encouragement

Struggling with my weight for my entire adult life, I finally decided life is too short to live perpetually unhappy.  I have lost 55 pounds in the last year and am currently working on the last 25.  I made a few simple changes to my lifestyle (less sugar, smaller portions, and more veggies) and have never felt better! I'd like to share a number of "Before and Afters" with you to detail the differences from my old life to new. ... Read more » about Before and After

First, I'd like to reiterate something I said yesterday on Facebook.  If you're not yet a fan, go ahead and "like" me because there's lots of additional conversations, photos, and questions that never make it on to the actual blog!  I started a devotional plan yesterday - 35 days of a bit of Bible plus a story / message that goes along with it.  I've "wanted" to be a consistent reader (of the Bible) in the past, but haven't made it a habit.  Then I ... Read more » about 7 Low Sugar Tips Anyone Can Adopt

Yesterday was National Running Day! (I actually didn't know until I saw the bajillion blog posts about it...heh).  But I shall celebrate none-the-less even if I'm a day late. I still don't/won't call myself a "runner"... but I am getting into the habit of running, slowly but surely.  It all started with the lovely Corrie Anne.  If you missed her guest post, be sure to go back and read it. 

Now I'm no Pioneer Woman, who got 48,000 comments on ONE BLOG POST (I left a comment myself to try to win an awesome turquoise pot...ha! No such luck.)  But, as I posted on Facebook yesterday, I have been overwhelmed with the number of visits/views/pins of my Strawberry Banana Greek Yogurt Bread and its Blueberry version...over 30,000 just this month!  I hope many of you have actually gotten the chance to make them and taste them for yourselves.  This excitement and pinning action piqued my interest. 

To say I am overwhelmed with the positive responses and comments from yesterday's reward photoshoot post, would be an understatement.  Please accept my sincerest thanks for all of your kind words.  A whole extra level of joy was added to the celebration, being able to share in it with you!  How can I not get all warm and fuzzy when I read comments like this one?! : "If I could just choose one blog to follow and to be inspired by, it would definitely be yours. ... Read more » about Sincere Thanks + {Greek Yogurt Blueberry Muffins}

If you missed my Rewards and New Goals post from earlier this week, you should go back and read it!  I talk about the importance of setting goals and share some great tips on how to do it.   Part of what I discuss is why setting specific rewards (non-food related of course!!) can help keep you motivated and give you something tangible to work towards.           I recently hit one of my major goals - reaching the "Healthy BMI" range by losing over 50 pounds!  As a reward, I had a photoshoot d ... Read more » about I feel Pretty, Oh So Pretty...{Reward Photoshoot}!

I was never much of a goal-setter, I think mostly because I didn't want to fail.  If I didn't set any, I couldn't disappoint myself!  BUT, what I came to realize is that if you don't set goals and aren't working towards where you want to be, it's so much easier to get off track.  Like I said in my first goals post, I didn't intentionally gain 80 pounds.  It sortof "just happened."  That sounds lame, but it's true.  A pound here, a pound there.  And somehow during all those years, if you h ... Read more » about Goals Round 2 + A trip down Memory Lane

You may not know this, but I am a part of a larger group of bloggers called "Healthy Living Blogs."  They have weekly recipe round-ups, where they solicit all of us bloggers' best recipes around a certain food, like avocado or strawberries.  You can see an example here.  They also have weekly blogging tips for those of us who spend so much time talking to our readers.  And they have monthly features around a specific topic.  Last month's was "Workout Must-Haves."  This month, they are asking for posts on ... Read more » about A Letter to my Future Self

Did you know I've lost 50+ pounds without counting? No counting daily calories. No counting points - activity or food related. No counting # of meals or # of fruits/veggies. No COUNTING.  Though I was a math major in college and am currently teaching Babycakes to count (She's really good with "one two" and "eight nine"), I have never found it very manageable in my daily life to count calories.  First of all, it's super tedious. ... Read more » about 50+ lbs lost with No Counting: Calories or Points