Rewarding Myself (Homemade face mask/scrub and a treat!)

Lately I feel like I've been on a roll!
It dawned on me the other day, that
I'm actually doing this!

I feel so good inside, and I'm really quite proud of myself!
I'm taking care of myself for the first time in like...EVER!!

Last night I decided I wanted to reward myself, by doing something fun, and pampering myself!

What did I do?
I made a homemade face scrub and mask!

Honey Almond Face Scrub:4 tsp milk
4 tsp honey
4 tbsp ground almonds
mix and apply (makes 4)

Oatmeal Face Mask/Scrub:4 Tbsp. ground oatmeal (not instant)
4 tsp. fresh lemon juice
8 tsp. yogurt
Mix and apply (makes 4)
*This can be a scrub or a mask! (I used it as a mask)It was fun to make, and my skin felt so soft after!
Like seriously soft :D

Today I wanted to reward myself by making a
deliciously healthy treat for me and the hubs.
(I heart baking)

I made the hubs' favorite dessert, with a chocolate twist on it this time! (Because I also heart chocolate.)
Chocolate Strawberry Cream Cupcakes!I did the same recipe as before, only this time I used chocolate cake mix instead of white!It's oh so good!!
And only 220 calories!

It felt good to take a little time out to reward myself, and give myself a little high 5!
I have almost lost 40 pounds you know ;)
(I can't wait to take the "almost" out of that sentence! I'm gettin' there:)

Tomorrow I'm going to announce the GIVEAWAY winner on the original giveaway post!
You can still enter until midnight tonight!
Be sure to check it out tomorrow to see if you won!

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you! ;D

I Have A Couple Quick Questions For You...

I'm starting to notice some weird things going on as I'm gradually getting smaller. I'm wondering if anyone has ever experienced these types of things, while losing weight:

First of all,
Where the heck are my boobs going?!?!I was a DD, but after I had lost about 12 pounds, I realized I was a D! I knew that my boobies were going to get smaller, but I wasn't expecting to lose a whole cup size, after only losing 12 pounds! Am I going to lose a cup size with every 12 pounds I lose?! I'm not going to have any boobies left!
Anyone?

2nd of all,
I've lost 1 love handle, and not the other!
Seriously.
What the heck people?!I'm not losing weight very evenly here. Not in the sense that I'm losing it in my arms, and not my legs, I mean my left side, isn't quite catching up with my right! Is this common? Has this happened to any of you? If so, does it eventually work it's self out? Is my body playing a joke on me?

Thanks!

On a side note:
My Tuesdays weigh in, had me at 187!!! That means I'm down 2 pounds since last week! I'll admit, it wasn't what I wanted to see (I was wanting to see 186-185), but I'm happy with it. I'm happy for every ounce I lose!

Whole Bunch of Randomness ;)

HI EVERYONE!!

Oh how I've missed you guys!
I survived week 1. Hopefully next week will be the last week of this, "duty" I've been assigned, and I can have my life back!

Because I haven't had the time to blog, I'm going to squeeze all the posts I haven't had the time to do, into one big blog post! So, it's going to be a little all over the place! I hope I don't make you dizzy! ;)

Let the complete randomness begin! :

1st of all, I got 2 blog awards this week!

The first, is the "Creative Writer" award, from the wonderful Molly Marie Gets Healthy blog!Here are the rules:
1. Thank the person who gave this to you
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog
3. Link to the person who nominated you
4. Tell up to six outrageous lies about yourself, and at least one outrageous truth
5. Nominate seven “Creative Writers” who might have fun coming up with outrageous lies
6. Post links to the seven blogs you nominate.
7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know you nominated them.

To comply with the 4th rule, here are 6 outrageous lies about myself, and 1 truth! Can you guess which one's the truth? :

1. I'm really a man
2. I love sea food
3. I like to walk on the wild side
4. My favorite color is puke green
5. I was a child beauty queen
6. I'm a chocoholic
7. I'm an excellent artist

Now, I pass along the award to the following 7 creative bloggers:

Dawne
CBG Blog
Swimming it off
Project 365
Jewlia Goulia
Fat Girl Dives In
Doin' It For Me

THANK YOU MOLLY MARIE!!

The 2nd award is the "Sunshine award", given to me by the totally awesome CBG Blog!Here are the blogs I pass along the award to, and who bring sunshine to my day! :
(There's no limit, so I'm gonna go a little crazy!)

Dawne
Loser Girl
Bella
Project 365
Anonymous Fat Girl
Endurance Isn't Only Physical
Molly Marie Gets Healthy
Chubby Girl Diary
Watch My Butt Shrink
Two Pounds a Week
Corletta
Deborah

THANK YOU JESSICA!

Alrighty then. Now on to the next subject, which would be the results from my weigh in! ...Which was almost a week ago! Last Tuesday, I weighed 189!! Whoo hoo! It's been over 3 years since I've been in the 180's! It was a nice little milestone for me! I also did a sneak peek weigh in, a day or two ago, and I weighed 188! That means I'm only 2 pounds away from losing my first 20 pounds! (In October/November, I weighed 206. Whoa!) I'm very excited to reach that milestone! ...and for the little award I get for reaching it! ;)

A few days ago, I found out that a website called, budget life, did a blog post listing the top 25 weight loss blogs (In their opinion), and what do you know, I was listed! I was pretty flattered! This is what they said about Moi! :
"Twentysomething Brittany has more reasons than simple vanity to lose weight (although looking great in skinny jeans is a goal, too!). She’s got quite the number of health problems, and for all her dreams to come true, she’s got to lose some weight. However, she doesn’t want to give up her love for food while she’s at it. Now she shares her trials, tribulations, and triumphs in her pursuit to better health and a happier life. With her tips and recipes, you can be :deliciously healthy, too!"
I LOVE it! ;)

Next up, is my new favorite quick and yummy, Deliciously Healthy dish!
Do you like sloppy Joe's? Well, my husband and I live for them! Before going on my little diet, we ate sloppy Joe's ALL the time! A couple weeks ago, I was craving them like a mad women! Finally, I got the idea to simply make a few tweaks, to make them Deliciously Healthy! And boy did I ever!

I cooked up some lean ground turkey, added some seasonings, including cinnamon (Trust me. It's AWESOME!), and stirred in some Manwich sauce! Then, I just put a couple nice big spoon fulls on a whole wheat bun, and sprinkled on some low-fat mozzarella cheese! I dug into that messy goodness like nobodies business! It was totally yummy, totally filling, and totally simple and quick to make! Plus, It totally satisfied my craving! We've had them several times since then!I've also used hotdog buns:
Now for a couple little random side notes! :

~Yesterday, I went pant shopping, and bought a size 16! I used to be a size 18! I'm 1 pant size smaller! Whoo hoo!

~My husband made some cinnamon rolls today, and I'm totally not having a problem passing them up (knock on wood;). That's pretty darn amazing to me, since I LOVE cinnamon rolls!

~I've been having lots of fun going through my closet, and seeing what I can fit back into! It's so rewarding!

~I think I should have a little more time this week to do some blogging! I have a few posts in mind, including some yummy recipes I want to try! I'll keep my fingers crossed that I'll have the time!

~I totally miss reading all of your blogs, and I'm going to do my best to catch up on all my BF! I hope everyone has been doing well!

XOXO

It's The Climb

(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

I've Got Some Good News, and Some Bad

I always like to start with the bad, so the good news can cheer me up at the end (in case you were wondering;)

So, here's the bad news:
Today was weigh in day. Period. Need I say more? lol.
I walked into the bathroom this morning, smiling at the scale trying to soften it up a bit, stepped onto it, ever so lightly (like it was going to make a difference), and waited for what seemed like forever for the numbers to appear. When they did, they read, "194" (annoyed sigh)
I'm down .5 pounds from last weeks weigh in, which I already new from my sneak peek weigh in a few days ago. If I had a window in my bathroom, I assure you the scale would have gone flying right through it! Luckily for the scale, and the people walking their dogs on the path behind our house, we don't have a window in our bathroom....

Now here's the good news:
I got my monthly gift this month!!! I almost cried tears of joy! Most of you are probably wondering why on earth a women would be happy for this time of the month?!

Let me explain (TMI warning;):
It showed me that this month, my body worked the way it was supposed to! I rarely ever have periods on my own! Sometimes they have to be induced, so that my uterus can shed (apparently you can get cancer if it goes a while without shedding). When I do have them on my own, it's only 1 or 2 times a year! I wasn't really worried about this for a long time, and was actually kinda glad that I didn't have to go through PMS every month. But, now that we're so close to trying to get pregnant, the whole not having periods thing was making me nervous. Like sweating bullets kind of nervous.

No period=No ovulation. No ovulation=Inability to get pregnant on our own. Inability to get pregnant on our own=MONEY. Potentially lots of money to get pregnant. Running out of money=Not having children of our own.

Where as a Period=Ovulation! Ovulation=Getting pregnant the good old natural way!

My PCOS specialist told me that losing weight could possibly allow my body to ovulate on it's own. She explained that she had lots of overweight patients with PCOS, who after losing weight were able to get pregnant as easy as 1, 2, 3. They were able to skip pills and procedures, and conceive a baby, simply by living a healthier lifestyle. She URGED me to go on a diet, saying that it could be the key to getting pregnant.
It lit a fire under my tush, and I went on a diet.

In November, I went on a diet and lost 16 pounds. What do you know, I had a cycle that month. I wasn't too excited over it, because I thought it was just another random cycle, and I wouldn't see it again for 6, 9, or even 12 months. But, it's February, and here it is again. Is it coincidence that both times I've gotten my monthly gift, I've been on a diet? I THINK NOT! What do you know, my doctor was right. If this continues, we may not go broke while trying to have a precious little baby.

Today showed me 2 things:

1. Having my cycle this month may be the reason I haven't seen the scale budge, and if that's the the case, I'll take it with a smile in my face.

2. It really isn't ALL about the numbers. Yes, they are a big part of it, especially the mental part, but they aren't everything. Having a cycle showed me that my body is changing. My body is becoming much healthier, and is able to function the way it should.
That makes me happy.
It reminds me of my motto:

Eat Deliciously Healthy. Be :Deliciously Healthy.

And that I am
And so are you! :D

I Heart Costco...

(and yes, that is our Christmas tree in the background. Don't judge. We've taken everything else down, but can't find it in us to take down the tree. We will. I promise;)

***

On a side note:

I've been doing good on this weight loss path. Walking at a slow and steady paste. I've been eating healthy. I've had slip ups, but nothing to cry over, or get me discouraged. I just move on, and do better next time. And next time is always better. I'm enjoying this walk, for the first time ever.
It's the perfect temperature outside, the birds are singing, the scenery is beautiful, and I'm not obsessing over every little step. Sure, sometimes I trip over a rock, or step in a puddle, get pooped on by a bird, or smell somebodies hot dog as they walk by. I have my emotional moments, that make me want to run up to that person, tackle them to the ground, and take off with their hot dog...and there are the times that I do (keep an eye out for the crazy hot dog snatcher lady on the loose, in the news;) but, I get over it. I don't let it stop me from continuing on my journey. I regather myself, and I keep on walking.

I haven't weighed myself yet. Crazy right? Every time I go on a diet, I'm addicted to the scale, weighing myself a minimum of twice a day. But like I said, I'm doing good on this little walk of mine, and I'm not quite ready to look at numbers. I'm building myself up first.
I'm thinking next Monday?

I'm LOVING my two new books, by Bethenny Frankle! They've been very helpful! When I'm finished, I'll give a complete review.

I hope you are all doing well on your own weight loss paths. And if you've had a little fall, detour, or that stupid guy with a hot dog keeps circling you, tell him to beat it, and don't let it get you down. Just keep on strolling... It'll pay off. I promise :D

New Books, and a New Motivation!

These past few days, I've been feeling a little discouraged, because I can't workout much, due to my RA. What I'd give to be able to go running, even just for 10 minutes. Or workout long enough to be drenched in sweet, and really feel my heart pumping. I try to workout, but the pain is just too much to work through, and I can't stand the feeling of it. A lot of my joints are almost completely bone on bone, and in some areas, they are bone on bone. The joints that are the most damaged are: Both my knees, my right shoulder, and both my wrist. When I try to work out, I can feel my joints cracking and grinding in the areas that it's bone on bone. Not only is this very painful, but it's a lot like nails going down a chalk board. It grosses me out, and it's hard to work through. It just feels wrong!

How in the world am I going to lose 75lbs, when I can barley workout? I know losing weight seems like a huge mountain to climb for anyone, but for me, I sometimes feel like I'm trying to climb a mountain without any tools or gear. Sometimes I feel like it's hopeless, impossible, not fair, and just too dang difficult. Sometimes it makes me just want to give up.

Then, my darling husband, who I'm convinced Heavenly Father sent to this earth just for me, came home from work last night. He walked in the door, and said, "Close your eyes!" I was thinking, "Please tell my your not about to hand me my favorite temptation, because I've been crying all day, and I'm just not strong enough right now to turn any kind of chocolate away. I will most likely swallow it whole, like nobodies business!" I opened my eyes, bracing myself, and I saw this:My husband did not come home with a delicious, chocolaty temptation for me to sink my teeth into, when I'm trying to lose weight (He's been known to do this). Instead, he came home with the Bethenny Frankle (I seriously love her), "Naturally Thin" book that I've been wanting, AND her, "The Skinny Girl DISH" book, to help me on this journey. He came home with a tool, and piece of gear, to help me climb this mountain.
I heart him...

As I looked down at the books, I thought to myself, "This is what I CAN do."

I can't change the fact that I have RA. It's the cards I've been dealt. I can't change the fact that I can't go jogging, or even go walking for a long period of time. But I know whining about it isn't going to make me any thinner, and getting discouraged is only going to send me on a completely different path, going the WRONG direction! I don't have control over the things my body simply can't do, but I do have control over what I put into my body. I have to do what I CAN do, and stop focusing on what I CAN'T do!
I can eat healthy. I can be positive. I can be grateful. I can educate myself, by reading books on how to live a healthy life.
"This is what I CAN do."
And this is what I'm going to do.

I'm ready to conquer another weekend!
This weekend, I'm going to have my head in my new book, and not in the fridge saying, "Hmmm. I wonder what I can eat in here?" I'm going to try some new recipes this weekend, and I'm going to do lots of research on things I CAN do with my RA.

Happy weekend everyone!

Self-Reliance

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! ;)

XOXO

Am I Supposed to Fit in These or Something??

Seriously??

These things are tiny! And this is my size!
First of all, it's a serious workout just to get these suckers on!
Then, once you think you've won the battle, and can move on with your life, they roll down, or they create a serious muffin top that's totally unflattering, and just straight up wrong!

I think a skinny chick somewhere is playing a joke on me.

Does everyone have this problem? Or am I just nylon illiterate? ;0)

Time Lost

(flickr)

This morning, I was going through an old diet book called, "The Rosedale Diet" It's a book that teaches you how to eat food that will naturally turn your hunger switch off, and will help your body function the way it's supposed to.

About 3 years ago, I tried to go on his diet. It's kind of strict, and at the time, I just didn't have the willpower to stick to a diet. I did learn some things by reading his book, that I try to incorporate into my diet, to help myself transform into a healthier person, but I never did stick to his diet completely.

I was flipping through the book, trying to find the exact recipe (I always just follow it in my head) to a very yummy chicken salad of his, to post later.

I came across a Journal type of page, where it asked, "Starting weight:" To which I had put, "170"

Tears instantly followed.

Why didn't I stop there?
Why couldn't I have been stronger, and kept my (Much thinner) butt on a diet?!

I was angry, sad, disappointed, and most of all, I felt like it was all hopeless.
I think feeling like it's hopeless when you're trying to lose weight, is the most damaging of all emotions.

So, I opened up the fridge to see what I could find.
As if to say to the world, "See? I don't care anymore. I give up!"
But then the thought came to my mind,
"This is what you did 3 years ago. This is why you didn't stop at 170."
Then a horrifying image came to my mind, of me 3 years from now asking myself, "Why didn't I stop at 195?"
(there. I said it. I weigh 195. But if you ask me face to face, I'll deny it:)
I refuse to ever wish I was only 195.

So, I shut the fridge. I won't let the time lost get me down.
Because it is "Better late then never."

3yrs ago I was 19, and I had yet to discover I had low thyroid, and PCOS. I think I'm more mature now, and maybe even wiser.
I can do this.

On a side note, I think I'm going to re-read his book. There are some yummy recipes, and lots of knowledge I think I will appreciate more, now that I'm a little wiser :0)

I'm Back!

I'm just going to ignore the fact that my last post says "February 12- 2009" Jeeze! Yes, I've been weak, and haven't exactly stuck to my diet. To help me not drown my sorrows in a carton of ice cream over the time lost, I'm just going to say, "Better late than never." and, "If you fall off your horse, just dust yourself off, and get back on again" And that's exactly what I'm going to do!

It's time to focus on the positive, the future, and this beautiful new year.

This IS the year I lose weight!
You mark my words.

For the record, I didn't go off my diet because I didn't like the food I was making. I work really hard to make tasty food when I'm on a "diet". I even continued to make some of my favorite deliciously healthy dishes, not because I was trying to lose weight, but just because I was craving them! I'd say 95% of the time I go off my diet, it's because I'm not feeling good, and therefore can't/don't want to cook. Then I have a hungry husband calling me on his way home from work asking, "What's for dinner?" Does anyone else hate that question? That's the moment I surrender to defeat and say, "Just pick something up on the way home..." The secondary problem is, once I go off a diet, I sometimes find it hard to get back on it. I fall out of the routine, and I enter the cycle of repeating to myself day after day, "I'll get back on it tomorrow..." Before you know it, I've been saying that same phrase to myself every day, for 6 months.

This time around, I'm going to work harder on developing tricks I can use to help myself. Like making meals in advance, so if I'm not feeling good I don't have to worry about cooking. This time I'm trying to be more aware of my health issues and work around them, so they won't bring me down.

I am happy to report that since "February 12- 2009" I haven't been a complete failure, and have lost 16 pounds! Never mind the fact that I gained 4lbs back ;) I've been on the diet for a week here, and a week there. Never long enough to report about it. I did come across some tasty recipes over the past year, but didn't share them because by the time I thought to, I had shamefully ate a #1 from McDonald's for dinner, and felt like a hypocrite.
BUT, I'm back on my "diet" and ready to start blogging about it again!

What's the new motivation?
Why am I so sure this will be the time I lose weight?

Over this past year that I've been absent, a lot has happened in my life.
I found out I need double knee replacements, due to my severe RA. Blurg! Before, it was that I needed them in the near future, now it's that I need them like, NOW! I simply have to wait as long as I possibly can for that major surgery. There are 2 factors in that decision: #1- My age. I'm only 22. This procedure isn't typically performed on someone as young as myself. #2- They don't last forever. If I want to be 50yrs old, and still able to walk, I need to hold off as long as I can. Losing weight will no doubt help me to win this battle.
Also, my husband and I are wanting to start a little family. YAY!! Although, I have PCOS, which is going to make getting pregnant difficult. My weight is only making matters worse. With my PCOS, I have an 80% chance of getting pregnant, and my weight isn't helping those odds. My doctor told me if I want to avoid invasive (which=expensive) procedures, and if I want to increase my chances of even being able to get pregnant, I have to lose weight.
It sounded like a challenge to me.
A fire got lit under my little (Although it's quite big) tush, and a new determination was born!
I can do this.
I will do this.
I have a lot riding on it this time around.

I invite you to take this little journey with me.
I don't know where it will take me or how long it will take, but I assure you I will be ":Deliciously Healthy", and it will be totally awesome.