November 3: Daily Thankful

I did not post this yesterday because we were at our friends house, but that's exactly why I am thankful!

I am thankful for friends to watch movies with, stay up with laughing, and play board games with!

Yesterday David and I met up with our good friends from George Fox (my old roommate, Keri, and her husband, Josh) and watched "Flight" at Cinetopia. (Horrible movie, FYI. I would not recommend it. The entire movie is about Denzel's Washington's character's drinking problem. Seriously. Two and a half hours of that. Shoo.)

It was a fun experience to have together though. Keri and I kept whispering in the theater saying it was not at all what we expected. Hilarious.

Then, we went to their cute little Newberg house and watched the Duck and Beaver games, while playing cards and a board game called Qwirkle. It was really fun!

We ended up hanging out with them until 2:30 in the morning. We were all up talking and dreaming about business ideas and watching videos of Keri and me as freshman. Oh man were we weird haha!

We had such a great time and I am thankful for their Godly, fun, hilarious, close friendship.

It's amazing how God can orchestrate people into our lives (freshman roommates) that can be such long-lasting, amazing friends! 

Week 5: Down 4.8!

What an awesome way to start and end a new week! I was excited to step on the scale today because I knew I had made healthy food choices this week, and paired with all the walking I do at work, I knew I was taking steps in the right direction of weight loss Steps...walking a lot... Get it? :)

But really, the impact of the food we eat is crazy. We aren't garbage disposals. The more bad food we eat, the worse we will feel. The better the food is for us, the better we feel. It's a simple concept that trips so many people up. Believe me, eating chicken and salads every day makes me want to scream. But I'd rather eat those salads and see the changes taking place in my body than inhale a few items from Taco Bell and feel horrible, guilty, and unhealthy later.

I lost 4.8 pounds this week. With this weeks weigh in, I've lost 26 pounds! In the last 5 weeks, I've lost about 17! It's amazing what a little sacrifice, dedication, and motivation can do.

(PS. David lost 3 pounds this week and has a total weight loss of 32 pounds!!)

November Daily Thanksfuls

Good morning all and happy November! Can you believe we are just a few shorts weeks from Christmas?! Where has the year gone? So many fun memories in 2012, and SO SO SO much to be thankful for. I've seen a lot of people posting their daily Thanksfuls for November and I wanted to too. Each day I will post one thing I'm thankful for. I encourage you to do the same. :)

November 1: I am thankful for spontaneous double dates that end with us spending hours talking and catching up (until 2 am to be exact!)

November 2: I am thankful for a job that has blessed me with so many opportunities, promotions, experience and friends

Stay tuned for each thankful! :)

Our Favorite Fall Tradition

Four years ago, David and I went to The Haunted Corn Maize at Sauvie's Island as part of a floor event at George Fox. We had so much fun that it sparked our favorite Fall tradition!

Each year we've gone to a corn maze, and each year we forge our way through the maze, laughing, slipping in the mud and navigating in circles.

Today we went to a nearby farm to go through the corn maze. We lucked out and had no rain to deal with, but our boots were well appreciated in the muddy dirt. We had so much fun and were even acting like spies to avoid running into another group of people. Here are some highlights from our day:

Week 4: UP THREE!?

Disclaimer: This is going to be short and sweet because I have to get ready for work soon.

Well, today was my four week weigh in! I am sad to announce that I gained three pounds. I've been doing so well that seeing this number is disappointing, but I can't say I am surprised. Poor food choices, lack of exercise due to me being cold, and my TOM, it was a recipe for a rough week. Today is a new day though and I am excited to see where I land next week.

Because this is a weight loss journey, I know there will be days or weeks where I gain, and there will be days and weeks where I lose. The important part is that I dust myself off, and strive to do better this week.

Happy rainy Saturday everyone! :)

Prayers

Hello blogger friends! I am just coming to you with a prayer request. David and I both have great work opportunities opening up for us, pending the interviews we have this week, and if you think to we would love an extra prayer or two!

I had two interviews on Monday, which I passed, and my final interview is on Friday! David also has an interview today.

If we both pass (hopefully we will know by the end of the week), it would be a huge help financially.

I'll keep you posted and thank you so so much for any prayers you send our way!

Week 3: Down 3.8 and Some Advice

Another great week at the Green household! Yesterday morning was our week three weigh in, and we were both pleasantly surprised to see we had both lost 3.8 pounds!!

Earlier in the week, I was nervous to weigh in on Saturday, not because I had cheated and grabbed a slice of pizza; rather, I was nervous because I had not seen a big weight drop on the scale throughout the week. That is where daily weigh ins can be tricky. Our bodies are constantly changing which means our weight is constantly fluctuating. For example, if you wake up and jump right on the scale, it may differ greatly if you were to get up, go to the bathroom, and then step on the scale. Or, it can differ greatly if you are nearing your TOM, if you weigh in at different times, weigh in on different scales... it can be crazy!

My biggest advice to you is to establish a weigh-in routine. Weigh in at the same time, the same way, and on the same scale every week. It can be the difference between a few ounces or a couple pounds. Trust me. Weighing in can be stressful enough, especially if you are not getting accurate numbers.

My second piece of advice, and one that I often find myself struggling with, is to not get hung up on the number staring back at you on the scale. You are more than a number. This past week, I kept feeling discouraged to see a slight gain or minimal loss. That discouraging feeling is an easy way to fall off track, give in to the temptation of binge eating on fast food, or quitting altogether. I even had to have David talk me out of wanting to grab bad food a couple times. Which brings me to a third and fourth piece of advice.

Third: Have a support system. Whether you are counting calories, doing a weight loss program like Weight Watchers or Take Shape for Life, or simply lacing up your tennis shoes and going for a daily run... a support system can make or break you! I do not believe I could be doing this weight loss routine without David. His sister has been a huge, huge help too! She's lost a ton of weight and has totally inspired David and I to continue. Check her weight loss story out here. Having them to help encourage me, push me, and share recipes, has been an awesome part of this journey.

Fourth piece of advice: Relish in non scale victories (NSV). These are often more important than our numeric weight. These are those moments off the scale, where your realize your weight loss journey is working. For example, some of my NSV include my wedding ring easily sliding on and off (I used to not be able to get it off), wearing a belt on my skinny jeans, fitting into a size XL MEDIUM shirt when shopping, and dropping two pant sizes. These can encourage us on a week-to-week basis, despite the weight we lose/gain that week.

Finally, figure out what your triggers are. What makes you over-eat or make poor eating choices to begin with? Is it a lack of planning what your meals should be so you grab whatever is convenient? Is it you being unable to cook? Is it your busy lifestyle?

For me, I was always triggered to eat poorly if I was bored. For example, if I am bored at home, I am much more likely to pop a bag of popcorn, melt some butter and sprinkle on about 2 cups of salt and have a few bites eat the entire thing. By keeping myself busy and changing my thinking from food, to blogging, couponing, chores, calling friends, and so on, I can keep myself from pulling that food-trigger sparked by boredom.

Anyone else in that boat? How many people can open a bag of potato chips while watching their favorite TV show and before they know it, they are licking their fingers, unbuttoning their pants, and drifting off into a uncomfortable food coma? Anybody? Yeah. We've all done it.

These are probably the five most important pieces of advice I can give you right now. Establish a weigh in routine, understand you're more than a number, have a support system, celebrate NSV, and figure out and address your food triggers.

It's up to you to do this. No one else can make this change, and it has to be as much of a mental change as it is a physical change. But I promise you, when you step on that scale and finally see your goal weight, every salad, every workout, every day of struggle will be worth it.