Getting rid of it! I think it's time. Don't you?

Are you thinking this...

The holidays are coming  

 I'm going to eat and not worry about weight right now.Watching my weight this time of year is impossible..there is just NO point in trying!  Besides I don't REALLY eat that much anyway (I haven't a clue why I can't lose weight)  and I can get those pounds off come January when I make my New Year's resolution!

Let me let you in on a little secret.....You won't do anything about it come January!!!  Did you last year when you told yourself the EXACT same thing?

I know where you are...I've been there and told myself the exact same things over and over! Change your thinking!

Don't let Satan tell you that you can't change! He'll have you believing you CAN'T! When you most certainly CAN!

Show him Who holds your tomorrow!!!  Start thinking about changes you can make NOW and you won't have a bigger amount to lose come January! You'll be so glad you did! It's ok to indulge in the things you love at the wonderful celebrations we'll be having coming up, but it's also a good idea to have a hold of those reigns and not go hog wild at EVERY chance you can get! Your health is counting on YOU to take care of yourself! You hold the fork and you CAN put it down!

Here's 3 new  pictures 2 of which are  from our recent trip to OBX! It's rare you'll see me w/out a little makeup! LOL and my hair pulled back!

Carly is 13 now and Hailey is about to turn 17! Pic of hubby and I is from the day after we got back home!

It's not good for man to be alone; I will bring him a helpmeet! (Genesis 2:18)

Two are better than one, for they can help each other. (Ecclesiastes 4:9)

 Our wedding day!

Tomorrow hubby and I will have been married 20 years! It hasn't been perfect every day by far, however I can truly say I love him more now than I thought I did then. He's my best friend!

I'd  like you to know that  I now know how to do punch properly at a wedding..LOL..he brings this up at every wedding we attend....he'll say "Watch babe, this is how you do it!"

I found the following things on a website recently and I'd like to share them with you.

A fellow Christian Joe McGee came up with these and I can say I whole heartedly agree!! I hope something here will either open your eyes or you can nod in agreement!

Things I wish I knew before I got married....

 Great relationships are no accident.

If work is taking my best energy, my marriage will suffer.

The greatest gift I can give my spouse is my own happiness.

It is possible to hate and love someone at the same time.

The only rules in marriage are the ones you both agree on.

It's not what you have, it's what you do with it that counts.

Conflict does not destroy a marriage, but the avoidance of it causes resentment.

Every marriage has seasons--there can be some hard winters.

My primary relationship is with my spouse, not my kids.

It is never too late to repair damaged trust.

Secrets are lies.

Sex can improve with age.

If you can't be happy without your spouse, you probably can't be happy with them.

Getting help when you can't work things out is a sign of intelligence, not weakness.

One person, no matter how much you love them, cannot meet all of your emotional needs.

The real issue is usually not what you are arguing about.

Love is not a feeling; it's an action.

Arguments cannot be avoided in marriage, but destructive ones can.

Even people with great marriages sometimes wonder if they married the wrong person.

My opinion is not necessarily the truth.

Vacations are necessities, not luxuries.

Trust takes years to establish and moments to destroy.

Guilt-tripping never gets you what you want.

What you judge in your spouse is a reflection of what you judge in yourself. It takes one to know one.

A lack of vision will destroy even the most loving of marriages.

My spouse is both my teacher and my student.

If my spouse is defensive, I'm probably giving them a reason to be.

The cheap thrill you get by putting down your spouse isn't cheap.

Good sex doesn't make a marriage great, but it sure helps.

Possessiveness and jealousy are born out of fear, not love.

Don't say anything about your spouse that you're not willing to say to them.

If your spouse thinks something is important, it is.

Marriages never outgrow the need for romance.

There's a difference between sex and romance.

Nothing deadens sexual desire more than unresolved anger.

Don't yell at your spouse unless the house is on fire.

The silent treatment was invented by a kindergartner.

A quick phone call when you are going to be late can prevent an explosion.

It's okay to read a book on improving your marriage.

Don't keep feelings of gratitude to yourself.

Yours for the souls of families,

Joe McGee

For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again... Proverbs 24:16 KJV

I've tried a LOT that's out there...Richard Simmons, Susan Powter (LOL loved that hair...wait maybe it's the hairdresser in me that picked those two, because of their weird hair!) ohhhh and  the one that you just simply breathe properly to lose weight....come on...did I REALLY believe I could stand there and inhale and exhale and lose weight.....YES, I DID!! It was an easy way out..and that's what I wanted. I didn't want to work for it...I didn't want it to take a year or so....I wanted to change magically and overnight would be good too  thank you very much. Well... I  FAILED!!!! It didn't stop me though...I kept on looking for something to finally  click for me. When I finally surrendered and gave it to God was when things started changing. I asked Him for help and it was like Weight Watchers and the FIRM fell in my lap! Not overnight mind you...I had been trying to lose weight for almost 20 years!!!!

Hardly anyone accomplishes anything worthwhile the first time they try!

Look at some of these folks-

Walt Disney- he was told he didn't have ANY good ideas!..did he quit...nope!

Thomas Edison- was told he was too stupid to learn!

Albert Einstein- couldn't read til' he was 7 and couldn't speak til' he was 4!

All these folks experienced great failure on their way to fabulous success....point is they didn't give up..they didn't quit...sometimes this weight loss thing takes a little practice! If you keep on working at it..you'll succeed!! We've all fallen on our face a few times....it's the getting back up that counts. Now get back to it....it's time to TRY AGAIN!!!!

My girls, my MIL, and I attended an outdoor concert and got to meet and get autographs from Dan Evans (a couple of seasons ago on Biggest Loser) and the Carter Twins (upcoming teenage heart throbs in country music, lol). The girls had the best time and were right in the front row!

I'm also going to post a couple of pics of my Carly in Alice in Wonderland at the dinner theatre here. If any of you remember The Wright Kids from America's Got Talent they were in this with Carly as well. Nice family! That's my Carly behind Alice in the first pic (black 3 of clubs)

the 2nd pic is of them meeting the qudience after the show. One girl asked Carly to sign her program...made her day! LOL!

I used to think-

1. I'm happy fat.

2. I'm supposed to be fat, because it's in my genes.

3. I'm not THAT fat.

4. I don't eat that much.

5. I would always be fat.

6. It's too hard to lose weight.

7. It would take too long to lose weight so why bother.

8. I didn't have it in me to lose weight.

9. I would never be fit.

10. Folks that were fit and healthy were born that way and didn't have to work at it.

Now I KNOW-

1. I was in denial. I mean really does it make you happy to be fat? REALLY?

2. It's NOT in my genes..it was WHAT was on my fork.

3. I was HUGE and wasn't REALLY looking in the mirror.

4. I was eating huge amounts and all the wrong things.

5. I won't always be fat!

6. Yes, it's hard to lose weight, but it's doable!

7. Time is going to go by anyway so I may as well be getting healthier each day.

8. I can do ALL things thru Christ who strengthens me.

9. With God's help I'll always be fit.

10. Baloney...they might be skinny, but they aren't healthy..those that are.... work at it, because it's SOOO worth it!!

Mama now has basal cell skin cancer....surgery Aug. 5...more details in the replies below. Your prayers mean so much folks!

I've had a really trying few weeks since my last blog post. It all started with my mom complaining of stomach problems after our Father's Day cookout...two days later I had the same thing...so we figure it was something we ate...a bug..whatever.......well a week later mama was complaining again and called me to her home late in the evening..I tried and tried to get her to go to the Dr...no doing...there was even blood all in her toilet.....well long story short we ended up in the emergency room 2 days later and after 2 days in the hospital her white blood count hit 50,000!!!! It had almost tripled in 2 days. The Dr was baffled as to what was going on...he called us back to the ICU at midnight..he was going in and doing exploratory surgery not knowing what he might find....he told one of my sister's and I.....If I go in and find a rotten gall bladder I can fix that if I go in and find dead bowel all I can do is sew her back up and make her comfortable....talk about SCARY!!! My sister was like...What does that mean??? He said that means it's terminal. Oh my goodness did my heart feel like it was racing out of my chest..we got on our cell phones and called our siblings...it's 7 of us...all but one (she lives out of state) rushed to the hospital..we sat there for 3 hours not knowing what the verdict was during which my Dad was saying he didn't think he could do this again...he lost his mom at the same hospital at a young age.....I was doing a lot of praying and I even remembered  the line in the movie Facing the Giants...something to the effect...If what I pray isn't what I get then I'll still praise and love you Lord...THAT was REALLY hard for me to "say"....it felt like I was letting my mom down....but then there was this great peace that came over me.....a peace that passes understanding.........then a while later the surgeon came in grinning ear to ear...she had a VERY rotten gb!!! He said she gave him some more gray hair and was very hard to figure out! Praise the Lord I still have my mom and I'm so happy to report she's recovering nicely. She also had a biopsy on her arm last week we go tomorrow to find out about that....well would you believe we get mama out of the hospital and then Daddy goes in!!! Unreal! I take him to the dr. and she says get him to the ER NOW you might lose him! So I rush him down the road ..he has congestive heart failure....severe copd....pneumonia in one of his lungs. Please pray he'll be strong and NOT smoke another blasted cigarette!! If you're reading this and you're a smoker...PLEASE do yourself and those around you a big favor and throw them away!!!! Most of his health problems are due to cigarette smoking! He's on med after med for it now...so sad!! I have them both out of the hospital now and Daddy is facing heart surgery very soon. So please keep the prayer coming our way!

I'm so glad I have the Lord to lean to in times like this especially...I don't know how I could have gotten through all this without Him.  Leaning on those everlasting arms!!!

Thank you, Jesus, for being my Rock!

When I was heavy I used to sometimes think it was just my "destiny" to be fat. It was who I was supposed to be and that there probably wasn't much I could do about it so I may as well accept it and be fat and happy. What absolutely CRAZY thinking that was and I'm sure it was being fed to me by the devil.

One thing that made me REALLY sit back and think was one day at my yearly check up I told the Dr. ...I said, "I just can't seem to lose weight!" "I walk and walk and walk and I stay the same!"...she answered with this...sooo simple yet it hit me...she said, "Carla, are you watching what you eat?". WHAT??? You mean I can't just work all the fat off?? LOL..I certainly knew better, but didn't really accept the fact that it was going to take more...well I continued my wallowing in food (even though I truly thought I didn't eat that much...WRONG) and doing my WATP tapes and staying the same....I guess anyway..I wasn't about to step on the scale that thing made me mad and told the bitter truth of how truly out of control and heavy I was.

Then that lil' voice in the back of my head kept telling me..Carla, you can do this! Stop giving up on yourself...stop saying you're destined to be fat, stop whining that it's hard...stop thinking it's in your genes...stop saying you're happy fat!!!!!! Because you TRULY aren't!!! Then I finally made my decision I was ready to change..I was sick of that fat and all the excuses that go along with it. I commited to myself to change and I did it.

 Are you telling yourself you're destined to be fat...there's no use in trying? Well let me know if you're ready to quit wallowing in fat and excuses...because if you REALLY REALLY REALLY are honest with yourself you'll know that's all they are...EXCUSES! The devil will supply you with sooo many and you'll start believing them yourself. However, there's someone out there that totally believes in you and He's there to support you and lift you up if you'll let Him! You have to do the work and you have to kick those excuses out of your head every time they try to enter. You are NOT destined to be fat.....you might have always been fat....but you don't always have to be!!!

Did you know that most diets are destined for failure!? The majority of people who try to lose weight...fail! It doesn't HAVE to be that way though...there ARE people that are successful...not PERFECT...but SUCCESSFUL!!!

The first thing you need to do is to realize that there isn't a magic plan out there or perfect plan that will solve all your weight issues!

There is NO quick fix...and you shouldn't do anything to lose weight that you aren't willing to do for life.  Are you going to live without carbs forever? I think not! Are you going to workout 2 or 3 hours a day for life...NOT ME!

Overthinking!

It takes so much less energy to just do it the right way.....the much less time consuming way....the much less stressful way...the much less painful way. Forget the you got to stop eating at certain times of day to lose weight , you can never eat ice cream, you must banish carbs, stop having any fat, just silly things like that that make you crazy and make you OVERTHINK this whole weight loss thing.

Think about what you've done in the past to lose weight.....what worked and what didn't? Which things can you see yourself sticking with for the long haul? If setting your alarm at o'dark thirty to workout didn't last then DON'T try it again! Instead work out in the evening!

Are you thinking big picture or small increments? Are you thinking I"ve got 100 pounds to lose or I can lose 5 pounds 20 times!

Deprivation!!

As soon as I tell myself no sugar....I CRAVE it! It's crazy! Think of things you can live with....like instead of 2 tsp of sugar in your coffee...try 1 instead.....use less mayo on your sandwich or switch it to lowfat...instead of drinking a glass of orange juice..switch to the actual orange. Try switching for full fat things you love to reduced fat items...look for lower calorie alternatives!

Stop the guilt cycles!

Most dieters avoid exercise.....don't let that be you! Most stop because they hate what they are doing and when they miss a day they feel guilty and feel like they have been bad...come on, folks, you know better than that. Exercise is especially crucial for KEEPING weight off..which is what we TRULY want! Don't give yourself the choice of not working out..make it a priority!

Skeptical?

Take  new steps to break those old patterns you have...believe you CAN do it and quit making excuses as to why you can't. Even those that have been life long yo yo dieters CAN change! If you think you can't do it...you're probably right...think you can? I KNOW you're right!!

Are you ruining your workout?

Most people that start a workout or diet plan quit within the first six weeks!!! Don't let that happen to you...see if you're "guilty" of any of the following.

1. Going way too gung ho too fast!

You're excited so you think the more you work the better and if one workout a day is good then 2 or 3 is even better! You want to be fit NOW and not have to wait for it. So you tend to dwindle down to nothing, because you either injured yourself, you have shin splints, your body is killing you, and it's just no fun anymore!

2. Not thinking enough!

IF You're only thinking about weight loss....you're not thinking about the other benefits that the scale doesn't show....lower blood pressure, better energy, YOU'RE SMALLER!!! Try setting some habit goals instead of a goal to lose x amount of pounds by a certain time. For example tell yourself you'll make it a habit to get at least 3 workouts in every week. Even post them on your fridge or calendar so you can see them daily.

3. Not protecting your feet!

If you're working out barefeet or in your slippers then you'll pay for it later! You need good supportive shoes! I used to be guilty of working out barefoot! It's a big no no!

4. Being a wimp ;)

You're thinking about getting bulky and bigger so you're not challenging yourself with your weights. You should be feeling fatigue by the time you're getting to your last rep....if you want the benefits of being less jiggly, strengthening your bones, boosting your calorie burn, speeding up your metabolism and fitting into smaller clothing then grab those weights! You'll be glad you didn't listen to the folks telling you that you're going to bulk up...for the MAJORITY of women this just is not true!

You also might be just going through the motions after a month or so and not challenging yourself any more...up that intensity a bit ..if you're able to hold a conversation while you're working out then you're most likely not working hard enough....don't get to gasping for air..but get out of your comfort zone a bit!

5. You won't ask for help

You're too embarassed to ask someone for help......don't be afraid to ask questions and seek support. Support is HUGE In your success...you have to do the work, but having someone give you a big high five will go a long way towards you being successful!

6. BE THE BEST YOU YOU CAN BE!

We come in all shapes and sizes and we all get fit at different rates. Don't let what someone else has accomplished get you down about what you have or haven't done. Focus on what you can do and don't worry about what everyone else is doing! Be positive about what you're accomplishing no matter the rate! Some take the scenic route some take the expressway, but we ALL will get there!