So here it is. Friday September 30, 2011. This is the day that things are going to change. Finally, once and for all. Please don't be fooled ( actually, I'm sure you aren't!) I have said that many, many times before. So much so that I barely believed myself while typing that. Sad, but true.

As you know if you've been reading my posts this week that I'm joining a friendly contest with 3 other ladies. A contest againsts our own selves to win at losing weight. It's already been a great experience sharing stories and fears with these girls. We talk about struggles and triumphs, eating habits and excercise foes. I'm so glad to be doing this with them.

Right now the other girls are probably fretfully jumping on the scale seeing a number we hope to conquer. We are starting this life style change right at the beginning of the most tasty season. All of the fall treats, thanksgiving munchies and christmas delights are going to come and go and we will be a size or two slimmer, more radiant and healthy, happy, energetic and ready for more.

I once saw a quote on bendoeslife.tumblr.com that says "..... imagine the last 4 months of your life and how fast they went by........now imagine that you had started your weight loss journey four months ago.....where would you be today....?" I think about that pretty often. It helps me realize mostly how overdue this change is. My body needs it badly. I wouldn't treat a relationship this poorly and so now I'm going to start being kinder to my body. It doesn't need the starches, sugar, fats and processed junk. It needs real, whole foods. And lots of excercise. I'm even contemplating getting a shirt or item of clothing in a smaller size, hanging it where I see it everyday and being so thrilled at the day when I can put that on.

I would like to say that in the next 12 weeks I'm going to lose 100 pounds. But this isn't the Biggest Loser, and I don't want to limit myself by saying a number. But I do want to not fit in my clothes anymore, I want to be able to run around the block without passing out (not that this has happened, but I imagine it will!), I would like to sleep better, eat better and have more energry.

Stay tuned. Send me and the other girls your support. We need it.
And if you have any tips or suggestions, pile it on!

Thanks for reading!

Love,
The-soon-to-be-thinner Faithful City Mouse :)

Fashionista

So I got some inspiration along with some pinspiration from my friend Kristen .
As you know we are starting are healthing living contest on Friday! (EEEEEEK!) And the two of us along with two other girls are going to be in a little friendly contest called "Lose To Win: Healthy For The Holidays". We haven't really decided on prizes or what to do with the winner, but it's really something we are doing for ourselves and using the others for accountability and support.

I am definitely looking forward to the reward of cute clothes! Being a bigger girl doesn't leave a whole lot of options for style. Have you been in a plus size store recently? Enough said.

So here are some of the outfits I hope to sport when my figure is much leaner. All pics courtesy of pinterest.com.

And these are just because.......

Have a great day!

Love,
The Faithful City Mouse

Blog Sugar

Don't you just love that title? I love blogging and I REALLY love sugar. As you know I am an avid blog follower. I usually check in on Kimberlee's Blog weekly. And yesterday she talked about her Blog Sugar experience. You can read Kimberlee's post  Here.

Her post really hit home. Sometimes I just think blogging is fun, other times I feel like I have nothing to say. And there are times where I know that God is talking thru my blog. There are people in my town that read my blog. There are people from IL where I grew up reading my blog. There are people all over the world (according to my blogger stats) that are reading this blog. My blog??????? No. God's blog, thru me. I have forever wanted to step up and LIVE God's plan for my life. But sometimes that's overwhelming and the unknown can be scary. Do you know what I mean? Like oh dear God, please don't send me to be a missionary in Cambodia where they have dirty water and very large bugs. And while I dont' think He is calling me to do that, I have a much closer relationship to Him that I surely would pack my bags and my husband of course, and go-wherever that may be. And while I know there are many needs out there in this big world and many ears that need to hear about Jesus and his incredible LOVE, I know that there are needs right here in my town and in my family. And that's a good place to start.

Pic courtesy of Pinterest via http://topofthepagewithleslie.blogspot.com/2011/09/holding-fast-to-hope.html

Have a great day!
Love,
The Faithful City Mouse

Exciting and Terrifying

So my friend Kristen has a blog, which you already know because she has guest posted for me and I have sung her praises.

And I have another new friend named Sara who I looked forward to knowing better and her blog is called Sara Losing It.

Both of these blogs are about getting healthy and the roller coaster journey that it is of losing weight, eating right and working out.

As you know from previous posts of mine, I'm concerned about getting healthy for so many reasons. Yet I do nothing about it. I've decided that I'm going to need a little help, ok, a LOT of help from my friends. For real.

So we decided to do a little friendly contest. An accountability contest really, that will help us get started, maintain and keep on trucking (such a weird but funny phrase!).

I really hope I can do this. I have to. But I'm so good at starting and then stopping. Like if there could be a profession as a yo-yo dieter, I would sign up. So pathetic I know, trust me.

The details are being worked out, but we are starting this Friday, September 30th. I can't wait.

And yet I'm terrified because all of this means change. Cutting out sugar and fat. Good thing I ate the best brownies ever over the weekend, made by the hubs, because I seriously can't have those things in the house. I need to learn moderation, portion control and I could REALLY use some will power.

And also, I hate sweating. I get the classic sweaty, tomato face when I work out. And anytime I think of excersizing I think back to high school when we had to run the mile around the track. I'm getting hot just thinkning about it! Ugh!

I told the hubs that next year I'm going to run some sort of race. Like a 5k. He laughed. Then he saw my face and said "Oh, you're serious?!" Don't worry, I still love him :)

Dear Lord. Help me thru this!

I'm going to try and remember this when I feel like cheating or giving up.

Pics via pinterest.com



Now go and Read This........

Have a great day!
Love,
The Faithful City Mouse

Doing Life

So yesterday you read my guest post (hopefully) and today I'm posting about another blog that I have recently discovered.

His name is Ben. And he lives in Arkansas (like me!). He started his journey of weight loss in 2008 and has done INCREDIBLE things since.  What I love about his story is that he is a regular guy who did this by himself. He didn't have to join the Biggest Loser, he didn't take drastic steps with surgery, he didn't drink only shakes for every meal. He just started doing life. And pounding the pavement (literally). Out of all the weight loss stories I have read his and my friend Kristen's Blog are the most inspiring. Real people accomplishing awesome results. I love it.

He named his blog BEN DOES LIFE. You can find it here http://bendoeslife.tumblr.com/. There is a tab near the top labeled beginnings. You can go all the way back to watch his transformation from the top.

Here is a clip of his journey. Watch it. And then prepare to DO LIFE.

Thanks Ben.

Have a healthy day!
Love,
The Faithful City Mouse

Lifestyle Change

I'm guest blogging over at Kristen's blog today!
How exciting!

Check it out HERE.


Have a great day!
Love,
The Faithful City Mouse

Quiet Time

This morning the cool, crisp air was gently stirring thru the windows and the rain could be heard dripping on the leaves and it truly feels like a Fall morning. I am so grateful for this.

The hubby is off at a bible study, where he and another gentleman get together on Saturday mornings and have fellowship, follwed by a little bow practice and only the Lord know what else. I actually am a little jealous at this opportunity he has and find myself at home alone. This morning though, I just dove into my own quiet time with God. Opened my bible, poored another mug of coffee (cream AND sugar please!), curled up with a blanket on the couch and enjoyed this time alone.

I've never been really good at silence and not even that great at listening. You see from a young age I was diagnosed as a " talker ". I talked during Sunday School, I talked at reading time at the library, I talked during class when the teacher was also talking. All the while I should have been absorbing and listening.

My relationship with God has been very much like that too. Always ME doing the talking. Me praying for this or that to change. Me pleading to get me out of this mess or Lord I've done it again, help me fix it. But recently I have had a change of heart. I so long to do what God wants for me. Not what I think He wants for me. The truth is I really don't know what God wants for me. But I'm learning to listen in those moments of silence, that those repeated thoughts in my head are sometimes God nudging me or gently pushing me along in the right direction.

Something I read out of a daily devotional from Journey is this- "If you focus on your problems, they consume you. If you focus on God, He makes you stronger."

Those two sentences are so comforting to me.

I'm so glad that my husband has a good Christian friend he can relate to. I think that is so important for everyone. There is definitely power in having an accountability friend.

We have a great weekend ahead of us. A birthday party for my darling niece Chesny, church and a bonfire with friends (yes there will be s'mores!).

Have a great weekend!

Love,
The Faithful City Mouse