Reached Goal W/O Plan

So several years ago I reached my goal weight,

but I did not have a maintenance plan in place.

The above is my scale and actual weight. IKR?!

Anyway, I've forgiven myself for not having an after plan.

That is all. 

I will share my weightloss along the way and some hints and tips. 

Things I will not be sharing - anything that I am suppose to do, and my 

actual weight. 

I will share that in the end, the before and after. 

Begin Again

So cliché, but I am going to say it anyway.

If at first you don't succeed, try try again. 

So with that said, this is the year I get it right. 

Sometimes, you just know

when you are ready.

This time I did it right. I started in November by contemplating 

the path I wanted to take. Then I made a plan. I also left extra time 

to restart, in case I slipped. 

The holidays are sure temptations for over eating and last year I made my favorites.

However, in that time, I tracked all of the things I did right and wrong. I noticed when

I was most motivated and what my de motivators were. As a result I am ready for success.

Oh a few important points (please excuse my jumbled points).

1. Research, research, research.

2. Write your plan down

3. Be honest with yourself

4. Don't share your entire plan (this is a sure way to fail)

5. Follow your plan as closely as you can

6. If you fail, get back up and start over

7. Reward yourself with with non food items

8. Do not become a slave to the scale

9. Love the process 

10. When you reach your goal, remember to have a maintenance 

plan in place, that way you don't undo all of your hard work

Last but not least, embrace your changes, but try not to worship them. 

DIY Paper Flowers

I saw these a while ago and fell in love with them, so when I was on Pinterest

last week I pinned a lot of tutorials. 

Here are some pictures:

 

Making some of these for fall and the holidays! 

Seriously?! The Movie*

I know, I know, I know, this movie is my life! 

I am tempted to hire a body double until I reach my goal weight! 😂😂😂😭😭😭

I have been in this series since I reached a "particular age" lol.

Are you thinking what I'm thinking? 

"Could you pulleease get another obsession?!" 

So for the sanity of the rest of you, I will rotate me obsessions. 

And this is only because I don't want to hear it.

Oh, but quickly before I change the subject; eating cleaner, working out, drinking water 

are working wonders (in my sing-song voice).

My secret weapon intermittent fasting. 

Calorie deficit works, but I do not want to slow down my metabolism, 

so giving my gut time to empty and forcing my body to use reserves is the best option.

Steel Cut Oats

Wow that picture is way smaller than I thought it would be.

I found this on Pinterest and thought I would share.

http://pin.it/DGW3Nr0

Side note: I tried the link and it took me to Pinterest, but not to the recipe.

Search: Steel Cut Oats Slow Cooker.  

Recently, I tried steel cut oats. I loved the flavor and the texture, but could not

stand the amount of time it took to cook. I almost gave up until I found the above.

(Can you hear sing?) 

I've eaten rolled oats my entire life up until this point. I could eat oatmeal everyday.

But steel cut tastes better. It's taste is similar to that of brown rice and walnuts (in my opinion),

and I love both of those.

The down side, it takes 30 minutes or more to cook, 30 minutes of watching and stirring - 

time that I can never get back.

Many of you would say, "it's just oatmeal." No it's not! It's nutritious and delicious. 

And, and get this - because it takes the body longer to break down, you stay fuller

longer.

Drum roll please! The time in a crockpot, 7 to 8 hours overnight! 

I'm done, have a nice morning.

DIY Beanie Slouchy Hat

So, I crocheted my first hat. Let's just say it did not turn

out the way I envisioned it would be. It took me more than ten hours.

So now, I am going for the cool DIY hat.

That's right folks. I am going the easy route. Why?!

Because I can and I am saving several old sweaters from the landfill.

FYI Goodwill has a 99 cent section, IKR?! 

I found two cool sweaters one for day and one for night. And I watched the following video

as a guide:

https://youtu.be/0jg9DWUqTnw

 

I am excited that the hats will take me less than an hour to make.

Even though the directions say glue (10 mins) or sew (30min to 1 hour), I am sewing them

as I do not want to have to retouch them after I am done.

So take an opportunity to recycle some clothing and save yourself some time.

Happy DIY'ing.

Blog Thoughts

I love to write, create, share, and inspire. However, there has to be balance. 

Oftentimes I watch YouTube. I love listening and watching people be creative. 

But what inevitably happens, is other parts of their lives creep into the dialogue. 

Most of the time it's not a problem, but once that happens, the audience "feels"

the need to encroach on the host personal life as well. That is why I like the you tubers 

that keep certain aspects of their personal lives private.

My Blog invites readers to come along with me in the things that I share.

If you look through my blog, you would think that I have always had a weight problem.

I have not.

I freaked out when I hit a size 8. After that, I started yo-yo dieting and messing up my system. 

I am happy to report that I have calmed down "A LOT" and educated myself about the female 

maturing body.

Now I am free to shed my unwanted pounds while being kinder to myself. 

So back to blogging. 

I have found balance and will start contributing to my blog again.

Some of the things I am working on;

 Bullet journaling (still)

 Knitting and crocheting

 Reading books

 Crosstitching

and becoming a minimalist.

Looks like a lot, but I am working on dedicating focused time to each endeavor.

I still have many interest and will share some of my favs.

Ciao!