HappyHappyJoyJoy!

Hi buddies!  Is everyone ready for a nice long weekend? Personally I can’t wait to have some time off work. My hubby and I are driving to Cheyenne to visit some family members, and I just can’t wait. ;-)  I love road trips, and being with loved ones I haven’t seen in awhile.  Then we can come home Sunday evening and have some “JenBob” time, which I can never get enough of!  And I’ll have some time to work out and write in my book on Monday.  Yes, life is grand.

Anyway, I just wanted to share a quick bit that my husband sent me from Jillian, our beloved trainer from the Biggest Looser that everyone knows and loves.  We get an email from her every morning with inspiring, encouraging stuff, and I just love it!!  Maybe some of you already suscribe to it.  Today she talks about eating and metabolism and fun things like that - but I’ll let you read for yourself.  I’m so happy for my husband today because this morning he announced that he has lost 7 pounds in the last couple of weeks ( he didn’t tell me till now, that little stinker! )  just by cutting back on coke.  Yes, he is an addicted coke drinker and he gets major headaches when he doesn’t drink at least one can every day. But now he’s decided to experiment and it looks like it’s paid off.  He’s pretty excited, and I am sooooo excited for him!!   We always joked that we are the “number 10″  couple - he being the 0 and me being the 1.  But now we are working on being the number 11.  LOL~   It’s a great goal for us, if that makes any sense to you whatsoever LOL~  I adore my husband so much, almost to the point of insanity!!

Oh well, HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY buddies.  Have a happy, safe and wonderful weekend.  Keep to your goals!!   Let’s keep shredding those pounds and having fun while we do so.  ;-)    

 Jillian’s tidbit:  You gotta love this!! 

Are You Eating Enough?
You’re all trying not to go over your allotted calorie amounts for the week, but how many of you are having trouble eating enough calories? It may not seem like a big deal to consume a hundred or so fewer calories than you’re supposed to each day, but that’s a dangerous — and incorrect — assumption.

It is absolutely 100 percent essential to eat enough calories! If you don’t, it will destroy your metabolism. It’s like telling your body that you’re starving. If your body thinks it’s starving, your metabolism will shut down.Not eating enough calories will also force the body to cannibalize muscle and hold on to fat. The body considers muscle to be expendable during periods of starvation, and it considers fat to be necessary to insulate your organs for survival.Finally, a deficit of daily calories will lead to a horrible cycle of yo-yo dieting. You’ll starve yourself and end up losing muscle, and when you begin to eat the right amount of calories, your body will pack on the pounds in anticipation of another “famine.”What can you do to break the cycle? If you’re a woman, set your calories at 1,400 steady — don’t vary them. I almost NEVER say that, but in order to get your metabolism back up to speed and set your body right again, you’re going to need consistency and time.Stay on this calorie allowance and exercise at least five hours a week. You probably won’t lose weight for at least four weeks, but the good news is that you won’t gain either, and hopefully we will have gotten your metabolism back on track permanently. After about four weeks or so, you should start to lose weight, and then you can begin to vary your daily calorie intake — as long as you never drop below 1,200 calories. Now, go get something to eat!

  Happy Saturday buddies!  Today I ran many errands with my handsome husband, and Walmart just happened to be one of them (Oh my goodness, I LOVE this place. Who doesn’t huh, LOL~)  So just for fun, I decided to try on some jeans a couple of sizes smaller than my norm, and guess what? They fit me!!  It was another moment of pure bliss in my life.  Thank goodness we had gone to the gym first thing in the morning to work out, or perhaps they would not have fit ;-)  And thank goodness for the inspiration of this sight and all my friends here, otherwise I may have given up earlier in my journey as I have many times before. Well anyway, when I came home, I started to go through some of my old clothes and fold them to give away to Goodwill. (Another great store that I love, by the way.)  My husband sat on the bed and watched me for just a minute and asked if I would hold up one of my old favorite pair of jeans, and pose for the camera. I hate cameras…but that’s okay.

And hence…the picture of me that you see today. ;-)  I think the smile on my face is permanent.  I just can’t seem to get rid of it. LOL~ 

So Bob wants me to keep my old pair of jeans around, just in case we go to a football game this year, (GO BRONCOS!)  and I might need more layers of clothes to put on and keep warm. Or who knows, maybe there is a pregnancy somewhere on the horizon for me, where I will need these pants again.  But there is mainly another reason that I am going to keep them on my shelf - they will serve as a simple reminder of the waist I used to have, and to remind me that I never want to head back in that direction again. NEVER! I will never WAIST my time again abusing my body and not getting the important exercise that I need. ;-)  Sound good? 

Well, I will always love my old favorite pair of jeans, but truely I don’t love them that much.  So up on the shelf you go.   So long, old friend…;-)

And hail to new beginnings and to my buddyslim - the rockin’est site on earth!!  Hope everyone is having a happy happy joy joy type of weekend.  And if you’re not, there’s still time. Make it a good one!!  Aloha Nui Loa~

It’s been an incredible morning for me.  I’ve finally did it - I finally accomplished my mini goal and got down to 160 pounds.  I stood on the scale this morning in shock and cried happy tears of joy. I know, such a cry baby!! ;-)  But I did it! For the first time in 10 years, I’ve been able to not give up on myself and loose the extra weight that I’ve always wanted.  I still have more to go. But now I’m super excited because I know it won’t be impossible.  You can do anything that you set your mind to - if you truly want it enough. It’s like the handsome Tim McGraw says (Ooooh, I love that man!)   when he sings, “How bad do you want it? How bad do you need it?  Are you eatin, sleepin, dreamin’ with that one thing on your mind!!?”   Yeah, baby, I love it!!!  Now I feel like I can do anything.  I’ve been wanting to get my fiction novel that I’ve been writing for the past 6 years published, and now I’m actually thinking that I could even accomplish that.

Oprah Book Club - here I come!!  LOL~

Anyway, just wanted to share my excitement with you this morning.  I couldn’t have done it without the support of my buddies here.  I really mean that. Each day somebody here teaches me something new about health and nutrition. Others teach me how to hang on and not give up.  Then others teach me how to cry during the rough times then to get back on my feet and get busy again.  This site truly does work…even though we’re all strangers that have never met. (Well, some of us anyway…)  But you’ve all been so great, so I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

So please do the Happy Happy Joy Joy Dance with me. (Don’t ask me how the dance is done, I look too silly when I do it!!) But I’m dyin over here wanting to party with someone LOL~ I wish I could meet my buddies in person. There are a few people here at work who have helped me in my progression, but for the most part people here don’t really understand.  My husband, bless his heart, gave me a hug and made me feel beautiful. It’s too bad he doesn’t fully realize the depth of HIS beauty. ;-)  But anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful day. Keep up the hard work and determination to accomplish your goals, and your dreams will come true!! 

Happy Happy Joy Joy, my friends!!! *

Good morning buddies!!

Just a quick post to wish everyone a very happy, happy, joy, joy Monday morning.  A good friend sent me this email this morning that made me smile, and I wanted to share it with my bestest buddies.  Have a wonderful day- eating healthy, getting some exercise and keeping to your goals. Love you all~

Garbage Truck Wisdom

I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches!  The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy.  And I mean he was really friendly.  

So I asked, ‘Why did you just do that?  This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!’

This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, ‘The Law of the Garbage Truck.’  He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they’ll dump it on you.  Don’t take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well and move on.  Don’t take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.  The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day.  

Life’s too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so…..  ’Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don’t.’  

Thought for the Day; If you look at what you do not have in life, you don’t have anything,If you look at what you have in life, you have everything!

Happy Friday, Buddies!!  It’s raining outside and it’s cold - and to me, it’s perfect weather here today for Denver. I absolutely love it.  ;-)  At least I won’t have to spend money to keep the grass watered today.

So I’m downstairs working out for a few minutes with my favorite work-out buddy, co-worker and partner in crime (LOL~)  D’Nae.  We like to go down to our work out room every morning (which is small, but good enough!) and encourage each other in our weight loss journey.  Well, if truth be told, she inspires me a heck of a lot more than I inspire her. And every morning we like to check in with one another, report our progress, and notice the difference in our bodies together, and talk about the different methods we have of sheding off the pounds.  Anyhow, as we were finishing up, and getting ready to leave this morning, three of our other friendly co-workers come in for their work out. And they all look at me and say, “Dang girl, you really have been loosing some weight, haven’t you??”   I was wearing a new pair of pants that I had gotten over the weekend and was just thrilled about. And this was the first time I’d really heard those words spoken out loud from somebody’s elses mouth about my weight. So naturally tears came to my eyes as I blushed and ran quickly into a corner.  They started to laugh at me as I hid in the corner and kept my face covered.  I really was crying, don’t ask me why.  D’Nae laughs and hugs me, saying, “Come on, crybaby, let’s go!”   LOL~  It was the first time in my life that I actually enjoyed being called a crybaby. (he, he!)  I guess I don’t know how to accept complements very well, and I blush and cry far too easily.  But I was so happy inside I wanted to burst.  It made my entire day…

Rain and cold outside?  Not a problem when there is too much warmth in my heart to even matter…

Thanks for listening. I wish I could hug all of you today. I wish I could be there for all of you, to watch you, to complement you, and progress with you in your journeys.  You’re all beautiful and inspiring, I feel lucky to be here.  I got an email from another dear friend this morning, on which had this quote:  “Be Kinder than neccessary. Because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.”   I love this - it really puts things in perspective doesn’t it?

Well have fun today in all your activities, smile and exercise when you can, and enjoy the journey!!  If you’re tired, give yourself a break. Think of something about yourself that is unique - that only you have! Don’t give up and have the most fantastic weekend you’ve ever had in your life!!  And say GOODBYE to the POUNDS!

Happy Happy Joy Joy

It’s an addiction.  

 Once upon a time there was a young blond girl who was overweight and unhappy everytime she looked in the mirror. She knew her family and friends loved her and that she had a wonderful life, but the problem was she didn’t really love herself.  She tried to exercise and diet and eat healthy, all that good stuff you hear about, but when she did not get the results she wanted right away, she would stop and give up - telling herself that it wasn’t worth it in the end.  She looked in the mirror each day and told herself that it didn’t matter, she didn’t care how overweight she was, and that life would go on despite it all.

Truth is… she really did care. And in fact- she cared so much it started to hurt.

She got angry, she got upset.  And that only fired her determination to try again and not give up this time. She was tired of feeling sorry for herself. She was tired of being lazy and complaining about her life.  She was tired of standing in the back ground and watching her sisters loose weight and wear skinny clothes.  She was once and for all, tired of it all!!  So she woke up one morning and decided it was time to do something about it.  And so she did. 

She was so pumped that she could not stop!!  Today she has lost a grand total of 21 pounds. She looks in the mirror and sees someone that she gives a darn about.  She wants to be thin and healthy, and is amazed that life can finally happen for her. She wakes up each day excited to see what she can do, what good things she can eat, how much exercise she can find to accomplish.  She wants to keep the newfound energy that has been restored to her.  She wants to jump around and help to encourage others.  She wants to be there for others who have been in her shoes and have found the courage and determination to change for themselves.   

I don’t recognize this girl anymore.  She is too happy and energetic now.  She is always on Buddyslim (LOL~)  She understands that being healthy and a little bit thinner isn’t the key to true happiness in life, for it’s really inside that counts and how we live and treat others. But it sure can help one feel better about themselves when they set a goal, and work as hard as they can to make that dream come true.  It can happen, and it can happen for you.

So moral of the story. Don’t give up!!!  Eat healthy when you can, and eat just a little bit less. Throw the twinkie away and eat an apple instead. Don’t get a rootbeer or coke, just take a water with lemon.  Get out there and find some exercise to do.  Hug a friend. (YAY!)  Get soooooo pumped up today that you cannot stop!! And you will find yourself looking into the mirror and saying, “You did it! You did it!!”

 And that’s all I have to say about that… Happy Happy Joy Joy!  ;-)

Happy Monday buddies!!  Mondays are usually the hardest day of the week, but I’m only one pound away from my mini goal, so that’s helped my Monday morning attitude quite a bit.  ;-)   I’m usually a cheerful soul anyway, (at least I try to be!)  but today I seriously cannot stop smiling!  Bye, bye to the 160’s!!    LOL~

The weekend was pretty good.  My husband and I spent alone time together on Friday night (ooooh yeah, baby! LOL~)  On Saturday we had more family time and celebrated a birthday at one of our favorite restaurants, The White Fence Farm.  The funny thing about this birthday party was that it was for my hubby’s older brother Greg (who lives far away in West Virginia)  - so we recorded ourselves on video celebrating his birthday for him.  ;-)  The part of Greg was played by my husband’s little brother, Larry.   We told the waitress his name was Greg so they brought him cake and sang to him. It was pretty hilarious but I guess you had to be there to fully appreciate the humor LOL~…  We are going to send the video, a napkin from the restaurant, the balloons, and some other small things in a care package to say Happy Birthday to Greg.

I know, we are a twisted family sometimes LOL~ But it was sure fun!!

Sunday we attended church and chilled for the afternoon.  I was craving something sweet to reward myself for another week without sugar, so my husband took me (and the pup) to Dairy Queen.  ;-)  I didn’t feel guilty because we came home and took the dog for a walk and I rode my bike - undoing the damage I had craved.  Pretty awesome, and hey, it really works!!  We can actually have our cake and eat it too!!!!   Sometimes.

Well, I gotta get back to work now before someone catches me smiling. Oooops, too late!! 

Happy Happy Joy Joy buddddddies!!!!!

Aloha Nui Loa~

My husband is so darn cute! I just have to share a poem with you that he wrote and sent to me at work today.  He titled it “Pecs” 

I care for one measure,

Among my specs

And that’s the tally

Of my pecs

My arms are ginormous

My back ripped and cut

From the nape of my neck

To top of my butt

But among all my parts

My chest sectoral

Stands out from the rest

Thanks to my pectoral

They are my treasured parts

I bear them like rubies

My most precious asset:

My strong man boobies

I care for one measure

Among my specs

And that’s the tally

Of my pecs

Isn’t he cute? We both write poetry, although he is far more creative and talented than I am.  I just wanted to share that with you - he’s been working hard to loose weight along with me, and I love how he inspires me to be beautiful, and how he encourages me each day.  I love the look in his eyes when he eyes me up and down (LOL~) and comments on my new skinny clothes.  I don’t know what I would do without him?  

Last night we were out in the neighborhood walking our dog, our daily routine, (oh, and even though you don’t read this - I love you, Bella!! Ruff!) while I was riding my bike. Life was going great, and I felt the pounds dissolve from my sweat (LOL~) when we saw the ice cream truck.  I love the music that it plays, by the way. My first thought was - NO WAY, I’m not going to fall back into my old habits, that’s how I gained so much weight in the first place.  But then, I looked more carefully at the driver and saw his face.  His poor, tired face.  It was cloudy and there were no children around. My hubby had told me once about how difficult work can be for the driver of these addicting trucks, and all the things you’d have to go through to be sitting in their job (Bob had applied for it before, so he knew the drill.)  And I felt so sorry for him, I couldn’t resist.  So I bought an ice cream sandwich. I know, slap my hands, bad girl!  But he was so happy and we had a good conversation with him.  I felt like we’d made his evening.  So then I continue to ride with my now very sticky hands (LOL~) and I felt the pounds crawl back up through my feet back into my belly.  Seriously, riding a bike after eating an ice cream sandwich certainly does not mix!  I lost my energy and I went home feeling kinda tired and ready for bed.  Isn’t that funny?  I knew one ice cream wouldn’t hurt me. But I seriously could feel the difference in how I felt.  It was kinda eye opening for me, and hard to explain.   

I made the ice cream man happy - so at least my evening was not spent in vain… LOL~

However, I will not be eating ice cream and riding my bike again at the same time either… I will just have to find other ways to support my community ice cream truck driver, hee hee!!

Okay - ‘nough babble for today, I go back to work now.  Happy Happy Joy Joy Buddies!! Have a wonderful day and avoid the ice cream today at all costs. 

Today..

Today buddies!!  When I weighed myself this morning as I was getting ready for church, I could practically hear the angels singing in heaven - glory, glory hallelujuah!   (hee, hee)  I’ve lost a total of 20 pounds now, just about to my mini goal and only 8 pounds away from the weight I was when I got married 12 years ago.   I am soooooo happy, there are no words to describe it.  If I still had my wedding dress, I’d be able to fit in it again. But unfortunately, it got ruined when we lived in a townhome 5 years ago and our neighbor started a fire that destroyed her home and ours.  But that’s a long story for another day (LOL~)   Today I am ecstatic and wanted to share my joy with the buddies who have loved and encouraged me.  My goal of loosing weight has become a reality, and there are no words to describe how it feels.  Thanks to all who have been there for me, and who have inspired me with their stories.  You guys rock!!!

So I went to a Martina McBride concert last night with my sister in law and my husband - and we were 5 rows away from the stage!  It was amazing.  (Any Martina fans out there?)  She was really good. I just love her voice and her songs. I got to stand up and sing along with her, happily wearing my new skinny pants, and screaming at the top of my lungs. It was sooooo cool, a night I’ll never forget. When my sister sends me pictures, I will share them with you.  Martina rocks!

Hope everyone is having a happy weekend, and sticking to their goals.  Happy Happy Joy Joy!  Talk with you all soon. Love ya all so much, my rockin’ buddies~

Jen Jen