Righteous Resolutions for 2014

Happy New Year 2014!

We started off 2013 with our righteous resolutions posted on this blog. I wanted to let you all know how we did on our resolutions and what our new ones are for 2014!

Our resolutions for 2013 were:

1. Read from the Book of Mormon every single day - We made it about 9 months doing this.
2. Read the entire Book of Mormon as a family - We almost made it through!
3. Have FHE each Monday, no excuses - We did our FHE on Sunday nights, every single Sunday this past year! One goal we accomplished!
4. Family prayer each morning and night, on our knees - Aside from a few crazy days and nights, this is another goal we accomplished!
5. Be full tithe payers for the entire year, 100% - Not quite... which is hard for us to admit. But we have talked about it and have been diligent the past few months about it.
6. Do our Home Teaching/Visiting Teaching, 100% - Nope... 
7. Go to the temple two times - Nope... 
8. Make a budget each month - Almost every month this year! Things got a little crazy/hectic near the end of the year.
9. Pay off some debt - Another goal we accomplished!
10. Save money for emergencies and Christmas - Another goal we accomplished!
11. Build up our food storage - Not as well as we had hoped, but we did add to our food storage.
12. Continue eating healthy and working out - Another goal we accomplished!
13. Finish the upstairs remodel, especially the girls' room - All rooms but my craft room/office! We moved everyone upstairs a few days after Christmas! Best. Christmas. Present. EVER!
14. Keep up on housework, especially the kitchen - We slid a few times, but kept up on it!
15. Go to bed early, early to rise - Not really for Charles, but for Carie and the girls. 
16. Put God first in all aspects of our life - No. We did let the cares of the world before God in some aspects of our lives. We realized it, too, and changed.

We did very well with keeping most of our practical goals! But again, we did fall short. We didn't beat ourselves up about it, though. We got proactive and changed our ways immediately. We have all grown SO much this past year. We have learned that disappointments and let-downs are going to happen. We aren't always going to be a shining example of a Latter-day Saint family. But we have SO much love within our family. And that is one thing that we are a shining example of. We are working on the other things, but we have made sure to let our girls know that they are loved and cared for every single day. We are setting a lot of the same goals for 2014 because we want to do better. Some goals have changed and some are new! We look forward to the challenges and triumphs that will be associated with each goal and resolution! So here are our new resolutions and goals:

Austin Family Goals 2014

1. Read from the Book of Mormon every single day. No exceptions.
2. Finish the Book of Mormon as a family. 
3. Family prayer every morning and night, on our knees.
4. Be full tithe payers. No exceptions. No excuses.
5. Do our Home/Visiting Teaching every single month.
6. Go to the temple once a month.
7. Make a budget each month for bills and food.
8. Pay off some more debt.
9. Save money for emergencies and Christmas.
10. Build up our food storage.
11. Healthy eating, healthy choices, and exercising.
12. Finish the craft room/office remodel before the baby comes.
13. Make a chore chart to help keep up on housework and laundry.
14. Early to bed, early to rise.
15. Purchase a new, used van before the baby comes.
16. Put God first in all aspects of our life.
17. Prepare for Baby #4: purchase newborn size cloth diapers, new diaper wet/dry bags, and cloth wipes.
18. Have a safe, healthy labor and delivery.
19. Less time on the computer/Netflix while our girls are awake.
20. Have a date night at least once every two months, budgeted.

2014 is already shaping up to be a very exciting year for our family! With the pending arrival of our fourth baby in early July, we are excited to have a new upstairs to welcome him/her home to! I know that he/she won't realize it, but there are five other people in the house that will! I am so proud of Charles and all the hard work that he has put into making finishing the upstairs on his own time and our budget. It hasn't been easy on us. But things are looking up now that we have a nice, new area to sleep and play in! Hard work does pay off!

Our home still has a long ways to go! The downstairs bedrooms need to be remodeled as well, but we're not sure that this is the right year to start that project with the new baby and so many things changing this year. We are thinking about starting it in 2015. But again, it's still up in the air!

We hope to stick to our goals and resolutions! We post them here to remain accountable!

We wish you all the very best this year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Carie's Weight Loss Journey Week 34

Has it really been 34 weeks? Sheesh! That's almost an entire pregnancy! Having been through three of them, I know what it's like to count down the weeks until you meet your new baby! Except this journey, I'm counting down the pounds until I reach my goal weight! And I am SO close! I will laugh if it takes me 40 weeks! That will be AWESOME! Almost as awesome as this shirt that someone needs to buy for me:

Found HERE

As the 2013 started, a lot of my friends and I made fitness resolutions and/or goals. A lot of those goals are the same, but when I tell people that I want to run a marathon, they look at me like I'm crazy! Maybe I am! But it has always been a dream of mine!

I remember the days I spent running track and cross country in high school. I remember being encouraged by my coaches to push a little harder and run a little faster. They told me that I could do anything I wanted to do, as long as I was willing to put forth the effort. If they gave the team a workout that required us to run to a certain point and then turn around, I would ALWAYS run to the exact spot I was told to turn around, and turn around. I NEVER turned around early. There were people on the team who did... and it would always make me SO angry. I would always finish the workouts last, or close to last. I would get so mad when I was ahead of people, I reached the turn around point, and as soon as I was coming up on those people, they would just turn around when I passed by them. Then they would pass me up near the end and finish before me. Even talking about it stirs up those old feelings I had about always finishing last.

I hated it. I felt like I ALWAYS put forth a huge effort. I did everything I was suppose to do. I did everything I was asked to do. And all the while, others were cheating and finishing before me. It killed me when the coaches wouldn't put me down for a race during track season... I remember passing around the event list and looking for my name, only to find that it wasn't on the sheet. I would try SO hard not to cry... but it never worked. There were only ever a few times in my entire high school running career that I wasn't scheduled to run, but those days were the hardest for me.

I would go over and over in my head, "What did I do wrong? Is coach mad at me? Am I being punished?" I would sit and stew in my mind and get very angry about not being able to run. I hated feeling inadequate and unworthy to even represent my team during a meet. There were plenty of events to go around... some people even ran 3 events in one night. And I got none. I still don't know exactly why. It was hard... But that's okay...

All of it made me a strong person. A strong runner. I may have not been the fastest, but I know I pushed hard each and every workout and race. It made me appreciate the events I got to participate in. It made me appreciate the fact that I could even run at all. There were times I hated running... but in the end, running was my own therapy. I had a hard childhood and a lot of negative thoughts in my head. At all times. Running helped me work out those feelings and leave them all on the road behind me. 

It was because of all that, I KNOW I can run a marathon. I remember setting the goal to run a marathon when I was younger. (I think the original goal was to run the Boston marathon... just to run it, not compete.) I knew it was something that I wanted to put my time, heart, and body into. I don't think I realized just how long a marathon is! But now that I know, the 26.2 miles don't scare me. My mind does.

That statement might sound silly... but it's true. 

That photo says it all. Exactly what I'm afraid of in a marathon is the voice inside my head telling me to quit... telling me that I'm hurting and that I should stop. But the truth is, my body is capable of AMAZING things. And my mind is going to be worn out LONG before my body is! And even if I'm the last person to cross the finish line, I will finish.

I have finally found the marathon that I will be training for and completing this year! I spent last Saturday planning out all of the 2013 races that I will be doing this year! My current list is:

January 25 - Virtual 5K via Runs For Cookies (Time PR 27:32)

May 11 - YMCA 5K
June 1 - DAM to DAM 20K

July 4 - Independence Day 5K

July 13 - The Color Run 5K (Still in the air, one of my best friends is getting married that day.)

Aug 24 - Restoration Run Half-Marathon (13.1 miles)

Sept 14 - Wabash Trail Marathon (26.2 miles)

Sept 21 - Balloon Chase 5K

Nov TBA - Fireman's 5K

I will also be doing more virtual running events as they are created! Basically what happens during a Virtual run is that you sign up to run a 5K, 10K, or whatever the distance is. You run that event on your own, where ever you are, on the day the event takes place. If you sign up for a 5K, you can either map out a 3.1 mile run around your town or run it on the treadmill. Whatever you're able to do! The best part is, they are FREE running events! This is always good for my family!

I ran my first Virtual 5K yesterday after Zumba. I told my friend, Erin, that I was going to be running a 5K afterwards and she decided to join me! I know my endorphins were high because I started out running at 6.3 mph. It felt too slow, and I thought, "What if I get tired really fast, I'll want to stay at this pace." But I decided to bump it up anyway! I increased my speed to 6.7 mph (or a 9 minute mile). I still felt slow, so I increased my speed again to 7 mph (or an 8:30 minute mile). I came up on having under a half of a mile left and decided to push myself even harder and set the speed to 7.5 mph (or an 8 minute mile). I had a rush of endorphins because I literally felt AMAZING. Runner's high! I was watching my time as the distance increased. When I finally hit the 3.1 mark, I stopped the treadmill and looked at my time of 27:32. I almost fell over with excitement. Seriously! I was dripping with sweat but I felt like I could have kept going. But once I stopped, my body caught up with me and I was exhausted! Erin finished her 5K and told me that she was only going to run 1 mile, but seeing me running pushed her to run a full 5K! I am proud of her! I took photos of my racing bib (my number is the birth months of my girls: March, May, and October), me running, my distance, and my time!

I am hoping that my 5K time on the pavement will be equally amazing as my time on a treadmill! Treadmills have inclines, but when you're running a 5K on roads and/or trails, there are hills and wind. I want to get a sub-30 5K on the pavement! Maybe I'll do Zumba beforehand so I can get my endorphins pumping!

My workouts are the same as always! Zumba, Power Hour, Running, and Swimming. But one thing that is new, I've been doing Jillian's 30 Day Shred this month! I have only missed ONE DAY! Aside from my rest days! The results are AMAZING! My jaw dropped when I looked at my before and after photo... and I'm only on day 25! (See my glorious stretch marks from my babies! Oh Lord...)

My pants go up farther now! Ha! My belly no longer rests on top of them! I just put my pants on this morning and didn't even realize it until I compared my photos. And then I cried... happy tears, of course! I am still very self conscious of my belly and stretch marks, but there they are. Raw. Fading. Boom baby. I am proud of my belly though. I've held three babies in that thing! (Well, technically my uterus has, but you know what I mean!) Getting a tattoo on my side was probably not the best idea in the world... my stretch marks have separated the colors and go through the design! Glorious youth! Oh how I've aged!

Start to Week 1, Week 2, Week 4, Week 7, Week 13, Week 26, and Week 34 progression photo:

Start to Week 34 Photos:

Starting Weight: 202 lbs

Week 1 Weight: 193 lbs

Week 2 Weight: 190 lbs

Week 3 Weight: 190 lbs

Week 4 Weight: 189 lbs

Week 5 Weight: 188 lbs

Week 6 Weight: 184 lbs

Week 7 Weight: 182 lbs

Week 8 Weight: 179 lbs

Week 9 Weight: 177 lbs

Week 10 Weight: 175 lbs

Week 11 Weight: 174 lbs

Week 12 Weight: 173 lbs

Week 13 Weight: 171 lbs

Week 14 Weight: 172 lbs

Week 15 Weight: 173 lbs

Week 16 Weight: 169 lbs

Week 17 Weight: 168 lbs

Week 18 Weight: 167 lbs

Week 19 Weight: 166 lbs

Week 20 Weight: 164 lbs

Week 21 Weight: 162 lbs

Week 22 Weight: 161 lbs

Week 23 Weight: 160 lbs

Week 24 Weight: 157 lbs

Week 25 Weight: 159 lbs

Week 26 Weight: 155 lbs
Week 27 Weight: 151 lbs
Week 28 Weight: 156 lbs
Week 29 Weight: 155 lbs
Week 30 Weight: 154 lbs
Week 31 Weight: 154 lbs
Week 32 Weight: 153 lbs
Week 33 Weight: 152 lbs
Week 34 Weight: 151 lbs

Weight Lost Since Week 30: 3 lbs

Total Weight Lost: 51 lbs

Weight To Go: 16 lbs

I have spent the past 10 weeks in the 150's! It has been very frustrating for me. It's hard when I work really hard during my workouts and stay within my calorie range for each day, and the scale doesn't move. I tend to binge when I stress. I have had a few binge nights lately. Not HUGE binges, but a binge is a binge. And they suck. I will even say to myself, "Do not self-sabotage yourself Carie! You don't even want what you're eating! You are just stressed!" And yet, I still eat... Then when I get on the scale the next morning, I beat myself up for the binge. Which stresses me out even more.

It is a vicious cycle.

I have decided to start seeing the positive about my body and my weight. I want to free myself from my emotional attachment to food and my food addictions. I have realized more and more as this journey goes on just how attached I am to food. I've said it before, but I seem to keep forgetting. I noticed myself putting a huge bag of Lay's potato chips in my shopping cart last week. I snapped out of it and put the chips back on the shelf. I kept asking myself why I had even grabbed the chips. I went home and cried about it. I sobbed. Over potato chips. I kept telling myself that it was ridiculous to cry over freaking potato chips. But there I was... sobbing over them.

I started my period the next morning. (Sorry fellas, TMI... but this has a point to it!) I realized right then and there that I ALWAYS buy a huge bag of potato chips the day before I start. I never realized it until that moment. I realized then that I wasn't being ridiculous, I was breaking a cycle. My body craves salty foods, which make me bloat like crazy. Downing an entire bag of salty potato chips was horrible for my body. So on top of my period bloating, my body was being loaded with salt, which makes your body retain water. I didn't cramp as bad. I didn't have crazy cravings. I felt clear.

I started talking to my family about this. About eating healthier. Not just being healthier, but eating healthier. My sister-in-law mentioned the movie Hungry For Change. (It is on Netflix and Hulu. Watch it.) We talked about how the companies making our food pump them full of crap that makes us addicted to it. High fructose corn syrup is in almost EVERYTHING on the shelves at the store. MSG is in a ton of stuff and it is hidden under different names. It is insane. I felt outraged when I watched the documentary. I was ON FIRE. I felt helpless. Until the point in the movie when Joe Cross showed up. I remembered him from the documentary Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead. (It is also on Netflix and Hulu. Watch it, too.) Then I remembered his stand on Juicing. We can juice fresh produce and have the micro and macro nutrients that are super healthy for our bodies absorbed within minutes of drinking them. There are so many health benefits of juicing. Charles and I are purchasing a juicer with our income tax money so that we can start juicing! You KNOW what you are putting into your body when you juice. When you buy bottled juice from the store, you are putting added chemicals and crap into your body. Which makes it harder for your system to digest and heal itself.

I think a huge part of breaking my food addictions is eating food that is as close to natural as possible. When we eat healthy food, our bodies will crave the healthy food. Sure, a food craving for ice cream or candy bars may arise, but it is SO much easier to fight them off when you think about what you would be putting into your body. Our bodies WANT to be healthy. I want to give my body the healthiest food that I possibly can. That includes the types of meat that I consume. I won't get too much into this, but I want meat from animals that aren't pumped full of hormones. Animals that are free range and grass fed. Reading labels and seeing what is in the food that I purchase and eat has helped me feel better about my health.

I also realized that part of my problem is that I still see the "old Carie" when I look into the mirror. And I am very hard on myself when it comes to my "problem areas" on my body. In the movie Hungry For Change, Dr. Christiane Northrup suggests a daily affirmation, “I accept myself unconditionally right now.” She writes it on a prescription card for her patients. You are suppose to tape it to a mirror and read it, out loud, to yourself for 30 days. It takes your brain that long to learn that simple truth. I am going to start doing this on Monday. I think that it will help me by leaps and bounds. I am learning how to love myself. I thought it would come easy with weight loss, but it is proving to be a struggle. Like most things in life! 

My plan for the next month is to keep up on clean eating and drinking LOTS of water. I am making small changes each day. I learned the hard way that it's not good to go cold turkey on sugar! So I am going to be weaning myself each day. I want to start a binge-free streak as well. And be honest about it. Today is day one. (I can do this!) I am also going to start lifting to build more muscle to burn the fat that is still on my body. I'm thinking of lifting twice a week for right now while I finish Jillian's 30DS. Afterwards, I think I'll go three or four times a week, depending on what's going on. (I'm still trying to wean my baby from breastfeeding.)

I am starting the Live Healthy Iowa 10 week challenge on Monday. I have also signed up on TheBiggestLoser.com for a 6 week challenge to reach my goal weight of 135 lbs in the next six weeks. That's roughly 2 pounds a week! I've gotta get moving! Talk about motivation!

My motto right now:

Righteous Resolutions for 2013

Happy New Year 2013!

We started off 2012 with our resolutions posted on this blog. I wanted to let you all know how we did on our resolutions and what our new ones are for 2013!

Our resolutions for 2012 were:

1. Read from the Book of Mormon every single day - We started off strong, slacked off, but then started up again and stuck it out for the rest of the year!
2. Read the entire Book of Mormon as a family - We got half-way through.
3. Have FHE each Monday, no excuses - We started off strong, but stopped in March for good reason. Makes us sad to think/talk about, but we did have FHE every Sunday with Charles' family.
4. Family prayer each morning and night, on our knees - We got a few months in, then only did the night time prayer each day. 
5. Be full tithe payers for the entire year - We were late twice.
6. Pay off some debt - We used some of our income tax and payed off our credit cards!
7. Go to the temple 4 times - We only made it once.
8. Spend time each night as a family for an hour or so - Completed in full!
9. Get healthy - We both started eating healthier in June!
10. Get fit - We both started working out in June! Charles lost 20 pounds, Carie lost 51 pounds!
11. Get the remodel done upstairs - This did not happen...
12. Plant our garden - We bought the seeds, but never planted them.
13. Start using more coupons - Started right away and still use them now!
14. Make the change to Cloth Diapers - We made a full transition and have saved so much money!

We had a good year sticking to most of our resolutions. Aside from the ones we didn't even do, we are very pleased with our efforts! We decided to make our new resolutions more practical. Not that some goals aren't worth setting a high bar for, we just hate being let down at the end of the year knowing that we shot too high. Most of our resolutions and goals are going to be repeated, because they are very important to us! So here are our new resolutions and goals:

Austin Family Goals 2013

1. Read from the Book of Mormon every single day
2. Read the entire Book of Mormon as a family
3. Have FHE each Monday, no excuses
4. Family prayer each morning and night, on our knees
5. Be full tithe payers for the entire year, 100%
6. Do our Home Teaching/Visiting Teaching, 100%
7. Go to the temple two times
8. Make a budget each month
9. Pay off debt
10. Save money for emergencies and Christmas
11. Build up our food storage
12. Continue eating healthy and working out
13. Finish the upstairs remodel, especially the girls' room
14. Keep up on housework, especially the kitchen
15. Go to bed early, early to rise
16. Put God first in all aspects of our life

We are very excited for 2013 and what the Lord has planned for our family. We spent the day today talking about our goals and refocusing on our spiritual needs. We realized that we've been pretty terrible about saying our individual prayers and getting into repetitive prayers for our family prayers. We want to focus on talking to our Heavenly Father, repenting for our sins and weaknesses, and expressing our gratitude for the many, many blessing that he has given us. We haven't been putting God first, so that, most of all, is our biggest goal for 2013.

We wish you all the very best 2013! 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Carie's Weight Loss Journey - Week 30

I closed last month's post with a picture that said, "It's December. Finish strong." Well, December hasn't been my friend. I started the month off strong, only to have a terrible flu-like cold hit me very hard. My throat started feeling a little scratchy within the first few days, but by Thursday's Power Hour, I knew I was in for more than I wanted. I toughed it out for Zumba on Friday, and actually started to feel better. I woke up to go swimming on Saturday and couldn't even talk.

I had no idea what the next week had in store for me! I had the worst sore throat that I can even remember. It. Was. Awful. I was congested, I had a runny nose, coughing was torture, and I couldn't breathe very well. I was so tired all the time, but I hated sleeping because I couldn't find a comfortable way to sleep and breathe at the same time. I felt beyond dehydrated even though I was getting WAY more than 8 glasses of water a day. It was awful. I did no physical activity at all and vegged out every day. Not to mention the fact that I had a five pound gain on the scale at the end of the week. I was crushed.

I finally felt well enough to go back to Zumba on the 17th. I struggled a little bit and felt extremely fatigued half-way through, but I finished my workout and gave it everything I had! Each day it got easier to workout and not feel like I was about to fall over. It's been a crazy few weeks, but I think I'm just about back to 100% again!

I started Jillian's 30 Day Shred again, but stopped when I got sick. So, once again, I haven't completed it. I fully intend on having January being the month I complete it, if I don't get sick again! Or lazy like the time before... I just hope that I am able to actually complete it this time!

Aside from the sickness, my workouts have remained the same. Zumba on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday each week. Power Hour on Tuesday and Thursday each week. Swimming laps at the Y when I can, about 2 times a week. I haven't been on a run this month, which makes me sad, but it's been difficult with being sick and the snow outside. I am going to run this coming Monday so that I can say that I ran once during the month of December!

Even though I have a gain this month, my size is still going down, so I know that my body is still shrinking! I never thought I'd see the day where a size medium anything would fit me! I'm still in shock. I'm comfortably wearing a size 12 jean now, but they are getting bigger as well! I am very much looking forward to being able to shop for a completely new wardrobe when I reach my goal weight!

Start to Week 1, Week 2, Week 9, Week 17, Week 26, and Week 30 progression photo:

Start to Week 30 photos:

Week 26 and Week 30:

Starting Weight: 202 lbs

Week 1 Weight: 193 lbs

Week 2 Weight: 190 lbs

Week 3 Weight: 190 lbs

Week 4 Weight: 189 lbs

Week 5 Weight: 188 lbs

Week 6 Weight: 184 lbs

Week 7 Weight: 182 lbs

Week 8 Weight: 179 lbs

Week 9 Weight: 177 lbs

Week 10 Weight: 175 lbs

Week 11 Weight: 174 lbs

Week 12 Weight: 173 lbs

Week 13 Weight: 171 lbs

Week 14 Weight: 172 lbs

Week 15 Weight: 173 lbs

Week 16 Weight: 169 lbs

Week 17 Weight: 168 lbs

Week 18 Weight: 167 lbs

Week 19 Weight: 166 lbs

Week 20 Weight: 164 lbs

Week 21 Weight: 162 lbs

Week 22 Weight: 161 lbs

Week 23 Weight: 160 lbs

Week 24 Weight: 157 lbs

Week 25 Weight: 159 lbs

Week 26 Weight: 155 lbs
Week 27 Weight: 151 lbs
Week 28 Weight: 156 lbs
Week 29 Weight: 155 lbs
Week 30 Weight: 154 lbs

Weight Lost Since Week 26: 1 lb

Total Weight Lost: 48 lbs

Weight To Go: 19 lbs

So with the loss that put me at 51 pounds down, it really sucked to see the scale jump up five pounds. It takes a lot of hard work to lose weight, yet it is SO easy to put back on. Looking at the bright side of it, I'm still in the 150's! Which makes me super happy! I'm SO close to the 140's, but I've worked really hard to be in the 150's! The 140's will happen! I decided to focus on my measurements since I haven't updated anyone on those in a while! You can really see my hard work paying off in those numbers!

Waist

Start: 40 1/2"

Week 30: 31"

Inches Lost: 9 1/2"

Hips

Start: 47"

Week 30: 38 1/2"

Inches Lost: 8 1/2"

Bust

Start: 45"

Week 30: 37 1/2"

Inches Lost: 7 1/2"

Belly (Widest part of my "pooch")

Start: 45 1/2"

Week 30: 38"

Inches Lost: 7 1/2"

Right Thigh

Start: 27"

Week 30: 23 1/2"

Inches Lost: 3 1/2"

Left Thigh

Start: 27 3/4"

Week 30: 23 1/2"

Inches Lost: 4 1/4"

Total Inches Lost: 40 3/4"

It's crazy to me that I even had those 40+ inches on my body! I am still unaware of just how many inches I've lost. I see cute clothes at the store and can actually try them on. Which is huge for me. I have been shopping in the plus size section for a while, so now I always have to redirect myself towards the smaller section. I can actually find clothes online that are in my size and in stock! One of my goals when I started this journey was that I wouldn't be afraid to try on clothes... and I am almost there!

Since I hit my 50 pound goal earlier in the month, I decided to wear the shoes I won from a giveaway on Cherie Runs This. I had been praying to win that giveaway! My old shoes were in serious need of replacing and good shoes aren't something my husband and I can afford right now. I got the shoes in the mail a few days before I actually reached my goal. So the day I hit my 50 pounds lost goal, I decided to break out the new shoes! I even took some photos of my old and new shoes! You can see the holes in my grey shoes!

Seems crazy that I am almost to my goal weight! 30 weeks is a long time! It seems like yesterday that I started this journey... and then there are days where I feel like I've been counting calories for YEARS! Those days are especially hard because I just want to eat everything in sight and not care... but that's why it's so hard. I DO care. I WANT results. It takes almost everything that I have to stay away from unhealthy food on those days. Food still has a hold on me... especially when it comes to Dairy Queen. Thank goodness they are closed for the winter! (In my town, that is. I know there are DQ's that are open everywhere else.)

With the year coming to an end, I have put a lot of thought into my fitness goals for 2013. Most of my goals are actually races! I want to do a lot of 5K's, a 20K, a half-marathon, and a full marathon. Here is my list of races and goals (so far) for the year 2013:

• Start Hal Higdon's Half Marathon and Full Marathon Training Schedules
• Reach my goal weight of 135 lbs
• Start lifting weights regularly 
• DAM to DAM (20K) - June 1, 2013 (on my 1 year weight loss anniversary!)
• Fourth of July 5K - July 4, 2013
• Warrior Dash (5K with obstacles) - July 27, 2013
• Balloon Chase (5K) - September 2013
• Band of Brotherhood 5K Run/Walk - November 2013
• Half Marathon - TBA
• Full Marathon - TBA

It has been difficult to find a half marathon and a full marathon that aren't held on a Sunday. I don't run on Sunday's because it is the Sabbath day. There are a few Saturday races in my state, but there hasn't been a 2013 date set yet, so I'm keeping my list open! But I will get my 13.1 and my 26.2 stickers in 2013!

I have had so many people comment about my weight loss and how good I am looking. It has been a wonderful experience. I still feel shy about myself and, at times, a little awkward. But it is a wonderful feeling to wear clothes and not worry about if I'm hanging over my jeans or hanging out of my top! So many people have been inspired my me. I am humbled by that. My main goal when I started this journey was to inspire others. To show you all that YOU CAN DO IT! If you want to lose weight, you can do it. If you want to run a 5K (or any other distance), you can do it. I am here to show you that the road is not easy, but if you stay on it, you can do anything you set your mind to. I didn't believe it at first... but I believe it now!

Carie's "Before" Photos

This is tough.

Really tough.

I've spent the better part of the last 5+ years crying over how I look.

I use to look like this at the end of High School...

Granted, I was 17/18 and I had been in Cross Country/Track for four consecutive years. And in a lot of other physically demanding activities like Cheerleading, Show Choir, etc. I thought I was fat then...

I was wrong.

When I entered college, my weight fluctuated a lot.

I'd get into this habit:

Then I'd work out like crazy and cut way too many calories to get "skinny" again.

I was never truly happy with how I looked. I would think I was too big, then I'd think that I was "skinny enough" and start eating like crazy. It was vicious cycle.

When I married my husband in August of 2007, I had lost some weight from my job and exercising for the wedding. But as soon as we were married, I quickly put the weight back on.

On our first year anniversary, we found out that we would be expecting a baby that coming April. We were ecstatic! How did we celebrate?

Food.

I ballooned fast.

After Caitlin was born, I stayed out of photos as much as possible. I tried to lose weight, but I found out that I was pregnant again. I stopped dieting and by the time Rosalie was born, I weighed 220 lbs.

My heaviest.

Ever.

At my 5 year class reunion (which I almost didn't attend because of my weight...)

I decided it was time for a change. I started going to Zumba and I dropped 20 lbs fast. So fast that it only took me 8 weeks!

I was 8 weeks pregnant.

I had to stop working out because I had started bleeding with my baby at 16 weeks.

After Vivian was born, I had lost weight and dropped down to 185 lbs. I felt amazing! I was in a size 16 for the first time since BEFORE Caitlin was born!

It was going to be Winter soon, so I didn't work out as much. I'd attend Zumba every so often, but nothing that was producing any results.

Now that things are settling down with my three little ones, I've decided that enough is enough.

This weight gain journey has to stop.

I took my final "Before" photos on May 31st.

What I saw was shocking to me.

Who is this 202 lb person?

This person is not me.

And for the first time ever, I didn't cry.

I decided that I would take action instead.

June 1st marked the first day of the rest of my weight loss journeys.

This one will be my last.

I am changing my lifestyle. My exercise lifestyle. My eating lifestyle.

I want to be happy again. I want to LOVE myself again. I haven't loved myself in a long time. I'm unhappy and people can tell. I want to be healthy for my children and husband. I want to inspire my family. I want to inspire you.

I am going to need support and help. If you want to join in on your own weight loss journey, PLEASE DO! I am going to be keeping tabs on my progress as my journey progresses. My target weight is 135 lbs.

I need to lose 67 lbs.

No day but TODAY!

Cloth Diapering Starts NOW!

I don't know exactly when I decided that I wanted to start cloth diapering my kids, but I know it was around the time after Vivian was born. Charles and I need diapers for each girl. When the total was over $60, I looked at him and said that we needed to do some serious changes in how we diaper our girls. We talked to a few friends about switching from disposable diapers to cloth. Now, cloth diapers are not like the ones used back in the day! They are new and awesome! We decided in December that we would use our income tax money to kick-start our new adventure with cloth diapering.

I looked online for some tips and what would be needed to start cloth diapering. I was overwhelmed in a matter of minutes. It is a lot of work. A lot. But having to choose between gas and diapers was becoming a standard issue in our home. Caitlin is still potty training, but she is not ready just yet. We simply cannot afford $120 worth of diapers a month when our extra income is only about $40. Although I was overwhelmed, I found that Cotton Babies was an amazing site that gave me all the information that I needed to start cloth diapering. I also stumbled upon Mama Natural and she has got a ton of YouTube videos that inspired me to want to make the change. That woman and her husband are amazing people! And funny!

I signed up for Cotton Babies and started to fill our cart up with the basics that we'd need for our girls. We bought:

1 x	Flip Potty Trainer Pack 1 trainer, 5 organic cotton pads   - Shell Color / Side Panel Color: Lovelace / White		$34.95
2 x	bumGenius Flannel Baby Wipes		$23.90
1 x	bumGenius Freetime All-In-One One-Size Cloth Diaper 24-Pack		$399.95
1 x	bumGenius Diaper Sprayer		$44.95
1 x	Flip Insert: Stay Dry 3-Pack		$11.95
1 x	Wipe Warmer		$29.99

Then the issue of washing came up. I posted on Cotton Babies' facebook page and asked other Mommas out there what they used for detergent. We found a fantastic deal with Amazon.com for our detergent! We bought:

  Bac-Out w/Foaming Action Sprayer - 32 Ounces - $11.51
 
  Country Save HE Laundry Detergent, Powder, 160 load, 10-lb Boxes (Pack of 4) - $74.99

After some hunting around, we found a good deal and a HUGE drying rack from Walmart! We bought:

  Honey-Can-Do 3-Tier Mesh Top Drying Rack - $28.47

Dealing with the dirty diapers had us trying to decide if we wanted to buy a diaper pail or a hanging wet/dry bag. So I posted on Cotton Babies' facebook page and asked the Mommas what they used. I was referred to Planet Wise Inc. and told that they have some amazing products that make dealing with dirty diapers quite easy, whichever way I wanted to go: diaper pail or wet/dry bags.

We went with the wet/dry bags. Only time will tell if we made a good choice, but we wanted the ease of being able to carry the bag with us to the toilet to spray off the poo from the dirty diapers! We ended up buying:

  Owl Hanging Wet/Dry Bag - $29.99

  Orange Woods Hanging Wet/Dry Bag - $29.99

  Orange Woods Wet/Dry Bag - Medium - $21.00

  Owl Wipe Bag - $10.99

  Lime/Chocolate Wipes - 10 pack - $12.99

All that was left to do was wait for our stuff to come in the mail after we ordered everything! The total cost was around $800, but we will never need to buy disposables again! We are very exited about that!

Our detergent came 2 days after we ordered it! It was 40 lbs worth of detergent! Heavy, heavy box!

I got a call on the 11th that told me that the Lovelace and Albert designs for the bumGenius Freetime All-In-One One-Size Cloth Diapers were on back order. Not gonna lie, I was sad. They wouldn't send my order unless I replaced the diapers with a different color. I replaced the Lovelace with Zinna and the Albert with Moonbeam. But the color that I wanted was actually Mirror. I had the colors switched in my head! But it's all good! When the Lovelace and Albert are available, I will be buying them!

We left for Walmart and picked up the drying rack from the site-to-store counter.

We finally got our diapers in on the 13th! I couldn't wait to open the box!

I blurred our address! :) For privacy reasons!

We opened the box and got very excited to take everything out! It was so neatly packed inside!

We set everything out on the couch while going over the order list and checking off each diaper as we pulled them out of the box. Everything was right! We were happy!

One of the Cloth Diapers!

Caitlin's Flip Potty Trainer pack in Lovelace! (I LOVE it!)

I immediately read up on what I needed to do to prep everything before we used them. Luckily, I had a day to get all the washing done! I had to wash the diapers 5 times in hot water to be sure I'd get the maximum absorbancy from them! I washed the lights, then the darks.

Charles took the Diaper Sprayer and hooked it up in the bathroom. This thing is amazing! The pressure from the sprayer is surely going to get the nasty stuff off our diapers quick!

We got our Wet/Dry bags and Bac-Out Spray the next day!

Orange Woods & Owl Hanging Wet/Dry bags, Orange Woods Wet/Dry bag, Owl Wipe bag, Wipes

I LOVE both designs! I wanted a gender neutral design.

When the first 5 washes were finished, I got out the HUGE drying rack and put all the diapers on it to dry! I put the inserts and wipes through the dryer.

I put the dark diapers in the wash and got 2 cycles in before bed time!

This morning I did the last three hot washes and hung the diapers up. About noon, Caity ran out of disposable diapers, so she was the first one to try out the cloth diapers! (Her trainer inserts weren't dry yet)

Feeling the snaps and giggling!

The diaper is on the biggest setting it can be on! Good thing we bought her the potty trainer!

She's wearing the Mirror color. LOVE IT!

It was nap time then, so Vivian and I got some play time in!

After about an hour of that, she tuckered out on me!

 

That gave me some time to fold all my reusable wipes and figure out a wipe solution I could make homemade!

Wipes stored in a small storage box I bought from Walmart for $0.97!

I ended up calling the Cotton Babies hotline and talking to a representative. I posted on the website, too, and got the same advice. 1 cup of distilled water with a few drops of baby wash mixed in. Soak the wipes in it, squeeze out the excess, roll them up, place them in the wipe warmer. Use within 48 hours. Simple enough for me!

By the time Vivian woke from her nap, she needed a change and we were out of disposables for her, too! She was next up for a cloth diaper!

Happy girl! She went through that diaper in about an hour! But she's been nursing quite frequently the past 2 days! Growing girl! We went to the store and got supper, came home, I made it, we ate it, then it was off to Jenny's house for her birthday party! I was in the process of showing my sister-in-law the inside of the Freetime diaper, when as soon as I opened it up, we saw poop everywhere! I wasn't even at home to spray the diaper off! Charles and I just laughed! We had a disposable diaper leftover in the diaper bag and put that on her to get her through the party. I put Caity into her trainer and brought along a few inserts for her along with the Orange Woods Wet/Dry bag. I put the poopy diaper inside to rinse off when we got home.

As soon as we walked through the door, I headed over to the toilet to spray that beast down! It was fun, I'll admit! Call me crazy! But I think I'm gonna enjoy this cloth diapering thing!

I will continue to post about our tranistion from disposables to cloth as we go! Rosalie still has quite a few disposables left, so that will allow me some time to get into the swing of things before all three girls are wearing cloth! We are very excited and a little nervous, but I know we can do this!

We're gonna get a little dirty along the way! But this is going to be a fun ride! Buckle up!