Queen of Detox

I am all about some detoxing! I love my detox baths and my detox teas but I am thinking about taking it up a notch. I am going to do a detox wrap. You are supposed to leave it on for a few hours but I think I am going to sleep in it to make sure I get as many hours in as I possibly can! LOL! I will measure before I go to bed and then again in the morning. I have my fingers crossed that I will have done some major detoxing by tomorrow!

Before.....

These are my before pictures. I have lost 10 pounds since these were taken. I figure if I am going to blog about my weight loss I should be 100% open and honest which includes what I look like. I have nothing to hide when it comes to getting healthy and overcoming things that I have been through. These pictures are hard for me to look at because they show how far I let myself get back to my old ways but they are also what has motivated me to get on track. In a month I am going to take some more pictures of my progress. Hopefully I will be able to see a big difference. =)

When it all becomes clear

I have been a little upset for a few days over things not always working out for one reason or another at different non-profit organizations that I have volunteered at. This morning I came across a March of Dimes walk that will be held on my birthday. How awesome it will be to walk on my bday in Emma's name to help other babies? I really feel that I was meant for this. It is the perfect scenario. I get to help other babies on my birthday in Emma's name. I feel so blessed that the Lord put that walk in front of me. It makes me feel so much better about things. I am most def a doer and physically doing something to help ease my pain over her lose is going to go a long way toward my healing. I will be healing and I will be helping babies. Words cannot describe how happy this makes me. I feel driven again.

Slow and steady

I am down 10 pounds! I am so excited. They say the first step is the hardest but I think the first 10 pounds are the hardest. Losing the first 10 is the foundation and it takes longer to build a good foundation than the whole entire house. And without a strong foundation the house will crumble and so will any weight loss success. Of all of the times I have lost weight all I could see was the big picture. I overlooked the here and now. The foundation I laid was weak and crumbled because I worried more about losing fast at any cost. My new way of thinking is that if I lose 1 pound a week by the end of this year I will be 52 pounds lighter. Not bad if I say so myself. I don't have to lose 52 pounds in 6 months to be happy. Having a healthy mindset is making all of the difference in the world to me. O have I mentioned how much I dislike planks?

Interesting article

Please know that Calorie Count cannot and will not support you eating less than 1200 calories a day. We consider this unhealthy and CC is all about HEALTHY weight loss or weight maintenance.
From Mary Hartley, Calorie Count's Director of Nutrition: "By eating only 800 calories, you will not get enough energy, protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals and other components of food. In time, you could become malnourished, which can cause severe health risks such as respiratory infections, kidney failure, blindness, heart attack and even death."
Here is a brief reason why never less than 1200 from the Advice section of Calorie Count Plus, under the Q&A tab:
Why must I eat at least 1,200 calories a day when I want to eat less?
In order to get the daily food servings you need for a balanced diet, it takes about 1200 calories a day. With careful planning, you could have a balanced diet on 1000 calories, but the restrictiveness of a very low calorie level can lead to binging and weight cycling, which will take you further from your weight loss goal. What's more, very low calorie diets can cause excessive muscle breakdown and metabolic adaptations, which can drive down your calorie requirements. In the end, you'll need fewer calories to maintain a higher weight
Your body needs at least 1200 calories per day to survive.
Here is a very rough scientific break down provided by a dietitian for a 5' 2", 19 year old female weighing approximately 100 pounds, sitting around all day and doing nothing:

-The heart needs 12% of the calories (144 cals)
-The kidney needs 12% of the calories (144 cals)
-The Liver needs 23% of the calories (276 cals)
-The brain needs 23% of the calories (276 cals)
-The skeletal muscle needs 30% of the calories (360 cals)
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I have been guilty of  going on a really low calorie diet.  After a few weeks of it I was 10 pounds lighter and miserable. There is no way to be healthy on such a low calorie diet unless you are the size and weight of the example in the article. I want to lose weight to be healthy so I know that my body needs the proper nourishment in order to be healthy. I look back on what all I have put my body through and I am shocked that it is still functioning normally. Live and learn!

Kitten heels and pink polish

So yesterday when I was getting ready for church I decided to wear some heels. I haven't worn heels in several years. I wore the heels yesterday not because I was rewarding myself for losing weight like I have in the past. I wore them simply because I wanted to. I have to admit they made me feel spunky. Very spunky. So did the hot pink nail polish I had on. Sounds weird that just two little things can make a woman feel sexier but I find it to be very true. I think too often women don't do little things for themselves to feel good. We spend so much time taking care of others and trying to be Super Woman that we often overlook our own selves. We push aside things that make us feel good until the point that we become miserable and down on ourselves. For the past 6 months that's exactly where I have been. Miserable and down. But something about those kitten heels and the pink polish has given me a little boost. I feel at least a few layers of misery being pushed back and a litle more of me coming forward. I know that getting over the past 6 months is not going to be an easy task but I know I will triumph over the sadness that I have endured. I also know I will come out stronger than before.

Small things add up

I am doing this routine every morning when I wake up and right before I go to bed: 15 jumping jacks, 2 pushups, 10 crunches, 10 mountain climbers, and 10 sec plank. I am keeping the amount I do low so I don't get frustrated. Not sure how many calories I will burn and don't really care. Just wanting to gain my strength back. I have not had a Sprite today either. Just 5 more days until my splurge day. I feel great today!