Take it off and Tone it up!

Let's just say that the last month before Paul left was horrible as far as packin' on the pounds are concerned.  Let me preface that with - I KNOW I DIDN'T HAVE TO EAT IT - but I did.  I admit it, I had no self control and now I am the one living with the results of my actions. 

It all happened like this...

I was being the dutiful wife cooking all of Paul's favorite foods - which for Paul is a lot of things. :) 

We took leave to Charleston, SC and if you have ever been there, you know the food is AMAZING!!  Let's just say that Paul and I stopped at one bakery every day for cake and coffee, plus we were eating out the entire week.  BLAH!  We hardly ever eat out and so it was a treat for awhile, but then we were craving our normal fair at home.

I think I am a stress eater...either that or when I am stressed I tend to not burn calories.  Either way, that played into it.

It was the holidays.  I can't imagine any worse of a time to pack the pounds on then during the holidays and then compile that with a deployment and I had a big problem.

I was not doing my normal workouts because Paul was on leave or we were preparing for him to go.  I know, bad excuse... 

Needless to say, I gained about 5 pounds in one month. Dum, Dum, Dum!!!

So... a new diet and exercise plan!  I have heard good things about MyFitnessPal.com so I thought I would try it out.  I have only been doing it for a week and a half but have seen some progress already.  It helps you track your weight, exercises, carbs, protein, fats, and total calories.  It takes a little while to get the hang of the program, but then it is super easy to use. I don't have a smart phone but if you do, it could be even easier for you! 

So my goal is to take off 10 pounds and to tone "things" up a bit as I set a goal to run a half marathon this year.  If you feel like you want to join me, let me know or add me on MFP! I would love to have accountability with someone! I guess I should clarify - you don't have to run the half marathon with me. :)

The Last Picture

Because I just changed my privacy settings, I hadn't stated that Paul deployed. But now that it is private I can tell you he did in fact leave December 21. I can't believe it has been over a month already!

Time has really flown by for the both of us. Paul is busy doing his job and I am staying busing here in North Dakota. We are so thankful for the thoughts and prayers that so many people have sent our way. I never would have imagined the peace that I have right now.

The few days before Paul left were so long and yet fast. We both were just ready to say goodbye so we could start the countdown and yet were dreading the actual goodbye. I stayed at the "drop zone" for only 45 minutes and then Paul said goodbye to Lucy and me at 9pm. It was really quick and we were both smiling and laughing because we were both so excited to start this next chapter. I can say that I didn't cry, nor have cried, because my best friend was gone. We are so happy with our decision to make it quick because Paul said other wives stayed until the bitter end (about 4 am) and had to be pried away from their husbands as they were hysterical. I can honestly say that the sight of that would bring me to tears - I would have lost it!

So here is the last picture that I and Lucy have with Paul until we see him again.

Going Private!

On January 25 I am going to change my blog to only those that I invite to see it so that I can pass on more personal information. If you would like to have access granted, please leave a comment to this post with your email address. I have pre-approved comments so it won't be displayed for the entire world to see. :)

Thanks!