Inches How I Love to See You Go!

Inches How I Love to See You Go!

As you gather from the title this is about the inches that I have lost. In have lost a lot! My body is changing! I mean that literally here. Let me paint you a picture here. My body is like riding a roller coaster. I have a lot hills attached me. I have way too many pockets of fat. [Rolls of fat] So getting an accurate inch lost can be hard. There are areas that you don’t measure but I see going down. [I have a huge bulge of fat over my left knee. I’m so ashamed over this but it is going down. Yea!] You don’t measure that but I see it. My pants fit better and I can move my knee better. This leads to me being able to walk easier and longer. That is amazing!
This next part of the article will have my sister and brother in law going DUH! They would be right.
As many of you know my sister, Chelley and her husband Dennis are my coaches in this journey of change. [They work for FIRSTFitness Nutrition] They both keep telling me to Drink Trimbolic. I have never been able to get it down due to the taste. Well I finally gave in and got a shaker to make it right and I’m able to drink it. I would mumble and complain because I still hate the taste of it. Then I started noticing my body was changing. The rolls of fat were shrinking. I kept drinking the Trimbolic. Then I measured today. WOW! I am a believer. I will drink the Trimbolic and not complain about it. [I can imagine the messages my FIRSTFitness Nutrition friends will leave now.]

Here are my measurements. It shows where I began and where I am now.

February 24, 2014
May of 2013 numbers in Red
Now numbers in Blue
Weight-                 469.5                               418 Loss of 51.5 pounds
Upper Arms-         L-21 ½” R-21”      L-18 1/4” R-18” Loss of 6.25” 
Chest-                    none                      49”
Bust-                      54”                        51” Loss of 3”                
Waist-                    53”                        49.5” Loss of 4.5”

Hips-                     79 ½”                     74” Loss of 5.5”             

Thighs-                  L-48 ½” R-46 ½”   L- 46 ½” R-46” Loss of 2.5”
Calves-                  L-26 ½” R-27 ½”   L-24 ¼” R-24 1/4” Loss of 5.5”
Total inches Lost is- 27.25” WHOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
What is not on here is the difference I see in my shoes. It may sound weird but I have lost inches in my feet. My feet! I have always had to be Wide Width and then extra Wide width shoes. I have big feet. Well no matter how tight I tie my shoes they have a lot of room in them. They are loose. They fit length wise still but width wise they are loose. I need new shoes! J
I love the inches I am loosing. I am so glad because inches are fat! Pounds are fat and muscle. I’d like the fat to go away!
Well I’m out of here got to do a walk.
If you like to see where I began my journey here’s the link:
http://mmbreakingfree.blogspot.com/2013/09/my-story-so-far.html

 

Valentine’s Day…Do I really need reminded of L-O-V-E?

Valentine’s Day…Do I really need reminded of L-O-V-E?

I have never really understood this holiday. The older I have gotten I have liked it even less. A day where we’re supposed to show love to the person we’re in love with. Really? Do we have to be reminded of this fact?

I’ll admit when I was younger I would love to get the cute stuffed animals that came out around Valentine’s Day. I liked the cards with different cute animals on them. I’d picture the latest guy I had a crush giving me a special Valentine’s Day gift. But as I got older I understood this day less and less. This year is no different for me. Well wait that is not completely true. I’ll admit that it would be nice to get a Valentine’s Day surprise. I started listening to all my friends talk about what they hoped they would get. I’d hear my single friends complain about being single for Valentine’s Day and I’ll admit even I started to feel bad for them and me. When they all find out that, outside of family [a few times], I haven’t gotten anything for Valentine’s Day in seventeen years they feel very sorry for me. I started to let it get to me. Then I decided that was just STUPID! You see I thought about it and there is so much love in my life. I can’t feel bad for myself. I started jotting down a few things and made a list. Then I realized that this would be a great Valentine’s Day blog posting. So here it is:

The L-O-V-E in Marie’s Life [That’s me]

I am very thankful to God for giving me all these wonderful people that have loved me in my life.

My parents-We have not always gotten along but I love them dearly. I’m grateful to have them.

My Siblings- Chelley I love you! I am very grateful for all the support through the years and especially this past year. You are a true blessing to me. Donnie my little brother I love all 6’ 5 ½” of you. Great to have a wonderful little bro like you. I’m grateful to their spouses who encourage me as well. To my other siblings A&K it’s great to experience life now through a 16 & 10 years old point of view.

My parents were foster parents to other children and I was blessed with some amazing extended family. I love you ALL! Thank you for loving me. No matter how short or long you were in my life.

I had the best grandma’s- Grandma Jerry, Grandma Graham, Grandma Mary and Grandma Sheffield- I love all of you wonderful ladies. I was blessed to know my great grandparents as well. I have some amazing Aunts and Uncles as well. Love you all.

I have the best nieces and nephews in the world. I love seeing them because they always make me smile.

I have been blessed to know my biological father since 2004 and his side of the family.

I was blessed with a wonderful lady, Mrs. Braddock who taught me sign language. I will always smile when I remember the gift you gave me. Later in life I was blessed with another great teacher Naomi. I love you both.

I have had some amazing friends in my life. I treasure them all. Sandra has been there since I was seven. Girl we have gone through it all together. I love you! Thanks for staying my friend even when I didn’t love myself.

Judi you are a great friend. I have learned so much from you. I am grateful for everything. I’m grateful that you let me crash in your house! I’m grateful your daughter and granddaughter have accepted me into their lives as well.

Nikki thanks for being there even at 3am for me. I love how we’re both Disney nuts. [Angela you’ll become one too I promise.]

I have a lot of friends I have made while working at WDW and I’m grateful to you all. We’re all over the USA and that nice to know I have friends across the country. [Even a few across the world.]

I have a church family that shows me a lot of love! I am very grateful for it. I’m grateful for the Youth class I teach as well because they have blessed me more than I think I have blessed them.

I have gained a lot of people that support me on both FB and Tweeter and I am very grateful to all of them as well. It is always nice to read the comments support to my blog or latest posting. Thank you.

As you can see, I have a lot of L-O-V-E in my life. I am a very blessed person.

When I finished writing this list I realized that I am truly blessed! I don’t need Valentine’s Day to show me love. I have it at vary levels every day in my life.

Since May of this past year I have been blessed to realize I have love in my life. I have also been blessed to love myself. I was in a pit of darkness for a long time. I was begging God to let me die. Then my little sister showed me honest and true love. She was so brave and did what needed to be done. I’ll always be grateful to you Chelley.

[To see where my journey began in May read my first blog:
http://mmbreakingfree.blogspot.com/2013/09/my-story-so-far.html ]

This Valentine’s Day I celebrate love by living my life again. I chose to focus on the love all around me. I hope everyone reading this does the same. If you are down about not having that someone special in your life just make a list like I did and you’ll be surprised at how much love there is in your life. [My list is longer than I put on here] I wish you all L-O-V-E. Have a Blessed and Magical Day!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

My FANtastic Moment

My FANtastic Moment

As you all know, I am a huge New Kid on the Block [NKOTB] fan. I proudly call myself a Block Head [BH]. I have had a lot of many blessing since Thursday. I was followed by Danny Wood [NKOTB member] followed me on Twitter. I like following Danny because he always Tweets about his workouts and running. Danny is #LivingHealthy and encourages everyone that follows him to do so as well. There have been times when I see his Tweet- “Workout for the day done” and I’m reminded to work out or decide to work out again. I’m always encouraged to keep getting healthy by Danny’s Tweets. So when he followed me I was grateful. I had a little fan girl moment. I shouted “YES!” so loud I scared my roommate. 

Then there was the FANtastic moment of this afternoon. Today was a great day! I made a lot of progress in the story I’m writing, able to get a good workout in and I had a something wonderful happen to me. I’m having trouble writing about this moment. [Due to still being so happy.] Well today I logged onto Twitter and it showed I had a Direct Message. [DM] I clicked onto the messages and got a surprise. I had a DM from Jonathan Knight. [NKOTB Member] I just stared at the screen. I read it again. I double checked to make sure I was right about who sent it. I was right. Then I found myself screaming! [All the BH’s know what I mean by screaming. I was in fan mode.] I never expected a DM from him. Never! I was so surprised, excited and happy. I was walking on air for most of the day. [Ok I’m still walking on air.] Jonathan just responded to a comment I made about a picture he posted.  I was honored that Jon took time from his vacation to respond to me. I know he has no idea who I am. I know he doesn’t know that he saved my life. I know he doesn’t know how much he inspires me. I know that he doesn’t know he is my hero.  But I’m just honored he took a moment to send me that DM.

[To understand how he saved my life read how my journey began:

http://mmbreakingfree.blogspot.com/2013/09/my-story-so-far.html ]

Let’s just say I am even more motivated to achieve my weight loss goal and go on the NKOTB cruise in 2015.  I am very motivated for my smaller goal of 50 pounds by May 14, 2014. I’ll reach it. I know I will.  Now I am adding to my walking and my work outs. I’ll be writing about that soon.  I hope you all have a blessed and magical day!

Choices- I choose to Keep on Smiling….

Choices- I choose to Keep on Smiling….

Well Gang I was in Wal-Mart today shopping. I was picking up the list for my roommate. [Who I help care for.] I was minding my business and trying to give a smile to everyone I pass. [Because you never know who just needs a smile] Anyways, I was putting some sugar in my cart for some Valentine’s Day baking when I felt a hand on my shoulder and someone pressed up against me and my shopping cart. I turn to see this woman there. She looks at me and says “Hun if you keep eating things with sugar in them you’re going to keep getting bigger and bigger. You can’t afford to get any bigger.” [Imagine how angry I am at this point. Also imagine how closed in I am feeling.] The woman doesn’t move. She is still blocking me in. She still was pressed up against my cart and me. I look and realize that everyone on the aisle was now staring at me. I started to feel closed in. The more I saw people staring at me the more I felt like everything was crushing in on me. I noticed I was now even breathing more heavily. I realized I was also so pissed off I still couldn’t say anything back to her. Ok now my hands were shaking. All I could think was RUN! GET OUT OF HERE! I then started thinking people are going to think you’re crazy! I tried took one step to walk away but she didn’t move. She asked me “Are you still going to buy the sugar? You know it will keep making you fat!” [I started counting in my head because I wanted to just let everything fly off the handle at this woman. I wanted to chew her out!] I glared at this woman and said “Move!” She moved some but not a lot and began to gripe “Well I hate it when you try to help a fat person and this is the thanks you get and they don’t listen.” [I’m really shaking now. I can’t get my mind to focus on anything but the people staring at me and this rude woman in front of me. I just pushed my cart so she had to move more out of the way. I tried to walked pass her but I still needed more room. She sighed really big and loud! By this point I have no control. I am shaking all over. I’m fighting back tears. I feel trapped and I am having a panic attack in Wal-Mart. She said “Well don’t you have anything to say?” and I smiled at her and said “I hope you have a blessed and magical day.” [I have no idea where that came from. That’s what I begin and end my posts with on Twitter and Facebook. Yet, I told it to this woman. Now she moved out of my way and was walking fast away from me.] I walked on down the aisle and then went into the baby area of Wal-Mart [which had no one in it] I stood there calming myself down. I kept telling myself to breathe. It would be alright. I was in a corner as far away from everyone as I could be talking to myself to calm down. It took me ten minutes to calm down. I then went and finished my shopping.

I’m glad I didn’t fly off the handle at this woman. I don’t want people to see me and think I’m as bad as she was. Nor do I want to spread the negative she was spreading. I’m glad I didn’t respond with more negativity. I do wish I had stood up for myself better. I wish I hadn’t let this situation cause me to have a panic attack. [And in public as well. I’m still upset with myself for this.]

This situation does make me ask one question though, Why do people feel they have a right to do this to other people? This isn’t the first time something like this has ever happened to me. In fact, people have made comments like this on many occasions. [I have had a lot worse than what happened today.] This woman had no idea who I was, what I had experienced in my life nor that I am already on the Journey of Change. I am already losing weight and becoming a healthier person. All she saw was me add some sugar to my cart. She assumed that was why I was fat. Wrong! Please everyone do me a favor and stop and think before you say anything. Spread love and positivity. This world has too much hate and negativity in it already. Don’t add to it. I also wonder why we are so quick to judge everyone. None of us are perfect. We all have issues, passed and mistakes that make us who we are. Since none of us are perfect then we have no right to judge especially a snap judgment that was made about me.

This woman had a chance to just keep on walking. She didn’t have to spread negativity and hate. She didn’t have to be rude and mean. She chose to be that way. My hope is that after reading this you will choose differently. Spread positivity and love. Remember even just a smile can be what a stranger needs to make it through the day.

If you’d like to read how my Journey began here’s the link:

http://mmbreakingfree.blogspot.com/2013/09/my-story-so-far.html