I'm sorry

I owe all of you, my readers, an apology. It has recently occurred to me that I never truly "came out" (that's for you, Doug, if you're really reading!) and shared with you about the current journey I'm on and why the focus of this blog changed course last summer. So here goes ...


A little over a year ago, at the ripe old age of 37 and only 5'3" tall, I weighed in at a whopping 269 lbs. And I was miserable. But even I didn't realize how miserable I was. Thank heavens for my husband, who decided it was time for us to take control of our health. And thank heavens for amazing friends who showed us it was possible and helped us start the journey to find the health we so desperately needed. I started this journey quite unwillingly. As a morbidly obese woman, I had tried everything, and nothing had worked. I'd lose 20 lbs, then gain it all back even faster than I lost it. And, as a result, I'd given up hope of ever being a healthy weight again.


Until we discovered Take Shape For Life. We started this amazing program July 11, 2010. We spent a week, cleaning out our pantry and preparing our home so that we could be successful. And we jumped right in. We started eating 6 small meals a day and drinking lots of water. We had the free support of amazing health coaches, which I know made all the difference in our success. After 1 month, we were both down over 25 lbs. I decided I could stick it out a while longer and see what might happen. 


A year later, my hubby is down 60 lbs and has maintained that loss for 9 months. I am down over 100 lbs, and I am now within about 35 lbs of my final goal weight. And I have hope again. I never realized how many areas of my life were unhealthy ... and how many of those areas were directly tied to my unhealthy weight. As the weight came off, I found myself suddenly more interested in things I had hid from for years. I hated the way I looked, so I gradually hid myself away at home more and more. But as the lbs started melting off, and I started liking the way I looked, I started getting involved in activities at church, with other moms, inviting people over to my house again. And, as I started getting more involved, I started moving more and being more active in general ... which made me feel better too. I started getting out and walking, playing with my daughter, even broke out my Wii Fit a few times. And as I got more physically active, I started feeling even better about myself. Instead of the old vicious, unhealthy cycle I'd been living in, I was now working toward a balanced, healthy lifestyle. And it felt amazing.


It still does. Which is why my hubby and I are now "paying it forward" and sharing the same hope with others. How can I not share something that could save someone's life? Because I know it saved mine. And if I can help even one other person find the hope that I did, then I consider my life a success. If you'd like more information about the amazing program that has turned our lives around, please feel free to ask me! Call me, e-mail me, FB me, text me. Whatever it takes to get ahold of me. Don't wait as long as I did. Don't let your mind come up with every excuse in the book why you "can't" do this thing. I sincerely hope and pray that you will take this chance to grab control of your future and start your own journey to a healthier you. And if I can be even a small part of that journey, I'd consider it an honor. 


For more information, check out my website ... and then call me! Take Shape For Life

Easy Kid's Pizza

Every mom out there has probably made some variation of this type of "pizza" for their kid. But I figured I'd post my little healthy recipe, which my kiddo loves. She kind of cracks me up when I feed her pizza, because if I put anything but veggies on top, she'll pick everything else off and only eat the veggies. She's weird, but I'm sure glad she loves to eat healthy - will serve her well later in life to already have good habits!

1 whole wheat sandwich thin (I found a package on clearance today for 99 cents, so this "crust" cost me about 16 cents)
2 tsp no-sugar-added spaghetti (or pizza) sauce
Up to 1/4 cup chopped veggies (my daughter favors mushrooms & tomatoes)
1/4 cup low-fat shredded mozzarella


I pop the sandwich thin in the toaster on a low setting so that it gets a little crunchy. After it comes out, spread a tsp of sauce on each half, distribute the veggies evenly between the two halves, then sprinkle the cheese over the top. Microwave for about 30-40 seconds, just long enough to melt the cheese. And, you're done!


This entire meal takes me all of about 3 minutes to prepare and get on the table. And it costs about 50 cents (or less) for a full serving. I added a side of strawberries and blueberries for my kiddo today. All yummy, totally healthy, and easy on the checkbook. Best kind of meal there is!