Still training! Definitely not where I want to be but I saw improvement last week on my Bible reading.  I read two days the first week and managed to read consistently for three days last week. I am looking for the same number of days or better this week.

I also decided last week to not only stick to my meal plan but to add in my BodyByVi shakes to the mix. I am not quite up to 2 shakes a day consistently but I did manage to tighten my belt one hole this week. That is exciting!

Financially, I have a lot of irons in the fire. I babysit, sew children's clothing, sell on eBay and sell BodyByVi.  I have had a few sewing orders the last few weeks and have stayed fairly focused on getting them finished but have a lot of "training" to do to make it consistent. I took on a second toddler this week. Great news financially, but kind of a set back in the routine department. So back to square one with our routine and structure. I also had my first BodyByVi challenge party in several months. It was a great success. Multiple orders this month so I get my mix for free for February, Woohoo! And I may have recruited two new promoters as well.

All in all I am very happy with the way the last week went. Definitely focusing on the things that matter to me and I can actually see things falling into place for the first time in a very long time. How are you doing with your resolutions now that we are ending January?

It's Not Trying, It's Training!

I learn so much week to week at my church. I attend Elevation in Matthews, NC.  I love the sermons and my family and I have grown exponentially in our faith since we began attending, now four years ago. The recent series is called The New Rules of Resolution. The lesson that I got out of it is to change the way we think about changing our lives and setting goals for ourselves. We tend to set ourselves up for failure and expect too much too fast from ourselves.  We try for a while and then give up resigning ourselves to failure. This week's sermon point was "It's not trying...it's training".  We have to realize that it's a process and the changes in our hearts are not going to happen overnight. We need to take pride in the training and just keep going. Of course this all has to do with how we sin in our daily lives and seem to fail at being the people God intended for us to be, but practically speaking the principles can be applied to every aspect of our lives. For the last few weeks I have been really looking at myself and the things I want to change. I realized I am a major procrastinator (I already knew this really) and I am letting my life pass me by without accomplishing much that I want to accomplish.

My current focus:

• changing my diet and habits so that I am a healthy, active person who can be happy with ME
• creating routines in my household that do not pursue perfection (that's a problem of mine) but keep me from getting overwhelmed, exhausted and bitter.
• making my spiritual growth a priority and carving out daily time for prayer and bible reading
• finding time to do what I enjoy and see as a way to add to my household income...happens to be sewing, but it's the first thing that suffers when life gets busy

So, since last week I have been on a mission to overhaul my routine and attempt to accomplish everything that I really want to accomplish in this life.  I recently started doing a weekly meal plan so that I know what I am eating and when. I find that taking the decision making out of the equation at the moment when I am hungry and pressed for time helps me to stick to my diet. This also helps me with my grocery list and staying within my budget because I am not buying things I don't need thinking we MIGHT fix them for dinner. I know what is for dinner and when and even plan out the side dishes. It has also helps with the household routine as I look at the meal plan a few times a day and so I have to start thinking about dinner a head of time.

I also found a Bible reading plan in a devotional that my hubby and I received for christmas. One of my goals this year is to read the bible from cover to cover. I like the way this reading plan breaks things down and then has additional daily devotionals that can be read day to day. I am making it a point to start my reading early in the morning before I eat breakfast and usually while I am waiting on my niece to be dropped off for the day. Realizing that I started trying to make a habit of reading last week only to stop it after a few days, I am on week 2 of "training" to read daily. The song from Finding Nemo keeps going through my head. "Just keep swimming, Just keep swimming." I have to keep working at creating the habit. I may not actually get through the Bible cover to cover this year but I will keep reading no matter what.

So I will just keep swimming, just keep swimming.......... and keep you filled in on my struggles and challenges as I go along.

It's 2013! A new year.  A new chance for a new start. So I am getting back into routine and reinventing myself I guess you could say.  I plan on blogging more often this year and continuing with my organizing and life change.  I am so excited about what the new year has in store for me and mine. What are you doing to improve yourself this year?

And Time Marches On......

I hate that periodically I get distracted by life and don't update here, but what can you do?  I had a very busy summer, a few mini-trips with the family since April. I stayed busy with the yard and gardening and even got some major cleaning and organizing done around the house. Then in August school started back.  My little Tasmanian devil (who BTW, is NOT so little anymore, has grown probably two feet this year) returned to homeschooling on August 13. Angel decided to go back to public high school this year for her senior year. My Issabug continued with public high school in the tenth grade this year as well. Then most recently I began keeping one of my newest nieces during the day while her parents work. Lots of changes since the beginning of the year.

Some things haven't changed. I am still working from home; still sewing, maybe a little more than before. I still sell Visalus shakes and still drink them as well. Homeschooling and keeping house are each full time jobs in themselves but somehow I am making it all work.

 I have resolved to be a little more organized with homeschooling this year so that I don't have so much end of year catch up to do.  So far so good; I've designed a pretty good routine for us and it seems to be working. As with anything, there are good days and there are bad, but I consider the system a success if it works 90% of the time.  I use http://www.homeschoolskedtrack.com/ for my record keeping. This will be the third year that I have used it and each year I get more proficient.  I have created "courses" that are not graded, but that remind my Taz to save his completed work for the day and even have him check off the attendance sheet. We opted to not use the printable schedule from the site, but instead I copy and paste the information onto a daily template that I created. We found that he does better with each task separated by spaces so that the words don't all run together. Unfortunately spacing isn't an option with homeschoolskedtrack but the template only takes me a couple minutes to fill in and print. We have also made it a habit for him to put all papers in his binder and I can grade them from there versus handing them to me. I am finding that while I check the schedule daily and have to work on laying out lesson plans a few times a week, I only get to grading a few times a month. Making him responsible for organization is preparing him for high school and makes it simple to find things when I do get around to the grading. I will elaborate a little more on my routine in later posts.

I have also been focusing on becoming more organized with my household duties. I created a weekly cleaning schedule in July that I just love. I am still tweaking it a bit so that my week flows more smoothly but I am loving how it is working so far. I don't follow the schedule to the letter, but instead treat it as my reminder. Next I plan to create monthly and yearly cleaning lists.

Over the summer I also took on some major cleaning and organizing tasks as well. I cleaned out our attic, our garage, and our storage shed. Each project took me at least one, if not two days to complete with a handful of misc things left to be completed as time or money permitted. For example, in the attic I had to purchase additional containers and go back after the initial cleaning was done to transfer items from boxes and shelves to their new homes. Also, by doing all the storage areas of our house in the same general time period it allowed me to condense and organize our belongings. I was able to remember that I had pool/spa chemicals in both the shed and the garage, so I got them all to one central location. Same thing with the camping equipment. Those three areas were sources of major stress for me, so I am so glad they are finally behind me.

I like the new organized me better and in turn I am not as overwhelmed with  all my responsibilities. I am taking control of the part of my life that I actually can control and letting go of what I can't.

Hate and Bigotry are on both sides of the Fence

I will not debate politics and since the purpose of this post is not to debate Amendment 1, I will not give my opinion either way. However the debates on Facebook are seriously getting on my nerves.

This is what I see.  I see posts about "right-wing freaks" who are "ignorant" and are spreading "hate and bigotry."  I see people being attacked because of their beliefs and bible verses being posted completely out of context and some of the wording has even been twisted. I see people using fear and confusion to sway people BOTH ways!

Bigotry is the state of mind of a "bigot", a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices, especially one who exhibits intolerance or animosity toward members of a group.

This means that if you are using derogatory terms to group Christians and portray them as ignorant or uncompassionate jerks...then you are exactly what you hate the most. You are contributing to the hate and bigotry. If you are spewing hatefulness from your mouth and you are a Christian then I fear that there is even deeper seeded problems at the heart level.

I recently saw a situation where a group of my daughter's friends created a group page on FB geared toward stopping bullies and they were trying to bring awareness to the issue. Unfortunately the same kids apparently didn't realize what bullying is since about a week later a group of the most active kids in the group ganged up on a friend's daughter about an unrelated issue and the cruel mean things they were saying had her in tears. She even missed school to avoid the razing. So when it suited them, the anti-bullying group bullied another child.

The point I am making is this; if you have to call people names like freaks or take Bible verses and twist them to mean what you want them to mean then you may want to look deeper in yourself then the issue you are debating. You are not swaying anyone to your beliefs. In fact you are perpetuating the exact thing you detest the most; bigotry. To make an educated decision about anything you have to be willing to see both sides and hear both opinions. Name calling and insults should have been left in school a long time ago. After all if you are old enough to vote then you are an adult the last time I checked. Right, wrong or indifferent, let's remember that we live in a country where we have the right to our beliefs, but we don't have a right to make anyone feel inferior or bullied because their beliefs are different from our own. And this goes for BOTH sides of the issue.

A few more pounds lost!

So slowly, little by little, the weight is dropping. Last week on Monday morning weigh in, I was at 196. Then after a couple days the scale dropped to 195. After sitting between 196 and 198 for a month I was ecstatic to see 195. I seem to have finally passed the plateau I had hit.

Then low and behold this morning, I had a nice surprise; 193. I wish you could have seen me jumping up and down! I had to step on the scales a few times this morning just to make sure I read it correctly. That is 15 lbs from my highest weight ever of 208 and 14 lbs lost on just Body By Vi.

I read an article the other day that talked about plateaus and Body By Vi and they recommend sticking with it. They say you could plateau for up to 5 weeks before you see a drop. In the last 5 weeks, I had only lost 2 lbs total and it was at a rate of less then half a pound a week. So 3 lbs since last Monday means I have finally broken through! It's  motivation to keep working at it. I have about 3 weeks left on this challenge and I plan to really finish strong and work hard to make my goal of 20 lbs lost in 90 days.

Are you ready to join me in the challenge yet?  www.teresacur.bodybyvi.com

I have heard EVERY excuse in the book.

I like food.
I don't like exercise.
I want to lose weight faster then that.
... I don't have the energy to exercise.
It's expensive to eat healthy.

In fact, I have uttered most of these myself.

I love food, and the shakes taste amazing so they kill my sweet craving, my chocolate craving and I don't even want sodas or junk food 90% of the time.

I don't LIKE exercising either. I have only been working out 2-3 times a week and only 20-30 mins at a time. Anyone can do this!

Look at these pictures....this was done in less then 60 days. Is that fast enough for you? I've lost 12 lbs of fat and obviously gained leaned muscle. If you wait another 60 days to get started then you will still be where you are.....or maybe even heavier!

Energy is one of the greatest perks of the shakes. I feel so much better and have so much more energy!

You can get your shakes for free after the initial order. Is FREE too expensive for you?

What are you waiting on?
teresacur.bodybyvi.comSee More

Someone else's opinion of Visalus

I read this person's posting on a review forum of Visalus and the shakes in response to someone saying that the same results could be acheived through the correct nutrition and that the shakes had no fiber. It's so funny to me when someone makes a comment without doing their research to know what they are saying is true. He says this so much more eloquently then I could ever say it.

"I've went through all the motions before discovering Visalus. And I didn't just jump on board either. My "discovery" was based upon really wanting to know the truth. Hands down, the runner up product in this industry is a far away 2nd place.
Why do you need to stay on this? Where are you going to find the nutrition your body needs, especially if you don't want to gain your weight back? After my research, this product will always be a staple in my house. Besides, my kids love it. I'm happy to hear them whine for this instead of the freaking $3.00 milkshake at the nearest drive through. Talk about "affecting your health"? And expensive too.
We found a way to "eat right" before visalus. After the carb diet, the counting calories diet, the shake mix from the health store, we discovered the real answer, a nutritionist.
We drove to a real nutritionist an hour away. We paid her 150 bucks apiece to get assessed. She wrote customized diets for both of us. We spent 3 hours a day preparing the meals. We paid her 50 bucks a month (apiece) to go back every two weeks to evaluate us. And it worked. It really worked!!!
The groceries cost more, and the time spent preparing the meals made it inconvenient, but it worked. Of course I gained all my weight back because we couldn't keep up the tedious pace and the expense.
Sure it was initially cheaper to buy some protein powder and cheap it was. And, upon adding up the real cost I had to reevaluate the value. Great shoulders, arms and legs. But what to do with my mid section and face that doesn't benefit from the same muscular definition. I was swollen like a dang tick and I stayed hungry. Fill in the hunger gap with a energy drink or canned shake and the "less expensive" suddenly takes on a new, over expensive aura. For what it was costing, why not invest in a nutritionist? So we did.
Your protrusions about fiber have me wondering if you even tried the product. I've never been this regular in my life. NEVER. Regardless, there's a reason they call this a "90 day challenge."
What new thing in life do you try for 3 weeks? A new job, a new relationship, new clothes, new business. Imagine the corporate world making 10 year decisions based on 3 weeks of stats. Changing eating habits should be a life long decision. If you eat, you are spending the money anyway.
Sure it don't taste like a milkyway, but you can make it taste that way if you want to. Sometimes I just spoon it in. It's a little clumpy that way....okay a whole lot clumpy. But, I didn't do this for taste or to enjoy, I'm on this for my health. Let me iterate that it was a tasty VI shake that got my attention first.
I do believe your "probably" proves your research is just assumption based.
Few things are more belittling than bad health. Walking out of that life alone always finds you walking back into the darkness but with more excuses to stay there. A "clean and swept house" is still and empty house. You just can't clean out the old, you have to replace it with the new.
Did I get in for the money? Not at first. But, when friends saw my results from the carb diet, they all ran to it. I made zero money. When friends so my results from counting calories, they ran to that next. And some went to the nutritionist. Now we did get 50% discount per new person per month, from her. She really appreciated the business. Before all that, no one would touch the healthfood store shakes.
Look around you. The sofa you sit on, someone made money. The very computer you're looking at, someone made money off of you. Gee, someone is making money off of the under paid, hourly wage you get. You just can't escape that. I ask you, which one of those offers you an opportunity to make a real financial change? Talk about a pyramid.
Of all things pyramid, how do you escape that philosophy in the world of capitalism? Free enterprise is the cog of a capitalistic society. It brings rewards for my determination. Even communist China is beginning to understand, revenue from capitalism is the only way to feed over a billion people. Man, I'd like to throw a VI party there.
It's the rewards of freedom, available to any who want to pursue it. It's what makes the United States the most desired place to live. What is the breath of freedom without rewards for determination.
If I may "danapharse" Emma Lazarus, "give me all of your tired, give me all our your poor, give me your huddled masses yearning to breath free. Give me your rejected from overflowing shores, the homeless tossed by storms of life, light beckons at freedom's door." What would any of that mean without opportunity? Opportunity is what Visalsus is about and it's about one more thing.
In summary, there really is stuff in the VI shakes that "affect your health" but, what a marvelous affect. I feel GREAT!!!"

When at first you don't succeed, try, try again!

I didn't mean to go so long without posting, but I have had a very busy week. I had two 3-for-free parties over the weekend and several one on one's. I have been busy all week making phone calls, following up with leads and signing people up for the challenge. It's amazing how fast this business is growing. I am getting more and more excited about what is to come in the future.

I have been sitting between 196 and 197. Sometimes I have fluctuations up to 200 but it never lasts more then a day. Yes I am seriously obsessed with the scale reading. I can't help it. I have to check it every day to make sure that it's not going the other way and there is a comfort or encouragement in not seeing the higher numbers any more. I am getting anxious for the scale to drop below 197 and stay there though.

My intent with this post was just to encourage everyone who has been on the challenge and at a point of discouragement and frustration to push through. I was thinking about it last night. I think the majority of people who start a diet or life change give up by week 3 or 4. I know that I have in the past. Your body needs that long (and sometimes even longer) to adjust to your new routine and caloric intake. If you are making good lifestyle changes then the scale will have to show the results eventually. Sometimes it is just slow in coming.

I have been where you are at. I have felt the same way. Recently though every time I have considered quiting or getting discouraged something has happened to give me hope. My blood pressure goes down another point or 3 and I can decrease my BP meds again. Sometimes the scale will do a sneak peak of an upcoming weight. The other day it dipped all the way down to 195.5. It didn't stay there but it gave me  hope that I was still seeing a down hill trend. In the past I have even had physical road blocks like broken bones and herniated disks. They seem impossible to overcome. I think the thing that I am learning now is that I shouldn't have given up so easily. Take a break, take care of yourself, and come back to the routine as soon as possible. Keep trying...over and over and over again! Continue with as much of you routine as is humanly possible while you do what you have to do. Just don't give up! The only way you fail is if you give up and don't try!

You can do this. If I can, then I know any of you can!

It's been a great week!

So this has been a pretty good week for me.  I finally dropped down to the elusive 197 and have stayed there for the last 3 days. I even saw one morning where it dropped down to 195.5 but of course it didn't stay there. That is ok though. The scale is slowly but surely dropping little by little.

I have managed to get 2 hour long workouts in this week and I hope to get at least one more in. My original goal was to work out 4-5 times this week, figuring on 30 minute work outs. So 2 one-hour workouts still fits that goal, huh? As long as I am improving each time then I am not stressing at all.

Business wise this week was slow. I haven't made any phone calls so I didn't really expect much. However I plan to end out the month strong since I have 2 more 3-for-Free parties scheduled. Hopefully I will hit my first rank promotion.

How are you doing with your journey to become healthy?