paulajonestx

“You have failed only when you quit trying. Until then, you’re still in the act of progression. So, never quit trying and you’ll never be a failure.” ~Unknown

Today is a new day indeed. In February, my husband and I decided to try a vegan diet (www.hacres.com) and weight loss has been slow for me, but I am determined. I dropped about 20 lbs and now I am just stuck! I realize my weight loss ticker on here says July 2009 I weighed 255….truth is, it went back up to the 270s until this February. I am currently stuck in the 250s. For three months now. I have joined Curves, so Hannah, my 12 yr old daughter and I go. Sad thing is, it’s 25 miles away and I have been having car trouble the past month….but we go when we can!

Ever notice that when God is leading you in a certain direction, He makes it so OBVIOUS that you simply can’t ignore it? I have a  friend named Dora a homeschool   mom like myself. She runs. Because she likes it. I, of course, never liked it. In school, the P.E. teacher always had to make me and my friends run. I liked swimming, roller skating, walking, but not running. There is ALWAYS an excuse. There always will be excuses…I have 4 kids, I need to be home with them…I look ridiculous running, I’m huge! It’s too hot! (in Texas, we have summer weather about 8 or 9 months out of the year) or the easiest excuse…I’m too busy! But then….I began reading on Facebook about another homeschool mom friend of mine….her name is Joy. If anybody has an excuse not to run, I would think it would be her. She has a son going into college, and a son in diapers, with 5 children in between!If anybody is “too busy” I’m thinking it would be her! But she runs. She makes time to run. The same with Dora….no excuses. They just do it. And I admire them for getting out there and doing it! Even if it can’t be done every single day, they make time when they can.

Then one day Dora shared a video. It was of some guy that never made it on the “Biggest Loser” or any other show…he didn’t need Jillian Michaels to yell at him. He just got out there and did it. At 358lbs…funny looking and all…he got out there. He lost 120 lbs. I am not sure what diet changes he made, maybe I will find out. But you just begin to see signs that point you in the right direction. And when it’s the Lord….you know you better listen.

Let’s go back a few years ago. When my son Daniel was 8, he sat at the table with tears forming in his eyes…he was telling me about a bad dream he had. In the dream, I had died from a heart attack. He didn’t know it, but my best friend, Billie Jean, told me she had a vision. In it, I had a heart attack and died. That was in 2004…when I was around 330. Or more. Not sure, because the bathroom scales don’t weigh anyone more than 330. I know in December of 2002, after Sarah was born, I weighed in the 340s on the Dr’s scales. So my husband (around 270 during those times) kept trying different things. ANYTHING except the obvious. We did low carb for years…it helped drop some…but not as much as we needed to drop, apparently.

Well now about the running. I know that right now the timing is right. I have zero animal fat in my bloodstream, since I have been on a vegan diet since February. I am less likely to have any heart trouble now, than when I was 16. I do have more energy. I might not be in a marathon by my 42nd birthday in December, but maybe I will run the White Rock for my 43rd. Hmmm….

But today, I ran to the fire dept and back. It’s less than a block away, but I ran there and halfway back.

It’s a start.

Thank you Dora & Joy! :o)

The video she shared is here: http://youtu.be/8SbXgQqbOoU

Okayyyyy…it has been almost exactly one year since I have been on here. Hmmm. Well, last year was a very tough year for many reasons. I was extremely busy remodeling the house we currently live in. Did I lose weight? Nope. I just didn’t worry about it much. Too much on my mind. I shall attempt to do better this year. We are eating more vegetables, less junk, less processed foods. We shall see.

Ok, it’s 2010. As of this moment, I weigh about 40 lbs less than I did in 2000, when I was about 308. In 2002, when Sarah was born, I weighed around 345. in 2005 I remember well looking at the scales at the Walmart in Paris, wondering if any of them would measure my weight accurately. I was around 325-330, and some scales had a weight limit of 300, others 330. As of January 1, 2008 I have been below the 300 mark….barely. Since July I have gone down to 268. It is after the holidays, and my 40th birthday, and my 15th anniversary,  and Praise God I didn’t gain anything! Woohoo!!! Hopefully by Easter I hope to be back in a size 24 dress. If not a smaller size!

We didn’t get our two-mile walk in today, which is a bummer, but I am looking forward to it tomorrow!

2010 is starting out great!

My husband is walking with me now! So we are walking more regularly than I was by myself! We have walked together everyday (except 2 days) for 17 days! We go to a nearby park that has a sidewalk that is 0.4 /mile. We started out walking around three times, which is 1.2 miles a day. For the past week we have increased it to 5 laps around which is 2 miles. Feeling better…weight is moving a bit faster, too! I haven’t posted lately, but we have tried something new. We eat a chicken breast (seasoned differently each meal) and drink a 12 ounce can of V-8. It’s working! My husband has lost 40 lbs since August! Go Babe!

I took my blood sugar this morning and it was 154…..WAY better than it had been a few weeks ago! My weight is inching it’s way down, also….279! Still bad, I know…but sure beat 320 I was 3 yrs ago!!! I feel SOOOO much better since I quit using sucralose-sweetened products! Not a single headache (except when I had a stomach bug & got a bit dehydrated…it went away with water:o)) It has made a HUGE difference!!!

Yesterday I walked 1.4 mi. My road T’s into another road, and so from my driveway to the stop sign is 7/10 of a mile. I am going to attempt to walk that every day, or at least most days, weather permitting.

I have learned a lot the past few days.Two weeks ago I began testing my blood sugar to see how it was doing…I am not a diagnosed diabetic, but I am at high-risk, and I know it. My mom has diabetes, and my paternal grandmother had it. My dad says he doesn’t have it, but I wonder….Anyway, I began testing my blood sugar in part because I was starting a low-carb eating style. I am not as hungry, but I had a headache for most of two weeks. I have known for a long time that Nutrasweet (aspartame) causes headaches, so I haven’t used it for over 15 yrs. (except for an occasional soda at a resturaunt) So this headache was a mystery to me. And my blood sugar was remaining at diabetic levels (200s) even though I was eating meat and low starch vegetables….no potatoes, corn, rice, sugar, etc. Just good green stuff, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, tomatoes, salads, etc. So high blood sugar was a mystery. I decided to find out if Splenda (sucralose) could raise blood sugar levels. I found that in some cases, not all, but there were some users that did notice higher blood sugar levels while using sucralose. Well, I used it in my coffee, and drank 2-3 sodas a day, and ate the sugar-free candies. My weight has not budged. After doing my web search (effects of sucralose on blood sugar) I found out that in some people, it causes headaches. Sunday, at church (with headache) I was prayed for, and I asked the Lord to show me what was causing this consistent headache. Since I quit using Splenda, I have not been having headaches. My blood sugar was still a bit high, but getting lower. I also read that stevia can help lower blood sugar levels. So I am currently using stevia for my coffee, and drinking water everywhere else. With my lunch & dinner I drink fresh brewed  green tea sweetened with one packet of Truvia (stevia). So…I have made a LOT of changes in the past week. I am currently 282. We shall see!