Hello Everyone! Even with Christmas, this week the weight loss teams lost a total of 48.5 pounds!

Hearbreakers 28
Fitness Fanatics 7
Wildcats 7
Rockstars 6.5

We all survived the holidays; now it’s time to get serious again, make today the day, not tomorrow, like buddy slimmer Dawn!

http://dawniegh.buddyslim.com/2008/12/30/today-is-the-day/

With the new year approaching, here are some tips for keeping those New Year’s Resolutions:

1. Be realistic
   The surest way to fall short of your goal is to make your goal unattainable. For instance, resolving to never eat your favorite food again because it bothers your IBD could be a bad choice. Strive for a goal that is attainable, such as avoiding it more often than you do now.
2. Plan ahead
   Don’t make your resolution on New Year’s Eve. If you wait until the last minute, it will be based on your mindset that particular day. Instead, it should be planned well before December 31 arrives.
3. Outline your plan
   Decide how you will deal with the temptation to skip that exercise class or have one more cigarette. This could include calling on a friend for help, practicing positive thinking and self-talk, or reminding yourself how your bad habit affects your IBD.
4. Make a “pro” and “con” list
   It may help to see a list of items on paper to keep your motivation strong. Develop this list over time, and ask others to contribute to it. Keep your list with you and refer to it when you need help keeping your resolve.
5. Talk about it
   Don’t keep your resolution a secret. Tell friends and family members who will be there to support your resolve to change yourself for the better or improve your health. The best case scenario is to find yourself a buddy who shares your New Year’s resolution and motivate each other.
6. Reward yourself
   This doesn’t mean that you can eat an entire box of chocolates if your resolution is to diet. Instead, celebrate your success by treating yourself to something that you enjoy that does not contradict your resolution. If you’ve been sticking to your promise to eat better, for example, perhaps your reward could be going to a movie with a friend.
7. Track your progress
   Keep track of each small success you make toward reaching your larger goal. Short-term goals are easier to keep, and small accomplishments will help keep you motivated. Instead of focusing on losing 30 pounds, say, focus on losing that first 5. Keeping a food diary or a symptom journal may help you stay on track.
8. Don’t beat yourself up
   Obsessing over the occasional slip won’t help you achieve your goal. Do the best you can each day, and take each day one at a time.
9. Stick to it
   Experts say it takes about 21 days for a new activity, such as exercising, to become a habit, and 6 months for it to become part of your personality. Your new healthful habits will become second-nature in no time.
10. Keep trying
    If your resolution has totally run out of steam by mid-February, don’t despair. Start over again! There’s no reason you can’t make a “New Year’s resolution” any time of year.

Everyone have a safe, happy, healthy new year!

 This week the weight loss challenges lost a total of 85.5 pounds!

Wildcats- 52 lbs

Heartbreakers -19.5 lbs

Fitness Fanatics -13 lbs

Rockstars- 1 lb

Congrats everyone, and have a Merry Christmas!

Here are some tips for the holidays http://lelesmom.buddyslim.com/2008/12/23/helpful-christmas-tips-this-would-be-why-i-gained-those-8-lbs/

Tips for How to Fight the Winter Blues:

The leaves have long ago fallen off the trees and the weather is cold.

While other species are storing, nesting and hibernating, we humans expect to keep our typical hectic schedules and high productivity, with little regard to nature’s direction. In fact, Mother Nature is telling us to slow down, rest more, and “cocoon” until the spring.

But with 24 hour technology and lengthy to do lists, rest may seem unlikely. Add to the mix the expectations of picture perfect holidays, family get-togethers, and the requisite consumerism.

It’s no wonder that many people report feeling “down” around this time of year. In fact, we’re physically burned out. One major symptom of adrenal fatigue is depression.

It’s important to know that the winter season is THE most important time of the year to heal the adrenals. We are given shorter days by Nature for a very important reason…so that we can rest, rejuvenate our adrenal and sexual energy…and be ready for rebirth, renewal and of course, reproducing in the happy, warm, beautifully-romantic days of spring. (Note: expect to have a healthy “spring cleanse” so that you can first purify before the new you begins… about late February thru March)

The creation of electricity took us another step away from nature. Today many of us check our emails late at night, play computer games or watch TV with light shining brightly into our eyes. This is more damaging to our health than most of us realize. If you are a baby boomer concerned about how quickly you seem to be aging, it is important to revise your sleep schedule and be in bed by 10:00 pm.

Seasonal Affective Disorder

The winter blues are so common that we even have a name for them: Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. SAD typically involves a pattern of depressive or manic episodes that coincide with the winter season.

In the winter, do you:

• Eat more?
• Crave sugar and carbs?
• Sleep more?
• Feel more tired?
• Gain weight?
• Withdraw socially?

If so, you could be experiencing the aptly named, SAD.

The causes of SAD vary. They could include less sunlight, colder temperatures, more social isolation or even the stress of coping with winter holidays.

Official treatment of SAD includes light therapy using special lamps on a daily basis. People who live in higher latitudes find these full spectrum illumination lamps vital to maintaining peace of mind during the winter.

Light therapy can certainly help, but there are plenty of other ways to counteract SAD using diet and lifestyle choices.

Here are Body Ecology’s 8 tips to avoid winter blues:

1. Exercise! Moving your body pumps blood and oxygen into all of your systems, warming up your body during these cold months. Taking a walk outdoors is especially invigorating, but be sure to bundle up!
2. Get free light therapy with natural sunlight. Even the weak winter sun gives tangible health benefits, like helping your skin synthesize vitamin D.
3. Sleep more. Set your internal clock with the sunrise and sunset. Wake with the sun and start to wind down your day when the sun sets.

   Burn candles after dinner, play board games with your children, read a chapter in an inspirational book. Basically avoid light shinning directly into your eyes. When light shines into your eyes, it prevents melatonin from being released by your pineal gland. The melatonin makes you feel sleepy. The hours you log in before midnight are the most healing and rejuvenating.

   This natural rhythm will help your body (and your mood) adapt to the season.

   Be sure to read Why Winter is the Ideal Time to Learn How to Sleep Right.

4. Eat less sugar. By now, you’ve probably noticed that eating less sugar can positively affect every part of your body and your life! Your mood is no different. Sugar has been linked to mood disorders and may even cause depression.¹

   Try an all-natural sugar substitute, like Lakanto, for the sweet taste without the risks.

5. Make homemade soups. Warming and nutritious, soups are the perfect meal for cold days.
6. Spend time with friends and family. Laugh, play fun games, and spend time in the company of people who are positive. Your attitude can go a long way in helping you avoid winter blues.
7. Do a candle meditation. A simple candle flame connects you to your inner fire, focuses your attention and decreases stress. Taking 30 minutes out of your busy schedule to relax and regroup with a candle meditation can be an amazing way to welcome the darkness of winter with joy.
8. Take calming herbs like Holy Basil and GABA or drink a cup of Tulsi Tea by India Organics. Good old-fashion chamomile tea with lemon and stevia is great for children.
9. Shift your energy, shift your mood. The Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), created by Gary Craig, is an easy, natural way to take control of your moods. Anyone can do EFT by simply tapping on emotional acupressure points on your body as a way to release stuck energy and boost your mood within minutes. For freedom from SAD, take your mood into your own hands with EFT!

You can also go a long way toward boosting your mood through creating these new healing habits AND by changing your perspective. Daylight saving time may mean less light, less time, less energy in some ways, but this is truly Mother Nature’s call to look inward and focus on home and hearth. It is a beautiful time for loved ones and cherished rituals.

Take Nature’s rhythm as your own, slow down and enjoy.

As you nourish your body and your soul during this darker time of the year, you’ll emerge in spring with renewed health and vitality.

Hi all.
Well, today is the five year anniversary of when my hubby and I started dating. It’s kind of nice not having to celebrate like we did before, LOL, it was always annoying to have to do it five days before Christmas!

I’ve decided I’m going to try either salmon or tuna at some point. A lot of people recommended tilapia, which I’ve had and didn’t particularly care for.. so I’ll try one of those. However, I think it’ll have to wait. I went shopping today and got food (I now have apples, oranges, and lots of chex!) so I’m kind of happy I’ve healthy food around again.

BUT, I need to save the money I do have left for text books. UGH. I get paid again on January 2nd, so I’m praying that between the money I have left from this check and the money I get on that check, I’ll have enough to buy my text books. There’s NO reason for them to be so expensive. I want to open a business to rent out text books, lol

I’ve been training for my new job, but the woman who is in charge of me has been very sick, SO I’ve kind of been thrown into the job doing a “learn as you go” kind of thing.. fun eh? I’ve done well though, I think.

I’ve found that since I’ve been more health conscious, I more often judge other people. I don’t know how to feel about this. I feel bad, but at the same time the thoughts keep coming. I feel bad, but am not sure what to do? For instance, the woman who is training me very much over weight, smokes, etc, and I see what she eats, and I can’t help thinking… it’s no wonder she’s sick. Or when I check some people out and see the food they’re buying.. it’s just absurd.

I don’t know. I probably need to work on my thinking too.. hmm..

Thanks all for listening! I go to work in an hour.. yippeee… just me, two baggers, and the store manager! LOL

So, I’ve been watching this show on BBC America called “You Are What You Eat” and now I’m thinking that my mood swings and depression might be quite a bit accredited to my diet, and that I’m not getting enough of the vitamins and minerals I should be eating. So this is something I definitely need to work on.

Now, I want to start eating more fish and chicken.  The problem is, I don’t really like the taste of fish! I’m okay with tuna and the ocfcasional mild tasting fish (like walleye) So, my question to you all is: are there any fish I should be eating, or recipes I can use to mask that “fishy” taste?? Hmm..

Other than all that I’m doing pretty well.  I’m enjoying working and I think it will be good for my weight loss (no mindless snacking and I’m on my feet more)

I’m excited for Christmas! I can’t wait to give hubby his gifts.. even though I accidentally found my present LOL .. He had it in the attic and he KNEW I was going up there to look for something! Sigh… what a goof ball.

How are you all?? Wonderful I hope

1.       To be healthy

2.       So I don’t get diabetes

3.       So I don’t have high blood pressure

4.       To be able to run

5.       To be able to breathe

6.       To be able to shop at a normal store

7.       To not worry about what people think

8.       To not be embarrassed to eat in public

9.       To look sexy for my husband

10.   To feel sexy

11.   To love healthy foods

12.   To love working out

13.   To make my family proud

14.   To show myself I can do it

15.   To improve myself esteem

16.   To be successful

17.   To help my husband and future family be healthy

18.   To improve my school

19.   To give myself better mental stability

20.   To better my emotional state

21.   To eliminate my headaches

22.   To be able to shave my legs without it being a struggle

23.   To not be embarrassed to bend over and tie my shoes

24.   To know what it’s like to not feel my thighs rubbing together

25.   To improve my complexion

26.   To some day wear a bikini

27.   To not kill my feet in high heals

28.   To not be embarrassed in photos

29.   To not wear baggy clothes

30.   To have only one chin

31.   To improve my balance

32.   To resist temptations

33.   To not crave fast foods

34.   To shock my old friends

35.   To break the American stereotype

36.   To break the family trend

37.   To live a long life

38.   To find other comforts besides food

39.   To learn to really enjoy life

40.   To be more care free

41.   To not get upset about eating

42.   To be a better daughter, wife, and eventually mother

43.   To be the best I can be

44.   To truly see what my full potential is

45.   To not be considered obese!!

46.   To be able to have kids

47.   To not have to be on birth control for my PCOS

48.   To be a more social person

49.   To love myself

50.   To enjoy every day

Well, Dr Marc had asked for someone to step up to do a newsletter. I’m not sure if this is what he had in mind or not, but I’ll give it a go!

The weight loss competition between the Wild Cats, Heartbreakers, Rockstars, and Fitness Fanatics lost a total of 61 pounds this week!!

Wildcats 22 pound loss

Heartbreakers 17.5 pound loss

Rockstars 16 pound loss

Fitness Fanatics 5.5 pound loss

We all have done a wonderful job!  With the holidays approaching, I know a lot of us are having trouble finding motivation.  One good place to remind yourself of why you’re on this journey is to read Rachel’s blog, 100 reasons to lose weight.

We also might want to consider these seven tips for healthy eating:

1. Bring a healthy dish to pass

This is one way to ensure you’ll have something healthy to eat, while sharing something nutritious with your family. Bring a tasty dish like meatballs or a hearty soup that you can fill up on without having to eat so much of the other stuff. If you’re still tempted by desserts or feel the pressure to join others in eating them, bring a healthy desserts well. Almond cookies are perfect for sharing and allow you to satisfy your taste for sweets while still being part of the group.

2. Have the party at your house

This is the best way to ensure that you’ll have something healthy to eat while celebrating the holidays with your friends and family. Hosting a party gives you a little more control over what kind of foods will be served. Suggest that your guests bring salads or some of the healthier family favorites. And you can provide the real stuff like homemade salad dressing, real butter, whole grain breads and a free-range turkey with real gravy. Now you may be asking yourself why you should spend the extra time and money to provide better quality foods when most of the guests wouldn’t even appreciate them? But remember, you still have to eat and, amazing as it may seem, this could be the first time some of your guests have ever had good nutritious foods. Once they taste real food, you may even get a few converts!

3. Arrive later

What do you do when you are invited to the kind of party where you know there won’t be anything healthy at all to eat (only pizza, pop, cake and ice cream)? You could pack your own meal but then everyone will stare at you and wonder why you’re too good for their food. Nothing like drawing more attention to the “health freak.” You could also skip the meal and sit there while everyone else eats. But then you might be considered rude, or you’d be asked repeatedly “Are you sure you don’t want something to eat, not even just a little piece of cake?” So if you want to avoid the nagging questions and totally alienating yourself from the group, maybe it would be a good idea to show up after the meal. Without lying or making up excuses, simply tell the host that you won’t be able to make it for dinner, but you’d love to come and visit with everyone afterward.

4. Eat before you go

A common strategy for attacking the holiday meal is to skip breakfast and lunch—this way when the party gets started there is plenty of room to pig-out for the rest of the evening. Now this way of thinking doesn’t really work for someone who is trying to avoid eating foods that are harmful to the body. Instead, it would make more sense to start off the day with a balanced, hearty breakfast. Make sure that you eat a protein-based breakfast balanced with natural carbohydrates and plenty of good fats. And to avoid having to eat more compromised foods than you’d like to, eat a good nutritious meal before you leave for the party.

5. Learn to say no

All right, so you’ve make it through dinner doing your best to make the healthiest choices possible but now here comes Aunt Betty peddling her famous Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake. Even if you’re not tempted by the dessert, how do you say no to someone who simply won’t take no for an answer? Well, you just say no. If you make up excuses like, “Not now, I’m too full,” people will continue trying to push their desserts on you for the rest of the evening. Get in the habit of saying, “No thanks, I don’t eat dessert,” without feeling the need to explain yourself. At first you may be met with some resistance, but eventually people will get the point and stop asking you.

6. Avoid preaching

It’s hard to watch people you care about knowingly and unknowingly eat foods that destroy their health. But the quickest way to alienate yourself from your family during a holiday meal is to tell them everything wrong with the foods they’re eating. You figure that if they only knew. . . but if they really wanted to know, they’d ask you. By now your family has probably figured out that you have an interest or passion for health and nutrition, so if they really want to engage you in that topic of conversation, they will, and then by all means let them know!

7. Take the focus off of food

Make celebrating the holidays with your family and friends more fun and meaningful than pigging out on a bunch of nutrient-depleted junk food. Bring some games that get everyone involved. Plan activities for the kids such as making ornaments or making a snowman. Or, get out the old family photo albums and tell stories as you reminisce about the good times you’ve shared together—that didn’t revolve around food!

Lastly, I want to ask you all to remember to welcome new members to BuddySlim! That one hello can make all the difference in someone’s weight loss journey!

The biggest issue this time of year seems to be motivation. But we all need to think for a minute. If we hold back, and do what we know we need to do to lose weight.. this time next year, we could easily be 50 pounds lighter (1 lb/week). Many, many of us would be at goal. So here are some tips..

Twenty Best Weight Loss Motivation Tips

Weight Loss Motivation
You can’t lose weight without it!
Here are twenty great weight loss motivation tips to help you along with your diet and fitness goals.
There are thousands of weight loss programs out there which will work for you and everyone else that wants to lose weight. Why is it then that so few people succeed in reaching their target weight, or worse, reach their goal and then put the weight right back on again?
It’s not a case of having to pick the right diet and fitness plan to be successful (although some are better than others). And yet people go from one program to another hoping that this time they have found the magic formula to weight loss.
In weight loss, as in reaching many goals, the key is motivation. Those who are most motivated are those who succeed. And you need to keep your level of motivation high not just at the beginning of your weight loss program, when you have decided to lose weight but also throughout the program. You need motivation to help you stick to your diet and fitness routine and you need more motivation afterwards to help you keep your superb new shape.

Motivation Tip 1. Weight loss motivation is all about desire rather than willpower. How much do you want to lose weight? How much more do you want to lose weight than you want to eat fattening food and lay on the sofa watching TV all day?
List all your reasons for wanting to lose weight, or stay healthy and slim. Add more reasons to your list as you think of them. Make reading your list the first thing you do in the morning

Motivation Tip 2. Sustain motivation by making getting to your target weight believable. Visualize success. How will you look when you lose weight? How will you feel? What will you be wearing? How will your clothes feel on you? What will people be saying to you?
What will you be saying? What will you be doing? Spend 5 minutes a day imagining and enjoying your future success. A great way to while away the time waiting in a line or commuting, not so great for driving though!

Motivation Tip 3. If you have a lot of weight to lose it can be hard to sustain your focus. If that is the case, plan some activities throughout the year that you would like to be slim for, for example Valentine’s Day, your birthday, a weekend away, your annual vacation, Thanksgiving etc. - your Weight loss motivation dates!
Plot out your goal weight for each event with a sensible rate of weight loss (max 1-2lbs per week) and use each mile-stone as a major target in itself. Use the same strategy for weight maintenance by ensuring that you stay the same weight for each special date in your calendar.

Motivation Tip 4. Boost your weight loss motivation by promising yourself a treat when you reach your goals. Build in some non-food rewards for every little step you take as well as for major milestones. How about a beauty treatment for each 4lbs lost? Or buy a book by your favorite author and allow yourself time to read in peace (and without guilt) each time you do your full workout.
And each time you make a healthy choice rather than an available unhealthy choice (walking instead of taking the car, fresh fruit instead of ice-cream) pat yourself on the back. Tell yourself that you’re doing great, because you are!

Motivation Tip 5. Take a picture of yourself in your swimsuit or leotard at the start of your program. Each month take another picture wearing the same thing. Feel your weight loss motivation sore as the swimsuit gets baggy while you shrink. A Digital camera is great for taking those pictures you don’t want to take to the developers!

Motivation Tip 6. Get your subconscious to help with weight loss motivation. It’s a lot easier if your mind is on your side! Try motivating tapes and even hypnosis. These have worked for many people. They help you get the right messages deep into your brain supporting your decision to lose weight and they help you to relax. Stress is the top reason why people eat when they are not hungry.

Motivation Tip 7. Buy and read slimming magazines and then cut out those inspirational stories of people who have succeeded in losing more weight than you. If they can do it, so can you. Re-read the stories when you’re feeling down about your diet or think you are reaching a weight loss plateau. People who lose weight are not super-human. They just decided to go for it and then never gave up!

Motivation Tip 8. Keep a record of how well you are doing. This should include your measurements as well as your weight, and include a section on how fit you are and how you are feeling. Add your pictures if you are following Tip 5. There’s some good software on the market that you can use to chart out your progress if you like having that kind of visual record.

Motivation Tip 9. Get the support of others working towards the same goal. Many people the world over swear by local slimming groups. They give you accountability as well as education, support and a chance to make new friends in your community. You can also use them for maintenance once you have lost weight.

Motivation Tip 10. Go public! Offer to be a guinea pig for a magazine or TV show or get everyone in the office to sponsor you - you will have to succeed.

Motivation Tip 11. For extra weight loss motivation, keep a diary of your thoughts and feelings as you lose weight. (A good place to keep also your list of reasons to lose weight. See Motivation Tip 1).
At the start of the day quickly note down your intentions for the day, how you plan to eat healthily, what exercise you plan to take, what strategies you need to adopt for particular events coming up that day. In the evening, review how your day went.
Don’t berate yourself for any of the choices you made, see only what you learned from them. How did you feel after you made your choice? Was it still worth it? (Yes, sometimes double chocolate chip ice-cream is worth the calories). What would you do differently next time something similar comes up? (Maybe you just eat a little less tomorrow)

Motivation Tip 12. Listen to uplifting music. Put together a collection of all the music you love that makes you feel great about yourself and the world. Play your tracks whenever you need to feel good about your own strength to succeed in your weight loss efforts and the great slim future you have ahead of you.

Motivation Tip 13. Sometimes you need to get real about your fat and stop hiding behind excuses. Just decide for once and for all that you have had enough of being fat and you are going to do something about it.
Take responsibility for your own choices. Look at what has made you fat and how you have let this happen to yourself. A bit harsh from the weight loss motivation team? Easier to make excuses? No! Far, far harder to stay as you are, unhealthy and unhappy with your shape.

Motivation Tip 14. Success builds on success. Don’t get so fanatical from day 1 that you fail on day 10 swearing never to follow a diet and exercise program again. Instead make a few small healthy changes at a time, see the effects, add a few more. This is the way lifestyle habits are changed, not superhuman willpower and gritting of teeth.

Motivation Tip 15. Your body works in a million miraculous ways. Somewhere along the way you have forgotten what all babies know - how to eat when you are hungry and stop when your hunger is satisfied.
Even young children when confronted with tables full of food including all the sweets and snacks they could want end up eating a balanced healthy diet. All it takes is for you to re-learn your own special inbuilt mechanisms. This really could be as simple as listening to your body’s true hunger signals and need for movement. This is something everyone can do.

Motivation Tip 16. What makes the best weight loss motivation? You slopping around in old baggy clothes, berating yourself for how ugly you feel or you, looking your best at whatever stage you’re at, wearing clothes which fit and your hair and makeup done?
You are a beautiful person. You are just trying to match the outside to the beautiful you inside. Make the effort to look as good as you can while you lose weight to boost your morale.
Always have at least two smart casual outfits that fit you perfectly rather than wearing too-tight clothes (you refused to buy a bigger size) or clothes you’ve long since got to small for (they make you look as baggy as they are).

Motivation Tip 17. Get rid of any clothes that are too big for you as soon as you lose weight. Anyone with a fat set of clothes in the wardrobe is expecting to fit them again and actions often follow expectations, before you know it you’ll be eating to fit them.

Motivation Tip 18. Have a role model- someone you know who eats healthily and works out. Notice how that person acts around food, what they eat and how they eat. How do they fit in exercise within their lifestyle. You need to think like a slim person too. You know it can be done.

Motivation Tip 19. Train for a spectacular event. Apply to run a marathon or join a sponsored program to walk the Great Wall of China. Aim to have 6 months to a year to prepare.
Consult an expert to get a proper training program in place. Let your goal drive you on to success. How much more motivating to be “training for the Paris marathon” than “jogging to lose weight and get fit”.

Motivation Tip 20. Lose weight for yourself. No one else cares about your health and your looks more than you. Your family and friends may even fear that you will change too much from the you that they love. You may not get the encouragement you want.
More than anything you need to do this because you love and value yourself. You matter. You really do!

These are some questions we were asked to ask ourselves for Fitness Survivor
1- Why did I gain the weight or what prevented me from losing it sooner?

I’d like to say all the blame of my weight is on my parents, seeing as we learn from our parents.  A lot of it is. I’ve never been skinny… I don’t even know what it’s like, which is weird to think about. But we all know it isn’t as simple as blaming someone other than ourselves.  I have very little self control and a lot of emotional issues; not good for the waist line!

I’ve tried and tried to lose weight and it is just will power that breaks me.  My mom falls off the wagon, so I fall off.. The hubby orders a cheeseburger, so I do too..

I need to learn sometimes, it is all about YOU. You can’t do what others do all the time.  Part of us all being unique, is how we have to treat our body.

2- What am I prepared to do to change that?

Now that I have a job I think I’ll be able to afford more of the health food I was eating before.  I need to exercise more.  Basically, I need to revert back to the habits I had earlier this year.  I’m prepared to CHANGE, even if it means completely remolding my life.

3- What am I doing now that I can change to bring me closer to my goals and make me healthier both emotionally and physically?

Right now I’m just working on focusing myself and finding my center. With this, I’m working on food and exercise but more so stabilizing my mentality.  I know part of this is exercising, so I’m hoping to get back to it.  Earlier this year I was burning 800 calories on the treadmill  A DAY.  Where did that go??? I need to get it back…. I’m planning to do some self meditation, reading, cleaning, exercising…over the next month to regroup my body heart and mind, and get them on the same team again.

4- What am I hoping to achieve in the end and how do I think it’ll change my life?

Mostly I want to be healthy. It’s embarrassing to me to get winded going up steps.  I remember going on a day outing with my hubby when we were dating, riding bikes, and I got so worked up I was crying because I couldn’t physically do it.  I don’t want to be like that.  I want to be able to run; to shop where ever I want, and keep myself from getting all the diseases I’m terrified of.

I want to feel good in my own skin.  What I see in the mirror shouldn’t be me.  I want to gain the confidence I know I’ll need to succeed in the future as well.  I want people to take me seriously.

I feel that if I acheive this weight loss, I’ll become the person I should be.

Here I am! Whew it’s been crazy lately.

So, I realized what part of my problem might be.  My hormones are EXTREMELY SCREWY!!  Not only do I have PCOS which makes my hormones unbalanced, but I’ve started on different birth control medication so that I only have my TOM every three monthes.  I definitely think this has affected my moods. GRR! And now that the stressful week has ended, GUESS WHO ARRIVED??? lol!! Oh well.

The new medication had been bothering my stomach– I found I can’t take it without eating or else I feel nauseaus.  I think I might go back to oncce a month.  It’s supposed to be worse for women with PCOS but it never bothered me, except for cramps. (I never had cramps before going on BC!!) I save money having it less, but I think it’ll be better for me seeing as it’s more natural.  We’ll see. :p

So, I’ve taken over the Heartbreakers for a while to give Tiffany a break I’m excited to be doing this, as I think it will help.  I’m also loving the Pink Ladies, and I’m in the third FITNESS SURVIVOR and ready to kick some booty.

I’ll have to see what I work next week. I’m PRAYING the hubby and I get a day off together so we can bake some Christmas cookies. Just some quality time.. it’ll be nice.  That was supposed to be last night, but I passed out at 8:30, LOL! Think my tests tuckered me out a bit?

I know I got an A in English (woohoo!!) and I think I got an A in my architecture class (one more grade needs to be posted). The other three classes are up in the air as to if they’ll be and A or B, which is still pretty darn good for my first semester if you ask me; especially since one class is CALCULUS. ugh.

Well, I can’t think of anything else to say right now. I’ll be pretty busy on Buddy Slim next week I think with the Heartbreakers and Fitness Survivor so expect to see a lot of me.

Love you all!!!!!!!! xoxoxo

Okay all, I’m about to go take my last two tests. *deep breaths* Then it’s all over! Woohoo!

Wish me luck! I promise I’ll write you all a real blog either later today or tomorrow!

Love you guys! xoxo