My Name is Brittany, and I'm 23yrs old. I was diagnosed with Lupus when I was 15, and then diagnosed with RA, when I was 18. I also got married when I was 18, and I'm enjoying my happily ever after with my hubby! When I got married, I was slim and trim...But not for long. After getting married, I started to gain a LOT of weight! In 1yr, I gained 50lbs! Finally, I went to the Doctor, where I discovered I have low thyroid. After being put on medicine, my weight gain slowed down, although over the next 3yrs, I gained an additional 26lbs. When I was 20yrs old, I got yet another diagnoses of Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome. That's 4 diagnoses in a 5yr period, if you lost count. They all effect my weight, in one way or another. Add on top of that, my love affair with food, and every 1 of those 76lbs gained was accounted for. Being 76lbs over weight is unhealthy for anyone, but it was especially unhealthy for me, and my health issues. Since starting this blog, in Jan-2010, I have lost 40lbs! I'm a new, slimmer, and healthier me! Before losing weight, I was told I needed knee replacements. Losing weight was the ONLY tool I had to help me hold off on that life changing surgery. Since losing 40lbs, my knees have never felt better! My husband and I are also trying to start a family, but my PCOS was not going to make it as easy as 1,2,3, as I didn't have periods on my own. My doctor had told me if I wanted a baby, I HAD to lose weight. Since losing 40lbs, I've had regular cycles for the first time in my life! Which is very important when trying to have a baby ;) This journey of mine is more than me simply wanting to wear skinny jeans. It has been a quest to becoming :Deliciously Healthy, so ALL of my dreams can come true! I'm almost half way there! With each new day, I get closer and closer to my goal of 120lbs, and becoming :Deliciously Healthy!
Instead of eating a basket full of Peep's, Cadbury eggs, chocolate bunnies, jelly beans, and egg shaped Reese's and snickers bars this Easter, I thought I'd pick just one Easter sweet to enjoy.
I thought about it for a few days. I wanted to be sure I picked the right one. The one that would hit that Easter sweet tooth just right.
In the end, it was the chocolate Easter bunny that stole my heart. I just couldn't resist it's candy eyes, and those hollow milk chocolate bunny ears.I shared it with my hubby. I love him that much ;) If you had to choose just one Easter treat, which would you choose? Happy Easter!
Sorry I've been a little absent. I tried doing my normal Thursday post, last Thursday, but there just wasn't time.
Last week was amazing and beautiful, but very busy, with a hint of crazy.
For the past two weeks, I've been planning, and getting everything ready for my husband and I to be sealed in the LDS Denver Temple.(Flickr) What is getting sealed?
In my religion, we believe in being married for time and all eternity. We were already married, but just until "Death did us part" Now, we are husband and wife forever!
We got sealed October 9th. This past week was a very meaningful and memorable time in our lives. But it was also a whirlwind. There was lots to be done, plus getting ready for family to visit.
Now, it's all said and done, and it's back to normal life.
Despite the craziness of this past week, I still managed to stick with my healthy lifestyle (for the most part;) I even lost 2 pounds this week, putting me at 161!!
Am I seriously 1 pound away from being 160? Someone pinch me. ;D
I have a lot that's been going through my mind about my diet, lifestyle, and blog. I'm going to be making a few, :Deliciously Healthy changes. I just have to figure out a few things first, now that I have time to think! I'm excited to share it with you!
But first, I've got to go catch up on all my fav blogs!
My blogging days are Mondays and Thursdays... but these past couple days have just been too busy for me to get around to writing a post...
We're having a good friend stay with us for a couple months. We've been expecting his arrival for about a month now, and we're excited to have him here.
On Sunday, we were asked if the missionaries could live with us for a few months. You know, the young men who ride around on their bikes in a suit and tie. They've probably knocked on your door once or twice :) It's been a neat experience having them here. I have a hole new appreciation for LDS missionaries. Here are two young men who take a huge leap of faith to go on a mission, far away from their home, in an all new state or country. They dedicate themselves for the next 2 years to preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. It really amazes me... but it was a lot of work getting ready for them. I had to clear out my craft (junk) room!
I've been doing really well on the diet front!
And guess who hasn't had a single drop of Diet Dr. Pepper since Monday? That's right, me! Here's proof.This has been in my fridge all week, without being touched! Wait a second. Why the heck is it even still in my fridge? Bye. Bye.I know. I know. I'm awesome. Stop, you're making me blush! ;D
What did I replace it with? "Fancy water", as Tina suggested. What do you know, it worked!
And THANK YOU for all your AWESOME tips!
Hope everyone has a great weekend! I'll have a real post on Monday. Psst, it's a yummy recipe!
(Flickr) The time that I've been dreading, came. The time for me to stop my infusions, and be taken off some of my medicine, so they can be out of my system when we start trying to get pregnant. I've been dreading this time, because without my meds keeping my RA under control, my RA is able to go to town on my joints.
I stopped taking my meds about a week ago, and I was due for my infusion about two weeks ago.
I'm starting to feel it. Today especially. It's been hard.
Every joint in my body hurts, and it gets worse as the day goes on. I'm starting to dread simple tasks. Even typing.
There's an ugly voice inside my head. It's telling me my dreams are never going to come true. It's telling me I'm never going to reach my goals, and that there's no point in even trying to lose weight. It seems like this weight loss mountain is getting steeper, and steeper.
I'm trying with everything I have to silence that voice.
About 6 months ago, I had a Doctor's appointment with my orthopedic surgeon, where I learned that I needed knee replacements. I had already known that, but as far as I knew I could hold off for a year or two. During the appointment, my Doctor told me that I needed them, NOW. He even started to fill out the paper work, and wanted me to have the surgery in 3 months. (I decided to go against his wishes and wait) Learning that I needed knee replacements at the age of 22, was one of the hardest things I've ever had to face. I completely broke down. (You can read more about that day, HERE on my other blog)
On the way home from the appointment, I heard "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus come on the radio. It stopped my tears, and the words gave me so much hope and perspective.
"It's all about the climb." I realized that Heavenly Father gave me this challenge because he loves me, and this was an opportunity for me to learn and grow. I had faith that this was Heavenly Father's plan for me, that he loved me, and that he would never leave my side through this climb of mine. I learned that the struggles I face, are just apart of my journey.
As I've been struggling these past couple days, the words to this song have started to play in my head. They play louder then the negative thoughts, and once again, the words are giving me hope, and a new perspective....
I can almost see it That dream I am dreaming But there's a voice inside my head saying "You'll never reach it"
Every step I'm taking Every move I make feels Lost with no direction My faith is shaking
But I gotta keep trying Gotta keep my head held high
There's always gonna be another mountain I'm always gonna wanna make it move Always gonna be a uphill battle Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose
Ain't about how fast I get there Ain't about what's waiting on the other side It's the climb
The struggles I'm facing The chances I'm taking Sometimes might knock me down But no, I'm not breaking
I may not know it But these are the moments that I'm gonna remember most, yeah Just gotta keep going
And I, I got to be strong Just keep pushing on
(Chorus)
Keep on moving, keep climbing Keep the faith, baby It's all about, it's all about the climb Keep the faith, keep your faith, whoa ~Miley Cyrus
I've got to be strong. I'm going to keep on climbing, and I'm going to get to the top. There may be obstacles in my way, but I'm not breaking.
This video also brought me GREAT comfort during that time, and as I watch it now. It fills my heart with hope, love, faith, and sends tears of joy streaming down my face.
I feel so empowered! "Nothing is impossible" to me! My trials can either bring me down, or make me stronger. But it's up to ME as to which road I take!
I'm going to allow these struggles to help me learn, grow, become stronger, and bring me closer to Heavenly Father, and Jesus Christ.
I am going to get there. My dreams are going to come true, and I will succeed! You watch ;)
Thanks for listening, and for all your support! xoxo
Yesterday, I was preparing a lesson for my visiting teaching (Visiting teaching is something our church does- You're assigned 3 women who you go to church with, and each month you visit them to see how they're doing, and to give a little lesson). This months lesson was on self-reliance.
During my lesson, I read these two quotes:
“As we live providently and increase our gifts and talents, we become more self-reliant. Self-reliance is taking responsibility for our own spiritual and temporal welfare and for those whom Heavenly Father has entrusted to our care. Only when we are self-reliant can we truly emulate the Savior in serving and blessing others.
“It is important to understand that self-reliance is a means to an end. Our ultimate goal is to become like the Savior, and that goal is enhanced by our unselfish service to others. Our ability to serve is increased or diminished by the level of our self-reliance.” -Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve.
It got me thinking. Over the past couple months, I've been thinking a lot about who I am as a person, working on myself and becoming the woman I want to be. (you can read more about that here)
Reading over the lesson, reminded me how important it is to make sure that I'm growing both personally and spiritually. I know for me, I focus so much on taking care of my husband, supporting him, and on being there for family and friends, that I tend to put myself last on the list. No one can work on me, but me. No one can make sure that I'm growing personally and spiritually, but me. It's MY responsibility.
This part really stuck out to me, "Our ability to serve is increased or diminished by the level of our self-reliance.”
Sometimes I forget to work on ME, because I'm more focused on being there for others. Yet, the MORE I work on me, the BETTER I'll be able to serve others. Not only do I gain from taking time out to improve myself, but so do the ones I love. In a way, making sure I take care of myself, IS serving them!
It made me really happy to finally be working on me. Losing weight is more then wanting to be a smaller size. It's me saying, "I love myself enough to take time out to improve myself. I want to be the happiest, healthiest person I can be for the ones I love, but more importantly, for ME!!" After all, it is MY responsibility.
I'm happy to (finally) be on this journey. I'm losing weight, but I'm gaining so much more!
I hope you remember to take the time to focus on your own personal growth, and to take time out for YOU! Your loved ones will thank you! ;)
Since going on a diet, I've developed a passion for making healthy food, instead of just a passion for eating food! On this blog, I will share with you all my favorite healthy recipes for you to try for yourself! For these recipes to make it onto my blog, they have to be delicious enough for me to forget that I'm even on a diet! That means, you don't have to necessarily be on a diet, to enjoy them. You can enjoy your food, while loving your figure! I'm also going share with you some of the tricks I use to help me stick to my diet, my favorite products, and my journey towards weight loss. I have a few health issues including Lupus and RA. For me to lose weight, I sometimes have to get a bit creative. I will share with you how I lose weight, while living with my RA and Lupus. Get ready to dig in!
Somehow or another, I got it into my head that if you want to lose weight, you have to either go on some lunatic diet, that someone came up with while either on something or half asleep. Or simply don't eat. I first went on a diet when I was 8yrs old (I know. Crazy right?), and I spent many years going on the craziest of diets! I was only successful when it finally clicked that, "It isn't a diet. It's a lifestyle." Sounds cliche, but it's the key to weight loss. I no longer believe in diets, but simply in the philosophy to eat healthy, and exercise. And that's what I do. I focus on making deliciously healthy meals. I count my calories, but I don't obsess over them. I don't believe in depriving myself. I would rather be on a healthy and delicious diet, where I can continue a "Healthy" love affair with food and lose 2lbs a week. Versus going on a crazy diet for 1 week, lose 5lbs, and then eating an entire box of Crispy Creme donuts, because I've been depriving myself of everything delish, and then gain all my weight back! Which makes more sense to you? I have a number of health issues including RA and Lupus, so when it comes to exercise I have to be creative. That's why it's all the more important for me to eat healthy, and love what I eat enough to keep me on my diet. There is no such thing as me eating a candy bar and saying to myself, "Oh, I can work it off..." The amount of exercise I'd have to do to work that off, would likely send me to the hospital. Eating deliciously healthy is my main weapon towards sticking to my diet, and losing weight.
Starting Weight-206 pounds:
Goal-120 pounds:
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Favorite Quick and Easy, Deliciously Healthy Recipes:
I shared it with my hubby. I love him that much ;)
I shared it with my hubby. I love him that much ;)
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