Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone!!! 2011 is almost over and we are at my in-laws MIL and Grandma already went to bed, so I thought I would check in with my blogging buddies. I am so excited about Sherri's idea for a goal poster, I told hubby about it and I think we are going to make one. I am so happy to share that this is the first time in a long time that I am going into the new year feeling good about my weight. I don't know what my official year end weight is but I feel good and I am happy with how my clothes fit.

My Mom told me yesterday that she and my Dad are going  to do the bfc, whoo hoo!!! I hope they really go into it with open minds and give it a  fair shake. She told me she gained 5 lbs from Christmas goodies. One thing that really helped hubby and I this year was not having any Christmas cookies around. The things we were given are in a bag by the door to be taken to work. This holiday season I ate only two of my favorite holiday cookies, 3 peanut butter balls, and about three pieces of homemade candy. This is big for me, in the past I ate a ton of everything.

Here are some things that helped my to be successful this holiday season:

• Red wine instead of beer or sugary mixed drinks
• Having no Christmas goodies around
• Celestial seasonings holiday teas with whipped cream
• My peppermint coffee instead of starbucks peppermint mocha
• Exercise even if it was for 20 mins at a time
• Lots of water
• Looking at last year's holiday pics
• Having enough healthy food to snack on at work
• Reminding myself that I need to stick to the bfc and not slack off because it is the holiday season

Happy New Year Everyone!!!! Big hugs to everyone!!! Let's make 2012 a wonderful year with lots of success stories.

Merry Christmas

Hello friends, I hope everyone is having a happy holiday season. We had a lovely Christmas, and Santa was very good to me. Some of my favorite presents were:  Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook and a set of holiday coasters that our Mother's made for us at a pottery painting place. Todd and I are very blessed to be able to have both sets of folks here in town this year (his parents lived in Philly the last four years)

I received a nice compliment from  hubby's cousin who is more like a cool aunt to us, she told me that I had lost weight since I saw her in the summer and that I looked really good. :) :) :) I think one of the big things that has helped me is drinking less beer, I mean way less beer. Which was hard for me to let go of,  but now that I feel good where I am at it's easy to pass up.

I feel good about the little indulgences I had over the past several days, and I am only up 1-2 lbs :) 1-2 lbs is much much better than 5-10 lbs that I have put on the past few years. I have my holiday work party coming up Jan 7th so I am really feeling motivated to eat belly good and to exercise. I have lots more to say, but it's getting late and I work early tomorrow, big holiday hugs to everyone :)

Hello everyone, can you believe Christmas is right around the corner? It doesn't look like it is going to be a white Christmas around here which is a bit of a bummer. I feel like my mood is up and down on one hand I feel better physically going into the holiday season lighter than last year and determined not to gain weight, and on the other I feel down with the dark cold weather and I just want to nap until I feel better. I mostly think it's a combination of the weather and hormones. I feel better when I remember to take my vitamin D supplement and I exercise.

labor of love modge podged presents

I am loving the peppermint chocolate coffee, I have even put peppermint extract in my candy cane lane tea, I really feel that the coffee and teas are helping me not to over indulge. I took Thursday and Friday off work so I could enjoy getting ready for Christmas, I drank a ton of peppermint coffee watched Christmas movies and wrapped presents. Actually this year I modge podged my presents, so hopefully they can be re-used next year. That wasn't my intent in doing it in the first place it just sounded fun, and it was very enjoyable and relaxing. I think it's good to find things to do to get in the Christmas spirit that don't involve sugary foods.

Hubby and I bought a bunch of presents this year at World Market, I found a new low sugar chocolate bar that I LOVE. For $1.99 I got a delicious dark chocolate bar that has 2g of sugar for the whole bar!!! :) You have to try it,  I think it has a wonderful texture and taste.

Life is good, hubby and I looked at out first house yesterday :) it won't be a good fit for us but it was exciting to look. It's never a good sign when the house next store has a small bus, vw bug and trailer in their back yard. I hope everyone is having a wonderful week, stay away from all the yummy sugary goodies you won't regret it :)

Delicious. You must try it :)

Don't worry I didn't fall off the wagon

Hello friends, sorry I haven't posted in almost two weeks, December is flying by. I am happy to share that I am 99 % done with my Christmas shopping and last night we started wrapping Whooo Hooo!!!! I was feeling stressed about what to get and shopping. This year hubby and I are really trying to show our parents how much we love and appreciate them this year we will be having Christmas Day dinner at my in-laws with both sets of folks :) I am so blessed by my parents and hubby's family. My parents are good people and they love love love my hubby for which I am so thankful. My in-laws are awesome, and I'm really glad they get along with my folks.

I hope everyone likes my new pics, I feel they are a good reflection of where I am at now and where I came from. Last Monday we went to the Davenport to see the Christmas Tree Elegance with my folks I felt really good about how hubby and I looked. I am wearing my seven jeans that have been sitting in my closet for two years, and hubby is wearing the sweater he got last year for Christmas that didn't look good then because he had a chubby belly.

When I look at our Christmas pic from last year I remember how bad I felt about myself and I am so thankful that I started the belly fat cure in January to stop the cycle of gaining weight and feeling bad about myself. Sometimes I find myself thinking I've only lost 15 lbs and that's not a big deal, but when I look at my before pictures I realize those 15 lbs have made a big difference in how I look and how I feel about myself.

Saturday hubby and I went to Starbucks before heading to the mall for some shopping I ordered a peppermint mocha which is my favorite seasonal holiday drink, I haven't had one since last Christmas. I ordered a tall with the sugar free syrup (even though I'm sure it was made with fake sugar) the drink was still probably not very belly friendly, and it wasn't as good as I remembered. My peppermint coffee drink I make at home is much better. In my special 16 oz holiday mug I add 2 packets truvia, 1 T ghiradelli unsweetened cocoa, 1/4 tsp peppermint extract and finish it off with whipped cream. It is delicious and very belly friendly. Next time I go to Starbucks I will get my usual americano with cream and I will know that I am not missing out by passing up a peppermint mocha.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Tuesday, whatever you are up to keep it belly friendly you won't regret it. :)