Gotta Begin Somewhere...

1.	Write It Down
	Goals are specific, measurable, and time-bounded. Write your goals so that they reflect all three components.
2.	List Your Personal Benefits
	Identify exactly "Why" you want to achieve this goal. List all the ways you will you benefit personally.
3.	Analyze Your Current Position
	Success is information dependent. You need integrity in your information. Identify exactly your specific strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities as it relates to achieving this goal.
4.	Identify Obstacles and Risks
	List everything that could possibly prevent you from achieving this goal.
5.	Identify Investments and Sacrifices
	List everything, including time, money, and sacrifices that you can anticipate.
6.	Knowledge Requirements
	Identify what additional knowledge you need to acquire or have access to.
7.	Support Team
	List the people, groups, and organizations you may need help from as well as the specific role each one plays.
8.	Develop Your Plan
	List in chronological order each activity and their corresponding target dates for completion. Use all the information gathered in previous steps to develop your plan.
9.	Set a Deadline
	Determine on what date you will achieve this goal
10.	Reward and Celebrate
	Identify your reward for the achievement of this goal. You deserve it!

from : http://www.goalsguy.com/Knowledge/t_09_achieve.html
Gary Ryan Blair is President of The GoalsGuy. He helps business owners, corporate executives and sales professionals manage their time, set their priorities, and stay focused so they can achieve their goals, grow their business, and be more successful. Gary can be reached for speaking, coaching and media requests at 877-462-5748 or by sending an email to Gary@GoalsGuy.com

Monday Startup

I've been able to keep off about 15 lbs off since working with the South Beach diet in April. I'm going to begin again today on Phase One to help take a few more off before my upcoming birthday in July.

This morning honestly hasn't been a great start. It's almost 10am and I haven't had any water or food yet. But I'm gonna fix that right now. Gotta Go, time to Fuel up. :)

Day One: Holy Crap it's Early

http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal.asp?id=JEBERHARD

"Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow." - Ronald E. Osborn

Ok, starting back over with Day One- Life Changer Program

Gathering back up my pieces, I am giving myself 100% to 21 days with Julia and life changing. I am convicted to complete 21 days. I am deteremined to complete 21 days. I will put for the effort to complete each of the 21 days. And I will show actions toward improving my health.

My Guidlines: I am on a mission; I am on a journey; NOT A diet!! I will have fun, and learn more about me. I will open up, really being honest with myself, learning about me.... and what makes me wonderful, special and worthwhile. I am living life with an God approved and God guided life. I am smiling and happy to be having the opportunity to improve my life and get healthy and fit. I will not base my value or usefullness by the numbers on the scale, I will not weigh in until I am told to. My success will be rated by the actions I've taken, not by the weight I've lost.

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams… Live the life you have imagined.
-Henry David Thoreau

A New Beginning : Without History

Changing one's life begins in such a soft moment, not even a feather can compare. It is a little hint, notion, feeling that something big is coming - only after you begin.

I am ready to begin again. Change my health and my habits - to win the fit person that I have been dreaming of. Today I had a little extra inspiration - (blog below) - and my why start now? Just got HUGE!
a) I don't want to get to any heavier!!! I am already uncomfortable and hate to think of how I would feel with another 5lb, 10lb or 15lbs added on top of me.
b) I don't want to have health issues before I am 30!!! My 9health fair tests came back a bit scarey, high blood pressure, high pulse and high cholestrol - my little heart is working as hard as it can, and since I'll need that for another 80 years, I need to start now.
c) I want to wear my old (cute) and probably mostly outdated clothes that I have jammed onto the top shelf of my closet, once they started getting too tight. I want to wear those 10 pairs of cute jeans again! and many shirts that are just too short now.
d) I want to look good! ... NAKED! I don't - I want to - I WILL! After reading Ty's Blog (links below) I thought you know what - if that's the only reason that will get anyone to the gym, it's a good reason. And yes, no matter if you think it shallow or illgeared, I do want to look good naked and I do want to be presentable in a bathing suit without needing a tranquilizer to calm my overly selfconcious nerves! I want to flash people again!! and not worry about the tummy showing as well! hee hee (ok, so maybe that last one is slightly less hubby approved, oh well.)

Tomorrow: Setting up Goals
Tonight: Going to bed "on time".... good night!

An Inspiration & A Truth to be Told

http://www.344pounds.com/2009/07/unhealthy-lifestyle/

Check out this link - this guy is amazing!! And this specific blog is so very much my current lifestyle - it's me, choosing unhealthy choices that will lead to my early death. Scarey when you see it in writting! Also, check out his current blogging, good honest writter!

Thoughts?

http://www.344pounds.com/2009/07/10-reasons-why-losing-weight-is-hard/

I love that he's so open and honest about things - I want to be able to write and live an inspiring life for others! He says here to be ready to lose weight by yourself - ugh, I know, but I've been hoping that there is someone out there that would just make me do it - instead of me making me do it. Guess not, againg with those crazy decisions that we have to make before anything actually changes in our lives.

Decisions - should almost be a four letter word, besides look how well we do without deciding much of anything..... life just comes and goes and leaves us standing where we are.

Then again, maybe this isn't the way we were ment to live.... got any decisions to make?
I know I do! How do you make your decisions? flip a coin? eni mini miny moe?

Finding Why

Today, I am on day 5 of the Julia Havey Life Changing Program.

I am drinking water & thinking through my eating today & what I am putting in my body. I want to feel the results that are out there, so I turned down a brownie today. That brownie will not contribute to the life that I want to live.

Today we were told to think about why- why would we want to loose weight? And I warn you: Ask why or you won't! Without a strong and healthy WHY- you won't get past go.

My why is listed on the sidebar, I hope to add to it, as I think of more things. Dreaming is a process, you have to allow yourself time. But this is one body that I am dreaming about!!!

I know that this could be me and my body:

smart, funny, great sense of humor, pretty, exciting, helpful, generous, thin (not skinny), toned muscles, great taste in cloths and accessories; you can see that she takes care of her body and mind!

Baby Steps are small footprints to follow. They are effective because they are easier to follow than dinosaur steps.

Site Update

Hello Everyone,

Just wanting to let you know that the site will be getting a new look and content this week to follow along with the new study. :)

I will be deleting the email list this week. IF you don't let me know that you would like to recieve automatic emails, to follow along with or track your 40 day challenge and/or the new Julia Havey study with us, your info will be gone.

You must contact me in order to stay on the list for future messages. However, if you don't want automatic emails, you are always welcome to check out the blog, whenever you'd like!

Introducing Julia Havey

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0LBHLjtsvs

Check out the above link to a video about Julia Havey & her story to get healthy.

Remember our fast food burgers ?

We will also check out our fast food products that were purchased earlier in the study at our re-connect on Oct 8th. If I forget, please remind me, because they are sitting in our garage! :)

However, check this video out for a few different reasons!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IncYIuIIAg

a) This is about nasty non aging fast food.

b) Julia Havey is the person that I had heard about this (a few years ago), at a health talk where I got to see and smell the old happy meals that she has AND

c) Julia Havey is the author of our next study! I will share a bit more about her and the study in the next few days..... stay tuned!! :)

* if you would like to be removed from my emailing list, please let me know

Week 1 Planning : 40 Day Challenge

Week 1 Pre-planning!!! The challenge has begun, but now what? Let's plan it out. This is to try and make the meals and shopping easy, without being stuck eating the same stuff, each week we will add more and mix it up a bit. Again just a suggestion of meal plans to make it easier on planning out your week & shopping.

Breakfasts:

Oatmeals (anything Bob Redmill is great!- Muesil (naturally sweet), Steel Cut Oats, whatever...)

Piece of Fruit: Apple or Banana, Peach.... cut up and put in oatmeal for natural sweetness or eat alone

Lunches: alternate if desired, or a few days of the same thing then switch

Sprouted Tortillas (w/ veggies) Wraps

Pick colorful peppers, cucumbers, broccoli- about 3 or 4 veggies.

Slice up and put in baggies, so that you would have them ready and waiting.

OR

Veggie Burgers with 1Cup Brown Rice

OR

Veggie Salad

Dinners: mix and match two each dinner

Veggie Burgers

Brown Rice

Side Salad

Baked Potato

Snacks:

Water !!! Be sure to drink water over any other liquid, and before every meal or snack!! :)

Celery & Peanut Butter

Lara Bars (King Soopers's have they- yummy)

Juice Plus Chocolate Shake (let me know if you are interested, a canister with 15 servings, is $27.50- without all the nasty preservatives and chemicals in "weight loss" products, that's only $1.83 each serving!- there is also vanilla, of course! Great blended with fresh or frozen fruit.)

New Tastes Challenge

Jicama - check it out and try it!! (said Hick-a-ma)

Motivation the Soul's Momentum

The 6week Devoted Bodies study is over, however, Jodi and I have decided to continue our comitment to the 40 day challenge, which we will re-start :) Wednesday of this week, Oct 1st. We will continue meeting together on Wednesdays, for motivation & another life changing lesson, while we continue our health and wellness education.



Starting Oct 15th, we will be learning about "The Vice Busting Diet" by Julia Havey. We will be listening to and working through a motivational journal developed by Julia, that walks you through the mental steps of what it takes to make life changing decisions and how to create new habits.

This new study is very demanding and takes a lot of commitment! But her philosphy is small changes- big weight loss. There is a daily audio track to listen to & a page or two in a journal to think through. You can check it out on her website http://www.juliahavey.com/ There you can even sign up for motivational emails, because we all know that it isn't always knowing what to do (now we do after Devoted Bodies) but knowing how to keep doing it!

What is 1/9th ?

Jodi and I have decided to continue our comitment to the 40 day challenge, which we will re-start :) Wednesday, Oct 1st. We decided that with there only (about) 12 weeks left until Christmas!! that we want to make this the Christmas that we look better than before. We also talked about how much we liked Lesson 6 & how to approach the negative infulences, while you are trying to make positive changes in your health. Now, we feel fully prepared to take on the 40 Challenge. Let me know if you are interested in following along with us. I figure what's 40 days out of the year? To see the possiblities that God has out there?



40 days is only 1/9 of a year, that could make the difference of the next year. And out of my 26 years, it only adds up to 1/237th (check my math). I am sure I owe it to myself and to God to try a different way of thinking, since my normal way of thinking has only got me overweight & feeling like a failure after trying numerous things that haven't worked.



Jodi and I agreed that the hardest part about changing meal plans is the planning process. So, I was thinking, what if we plan together? and take the guessing out of the picture? We'll make shopping list, meal plans & keep a journal, either online (here) or just emails to eachother!



Are you interested in working on the 40 day plan with us? Let me know!

Study Complete

I know, I know- where did the last 6 weeks go?~!

Our 6 week Devoted Bodies book study is complete, but that doesn't mean that we have to loose everything we have learned. And there was a lot to learn! And lots of great suggested reading, to continue learning as well. And if you haven't completed the reading, I highly suggest you do! There are a lot of challenging thoughts, and I'd like to know what you thought.

I want to congradulate Jodi Warner, she is the only one that was able to come to every single session!!! (well, besides me, but it's my house, so it is kinda hard not to make it) Congradulations Jodi, for making the full effort and comitment. With all our lives so busy, we know how hard that can be sometimes.

If you have been following in your book, we are supposed to meet again after the 40 day challenge, which is in about 2 more weeks. That means October 8th, we'll be here 4:35pm for a potluck recap, visit & to see how everyone is doing, if they are working the challenge or not, either way, you are welcome to attend.

Yeah !

Today, I have been able to focus and do very well. Yeah! You guys re-energized me! :)

Message From Vi

Sounds like you made a wise choice about Taco Bell, CONGRATULATIONS!!

I think the key is not what day you start but just start.  So CONGRATULATIONS again for starting!!

 

I was at the Thornton Harvest Fest today (Kate & I had a Juice Plus Booth) and I was very, very tempted to have something suguaryyyyy - but alas had fruit and lots of water instead. 

 

Friday night I was at Kathleen's for a "wine & wellness" and did have a couple of cheese cubes along with grapes and veggies - So overall I think it's been okay, no real cravings.

 

Okay to share this with our group.

Vi

---

I agree Vi! It is the jump start of making a decision. Thanks for the comments! - Jennifer

Day One & Two

So... my day one was Thursday.




And, yeah so it didn't go so well. :( At work I was fine. But after I got home, I was rushed and had to cook dinner for David. He had to leave for work earlier, even though dinner was ready.... :( It made me sad and I ate the dinner I made for him by myself after he left. Which was soup and bread. Then I was grumpy at myself, and ended up making cherrio cookies.
So I figured that I wouldn't count that day & today would be Day One relived. :) and I actually did really well. With the help of Jodi talking me out of going to Taco Bell, and I didn't - so thanks to her I came home and had a (bland) but ok dinner.

How did your first few days go? Wanna share with the crew?

40 Day Challenge ?

So are you up for a challenge?

What about a 40 day challenge? Why 40 days? Because it is a Biblical timeframe that God has used to "rewrite history".

Lynora's Challenge to us is to eat how God's design intended.
If you have health issues including excess weight eat foods in the 100 to 500 calories per pound range. If you are thin and just want to practice better stewardship, eat at the 1,250 line and below.

Can you do it? Are you up for the challenge?

Lesson 3 - God's Plan is for Your Freedom

So ladies, after reading Lesson 3 - are you ready for God's plan?
A few highlights that we covered in our meeting on Wed were:
- to stay away from the alchy's mantality thinking that he is the "free" one & that everyone else is so tied down by not being "able" to get drunk all the time. And that you aren't giving up anything by not damaging your body, to drink, smoke, do drungs.
- I personally, liked knowing that Lynora hasn't always been a "granola girl"
- many of us, underlined the comment " eating is not a trivial event for the billions upon billions of cells that constitute your being."
- we also underlined the comment " The reality is we are nto punished for our disobedience but BY our disobiednce.
- We read the story in Daniel 1:12 to about verse 15 ?
- We all agreed that WATER is very important & we all know now to drink 1/2 of our body weight in ounces each day.
- Lynora shares her story about what got make her listen about the nutrition and Juice Plus, because she was looking for help with her sons asthma and allergies. If you are interested or have any questions about Juice Plus capsuals (17 fruits, veggies and whole grains), or other Juice Plus products that she mentions - please let me know and I will get you some information.
- pg 3.10 and 3.11 are great pictures to make her points of what caloric denisty and satiation really means.

We did do our calculate the calories per pound for a few of our favorite foods. Finding that rice cakes and a health bar - were better than crackers and even cherrios. The equation to find the calories per pound is
Calories X servings \ ounces in total package X 16 ounces = calories per lb

This also helps us think about WHY the graphs mentioned above make so much sense. Where even though the calories may be low, those are the items that fill and satisfy our tummies. Less calories are better for you- hee hee did you know that? :) I know that might be a new thing to you, BUT worry we aren't about to start counting single calories. (as far as I know) but it is a great reminder of what meat, dairy and oils do carry- lots of calories.

If you haven't checked out the Discussion Questions, please do and feel free to answer the questions and email them to me, if you would like to share them with the group. :)