Found a cute little site with some motivating scripture! Here are a few...

• "Do you not yet understand that whatever enters in at the mouth, goes into the belly, and is cast out into the sewer?" ~ Matthew 15:17
• "Be not anxious for what you shall eat, or what you shall drink ... or what you shall wear ... Isn't life more than food? ... and the body more than clothing?" ~ Luke 12:22; 29
• "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." ~ Matthew 4:4
• "The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit." ~ Romans 14:17
• "Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit ... therefore; glorify God in your body." ~ I Corinthians 3:16; 6:19-20
• “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”~Phillippians 4:13 
• “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”~ Phillippians 4:6 
• “Whatever  you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” ~1 Corinthians 10:31

Not much to report, except that I have to wear an ankle brace for 3 months. I'm wondering how this will effect my exercising. It's not too bothersome, just a little pinchy. I sprained my ankle horribly, 3 times. The last time was when I was pregnant and ever since then I've had problems with it just giving out on me or a burning sensation through my whole ankle. I finally (after 2 years and Ryan pleading with me to stop limping around the house) got it checked out. Diagnosis...floppy ankle. Loose ligaments are my issue and he prescribed an ankle brace and physical therapy exercises for 3 months and then we will see how things are holding up. I'll do anything to not have surgery so this is just fine with me.

I know I've talked about Penelope Cruz before and how skinny little people make me want to be a skinny little person. But doesn't everyone have that realistic celebrity body that they covet? I love Kate Winslet, and I love her even more so after seeing her wardrobe in "Revolutionary Road" So maybe its not so much her body type as it is her clothing style that I like. I follow a blog "50s Times" about a woman who lived a year as if she was in the 50s and its really interesting. I love the clothing and the sense of style everyone had. I'm probably drawn to it because I have no sense of style what-so-ever. I had a dear friend threaten to turn me in to "What Not To Wear" if she caught me in jeans and a hoodie or t-shirt again. Regardless, she has such a real figure.

...(these ... represent 15 minutes of my time looking for this pointless information on the web)

I looked into it and she is about 5'6" and says she weighs about 130 . Personally, I think she looks a bit heavier, but not in a bad way, just in a way that makes me think I'm closer to my goal. If I'm only an inch taller, there is no way I'm getting down to 130. Thats crazy people skinny! I'm still going to shoot for 145-155, but once I'm down to 160 I want to seriously consider what I want to do and where I am with my overall health.

I went to the doctor a few weeks ago because I felt a lump on my back. I was freaked out. You shouldn't have a lumpy back, I don't care who you are. So I went in and was all nervous. My doc takes one look and feels it and says "Its a lipoma...a fatty tumor. Lose some weight and it should go away." To which I responded, "Well I've lost 25 pounds!" He says, "...Lose 25 more." I had to laugh a little. Here I am so proud of how much I have lost and my doctor is still focused on how far I have to go. He then told me that I probably found the tumor because of the weight loss. For most people, they go away when you lose weight. Sometimes they stick around though and he said there will be super skinny people with a big lump somewhere. "So you don't want me to get too skinny, right?" He just laughed.

I'm glad I've got people on both sides of the fence though. People congratulating me on how much weight I've lost and people who encourage me to keep with it and keep losing more! Thanks to you, whichever side you're on!!

I guess I did find a lot on which to report!

Down to an even 180! Ooh baby almost there! I want to get down to 160 and then reassess from there! So only 20 more pounds to go! Exclamation points!!!!!

Dear Stomach,

I am sorry that I stretched you out on vacation. We were doing so well!

Dear Head,
I'm sorry I drank enormous amounts of caffeine and now you have had a headache for the last week.

Okay, now that I've got my apologies out of the way...
I'm still down. I thought I would be up a few pounds after vacation, but alas my butt has avoided any added jiggle.

The picture on the left is from this year, and the one on the right is from 2009. I think you can tell a big difference! I loved being on vacation, and not wearing a maternity suit (9 months after actually being pregnant.)

Another holiday has come to sabotage my hard work. As of late, I've been diligent with no pop, and keeping sweets and junk food to a minimum (working out, not so much.) Happy Birthday America, sorry your celebrations go straight to my thighs! We are heading to a party tonight so I ate at home first. This will either do one of two things...
1. Keep me from eating a ridiculous amount of goodies
2. Count as my 1st dinner and then I will eat again (and again and again)
I'm hoping for the 1st option!

**This post was updated because after reading through my blog, my dear friend said something along the lines of..."I loved your blog except for the part where you cut me out of the picture!  This is for you Al!

No News is Baaaaad News

So apparently when I know I haven't been doing very well with my eating and exercising, I don't feel like sharing my failure. Hence the no posting for over a month.

Mom, the babe, and I went to KY to visit some family. Let me just say that Southern Living does not bode well for Annie's body. 5 lbs in 6 days. Heres how...sweet sourdough bread. It was to die for. So I'd have 2 slices for breakfast, and slice for brunch, a slice on the side of my lunch, 2 slices as a side for my dinner, and a slice for a bedtime snack. All smothered in butter, all deliriously mouth watering. Add on top of that 3 fast food stops on the way down and 3 on the way home. I could almost hear myself gaining weight. On the plus side, we've been outside a ton so I have a nice tan. I know its not health or weight related, but in my opinion tan fat has always looked better than pale fat.

Confession:
As I write this I am 1/4 of the way through a pint of Ben & Jerry's Half Baked. I earned it today though. Believe me!
...
So since I confessed do I get to say like 10 Hail Mary's (or Hail Jerry's) and then it magically won't appear on my hips this week? Oh wouldn't that be nice. God bless the Catholics.

Hello May!

Winter lasted forever but it feels like spring got green in a hurry! I'm loving it!! I'm Slimfasting. I haven't really been working out and I am a super lazy cook so I thought at least for breakfast (since I'm not really a breakfast girl anyways) I'd do Slimfast. I think its going ok. I'm really not hungry till around lunchtime, but I have gotten a little jittery. So I've been trying to grab bananas, apples, or other fruits to tide me over until a real meal.

My mom told me that when she was in high school she would have an apple and if she was really good then she would walk down and get a shake in the evening. Mom and I are built the same, tall, bulky, Swedes. We both had miniature versions of friends. Its funny how as you get older and your priorities change you aren't as caught up with how you compare to other people, but just how you feel about yourself. You don't care what brand name your clothes are all you care is that they fit and they were on sale at Wal-Mart for $4. Its not about $100 shoes, its about how your feet and/or back feel after being in them all day. I love getting older, life is much less petty.