Hey all,

I can’t believe it is already thursday and moving into Friday. Where did the week go? Today was kind crazy. At 6:00am I woke up to a thunder storm here in central texas and to my little 3 year-old came running into Dh and my bedroom. I was kind of mad because I stayed up late on Nutrisystem’s bulletin boards chatting with fellow members, but he was soooo darn cute!! He said, mommy I scared. The thunder and lightening is too loud!! I told him awww it’s okay come into bed with mommy. So he did and fell back to sleep for 1 hour, but guess who didn’t?? That’s right, me. I can’t believe how wild my child sleeps sometimes. lol. DH and I have a king sized bed and I found myself almost falling out. While he was just sleeping like an angel. Finally 7:30AM came and he woke up and wanted to watch the news to see if the rain go bye bye so that he could go play.

It rained all morning and didn’t stop until almost lunch time. Believe Arman and I was going to lose our minds staying indoors! I could only take so much elmo, cars, ninja turtles and stuff. So, we made a fast trip to the post office and man does my boy know how to make a trip like that a fun filled adventure. He talked to every postal worker there. They even let him pretend we was delievering mail and stuff too. The funny part of the trip was when Arman saw another little boy. He walked up to this boy and said, “what’s your name?” I thought he was soo cute and so did the other mom. The other mom says to her child, “tell him your name and how old you are.” So the little kid told him his name and said that he was 4 years old. The mom said, “you boys must be the same age and my little boy will be turning 5 in the fall.” Then I told Arman tell him how old your are and he said, “I’m 3 years old!” Everyone in the line turned their heads and their mouth literally touched the floor in disbelief. Because my little boy was taller than the 4 year old. One lady said I thought he was 5. Then the other guy in line said how tall is his dad and I said 6′4”. Then everone said OMG your boy is going to be a awesome football or basketball player. He looks very athletic already. The if that’s what he wants to do fine, but he better study and learn and good some A’s and B’s in school too. (No pressure, huh?)

Then we finally got home played some more and finally grandpa came and they were off. I decided to go online, clean, and take a small power nap before DH got home from work and was ready to eat dinner.

Out of all of that I did have a bit of good news!! I got on the scale and saw 165!!! 165! That means only 5 to go before I am back at my goal weight and then I will move on to lose an additional 5 to look fabulous in my bikini. Ya’ll I have never worn a bikini before at all. I am not kidding. So I am super excited about this summer that I decided to go look for one more bikini that I thought I would look good in this season. I saw a yellow brazillian bikini that I may buy this weekend. I will just pray they have my size. Are you all looking forward to this summer? Any fun plans? Any weight loss goals?

Well, I am just relaxing right now after doing my 25 min workout to one of Cathe’s DVD since my little one is visiting grandpa for a few days. I am hoping DH and I go out to the movies or dinner tomorrow night You after having a child sometimes a couple just need time being a couple and I am going to enjoy it.

I hope that all you are having a great week and looking forward to a wonderful weekend too. I am going to go for now and get ready to watch the Tyra show in a bit.

Chat later,

Natasha

Tags: weight loss

Happy Memorial Day readers!!

It’s late, but never too late for some motivation for the week. I hope that you all had a great time celecrating with family and friends. I know I did and now I am trying to get my mind mentally prepare for a powerful week.

Enjoy!!

“Never allow anyone to rain on your parade and thus cast a pall of gloom and defeat on the entire day. Remember that no talent, no self-denial, no brains, no character, are required to set up in the fault-finding business. Nothing external can have any power over you unless you permit it. Your time is too precious to be sacrificed in wasted days combating the menial forces of hate, jealously, and envy. Guard your fragile life carefully. Only God can shape a flower, but any foolish child can pull it to pieces.”
 

-Og Mandino
Tags: motivation, weight loss tips, weight loss, health, beauty

Are you getting ready to tie the knot soon? Are you a summer bride that found the dress of her dreams, but wish there was a way to shed of 10 pounds fast so that you can grace down that isle in the best shape of your life? Or maybe you have that wedding dress of your dreams and    it currently is fitting you tightly? Well, I have found 7 proven ways that can help you lose weight and inches before the biggest day in your life arrvies.

• Water- Drink plenty of water. Your body needs a lot of water so give in to water. Water is not just way to flush out toxins but if you have more water in your body you will generally feel healthier and fitter. This it self will discourage any tendency to gorge. The best thing about water is that is has no calories at all
• Well Balanced Diet-  Try to eat healthier balance meals that includes lean meats, vegetables, fruits, and dairy. Portion control is key! Also try to have fix times to have meals and stick to it. You can stretch these times by half an hour, but anything more than that is going to affect your eating pattern, the result will either be a loss of appetite or that famished feeling which will make you stuff yourself with more than what is required the next time you eat.
• Reduce Your Calories- You will be surprised how much weight will melt off you by simply reducing your calorie intake by just 200 calories a day. It could be getting rid of the favorite cola that you have twice day or it could simply mean getting rid of that side of fries with you chicken sandwich.
• Avoid Excessive snacking- Eat only when you are hungry. Some of us have the tendency to eat whenever we see food. We use parties as an excuse to stuff our selves. Understand that the effect of a whole week of dieting can be wasted by just one day’s party food. Whenever you are offered something to eat do not decline it completely bit just break of a nibble so that you appear to mind your manners and at the same time can watch your diet.
• Exercise- You can’t avoid it!! It is definitley essential!Try to get somebody to exercise along with you. Maybe your groom to be or your awesome bridesmaids. But it should be somebody committed or else your interest might dwindle. This is indeed an excellent idea. One of the advantages of getting a committed person t exercise with you is that it keeps you going. There may be days when you feel just too lazy to crawl out of bed in the mornings. On such days, the knowledge that some body is waiting for you is enough to slide out of bed. Another advantage is that you can discuss your progress and fears with another person and be a sympathetic listener to the other person as well. This is a fine way of getting motivated your self.
• Mix up the exercise routine- Do you get bored fast with the same routine? Try something new. Instead of walking on the treadmil at the gym or at home maybe go for a power walk at your local park. Add some fun exercise DVD’s to your routine. There are some many to choose from these days from cardio dance, interval training, step aerobics, to kickboxing!! Be creative!!
• Make time for exercise- Some of you may say, “But what if my lifestyle is too busy for exercise?” I say you still have time. You may be at home watching your favorite sitcom or mini serious. Why not make time for exercising in between commercials breaks? You can easily get 20 min of exercise in whether it’s jumping rope, doing jumping jacks, crunchs, weight training and etc. Make no time for excuses.

Once you put all of these essential elements together and be consistant you will lose weight and fast! Believe me I know. I never liked exercise and was very lazy making it apart of my lifestyle until I found Nutrisystem. This weight loss program assisted me in learning how to eat a balance meals through  their pre-portioned meals. I also learned to make exercise apart of my life because it has proven to aid in my 65 pound weight loss. And now I have maintaining my weight loss for over 1 year now. So do want or procrastinate! Start today and you will be slim and trim in your wedding gown and maybe in that bikini on the beach during your honeymoon.

Tags: weight loss, weight loss tips, brides, wedding, beauty, glamour, diet, fitness, nutrition

8 Ideas To Avoid Boredom In Fitness
By Rebecca Prescott

There are a lot of benefits in trying new workouts. Not only is it more motivating to give yourself different exercises to do, but your body and social life can benefit to. You’ll meet different people, and by combining outdoor and indoor activities, you can get some fresh air and have a break from noisy, sweaty, and crowded gyms.

Perhaps more importantly, our bodies become conditioned to our exercise programs. We tend to focus on specific muscles during our routines, and by changing the activity we do, we can work more muscle groups without having to think about it too much. We start to see results more quickly if we vary our program regularly.

Here are some different fitness activities to try:

Aqua fitness takes on many styles, as the four examples below show:

Aqua boxing - a combination of taebox, tai chi, karate, and kickboxing. Aqua boxing is great for cardiovascular fitness, coordination, muscle control and flexibility.

Aqua cardio - using a buoyancy belt.

Low impact aqua classes - good for those recovering from injuries. This is done in shallow water.

Aqua pilates - pilates movements are done in the water to build core strength, flexibility, coordination, and balance. If you haven’t done pilates before, it might be best to try it on dry land first, as it may seem a bit harder in the water.

Check out your nearest aqua fitness center as there are no doubt more types of classes available.

Nordic walking - Even if you live in a country as dry as Australia, you can still get the benefits of a cross country ski workout. Essentially, this style of exercise mimics the gait of cross country skiing, and uses poles, but no skis, and no snow necessary. The poles make it an upper body workout as well, and the long strides are great for the legs and buttocks.

Pole dancing - This exercise is a favorite with some celebrities, including Teri Hatcher. It’s a great cardiovascular workout, and helps improve confidence and body tone.

Duo training - This style of training is for two people. Each person provides resistance for the other, and you both get a workout at the same time. This is also a good way to motivate each other to stick to a fitness schedule. Now, instead of meeting for coffee or a drink, why not meet to workout together!

There are of course many other ways to add variety to our programs. Simply by adding weights to a cardio workout, using different machines, trying a different fitness DVD, or even going back to basics like using a skipping rope, cycling with varying intensity, or trying shorter workouts at a greater intensity. They key is to break any routine that your body and mind are settling into. Fitness becomes a lot more fun then, and there is nothing more motivating than fast results.

If you’d like to learn more about aqua aerobics, or perhaps you’d just like some aquatic exercise tips, click here.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rebecca_Prescott
http://EzineArticles.com/?8-Ideas-To-Avoid-Boredom-In-Fitness&id=570359

Tags: weight loss, weight loss tips, exercise, fitness, nutrisystem, healthy living, health, diet

 

Resolve says,”I will.”The man says,”I will climb this mountain.They told me it is too high, toofar,too steep,too rocky,and too difficult. But it’s my mountain.I will climb it.You will soon see me waving from the top or dead on the side from trying.”

-Jim Rohn

 

I hope that you all enjoy this quote as much as I do! I am ready to tackle anything that tries to get it my way of my goals and dreams. You should do the same. Because life is short and we should live it to the fullest!!

Happy Monday,

Natasha

Tags: Motivation, weight loss, weight loss tips, exercise, healthy eating, healthy living, fitness, nutrisystem, beauty, shape, diet

I have been trying to get back to my goal since christmas ya’ll. I remember weighing almost 178 pounds after thanksgiving. Yikes!! So I got my butt back in gear right away before I got out of control. Slowly I got back on track eating healthy and watching my portions. I have to admit even us success stories on Nutrisystem have to watch our weight too!! The part that is challenging is the maintainence part. Learning to eat food and watching the portions. Also keeping the exercise routine going after the weight loss. You needed to exercise to lose the weight and you will need it to maintain the weight loss too. Once you learn that you can enjoy life and eating foods with friends and family without stressing.

 Well today I am soooooo excited because I got on the scale and it read 166 pounds!!! I am excited my hard work is paying off these past few weeks of true dedication. That means I only have 6 pounds to go and I am happy!! I joined this challenge with some of my fellow Nutrisystem members. It’s called the “bikini baring Challenge”. It’s a way to motivate people to lose some weight by July 21st. And on that day everyone in the challenge must take pictures of themselves in the bikini they have purchased. I am excited about this challenge that I may challenge myself to lose an extra 5 pounds by July 21st. I even bought a bikini to keep myself motivated to!

I can’t wait to wear it!! I could probably wear it now, but when I get the extra 6 pounds of plus the extra 5 the bikini will look AWESOME!!! Well, everyone I am off for today, but if you are looking to get in that awesome bikini this summer and have a few pounds you want to lose you should seriously click on the banner below and start Nutrisystem today! Later today or tomorrow I will be posting more about Nutrisystem and why I liked it soooo much. Until then enjoy the rest of your weekend. 

Test Your Calorie Smarts
By Sue Roberts

Who doesn’t love to eat out? I know I sure do!

Americans are eating more and more of their meals in restaurants… there just isn’t time to cook much anymore. Of course for those of us watching our diet, it can be hard to gauge the calories we eat from all that restaurant fare.

Think you are an expert calorie sleuth? Its often tough! So, just for fun, I put together a little quiz to test your calorie smarts. Let me know how you do!

Which one of the following pairs of foods has more calories*…

1. a) a Cinnamon and Raisin Whole Grain Bagel from Starbuck’s, or
b) a Krispy Kreme Glazed Whole Wheat Doughnut

OK, you probably figured I throw a tricky one in here. The doughnut of course, right? Wrong. The bagel has 310 kcal, almost twice as many as the doughnut at 180 kcal. (The doughnut has more fat, though.)

2. a) a Starbuck’s Carrot Cake Muffin, or
b) a regular size Dairy Queen Mocha Moolatte

Think this one is a no-brainer? Just because its a muffin doesn’t mean it has few calories! The Carrot Cake one is the winner here, with 680 kcal compared to the Moolatte at 568 kcal. (The muffin has two times the amount of fat that the DQ treat has!)

3. a) a Chocolate Thunder from Down Under dessert from Outback Steakhouse, or
b) a Whopper with Cheese and Mayo and a medium size order of french fries from Burger King

Are these getting tougher? I really found this one hard to believe. The Whopper meal contains 1119 kcal, which is almost half of most women’s daily calorie requirement, but get this, the Outback dessert wins hands down…1220 kcal. That’s right. 1220 kcal in only a dessert! Add that to the rest of you meal, and you’ll probably be way over your calorie needs for the day!

OK, let’s try one more.

4. a) a Double Meat 6 in. Steak and Cheese Sandwich from Subway, or
b) a Grilled Steak Caesar Salad with toast from Applebee’s.

This is probably the easiest one yet, right? Well, maybe. If you guessed the Subway sandwich, you’d be right. This one weighs in at 540 kcal, while the Applebee’s selection contains over twice the calories, at 1295. Just because its a salad doesn’t make it low calorie!

So, how did you do? Any surprises, or are you a calorie counting guru?

*Source for all calories: http://www.calorieking.com

As a certified nutritionist and registered dietitian for over 20 years, Sue is passionate about helping you become your healthiest ever! She provides completely confidential online nutrition counseling, wellness coaching and education services at www.YourOnlineNutritionist.com .

Just think… right from the comfort of your own home you can get all the help you need to lose weight, gain weight, deal with compulsive overeating, or simply learn how to have a nutritionally-healthy lifestyle. Sue provides all the compassionate support and education necessary! Sign up for her monthly ezine and receive a free ebook, “Losing Weight with Dietary Supplements: Fact or Fiction?”

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sue_Roberts
http://EzineArticles.com/?Test-Your-Calorie-Smarts&id=556997

I thought this would be fun to see how much you have learned through your weight loss journey. I few of the answers surprised me. Oh well, I guess it never too late to learn something new.

I hope you all are having a wonderful Saturday and getting closer to your weight loss goals. I am happy today because I am 5 pounds away from my goal weight!! I guess adding a little extra protein on the days I work out is helping out a lot. This week already I loss 2 pounds and my official weigh in is not until tomorrow, so maybe I can squeeze a little more? If I don’t I will be okay because there is always next week.

Well, I better run for now. Later I may post some new pics!! I recently came across a pair of my old size 18 capris pants so I will have DH take pics of me in them. lol

Take care,

Natasha

Tags: nutrition, weight loss, weight loss tips, nutrisystem, healthy living, healthy eating, exercise, fitness, women, beauty, health, diet

I hope everyone had fun celebrating mother’s day. I know I did. I day filled will love and celebrating with food, folks, and fun. (I sound like a McDonalds commercial. lol) But now all of the celebrating is over and it is time to get strength and get back to our routines. You know there is only 28 days until summer? That’s right!! So, lets get our minds straight and get losin’.

“The quality of strength lined with tenderness is an unbeatable combination, as are intelligence and necessity when unblunted by formal education.”

-Maya Angelou

Have a great day!!

Natasha

Tags: motivation, weight loss, weight loss tips, beauty, health, healthy eating, exercise, fitness, nutrition

Glitter Text 

If you begin the day with love in your heart, peace in your nerves, and truth in your mind, you not only benefit by their presence but also bring them to others, to your family and friends, and to all those whose destiny draws across your path that day.’
 

Anonymous

Tags: Weight loss, health, healthy eating, weight loss tips, beauty, women, nutrisystem, nutrition, exercise