Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Well into it
We are well into our fourth week of the 30 Days to Feeling Fit. I overheard my husband tell his mom that he hasn't felt this good in 30 years! I continue to pray that we will maintain this healthy lifestyle. It takes discipline and determination. I think if we remember how good we feel it will be easier.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Weekend #3- I was Eve in the Garden
It is Saturday and we are into our third week-end on the 30 Days to Feeling Fit. YEAH!!!
Last Saturday night was tough. I had offered to help a gal here in town with her Arbonne presentation. She is not on my team; her up-line is out of town. I wanted to do a nice thing for her and help her get her business re-launched. When I got there I saw that she had a driveway about a half mile long. It was gravel. I was driving my sports car. Ugh, I thought. My car is going to get trashed. It had been raining heavily all day. But, it will wash; so I got over it. After introductions and filling our plates with some food, she started the presentation. I was slightly disappointed that the gal did not ask me to share a little something..like a testimony about my business. I was even more slightly disappointed when I volunteered some knowledge on the subject she was talking about and she turned to me and said in a rather fun and comical way, "you're supposed to be quiet; you're my assistant, remember?" and then she laughed. So, I guess she meant it as a joke, but I was sorta hurt by that remark. Wow, I thought, she doesn't need me at all, why am I wasting my afternoon? The hostess didn't know how to listen; she had a cat and it was crawling all over everybody. Two girls started squirming in their chairs and said they were allergic to cats. The event went on longer than planned because the girl did not know when to stop talking. She went on and on and on, so much so that one girl got up and said, "I gotta go, I have to make dinner for my kids." (there goes one sale out the door, was my thought). Shortly after that, the two ladies that were allergic to the cat got up and said, "We've got to go too, our allergies are really starting to act up." I would think that the hostess would have picked up the annoying cat and put it outside; after all she said the cat was an outdoor cat.
Finally the presentation was over and we went to the kitchen to sample shakes and protein bars and energy drinks. I was given the duty of making the shakes; I was happy to be useful! Then I helped write up a couple of orders for some of the ladies and it was time for me to go.
I got in my car and thought I could back onto her yard to turn around, but there had been so much rain that my little sports car got stuck! I waited for 30 minutes for her husband to come home and pull me out. Thankfully they had a big tractor that pulled me out. The yard was so wet that even the 4 X 4 truck couldn't pull me out.
Finally, I was home. It was 8:00 pm. The presentation had started at 4:00. I was hungry and looking forward to our date night and dinner out.
When I got to the restaurant, I wanted a glass of red wine in the worst possible way. I needed to relax. I said something to Byron and he said. "No way!" We are sticking to our plan! Thankfully, the restaurant had a nice chamomile tea that I was able to enjoy. Mostly, I am thankful that my husband was the rock when I really needed him to be. I am thankful that he did not give in to my temptation. I guess I was really Eve here wasn't I?
Last Saturday night was tough. I had offered to help a gal here in town with her Arbonne presentation. She is not on my team; her up-line is out of town. I wanted to do a nice thing for her and help her get her business re-launched. When I got there I saw that she had a driveway about a half mile long. It was gravel. I was driving my sports car. Ugh, I thought. My car is going to get trashed. It had been raining heavily all day. But, it will wash; so I got over it. After introductions and filling our plates with some food, she started the presentation. I was slightly disappointed that the gal did not ask me to share a little something..like a testimony about my business. I was even more slightly disappointed when I volunteered some knowledge on the subject she was talking about and she turned to me and said in a rather fun and comical way, "you're supposed to be quiet; you're my assistant, remember?" and then she laughed. So, I guess she meant it as a joke, but I was sorta hurt by that remark. Wow, I thought, she doesn't need me at all, why am I wasting my afternoon? The hostess didn't know how to listen; she had a cat and it was crawling all over everybody. Two girls started squirming in their chairs and said they were allergic to cats. The event went on longer than planned because the girl did not know when to stop talking. She went on and on and on, so much so that one girl got up and said, "I gotta go, I have to make dinner for my kids." (there goes one sale out the door, was my thought). Shortly after that, the two ladies that were allergic to the cat got up and said, "We've got to go too, our allergies are really starting to act up." I would think that the hostess would have picked up the annoying cat and put it outside; after all she said the cat was an outdoor cat.
Finally the presentation was over and we went to the kitchen to sample shakes and protein bars and energy drinks. I was given the duty of making the shakes; I was happy to be useful! Then I helped write up a couple of orders for some of the ladies and it was time for me to go.
I got in my car and thought I could back onto her yard to turn around, but there had been so much rain that my little sports car got stuck! I waited for 30 minutes for her husband to come home and pull me out. Thankfully they had a big tractor that pulled me out. The yard was so wet that even the 4 X 4 truck couldn't pull me out.
Finally, I was home. It was 8:00 pm. The presentation had started at 4:00. I was hungry and looking forward to our date night and dinner out.
When I got to the restaurant, I wanted a glass of red wine in the worst possible way. I needed to relax. I said something to Byron and he said. "No way!" We are sticking to our plan! Thankfully, the restaurant had a nice chamomile tea that I was able to enjoy. Mostly, I am thankful that my husband was the rock when I really needed him to be. I am thankful that he did not give in to my temptation. I guess I was really Eve here wasn't I?
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
2 and a Half Weeks Into It
It has been a few days..err weeks since I posted about Byron and mines' endeavor to cleanse on the 30 Days to Feeling Fit. I want to tell you, I feel fit!! I have officially lost 7 lbs! Wowzie!!! Do you know how long I have tried to get past a couple of lbs of weight loss? I feel great! My cloths are fitting nicer. People are noticing. Yeah!!
Byron is feeling great too. Getting through the second week-end without any alcohol was easier the second week. However, Byron had his big Sunday Play Off day with the boys at the sports bar. He decided to decline the invitation. Good choice in my opinion. I had to make a decision though. I had signed up to work a booth at the fishing show and I had to back out. This is not like me. When I give my word, I give my word. But, I had to assess the situation. Was it a deal killer for our fishing tournament? NO. Was it important to support my husband at this time? Yes. What have I learned from having to make a decision like this? It is better to say no upfront then to back out later. I can't say no!!! Well, I am now learning to say no. My time is valuable and with every yes that I say, I have to consider what are the consequences? Who else will this affect?
By the way, Byron and I are feeling great. Less pains and aches. More energy.
Who could ask for anything more?
What is the most difficult thing? The food preparation for sure. You have to plan ahead so you're not falling into eating junk food. I didn't think I was a big junk food person until I started this 30 days to feeling fit. I now realized that yes, I did eat more junk than I thought.
Eating out is really a chore. Especially here in East Tennessee where they want to pile on the portions, the gravy, the fried, the sugar. Sugar is hidden in everything! But, Byron and I are having a fun and interesting time with eating out.
Last weekend the waiter told the chef that this guy (Byron) was being dragged into this eating healthy cleanse. HA! Little did they know it was Byron's idea!!!
Until later............eat well, be well. Mari
Byron is feeling great too. Getting through the second week-end without any alcohol was easier the second week. However, Byron had his big Sunday Play Off day with the boys at the sports bar. He decided to decline the invitation. Good choice in my opinion. I had to make a decision though. I had signed up to work a booth at the fishing show and I had to back out. This is not like me. When I give my word, I give my word. But, I had to assess the situation. Was it a deal killer for our fishing tournament? NO. Was it important to support my husband at this time? Yes. What have I learned from having to make a decision like this? It is better to say no upfront then to back out later. I can't say no!!! Well, I am now learning to say no. My time is valuable and with every yes that I say, I have to consider what are the consequences? Who else will this affect?
By the way, Byron and I are feeling great. Less pains and aches. More energy.
Who could ask for anything more?
What is the most difficult thing? The food preparation for sure. You have to plan ahead so you're not falling into eating junk food. I didn't think I was a big junk food person until I started this 30 days to feeling fit. I now realized that yes, I did eat more junk than I thought.
Eating out is really a chore. Especially here in East Tennessee where they want to pile on the portions, the gravy, the fried, the sugar. Sugar is hidden in everything! But, Byron and I are having a fun and interesting time with eating out.
Last weekend the waiter told the chef that this guy (Byron) was being dragged into this eating healthy cleanse. HA! Little did they know it was Byron's idea!!!
Until later............eat well, be well. Mari
Sunday, January 15, 2012
30 Days to Feeling Fit
Today is actually the 7th day of Byron and mine's 30 Days to Feeling Fit. We are eliminating alcohol (a big one for us), sugar, dairy, white flour, high gylcemic fruits and starches, caffeine and pork. It has been interesting so far.
Why are we doing this? You may ask. Mainly health reasons. Since I started going through menopause I have gained about 10-12 pounds and have not had any success losing any weight. I have gone to boot-camp, walked for miles, watched what I ate. Everything!! So many people have had great success with the 30 Days to Feeling Fit program that I thought I would give it a try. I had tried in the past, but I was not 100% committed or 100% faithful. I realize now that this program only works when you follow it completely. You may make a few minor mistakes along the way, that won't affect your results but it is important to follow the program as closely as possible. I want to point out that Byron deserves the credit for instigating this. He knows how I have struggled to get this weight off and his blood pressure has been high. He had been reading about how alcohol and diet can affect your blood pressure and overall well-being. He suggested that we go "on the wagon" for 3 weeks. He wanted to see if it would affect his blood pressure at all. I suggested that since we were going to do that, we might as well follow the Arbonne 30 Days to Feeling Fit program designed by Dr. Barbara Beaty of Palm Springs, CA. She is an Arbonne Consultant and designed this program for her patients with excellent results.
The Burleson 30 Days to Feeling Fit was born! We started on Monday, January 9, 2012. We cleaned out our refrigerator from any holiday left overs and made a trip to the grocery store with the plan in hand. What is so nice about the program Dr. Beaty designed is it comes with a shopping list and recipes!
About the third day, I had a headache and Byron said I was irritable. I suppose from the lack of caffeine. Although, Arbonne has a fizzy tab that has some caffeine in it. I guess I was a pretty heavy coffee drinker. I like it strong and would happily make myself an espresso in the afternoon. YUM!
Going without sugar has been interesting. I didn't think I was much of a sugar addict, but today I noticed that I have a sugar craving. I was able to satisfy it with an Arbonne Essentials Chocolate Fit Chew. I chewed it very slowly to get a longer sensation of sweetness. Now I am sipping on an Arbonne Pomegranate Energy drink and that is helping as well. It is sweetened with stevia.
Today is Sunday and I made Byron and me a nice omelet with sauteed onions, peppers and beans with a side of avocado. It was quite delicious, but since I typically have an Arbonne protein shake for breakfast, I didn't get my sweet sensation fix.
Both the chew, energy drink and protein drink are sweetened with stevia primarily so the sugar content is low, but we get the sweet flavor.
Abstaining from alcohol presents its own challenges. The first few days I noticed that when I went into the kitchen to cook dinner I would miss my friend that glass of red wine. I am used to pouring myself a glass of wine and sipping on it as I cook dinner and listen to Adele or Nora Jones or some other favorite music. It is now Sunday, 7 days later and I noticed last night when I went to cook dinner, I didn't miss the wine. So that was an encouraging thing to me. Now, don't get me wrong, I love red wine and I plan to go back to it after this 30 days is up!
Going out to dinner has posed a bit of a challenge as well. More so for Byron than myself. Mainly, I suppose is because I am used to going out to lunch during the work week and ordering no alcohol and asking the waiter to substitute this for that and leave off the butter, etc. to accommodate my program. I just tell the waiter I am on a strict diet for health reasons and they are typically very helpful. Yesterday, however Byron and I stopped for lunch after the basketball game and so that is what I did. Byron was a little embarrassed because I asked the waiter to substitute so many things, but again I just smiled at the waiter and told him we were on a strict diet for health purposes and he was very helpful. Byron is used to having a beer with lunch on the week-ends so he was uncomfortable ordering water. Later in the car he told me that he noticed everyone in the restaurant had an alcoholic beverage. This amused me, because I didn't notice that. But, I was sitting facing the fireplace and he was sitting facing the crowd.
The results are encouraging even after just 1 week. I am down 5 lbs. and Byron's blood pressure is lower. I feel great too. I noticed that the aches in my knees are gone. That is really exciting because no one likes aches in their bones!!
Well, off to the park. It is a beautiful 60 degree day and I am going for a walk.
God bless, Mari
Why are we doing this? You may ask. Mainly health reasons. Since I started going through menopause I have gained about 10-12 pounds and have not had any success losing any weight. I have gone to boot-camp, walked for miles, watched what I ate. Everything!! So many people have had great success with the 30 Days to Feeling Fit program that I thought I would give it a try. I had tried in the past, but I was not 100% committed or 100% faithful. I realize now that this program only works when you follow it completely. You may make a few minor mistakes along the way, that won't affect your results but it is important to follow the program as closely as possible. I want to point out that Byron deserves the credit for instigating this. He knows how I have struggled to get this weight off and his blood pressure has been high. He had been reading about how alcohol and diet can affect your blood pressure and overall well-being. He suggested that we go "on the wagon" for 3 weeks. He wanted to see if it would affect his blood pressure at all. I suggested that since we were going to do that, we might as well follow the Arbonne 30 Days to Feeling Fit program designed by Dr. Barbara Beaty of Palm Springs, CA. She is an Arbonne Consultant and designed this program for her patients with excellent results.
The Burleson 30 Days to Feeling Fit was born! We started on Monday, January 9, 2012. We cleaned out our refrigerator from any holiday left overs and made a trip to the grocery store with the plan in hand. What is so nice about the program Dr. Beaty designed is it comes with a shopping list and recipes!
About the third day, I had a headache and Byron said I was irritable. I suppose from the lack of caffeine. Although, Arbonne has a fizzy tab that has some caffeine in it. I guess I was a pretty heavy coffee drinker. I like it strong and would happily make myself an espresso in the afternoon. YUM!
Going without sugar has been interesting. I didn't think I was much of a sugar addict, but today I noticed that I have a sugar craving. I was able to satisfy it with an Arbonne Essentials Chocolate Fit Chew. I chewed it very slowly to get a longer sensation of sweetness. Now I am sipping on an Arbonne Pomegranate Energy drink and that is helping as well. It is sweetened with stevia.
Today is Sunday and I made Byron and me a nice omelet with sauteed onions, peppers and beans with a side of avocado. It was quite delicious, but since I typically have an Arbonne protein shake for breakfast, I didn't get my sweet sensation fix.
Both the chew, energy drink and protein drink are sweetened with stevia primarily so the sugar content is low, but we get the sweet flavor.
Abstaining from alcohol presents its own challenges. The first few days I noticed that when I went into the kitchen to cook dinner I would miss my friend that glass of red wine. I am used to pouring myself a glass of wine and sipping on it as I cook dinner and listen to Adele or Nora Jones or some other favorite music. It is now Sunday, 7 days later and I noticed last night when I went to cook dinner, I didn't miss the wine. So that was an encouraging thing to me. Now, don't get me wrong, I love red wine and I plan to go back to it after this 30 days is up!
Going out to dinner has posed a bit of a challenge as well. More so for Byron than myself. Mainly, I suppose is because I am used to going out to lunch during the work week and ordering no alcohol and asking the waiter to substitute this for that and leave off the butter, etc. to accommodate my program. I just tell the waiter I am on a strict diet for health reasons and they are typically very helpful. Yesterday, however Byron and I stopped for lunch after the basketball game and so that is what I did. Byron was a little embarrassed because I asked the waiter to substitute so many things, but again I just smiled at the waiter and told him we were on a strict diet for health purposes and he was very helpful. Byron is used to having a beer with lunch on the week-ends so he was uncomfortable ordering water. Later in the car he told me that he noticed everyone in the restaurant had an alcoholic beverage. This amused me, because I didn't notice that. But, I was sitting facing the fireplace and he was sitting facing the crowd.
The results are encouraging even after just 1 week. I am down 5 lbs. and Byron's blood pressure is lower. I feel great too. I noticed that the aches in my knees are gone. That is really exciting because no one likes aches in their bones!!
Well, off to the park. It is a beautiful 60 degree day and I am going for a walk.
God bless, Mari
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Gearing Up for the Cleanse!
Just 4 days away from our cleanse and 30 days to fit. I am going to incorporate Arbonne's 30 days to fit program in with my alcohol fast. I want to get the best results possible. I am also going to do the Arbonne 7 day cleanse so I should really notice a difference right off the start.
There is a christian meet-up group that is doing a 40 days of fasting and praying for America. I've joined it too. I might as well join in and pray along with my cleanse. I believe in prayer. I have seen amazing results in my own life through prayer.
Today is going to be another beautiful day!
There is a christian meet-up group that is doing a 40 days of fasting and praying for America. I've joined it too. I might as well join in and pray along with my cleanse. I believe in prayer. I have seen amazing results in my own life through prayer.
Today is going to be another beautiful day!
Monday, January 2, 2012
2012
It has been a while since I posted on this site. I am excited about this month. My husband and I are going to get off of alcohol for 3 weeks. We are going to start on Sunday, Jan 8th. The day after my son's 30th birthday. In the past we have gone off of alcohol in January for a couple of weeks, during the week and picking it back up on the week-end. A little mini-cleanse. But, we have never gone three weeks in a row without alcohol. This is a big deal because we love red wine. This is a big deal because I have always thought my husband has been a heavy drinker and I a moderately heavy drinker. My husband, Byron has always thought I was full of crap. That he was a moderate drinker and I was a light drinker. For us to go three weeks without any alcohol is going to be a big deal! And to top if off it was Byron's idea! I think it will be harder for me because I am alone at night when my husband is working. I like to pour myself a glass of wine about 7 pm and sip on it throughout the night and then possibly pour another glass as I cook dinner and surf Facebook and Pinterest. He is trucking at night and doesn't get home until about 9:30-10 pm. Then I like to have another glass of wine with him when he gets home. Do you see the problem here? Just know that I am being really transparent about my own drinking. But, I am guessing that I am not alone. Am I an alcoholic? Gosh! I hope not. But, I do think I am a heavy drinker. But, I am going to rely heavily on God to help me get through this time.
My mother was a heavy drinker when I was a child in junior high and high school. It was a tough time for me. She stopped drinking when I was a senior in high school. It was a miracle that she quit drinking. My whole family fasted for an entire day and prayed for her. She quit drinking after that day. It was remarkable. I have never seen anything like it. She was addicted to alcohol and God saved her. I love my mother dearly. She was an incredible woman, a good mother. She took care of us and worked hard. Her husband who was also my dad was a tough old man. He was a good man, a good father, mostly. I don't think he was a good husband in today's standard. But, we have to remember things were different back then. I think my mother started drinking when she went through menopause. She did it to cope. I guess she didn't know to go to the doctor and ask for help back then. Going to the doctor was a sign of weakness.
So for me the upcoming three weeks hiatus from alcohol will be a big accomplishment and I am looking forward to the rewards of it. I am especially excited because Byron and I will be doing this together. So stay posted as I will keep you updated on our progress! Mari
My mother was a heavy drinker when I was a child in junior high and high school. It was a tough time for me. She stopped drinking when I was a senior in high school. It was a miracle that she quit drinking. My whole family fasted for an entire day and prayed for her. She quit drinking after that day. It was remarkable. I have never seen anything like it. She was addicted to alcohol and God saved her. I love my mother dearly. She was an incredible woman, a good mother. She took care of us and worked hard. Her husband who was also my dad was a tough old man. He was a good man, a good father, mostly. I don't think he was a good husband in today's standard. But, we have to remember things were different back then. I think my mother started drinking when she went through menopause. She did it to cope. I guess she didn't know to go to the doctor and ask for help back then. Going to the doctor was a sign of weakness.
So for me the upcoming three weeks hiatus from alcohol will be a big accomplishment and I am looking forward to the rewards of it. I am especially excited because Byron and I will be doing this together. So stay posted as I will keep you updated on our progress! Mari
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