Week 1: Be Prepared

How do we prepare for the holidays when we are trying to lose/maintain our weight?

Like the Scouts say, "Be prepared."  I have only gotten this far in my weight loss journey because I have taken the extra step to prepare in advance. 

When invited to a party where everyone brings something, bring a couple dishes or items that you know you can have and enjoy.  Adjust your favorite recipes to be healthier versions that are still really yummy!

Eat beforehand if necessary.  This gives you more time to focus on visiting and making memories.

Think ahead to all your favorite holiday treats.  Which ones are deep tradition that you feel you just cannot live without?  What is so important that the holiday just won't seem like that holiday without it?  Which items/goodies are only just so-so?  If you are going to splurge, use moderation and only splurge on items that are absolute favorites.  Don't waste a splurge on items that are just so-so.  No brainer really but think ahead to the gatherings in the next few months and decide ahead of time what you are willing to splurge on.  In the past, anything covered in chocolate or containing chocolate was worth eating but now I am much more careful with my choices.  I am still thinking of what I will splurge on but I do know I will have a small scoop of my mom's mashed potatoes and gravy and corn casserole at Thankgiving, and a couple peanut butter cookies with Hershey kisses in them at Christmas.  Those are favorites that came to mind right away.  I personally could skip the pies and such.  I will have a small piece of my son's birthday cake (special home made ice cream cake by my Mom). What is on your must-have list???

Use "cheat and eat" products from Omnitrition.  They can be ordered here.  

CHITO-TRIM

• Fat blocker

• Made from outer shells of shellfish, and attaches to fat you eat and carries it out of the body in a very nice way.

• We call these the “FUN Couple” (Phaso and Chito)

• Great for many intestinal/bowel issues

• Diarrhea/Constipation

• If you open up capsule and make a paste with water, it helps take the ouch out of burns, cuts, stings and bites

• Minimizes scaring and overnight you will see a huge difference

PHASO TRIM

• Carb/sugar blocker

• Made out of white kidney beans

• Stops the conversion of starches to sugars in your body.

• We call these the “FUN Couple” (Phaso and Chito)

• Great Beer calorie blocker, or any other type of “liquid bread”

• Should not be used while on the Omni Drops Program

Tune in next week for more tips for the holidays!

The 12 Weeks of Christmas Series

I am starting a new series this week that will lead up all the way to Christmas.

Each week, I will have a new post that will help with tips for losing or maintaining your weight during the holidays!  I am determined to maintain my over 62 lb weight loss!

How about you?  It is possible, my friend!

These posts will not be all about Omnitrition products, although I will mention them when they can apply or help the related topic.  These posts, tips, encouragement, and resources will be for anyone!

More Pics and Conference Call

Took some new pictures the other day...Size 22 down to a size 14 so far!

Want to hear more details about Omnitrition?  There is a no pressure way to hear from many others about it.  Every Tuesday night there is a listen-only conference call.  Listen in and let me know what you thought!

So HOW exactly did you lose all that weight?!?!?!

Well...a lot of hard work, eating clean and the Omni Drops Program. 

OMNI DROPS

·         No alcohol

·         No fillers

·         Made in an FDA approved facility in the United States

·         Take 10 drops under your tongue 3 times per day, load for 2 days

·         Follow the eating plan for 21 to 42 days while continuing the drops 3x/ day

·         Women report an average weight loss of ½ to 1 lb a day

·         Men report an average weight loss of 1-2 lbs per day

·         In addition to the healthy food you eat you are supplementing with your own fat and burning stored body fat calories for energy and fuel

·         VERY IMPORTANT: Maintenance is 21 days to reset your hypothalamus, thyroid, adrenals, cholesterol, and metabolism

·         Comes with eating plan, weight chart, recipes, and distributor support!

I used the "Fab 5" pictured below for the best results:

Fab 5: Drops, Charge, Nite Lite, Omni IV, Fiber N Mor

So the drops program comes with a specific eating plan that is clean, whole foods.  I have learned how to spot the nasty stuff on labels and learned to cook! Gasp!  I cannot say that I love cooking but I definitely do not hate it like I did before this journey started.  I am eating more produce than I have ever in my life!  We do not count calories but measure portion sizes. 

Results? YES! 

     Eating clean has brought:

        Weight loss

        Energy

        Better Sleep

        Better Mood

        Less Medications

Many people ask me, "Is that healthy?"  I hold back laughing honestly because I have never been more healthy in my whole life!  I tried other accepted programs before and stayed within my "points" by still eating pre-packaged JUNK.  How is that healthy?!?!?!  I eat lean meats, fruits and vegetables while on the losing phase.  I add back in dairy and eggs on the maintenance phase.  The maintenance phase is where I finally realized that this is a whole lifestyle change, NOT a diet.  I can truly see myself eating phase 3 (maintenance) for life.  It is SO good!  

www.omnitrition.com/SJT

Health Overhaul

Back in April, my husband and I took a leap and decided to try something to change our health.  We are in our early 30's but we were obese and felt much older.  We wanted to be able to keep up with our son and live to see him grown and with a  family.  We wanted to have energy to be able to serve the Lord wholeheartedly and to live free of emotional eating.  This had been a life-long struggle for us both.

That something we took a leap on is called Omnitrition.  Omnitrition is a 24 year old health and nutrition company.  They have supplements for weight loss, energy, better sleep, overall nutrition, workout support and more!  The #1 selling product for almost 24 years is their liquid vitamin Omni IV.  It is truly amazing and I hate to go even one day without it.

https://www.omnitrition.com/sjt

We each had about 100 lbs to lose, give or take.  I still am not sure where I will end up.  I have no particular number or size in mind.  I just want to feel healthy and be able to live life fully!

We loved our results and how we felt almost immediately and also began building a business.  It is easy to sell something when you believe in it 100% and can stand behind the products!

Here are some examples of GREAT products!

I will be sharing much more about our journey so far in the weeks and months to come.  So far I have lost over 57 lbs since April!  Joseph has lost over 68 lbs!  If we can do it, ANYONE can!

Contact me for more information today!
863-797-9748
www.omnitrition.com/SJT
sLthompson1982@gmail.com

Homeschool 2013-2014 First Grade

I thought I'd outline what curricula we are using this year in case anyone is interested. 

Long Story Short Devotional

Saxon  Math 1

Apologia Astronomy and Jr. Notebooking Journal

Shurley English 1

Foundations A by The Logic of English

Cursive (within Foundations book)

AWANA Sparks 

We will do Explode the Code 3 after we complete Foundations.  We will also take light weeks and choose a Five in a Row book to study and make a lap book.  Nehemiah loves FIAR and lap books! 

Being in a new area, I haven't met any homeschoolers in real life yet but I have connected online with a few from our church.  Hoping to meet up with them soon and find out which homeschool group to join around here.  

We have completed 2 weeks of school already and so far it is going well.  Nehemiah is very smart and cooperates for the most part.  Not sure how to get him to not throw a fit about reading each day.  When it is time to read, he has a tantrum and says he can't and won't read. I tell him he has no choice, then he proceeds to read the lesson smoothly and easily.  It is an emotional battle to say the least...ugh! 

Wait No More

Today we went to a foster care and adoption conference put on by Focus on the Family in Orlando.  It was a great encouragement for the church to rise up and live out James 1:27 which says, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

God is:

Father to the fatherless

Defender of the weak

Hope for the hopeless

We are to be the hands and feet of Jesus to these children and teens.  We are to be the fathers and mothers to the fatherless, the defenders of the weak, and the hope for those that are hopeless. 

I got so much out of the different speakers today. I laughed and cried.  Two women shared stories of how they grew up in abusive situations, were removed from the home and then later on were placed with loving, patient couples that displayed Christ's love to them.  They both are now married and successful women that love the Lord. 

The speakers did not sugarcoat the adoption process or the children that need families. They did not tiptoe around the fact that this could possibly be the hardest thing you take on in life. But it is oh SO worth it! 

I realized today how selfish I have been in my thoughts on adopting or fostering. We had such high expectations for the kids in the past and wanted so much from them in return without realizing it.  These children have NOTHING to give in most cases, especially at first.  If we bring a child into our home and he or she disrupts things, so be it. If that child lives with us and never learns to trust or love us, so be it.  Don't get me wrong, that is an important goal but we will still have been obedient to love and be a family to that child.  This year I taught AWANA with an older man at church.  He and his wife have adopted 4 children from foster care. Two of them were teens when placed with them.  They never really adjusted completely or attached to the parents.  When they became adults they went off and don't contact their parents much.   Is this sad? Yes. Does he regret adopting them? No way. Would they do it all over again? YES! They were obedient to God; they shared the love of Christ and family to them and will still welcome them with open arms now. Did my friend and his wife get a picture-perfect family situation and children that just adore them? No. 

Family is messy. Biological, adopted or otherwise. We all have drama and issues and baggage.  The Lord is able to overcome it all and transform lives. 

Much of this and other truths God spoke to me about, I am still processing. It is so hard to wrap our human, selfish, prideful minds around this kind of unconditional God-love that is required. 

We also got to meet the woman that will be teaching the 8-week adoption classes we signed up for in October. We are working with a local agency that places waiting children with families.  There are currently 750 waiting children in Florida. This means their parental rights have already been terminated and no other family member can take them. They belong to the state. There are also roughly 19,000 children in Florida's foster care system at any given time that at least need a safe, temporary home.  It is heartbreaking. There are  over 15,000 churches in Florida...these children should have to "wait no more". 

Will we, as the church, rise up in obedience to God's word and take care of the weak, hurt and vulnerable? There are many ways to be involved. Just obey.

Life Update

In June, there was a shooting in our apartment breezeway so that night we moved back in with my mom.  Yeah, not cool.  We knew at that point that Joseph was probably going to get the job with Bonnie Plant Farm and that we would be moving closer to the plant station anyways.  

In July, he started the new job and we found a cute rental house in Lake Wales.  We got moved and things have finally settled down a little.  

In August, we started 1st grade!  I cannot believe my little boy is getting so BIG! 

In a couple weeks I am going on a business trip to Seattle, WA for an Omnitrition training school.  I am super excited about that.  We will receive top-notch training from the company leaders and learn tons of info from the doctors that helped formulate the products and supplements!  Be prepared to hear more about all of that! ;) 

Be on the look-out for more blog posts coming soon!

Update

I have been MIA on the blog for a long time.  Lots of changes going on in our lives.  I thought I'd catch everyone up to date on our happenings.

July 2012

Announced we were leaving our jobs and ministry at the children's home.  

Moved in with my mom in Florida.  Joseph looked for work.

August 2012

Started homeschool (kindergarten) with Nehemiah.  

September 2012

Joseph finally found work!

December 2012 

Moved into our own apartment.

January 2013

Began taking Nehemiah to doctors to get some answers for sensory and behavioral issues we are having.  Ordered tests and evaluations...still waiting for answers.

Homeschool is going well.  We have our good days and bad like with anything in life.  It helps that Nehemiah is so smart.  He is reading well and has a natural curiosity about everything.  I have loosened up a lot and am realizing he learns much better through real life than sitting at a table.  I gotta keep that boy movin'!  

Life is feeling a little more settled now.  Hoping to be able to keep this updated regularly now.  I know my adoring fans are cheering wildly right now!  Hahaha!