I love me!

List of 30 things, item #2: Something you love about yourself

I know myself…

From birth, I’ve been a head-strong kind of girl. And while one might think that could be a bad thing, I actually embrace it. I’ve always had a strong sense of self and confidence. Most of the time, it has served me well in life. I owe that to several influences, mostly my mom followed closely by a few other family members, the army, Girl Scouts, my faith and a few close friends.

I’ve always known what I want out of life and fought to get it. For example, part of why I think Neal and I have had a successful year and hopefully a lifelong, blissful marriage, is because of this spoken (and unspoken) confidence.

It was important for me to set goals for myself and most importantly, achieve them. I wanted an education, and I got it. I wanted to live on my own, so I packed up everything I owned and moved to downtown Atlanta where I didn’t know a soul within a 40 mile radius. I wanted to be a ruthless business woman, so I networked and found the ideal job in Hospitality. When I decided I had had enough of Atlanta and its shenanigans, I moved back to Nashville where I again, found another great job with Nissan’s corporate headquarters. I lived on my own and depended on no one to support me. In the time where I was ramen noodles, I knew that I provided that meal and that I didn’t need mom and dad to shell out for their adult child.

I knew what I wanted, and I made it happen.

When I decided that single life had become as fulfilling as possible, I decided to pray to find a cute Catholic boy to join me in this great thing called life. I didn’t want to settle for just any man. I wanted a man that could love me for all my quirks. I wanted to marry a man for a lifetime. I didn’t just want a fun party of a wedding. I wanted a lifelong partner to love and support me… the fun party of a wedding was just an added bonus. J

I’m not saying everything was easy along the way, but I am eternally grateful for the many blessings God has given me. I asked and He gave when I needed them most. I love where I am in my life and I couldn’t have asked for a better path.

~Jenn

Tuesday, Tuesday....

The body is a strange thing, I tell you. Last week was disastrous diet wise. I seriously ate cake for breakfast one day. Like, that bad. But like my mom says, sometimes you have to shock a dieting body. And I guess that worked because I weighed in again this morning and… *shocker!*… I was down another 1.4 pounds. That was the grace of lil’ baby Jesus, I say. Not sure how I pulled it out, but I guess I’m doing something right.

To catch you up to where I am, today marked the 6^th weigh-in. I’m right at 12 pounds lost, which is a healthy average of 2 pounds a week. I have 4 more weeks of weigh-in torture left and I’m aiming for 2 more pounds a week to put me at my 20 pound goal. It’s doable, but as we all know, a brined turkey and sweet potatoes are calling my name. My goal is to work my ass off (literally) this week and pull a big number to make up for next week’s luming Holiday. We’ll see how that works out. All I know is that Im thrilled with my weight loss. Hott ass here I come!

~Jenn

Ta-da Tuesday!

Well, another weigh-in day has come and gone. I lost 1.6 pounds this week, which put me at a loss of 10.6 pounds lost since we started this Biggest Loser Challenge a month ago.

I checked with he administrator of the challenge and she said I’m above and beyond anyone else in the challenge, so that was good news to my ears for sure! I know I could do even better if I stayed 100% committed. I tend to lapse every now and then food wise, BUT I have not slacked off in the gym, which I think it helping.

I’m going to be working extra hard the next few weeks because Thanksgiving is just around the corner and we celebrate it twice with my family and Neal’s. My brother, the bearded yhetti, is coming in next week from New Mexico along with his girlfriend, Julia. We’re making plans to go to the Titans game next week AND the Tennessee/ Vandy game, so you know there’s some serious calories to be consumed between tailgating and stadium food. Not to mention, Neal and I will take them around to some restaurants in our area they haven’t tried yet.

But to recap, we have 5 weeks left in the challenge and I still have a 20 pound weight-loss goal. I really have to step it up to meet that goal, so I’m keeping my eye on the prize. A skinner Jenn and one heck of a money pot!!

~Jenn

Facebook needs a "Dislike" button

Okay, so I’m starting the list of 30 things about myself. I’m sure in some demented way it’s connected with weight issues. It always is.

So here goes… Day 1: Something you dislike about yourself.

(Editor’s Note: I deleted “hate” and substituted “dislike.” Call me cliché, I’ll take it.)

I think it goes without saying that I’m writing this blog because my body and I don’t see eye to eye. Am I pretty? Yes. Do I have a smokin’ hott body? Um, yeah, not so much. But the blueprint is there. I’m just chipping away at some of these extra fat cells so I can truly say that I have a smokin’ hott body. Once I get that taken care of, then here are a few physical things that I dislike about myself… my thin hair that never seems to do right. Having extra large feet (size 10), which makes it hard to find cute clearance shoes. I’m knocked-kneed.

Now the not so physical things. And let me pre-face this by saying that these are terrible things about myself, but like all things, it’s all about moderation. I tend to be a little on the bitchy side. It takes a while to forgive things, but I never forget them. I’m judgmental. Most of the time, I think I know what’s best. I’m funny about money.

Writings things you dislike about yourself it hard. Because you never want to own up to some things. But I said that I would do this 30-day challenge and you have to fill in the blanks somewhere.

~Jenn

Abby's Road

I have a friend named Abby, whom I met years back while in college at MTSU. We weren’t necessarily BFF’s, but she was always around and in touch. Since college, I’ve gotten to know her better through adult activities, such as a wedding we were both a part of a year ago. The older we get, the more I like her. The woman is brilliant. She’s a great friend, a devoted wife, and a phenomenal mother. We have similar personalities, which could be disastrous, but we’re mature enough to realize how awesome we are, so, it works. She, too, writes a blog, which I follow. (http://www.pureramblingsfrompegram.blogspot.com/ )She writes about life, motherhood, marriage and thoughts as a young woman. She started her blogging journey by answering a list of 30 things about yourself.

While I intended to write a weight-loss themed blog, sometimes the blogs are hard to come up with AND keep with the theme. Then I got to thinking. The whole idea behind transforming my body, is to have the perfect fit with this ideal life I’m living. I’ve said it before, I’m perfectly content with my life. Sometimes I sit and think about how I couldn’t have prayed to be in a better place. I know there is always growing and learning to do, but I’m thankful that I don’t have…. “baggage.” I don’t live with a dark cloud over my head. I don’t have any damaging secrets in my past. I’m the princess in a storybook love story. All of these amazing things, BUT, I’m just a little chubby.

So, I may be stealing a few ideas from my friend, Abby - starting with this list of 30 things. I’ll blog regularly, answering each of these questions along the way. Because a healthy body starts with a happy heart, and I’m reminded of where I come from and how I got here. And maybe you can know, too…

~Jenn

Tuesday Mornings – Part 4

I had my fourth weigh-in for my weight loss challenge. And… I was down 1.2 lbs! I’ll take it. A loss is a loss. So far, I’ve lost every week (some numbers better than others) which means I haven’t had to pay and that total number just keeps inching up! I’m only tenths away from 10 pounds. Yes!

I’ve stepped up my gym routine by trying the gym at 5:45AM! I went this morning and it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be to roll my chubby ass out of bed. (The thought of 5:30 is way scarier than actually getting up.) To my surprise, the gym was just as crowded at that time of morning as it is at 6:30pm during the week. Except for one difference, the people at the gym at 5:45 seem ultra committed. I deliberately got on an elliptical next to a woman whom reminded me of Jillian from the Biggest Loser. I tried very hard to keep my pace around hers, so not to be embarrassed, and it really seemed to push me.

By 6:45 when I was leaving, all the toned, beautiful Hendersonvillians had moved out and the wrinkley white hairs had moved it. Seriously, I’m guessing the median age at 7am at the YMCA to be about 69. (Hehe.) Most of them just mosey around, drinking coffee while watching the news on the TV’s. It seems like it’s more of a social scene for them as opposed to a work out. Except for the pool area. That’s the best gathering area for the old folks. But, at least they’re there!

So another weigh-in has come and gone. I’m really hoping to get into double digits with my weigh-in next week and really hoping for the day that I can actually see and feel the difference that I’m trying to make. Size 8, here I come! J

~Jenn

Good little girls

Every year it’s a surprise to me that Christmas is around the corner. I swear it was just yesterday that I looked at my calendar in June and thought “Oh wow, Christmas is just 6 months away!” And now look. Halloween is this weekend and it’s just a free fall of Holidays for the next 6 weeks.

Does this ever happen to you?

Throughout the year you come across items that you’d think you’d like to have, but YOU don’t want to pay for it? So you remind yourself to tell mom/dad/husband/wife/etc that it would be a nice thought as a Christmas gift? And then that fleeting thought disappears and November rolls around and you can’t think of one thing that you’d like? Yes, that’s me too every year. But this year, I have a grown-up toy that I’d like. 

bodybugg in zebra print

Its the bodybugg® and is featured on The Biggest Loser. It’s a pricey lil’ widget coming in at $175 or so. (Eeeeek!) Buts its the best of the best when it comes to determining the science of calorie burning by person. I find it hard to trust what these elliptical machines say, so this is a sure fire way of understanding the amount of work I do at the gym and how that will play into my weight loss journey.

Now $175 is a lot of money for a Christmas present, so I may have to lump it into a Christmas/Birthday (ahem… February 6^th!) gift. But the cheesy (fat-free cheese) part of me thinks that my health is… wait for it… priceless. So whats $175 when you have a smoking hott body!?

I’m glad you agree.

~Jenn

Read more about the bodybugg®  http://www.24hourfitness.com/training/bodybugg/