Worth More Challenge!For one week, I skipped my weigh in, and instead, everyday I would right down a non-scale victory!
Here's the pic of my scale, filled with all my victories, that don't involve the numbers on the scale:I learned so much from this challenge! The biggest lesson I took away from it, is that the scale does not define my worth. I'm making so many healthy changes in my life, and just because the scale doesn't always reflect those changes, it doesn't make them any less important, less valuable, or not worth celebrating!
Thank you Tiffany for your wonderful challenge, and allowing all of us to take part in it!

Also, CBG Blog, awarded me the Beautiful blogger award! It totally made my day (which I'm extremely grateful for, because I had a LONG day today!)!!1st rule, is to list 7 fun facts about myself! :

1. I got married when I was 18.
2. I'm the youngest of 8 kids!
3. My nick name growing up, was BritBrat (Although I don't think I was a brat!)
4. I still have my Christmas tree up! I'm laughing so hard as I type that! My husband and I are even talking about keeping it up all year, just to say we did it! But we're not going to..or are we? No seriously, we're not!;)
5. One time I went to school with underwear stuck to the back of my pants!
6. I totally love dogs! I have 3, and would get a 4th if my husband didn't give me the evil eye every time I mention it ;)
7. I like to sing, although I'm totally not gifted in that area! People literally beg me to stop!

The 2nd rule, is to pass the award on to 7 beautiful bloggers! :

The Sweet Tooth Obliteration Operation

Bella on the Beach

The Chubby Girl Diaries

Project 365

Two Pounds a Week

Corletta

Ahh! It's so hard to chose the last one!....

From fat to fab

That was hard! I wish the rule was to pick 15! That would be so much easier for me to do!
Thank you again Jessica! I heart you!

Alrighty then. I must go get some sleep. I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow, and another one after that, and another, and another....I can't wait for these 3 weeks to be over!

Tomorrow I'm going to try and get caught up on everyone! I'm excited to see how you've all been doing!

PS. Thank you so much for all your sweet comments on my last post! I love you guys! Each and every one of you!

*****
This just in! Just kidding! I always wanted to say that! ;)
I have a post all planned out in my head, I just need to find the time to do it! Hopefully tomorrow, or Thursday! It includes a recipe (a yummy one at that;), the results from my weigh in, an award, and a couple other random stuff! Stay tuned to check it out!

Goals

Lately I've been realizing, that it's time to bump it up a notch, and it's time to set some goals.

To be honest, I think I've been a little afraid of setting goals for myself. Afraid of setting myself up for disappointment I guess. The only goal I've really set, is to weigh 120lbs...someday. I've come to the conclusion, that I NEED to set goals for my weight loss.

If you don't know what direction you're headed, how will you know where you'll end up, and how long it will take to get there? If you don't visualize it in your mind first, how can it ever become a reality? If you don't have specific goals you're working towards, how are you ever going to achieve anything?
I need to set goals for myself, so I have something to push myself towards. Setting goals for myself, gives me something to believe in. To believe that I will achieve the goals I set. The opportunity to set myself up for success!

So, I sat down, and stared to think of goals to set for myself. I sure did get a dose of reality, as I started to look at the numbers. I thought to myself, "this is why I haven't sat down to do this..." But it was needed, and I'm very happy I did it....even though it made me a little nervous :)

Here's the 411:

Joe and I are going to start trying to get pregnant in May. That's 3 months away (Yikes!). It's my goal to weigh 150 by then. That means I have to lose 44lbs, by the first week in May. Yeah. That's a big number. I pulled out the old calculator and calendar, and figured out that in order to reach that goal, I have to lose 5lbs a week for the next month, and then 3lbs a week from then, until the first week in may. With my PCOS, we are going to have to get fertility treatments, to get pregnant. The first step is for me to take a pill, that will hopefully get me to ovulate. My husband and I have decided that for the first couple months, we want to try without any fertility treatments. So, I feel like we're really not trying until July, as that's when I get put on the ovulation pill. I'm going to stay on my diet, until I get pregnant, and once I do get preggers, I'm going to keep watching what I eat. I'm hoping that I will weigh 130 by July, if I'm not already pregnant by then.

Let me lay it out again for ya:

*Feb 5th-March 5th, Lose 5lbs a week, or 2olbs for the month.
*March 5th-April 5th, lose 3lbs a week, or 12lbs for the month.
*April 5th-May 5th, lose 3lbs a week, or 12lbs for the month.
*By the first week in May, weigh 150 pounds.
*From May-June, lose 2.5lbs a week, or 10lbs for the month.
*From June-July, lose 2.5lbs a week, or 10lbs for the month.
*By the first week in July, weigh 130 pounds.

Also, Remember THIS dress? Well, my husband is graduating with his bachelors degree April 1st, and I want to wear it to the graduation:When I bought it, I weighed 185. I remember thinking that I could probably wear it if I lost 15-20lbs. If I stick to my goals, by April I should weigh around 160, so I should be able to wear the dress!

Obviously losing 2lbs, every 3 weeks, isn't going to cut it. I'm glad I sat down to crunch the numbers, because it lit a much needed fire under my tush! It's definitely time to bump it up a notch! Over the next few days, I'm going to research places that have pools, so I can start doing laps. I think it will be a very good workout, and will work well with my RA. Hopefully by next week, I'll be in the pool, burning some calories!

A part of me thinks these goals are too unrealistic.
What do you think?

On a side note:

This morning I peeked at the scale, and I weighed 194! That means I'm down .5lbs!

I was going to post a recipe on this post, but now I don't have time. Hopefully I can post it tonight. Stay tuned, because it's totally yummy!

Wish me luck!... I think I'm gonna need it! ;)

New Books, and a New Motivation!

These past few days, I've been feeling a little discouraged, because I can't workout much, due to my RA. What I'd give to be able to go running, even just for 10 minutes. Or workout long enough to be drenched in sweet, and really feel my heart pumping. I try to workout, but the pain is just too much to work through, and I can't stand the feeling of it. A lot of my joints are almost completely bone on bone, and in some areas, they are bone on bone. The joints that are the most damaged are: Both my knees, my right shoulder, and both my wrist. When I try to work out, I can feel my joints cracking and grinding in the areas that it's bone on bone. Not only is this very painful, but it's a lot like nails going down a chalk board. It grosses me out, and it's hard to work through. It just feels wrong!

How in the world am I going to lose 75lbs, when I can barley workout? I know losing weight seems like a huge mountain to climb for anyone, but for me, I sometimes feel like I'm trying to climb a mountain without any tools or gear. Sometimes I feel like it's hopeless, impossible, not fair, and just too dang difficult. Sometimes it makes me just want to give up.

Then, my darling husband, who I'm convinced Heavenly Father sent to this earth just for me, came home from work last night. He walked in the door, and said, "Close your eyes!" I was thinking, "Please tell my your not about to hand me my favorite temptation, because I've been crying all day, and I'm just not strong enough right now to turn any kind of chocolate away. I will most likely swallow it whole, like nobodies business!" I opened my eyes, bracing myself, and I saw this:My husband did not come home with a delicious, chocolaty temptation for me to sink my teeth into, when I'm trying to lose weight (He's been known to do this). Instead, he came home with the Bethenny Frankle (I seriously love her), "Naturally Thin" book that I've been wanting, AND her, "The Skinny Girl DISH" book, to help me on this journey. He came home with a tool, and piece of gear, to help me climb this mountain.
I heart him...

As I looked down at the books, I thought to myself, "This is what I CAN do."

I can't change the fact that I have RA. It's the cards I've been dealt. I can't change the fact that I can't go jogging, or even go walking for a long period of time. But I know whining about it isn't going to make me any thinner, and getting discouraged is only going to send me on a completely different path, going the WRONG direction! I don't have control over the things my body simply can't do, but I do have control over what I put into my body. I have to do what I CAN do, and stop focusing on what I CAN'T do!
I can eat healthy. I can be positive. I can be grateful. I can educate myself, by reading books on how to live a healthy life.
"This is what I CAN do."
And this is what I'm going to do.

I'm ready to conquer another weekend!
This weekend, I'm going to have my head in my new book, and not in the fridge saying, "Hmmm. I wonder what I can eat in here?" I'm going to try some new recipes this weekend, and I'm going to do lots of research on things I CAN do with my RA.

Happy weekend everyone!

My Motivation

It's the weekend!
I love the weekends, I seriously do, but when I'm trying to eat healthy, weekends sometimes make me nervous.

Joe and I usually ALWAYS go out, and eat lots of unhealthy goodness on the weekends. It's a habit. It's what we've been doing since we've been married. When you take that away from us, we find ourselves tapping our nails on the table saying, "Well what the heck do we do now?" Food is our entertainment. When we can't pig out, we're bored. It's pretty funny now that I'm thinking about it.

That's the moment I say, "What the heck! Lets go have some fun!"
Then, we come home with leftovers, so the naughtiness continues on into the next day. Before you know it, next weekend rolls around, and we are still trying to recover from last weekend.

So, like I said, weekends make me nervous.

To avoid this from happening, I'm trying to find things in advance that we can do to have fun together, so eating out isn't our only option. I've also decided to give myself some visual motivation, to help me get through it.

#1. I'm going to put a picture of myself weighing my goal weight of 120lbs, where I can see it. Being healthy, will bring me so much more happiness then food ever can. Being at a healthy weight again, will bring me joy, every minute of every day. Versus that cheesecake, which is only going to bring me about 3min of happiness (because you know I would scarf it down that fast;), and then it's followed by feelings of regret and disappointment for hours after.
When I look at it that way, the choice is simple.
Choose to be healthy.
Choose to be happy.
DON'T choose the cheesecake!

#2. My blog friend, Dawne did a post about being able to fit into a shirt for the first time, that she had bought 7 years prior. I thought of how she must have felt after reaching that milestone in her weight loss. I thought of how much her hard work had paid off, and how fitting into that shirt must have brought her more excitement and joy then food ever could have.

Then I thought about the clothes I have, that I either want to fit back into, or have never been able to wear. I thought of how happy that would make me to one day see how much my hard work had paid off, by being able to fit into those clothes.

I have a pair of pants that literally fit me for 1 day, back when I was 18yrs old. For that 1 day, I was happy with my weight. Looking at these pants makes me think of how I felt on that ONE day, when I was completely happy with myself. I'd like to go back to that feeling. Only this time it will last a LOT longer then one day!I also have a dress, I bought about 3 years ago, knowing it didn't fit. I thought I would lose weight soon enough to wear it. Huh! Little did I know I would only move farther and farther away from being able to fit in it! I used to look at this dress with a heavy heart. I would get upset at myself for gaining even more weight after buying it, instead of losing weight like I was supposed to. Then I would start to think about the time lost, and would day dream about what my life would have been like, if I had in fact gone on a diet when I 1st bought the dress.
Although now, my perspective has changed. Now I get excited when I look at the dress! I picture in my mind that beautiful day when I will finally get to wear it! I will twirl, I will dance, I will cry, and I will probably sing (even though I'm a horrible singer!)! Looking at this dress now, motivates me to continue on down this path.
Because the day I fit into this dress, it will all be worth it!I'm going to hang these clothes on my bedroom door, so I can think of how happy it's going to make me when I can finally wear them, and how I'm not going to let food take that away from me.

Sticking to my diet = A happy, healthy life.
Going off my diet to pig out = A life being over weight, unhappy, and unhealthy.
Makes sense doesn't it?

I'm armed and ready to take on the weekend!
BRING IT ON!

****

Happy weekend everyone!
I hope it's lots of fun, and very :Deliciously Healthy!