What Weightloss Looks Like!

188 lbs.

155 lbs.

145 lbs.

134 lbs.

      It shows in the pictures in all ways. Bigger smile, standing up straighter and just overall more confidence. If I can do it, so can you! 

The GM Diet: Day 1

Before: 134.0 lbs.

     GM (General Motors) created this diet in 1985 to motivate and help to get/keep their employees in shape. It's a "fad diet" and I have never done one of these as I really don't believe in diets. However, I have 5-10 more pounds until my absolute goal weight and every day the number on the scale taunts me. So, I am doing this as a kick start. And.... because I am too lazy to work out super hard to get it off. I like to walk. I am tired of working out. If I lose 3 pounds, I will be 100% satisfied.

  DAY 1:
     All fruits except bananas. Your first day will consist of all the fruits you want. It is strongly suggested that you consume lots of melons the first day. Especially watermelon and a loupe. If you limit your fruit consumption to melons, your chances of losing three lbs. on first day are very good.
- copied and pasted from http://health-heaven.tumblr.com/post/17089615944/what-do-you-think-of-gms-diet

     I love fruit. I love fresh, frozen, canned, dried and baked fruit. But ONLY eating fruit today was HARD! Really hard. When I give Jackson his granola bar I usually take a big bite out of it. Today I raised that granola bar to my mouth and remembered *gasp*, no nibble of granola bars for a week. I don't know if I can survive. I did have a teaspoon bite of vanilla ice cream. I know, I should re-start my entire diet but whatev. I've eaten an entire melon, an apple, 1/2 bag of frozen mango, 1/2 bag of frozen pineapple, 4/5 cups of frozen blueberries, a cup of frozen raspberries and 1/2 carton of strawberries. When I feel hungry, I grab a bottle of water and drink it. That holds the hunger off. And if I'm tired of the water, I drink black coffee.

     How do I feel? I feel great. I feel motivated and I can't WAIT until tomorrow morning when I get to steam that potato. Seriously though, I feel healthier. Looking in the mirror, there was an obvious lack of bloating. I don't feel like I'm starving my body of anything or missing out on anything. Sure, I would rather eat a pita pocket but that pita pocket is going to be there in a week when I finish this. I'm well aware that these diets work, and I have researched this one and have seen very good results. But, the hardest part will be to keep those pounds off. That's where I feel like I'm ahead of the game. I have had over a year to work on my eating habits and to know what it is good for my body. I have the will power to Just Say No to food. Besides, I haven't seen 12_ since I was probably in 5th grade. If I see a 2 as that middle number on the scale, I will flip.

    Excited to see what tomorrow holds and hopefully I can Just Say No to those yummy Goldfish at the kids' playgroup tomorrow! My weakness.

Started this diet at 134.0 lbs. At the end of the 7 days I will take a picture in the same place, same outfit to see if there is any noticeable differences.

Lovin' Life as His Oilfield Wife

Playgroup. Tioga, ND

     Every Tuesday and Thursday from 9:30 am- 11:30 am. there is a playgroup in Tioga. I love it there. The kids love it. Tomorrow, we are going to the pool in Stanley. It's awesome! Everybody is so warm and friendy and it's fun to just hang out while the kids play.

     I am so thankful for this "oilfield life" we are living. I'm able to take my kids to playgroups and hang out with friends any time. Thanks to my hardworking husband (hollaaaaaa). Thanks to him and his hard work I am able to have a pretty great life. My biggest decisions are... What color to paint my nails? Should I curl my hair or try a new up-do? To put Caralee in skinny jeans or not? To walk or drive to get mail? Thanks to my lover for making my life as stress free and awesome as it is!

 

      I love the people I have met. I've met people from Arkansas, Alabama, Louisiana, California, Alaska, Montana, Texas, Mexico and so many other places. I love hearing their stories, why they are here, what their future plans are. All of these women who move around following the work are great. They aren't into "cliques" and they know how hard it is to fit in. Money doesn't matter. You may make $300k a year and live in a fifth wheel. You can make $100k and live in a house. It just doesn't matter. Nobody judges you on where you live/what you live in. Money doesn't make you better. You are here for the same reason everybody else is. You are just as "oilfield trash" as the next person (with the exception of the serious troublemakers and losers). I love it, I love not feeling like I have to have the best house, best car, best clothes, perfect yard or exclusive group of friends. It is SO laid back. It's a great life and I hope we are able to be part of the "oilfield" life as long as possible.

How I Became a Figment of my Former Self

     "Kelsey, you look great! You are a just a figment of your former self". This was one of the most important compliments I recieved when I started to lose weight. It embarassed me that somebody who had only seen me a couple times realized how different I looked. Could I really have been THAT bad!?

BEFORE 188 lbs.

AFTER 133 lbs.

     How did I do it? I feel like people don't believe me when I tell them that all I have done is eat right and exercise. It's really not THAT hard. I started losing weight in December 2010. I was just sick and tired of being fat. I was lazy, unmotivated, grumpy and all around just a lousy person to be around. I never wanted to be productive and my idea of accomplishing something was finishing a 16oz Rib Eye a large loaded down baked potato and a gallon of sweet tea a day (I once bragged about it, yuck). No problem finishing it though so I really wasn't accomplishing anything. All I did was lay on the couch and eat gross food. I felt like crap.

     I had tried dieting and exercise before but I always backslid and would give up because I wasn't getting instant results. I am proud to say that since December 2010 I have not gained weight at all. Sure, there were a couple months where I would sit at the same weight without losing but that really didn't bother me too bad. I think that losing the weight slowly has helped me to keep it off. Instead of doing the who yo-yo diet/exercise thing I have just been slow and steady and winning the race. Sure, I could have done it faster and had better results but the truth is, I'm pretty lazy. I like good grilled meat and ice cream. And I really don't enjoy working out every second of the day.

     At first, my exercise routine consisted of working out twice a day. I would burn 600 calories a day. I was dropping weight like crazy. I have an elliptical in my living room and I wasn't able to comfortably sit on the couch and watch TV without feeling guilty that I should be working out instead all while watching TV. Yes, I know how lazy that sounds. I cut my workout time in half but still burned 600 calories eventually when I had built up stamina. I did Insanity for 40 days and then realized I hated doing it so I switched back to lazy ellipticalling and restricted food. Now, I have been doing the Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. I really enjoy the work out and get great results. And it's only about 25 minutes long. Ohhhh yea.

     I think I have FINALLY figured out a healthy food lifestyle that makes it easy for me to keep the weight off/lose a pound here and there. I limit myself to around 1200 calories a day and fill those with fruit/veggies/lean meats. I don't drink empty calories. I haven't had sweet tea or Diet Pepsi in months. Water and black coffee only. Luckily for me, I LOVE all things healthy. Raw veggies, fruits being my favorite. What I love even more is being able to sit down and eat as MUCH as I want of those things and be just fine. Frozen mango, pineapple, blueberries are my absolute favorite food and I will eat it until I feel sick! I love egg whites and try to eat 4 a day. Usually a scrambled egg white with veggie pita pocket for breakfast and an egg sandwich for dinner (if Sammy isn't home). I can't get enough of it. I have found foods that have high calories and found subsitutes that are HALF the calories but no different taste.

     I love how I feel. I am a much better wife and mother now. I feel proud of the hard work it has taken and every time I resist temptation. Besides, sometimes it's fun being a little stuck up about it. "No thanks, I don't want an omelet and hashbrowns. Can I please have some oatmeal and raisins". Haha, I feel like a super loser but it makes me sit up a bit straighter and have a bigger smile on my face knowing how good I feel walking out of a restaurant without 5 extra pounds of fat attached to my waist. Knowing that I won't feel like I HAVE to work out that night.

     A good friend asked me, "Do you think you will ever be completely satisfied with your weightloss/how you look?". And I've been thinking about it the past couple days. The answer, no. Without plastic surgery I probably couldn't be 100% happy (Just being honest MOM!). The parts of my body that I hated when I weighed 188 lbs are the same body parts that I hate at 133 lbs. But at least now, I don't dwell on it. I am not embarassed of how I look and am actually excited for bathing suit time! I won't have to wear jeans all summer and I can go out in public confident and comfortable in my own skin.

     I don't really know how much farther I want to go in this weight loss journey but I am excited that I am way past my goal of 155 lbs. I am somewhere I never thought I could be and I am so proud of myself.

STATS        STARTING                       NOW                          TOTAL LOST

Weight         188 lbs.                               133 lbs.                        55 lbs.

Waist            38"                                      26"                              12"

Hips              45"                                      36"                               9"

Pant Size      14                                        4/6                                  

Whining and Complaining

     Whaaa Whaaa Whaaa. That's what this post is going to sound like.

     I hate that every single time I go to town, I feel over-dressed. And I don't even dress that nice. I usually get dressed and look in the mirror and tell myself that I look "too fancy". So I change and then when I get to town I am awkwardly out of place. C'mon Williston people... you don't have anything nice in your town, at least dress up for grocery shopping. You will feel happier. Maybe it will help get that scowl off your face.

     Men, wear ear protection at work. Maybe you can't hear how loud you are but I can hear you talking about me. Lower your voice. It's 9 a.m. and I have diapers and a cup of coffee in my cart. I'm probably not even going to blink your way. Scratch that. I'm NOT going to blink at all because my mind is filled with thoughts of you falling straight on your face.

     Williston- clean up your town. It's a dump and it was 3.5 years before the oil got big here. If you own a shop, maybe you should think of investing in painting your sign. I know you can afford it.

First thing you see of Ray. Appealing? 

     Ray- clean up your town. You get oil money for the town, time to fix your roads and make some sidewalks. The town doesn't look like it's been updated in 30-40 years. Surely there is more than enough money to make something nice out of it. The new playground equipment is really nice though and we really enjoy it!

     Yes, my husband works in the oilfield. Yes, we are from the South. Yes, we own a home here. Yes, I stay home with the kids. No, we are not going to stay here.

     Don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed my time here so far. Ray is pretty quiet and nobody ever bothers us. I like that I can take the kids out on walks and Jackson can just roam around and only a couple cars will pass us. The spring/summer/fall is awesome, even though those seasons are jammed into 6 months, and sometimes out of order! The opportunities here are worth it.

    

    



    

    

Thanksgiving

     This Thanksgiving I am thankful for a lot. But more than that, I am taking the day to realize what I take for advantage on a daily basis. I have more than most people and my husband gives his all every day. He excels at work and always does more than expected and he does it for our family. He sleeps 4-6 hours a night, for us. He gives up freedom, friendship, time off to relax to make a better life for us and I am sometimes not very understanding. He doesn't have time for hobbies but he always makes time for us. I need to be more thankful on a daily basis and glad I'm reflecting on what I can do to make him feel appreciated. He does everything for us.

     Jackson, one of the most tender-hearted little punks I know. He is always looking for a way to make you proud of him and likes to show off new things he's learned. He loves telling stories and they always make me smile when he just starts a-jabberin' away. His favorite stories recently are his trip on the airplane and when Papa took him to get his hair cut. When he smiles, you can't help but to smile back. When he whines it drives me nuts and I just need to remember that he is still a little boy and not a grown up!

     Caralee, a rowdy little girl. She likes to pretend that SHE is the boss of Jackson. She likes to take his toys just to get a rise out of him and then she drops the toys and takes off laughing. She likes to play dress-up and loves when I paint her toenails. She loves monsters and dinosaurs and makes funny faces all the time. Very outgoing, very fun. I need to do more one-on-one with her.

    The three people that live in my home, Sammy, Jackson and Caralee mean the world to me and I am thankful this Thanksgiving that I realize how selfish I can be when their needs should always go first.

     Oh yeah, turkey is gross.

Vacation Details

     Vacation has been a blast so far. We came down here without any plans. No special days set and it is sooo relaxing.

Butter

      Sammy and I went to eat dinner at a nice restaurant, The Peddler. We waited for about 50 minutes for a table but it was worth it! The first thing I saw when I sat down was a nice big ole bowl of butter. I ended up getting a great salad, bacon wrapped filet mignon and a baked potato (Sammy's sweet potato was better). I could only eat half of my meal because I was drinking so much sweet tea. I thought I was going to be sick afterwards. Great food, great service, great date ;)

          Sammy and I also took a trip (25 minute drive) to the top of Caesar's Head. It was pretty windy and overcast but it was still pretty. We drove over the mountain into Brevard, into Hendersonville to do some shopping. Then I talked him into eating at this little sandwich shop called Mike's on Main. We ate there before we got married, and we discussed moving to North Dakota. It was "sooooooo" romantic. Haha

     I have even had a chance to get a little work out in! Kelly (my younger sister) and I went bike riding. Our total ride was 20 miles. It was a lot of fun and felt awesome out. My butt's pretty sore even though it's a few days later. (Pictures below!!!)

Turn around spot for us! 

Another from along the bike path 

After 10 miles, we turned around and headed back! 

     Oh, the best part.... it was 72 today while the high in North Dakota was 23 and snowy. :) I never want to leave.