So Much Has Changed

So much has changed since I last wrote.

1. I moved out. 
2. I'm loving being my own person.

Crazy how just moving out will change your out look on things.

• I'm getting a chance to organize things my way. 
• I've got so much more space to spread out. 
• I feel my creative juices flowing again.
• I'm making jewelry. 
• I'm writing. 
• I'm crocheting. 

1. I don't feel like I'm being held to be something that I really am not.
2. I have been able to hang out with friends and have good times.
3. I have been able to enjoy time with my son most every day.

I am going to write more here starting now. I've got some ideas and I'd like to share them. See you again soon! How has your time been?

Happy New Year

Happy New Year! And yes the year is still new. It's still January for another week (at least). The past couple of months that I haven't been posting is because I have been busy. I worked at Hobby Lobby for all of three weeks before I had to quit. The store manager at the store that I was working at was not helpful in how he made the schedule for people to know when they were to work the following week.

Now I'm working at a pretty active job as a cashier/bagger. The days can feel long while working there but my Active Link is showing that I am really banking the Activity Points. Bad thing is I haven't been following the plan for Weight Watchers with either the Points Plus or Simply Filling. My weight loss chart shows this too.

I obviously need to get back on track and start following one of the plans. Hopefully in the near future (i.e. the next two months) I will be finally moving out. People say that divorce is the best weight loss plan out there, but so far it hasn't been. I started working at my grocery store the last day of November last year. I really want these Activity Points to be put to good use.

I want to start doing the Simple Start/Simply Filling starting tomorrow. I do believe that I have all of the stuff I might actually need (at least for a day or two).

Couponing is also going to be a big focus for me this next year considering I'll be on one income. I just hope that I'll be able to stick to losing when I have to save money.

Do you have any money saving tips while trying to lose weight?

I've Been Slacking Off

My life has been crazy in my point of view anyways. I have been on the hunt for a job and it has been stressful. So it has driven me to eat more than what I should. I find myself comforting myself with food after everyone goes to sleep at night. Nothing is sacred in this attempt to satisfy my need to snack either. It could be something that I bought for myself or it could be something that I bought for my son to eat.

My late night snacking never seems to end up with me eating something good for me like a salad, or some fresh fruit that is in the bowl on the counter. I find myself asking questions like "What am I really craving?" or "Am I looking for a specific taste?" or "Am I just looking for crunch?"

Sadly the individual servings bags of Animal Crackers (which could be regular, iced, or entirely frosted) usually ends up being my go to snack until I've ate them all. My son never even gets to open a bag. Yes I feel bad about it when I'm opening one of those little bags but I get past that feeling and just start munching. If anything in the house has chocolate in it, it's gone in a matter of a couple of nights and I'm looking for what I can fill my next snacking.

This last Saturday at my weigh in I was up into the range of weight that I had hoped that I would never see again. I am back up over 200 pounds. Not by much but it's enough. The weather is getting cool again. So I have to get cracking on what I'm eating because I want to be able to fit into all of my 16W jeans again without them being uncomfortable. I also just bought pants for my job search not long ago that are also size 16W. I can't let that money go to waste.

I find myself saddened by all the money that I have just continued to give to Weight Watchers. This program works when you follow the plan. It does. Really. But I have purposely stalled myself out and just keep handing them money every month. I could have been lifetime by now had I always stuck with it. At the same time I have to look at it in the sense of had I not been going to a meeting every weekend where would my weight be? How many times would I have come back to Weight Watchers?

This is the longest journey of my life so far. It has been a struggle. I am waiting for my break through so that I can get to lifetime. It's going to get easier when I'm the only one making the food decisions. It's going to be easier when I don't have to worry about the junk food that I didn't bring into the house. (I'm really proud of myself that I haven't bought Halloween candy yet, even though there have been some really good deals and coupons for it.) It will continue to be a journey even after I am in my own home, because then there are no excuses. I am the person buying food.

Do you have issues with night time snacking too? How do you handle your cravings? Let me know in the comment section!

Simply Filling Week 2

The second week of me doing Simply Filling Technique didn't quite yield the results that I hoped for. But at the same time I knew that there would be a gain no matter what I tried. This last week was stressful with it being more than just myself at home.

I found myself eating out of comfort. I felt like the only way that I would feel better was for me to have something in my mouth. I tried to eat only things that were Simply Filling even if I was eating. That was probably my only saving grace. My gain wasn't a
terrible one. I only gained 0.8 this last week.

As you can see from my weight chart up there I need change. I need something to boost me onward to greatness. I am tired of looking at that 10% goal line. This weight chart is from when I first started at Weight Watchers until now. So 2 years worth of weigh ins. There was a whole year there in the middle that my life got in the way. THE ONLY REASON that I am not back up to my start weight or beyond was that I kept going to the meetings and half trying to stick to program. Weight Watchers works. I'm going to stick with it until the end. I am going to be a lifetime member.

I am going to try out a couple of new recipes this coming week and I'll post them as I try them. There is a Crock Pot Salsa Chicken that looks good that I can make sure is SFT and I'll let you know how it works out!

I also signed up for a Diet Bet so I'm hoping that it helps me stick to my goal. I'm going to have to lose 4% of my weight in the next 4 weeks. Maybe since I've got money on the line it will motivate me even more.

Have any of you ever done a Diet Bet where you put your money in a pot to reach a goal weight by the end?

Butterflies...

Butterflies can flap their wings and create change. Just think of what you can do. 

Can't Wait to Organize My Own Place

I wish that I had a place that was my own, so I could decorate it however I saw fit. Then I could have a fresh start at organizing everything. So that it could be a place that I called home.

Last night while I was out and about. I decided to make a trip into Bed, Bath, & Beyond. Right now since it is the beginning of August every place that sells stuff like BBB are doing college dorm sales. Which means they have everything that has to do with organizing and storage on sale. They have check lists out everywhere. To be quite honest it made me wish that I still had my studio apartment in Grand Rapids.

A Super Soft Footstool @ BBB

I was taking in all of the cool accessories and it made me wish that I could just buy it all. Only problem is that right now I have no place for it and I would just be moving it again anyways (probably into a space that it wouldn't work in). And since most of the stuff that is out right now seems like it's for college kids (and not quite my style) I'd still use the organization stuff.

I seriously want to get crazy about organizing stuff in my drawers. This is something that I've never really been. Before it's always been if it is in the drawer it's organized, or if it is in the closet it is organized. What I've come to realize though is that those places are just hiding clutter! Everything should have a place and my stuff doesn't really. My drawers are just hidden piles of clothes.

Pinterest and I are going to become the best of friends in a bit when it comes to organization. Feel free to follow me over there where I start pinning great ideas for my next place.

What are some of your favorite ways to organize? I'm open to suggestions and links :)

Excuses Excuses

My weight loss is a journey. That is what I have to keep telling myself. It's the only way I can keep at it. Because deep inside me is that part that says "I want it off right now and if it isn't going to disappear then screw all of it." It is a journey. It just happens to be an incredibly long one if I don't stick with it and do it.

I have tons of excuses. Here are a few:

1. You're going through a divorce.
2. You're having to look for work.
3. You're having to look for daycare.
4. That sushi looks really good.
5. It's just one piece of cake.
6. I'll get right back to it after this...

They go on and on, but all they do is just make the journey longer. I guess it is going to come down to how much longer do I want this journey to take. I have set goals before to reach before a certain date and it doesn't work. Because if I don't make the goal I set for myself then I self sabotage and gain a couple of pounds back.

I try to make activity goals and those don't seem to work either. I'm really gung ho about them in the beginning and then other things get in the way. Here are a few of those:

1. I don't have time.
2. My favorite program is on.
3. I'm too tired.
4. It's too early.
5. I just took a shower.
6. It's raining out.

I need to realize that no matter what I'm doing there is some way that I can work in some kind of activity even if it is getting up and walking in place while I watch my favorite TV program. There is all of the time in the world to watch those, and for those minutes wasted sitting I could be up walking in place just so that I'm doing something.

I need to release these excuses and move on and instead of saying "I can't" I need to start saying "I can."

What are some of your excuses? What's holding you back?

The Writing's Been Good

The writing has been pretty good lately. I have been able to get down crazy amounts of pages of hand written journal. I have been able to take writing prompts and run with them. Where has this part of my brain been in the past six or so years. It seems like I could never do this much writing before. It's like someone has pulled a plug and everything just started oozing out.

I have also been going crazy on Twitter lately too. I'm surprised no one has told me to shut up yet. But twitter is just that kind of place where everyone and no one is listening all at the same time.

There is a website called Writers Write and they give amazing advice and writing prompts. I follow them on Facebook and Pinterest and here lately on Twitter. Looking through their writing prompts that they post on Pinterest early yesterday morning just made something click in my head. My mind is turned on and I'm so happy for it.

Writing Old School Style

I have also found that I am able to write with more focus when I'm not on the computer doing my first draft. I always seem to get sidetracked. Because there is Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest. They are all distractions. Another great website that I have going in the background when I've been writing today is Coffitivity. What it basically does is give background noise to make it sound like you are sitting in a coffee shop without actually having to be in a coffee shop. Now if I could just remember to brew a cuppa before I started my writing I probably would be better off!

I want this phase to continue. I am happy when I'm producing something. I have this problem though. I'm very flighty. Something else will pop up like my unfinished crochet project that is almost done and I'll drop everything else. But I need to get that finished so I can show it off too. :)

If you write what is your favorite method? Do you like pen and paper, laptop, or a typewriter (do they even make those anymore?)?