Patience

"Patience"- noun- the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.

Patience- a definition so simple, but yet so hard to grasps. Patience is something a lot of us struggle with, or at least I know I do. For me,  in the past, patience has meant that I would miss out on something I wanted. So I have rushed things- which personally, I think "rushing" is the opposite of "patience." I have tried to rush engagement, rush marriage, rush weight loss, rush my future, instead of simply enjoying the journey, trusting Gods plan, and being patient.  

Patience to me now goes hand-in-hand with faith- and trust me on this- in order to have patience you gotta have a whole lotta FAITH. There's been times over the past 6 months where I have wanted to throw in the towel and give up! I have thought time and time again- I will never find the right guy, I will never get married, I will never lose this stubborn weight. I have been everything but patient, I have been very impatient, but lately my mind-set has been different.

Now don't get me wrong, I have definitely not perfected patience, but it is something I am working on every. single. day. Instead of me getting mad at all the things I want to happen soon  right now and aren't, I am trusting that God has a plan and I'm being patient. Trust me on this y'all- God's plan for you and me is perfect, 100% perfect, we just all have to be patient and let God do the rest!

Week 1 Update

Okay, so after week one of Weight Watchers I lost 3.9 pounds total! I am so excited! I know for 4 pounds isn't a lot, but it's a start! I'm excited to see what week two's weight loss will be! I thought y'all might be interested in what I have been eating, here is a sample of one of my days!

Breakfast:
1 piece of Natures Own White-wheat whole grain bread-  1 point
1 Egg- 2 points
1/2 Cup Papetti 100% Egg White - 0 points
1 pack of Quaker Original Instant Grits- 3 points


Snack #1:
28 Baked Cheetos- 3 points
1 apple or banana-  0 points

Lunch:
Subway-6" Italian Bread with Ham, lettuce, spicy mustard- 7 points

Snack #2:
25 slices of Hormel Turkey Pepperoni -  2 points

Dinner:
4 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast-  3 points
1 1/2 ounces of cooked sweet potato        -  1 point
1 1/2 cups of cooked squash and zucchini  -   0 points
1 piece of Natures Own white-wheat whole grain bread (toasted)- 1 point
1/2 TBSP Grape Jam - 1 point

After Dinner Snack:
1 Small Lofthouse Iced Sugar Cookie - 3 points

That is 27 total points for the day (I can have 30), so if I were to get hungry later in the night, I could snack on baked Cheetos, or popcorn!

This is just a sample of what one of my days looked like this past week! There are tons of other options as well!

I am a snacker and some of my favorite snacks thus far are:
Fruits, Veggies, Baked Cheetos, Popcorn, Veggie Straws/Chips, Turkey Pepperoni, Croutons, CoolWhip, Toast, and so much more!

Again, if you are struggling with your weight, I strongly suggest Weight Watchers, as it is working great for me so far!

Thanks for reading!

xoxo Steph

New Year, New Me

Ok, so I promise this isn't going to turn into a strictly diet/Weight Watchers blog, BUT I do want to share with y'all my recent lifestyle change!

To give y'all a little background info - in my normal state I'm a pretty petite 5'2" body frame, however my new normal the past couple years has not been very petite. In high school I was a cheerleader and I played basketball, so I was very active - all.the.time. When I came to college 4 years ago, the only activity I got throughout the day was walking across campus to and from class. Fortunately, I didn't gain the freshman 15, but worse, I gained the junior 55 pounds. Yes- you read that right FIFTY-FIVE pounds in just a year! Absolutely crazy!!! I'm currently a senior in college and I have had enough. I feel huge!! My body isn't meant to be this big, so it's time for a change.

My roommate Courtney and I decided to join Weight Watchers. We started on Tuesday, so we have just finished day 3 and I honestly already feel so much better- I don't feel bloated, I have more energy, and just all the way around- I feel better. The first day was hard, I was thinking about food all day, which made me super hungry and a little cranky, but day 2 and 3 were much easier. They say after 3 days it becomes much easier, so I'm excited to say I made it through 3 full days.

Weight Watchers works on a points scale. When you register you enter your birthday, height, current weight, goal weight, and current activity level and it decides how many points you should have in a day. Fruits and vegetable are 0 points (except corn and potatoes and a few other thing), so its always good to be able to stock up on fruits and veggies when you get hungry! I can have 30 points per day, and 40 weekly's (which are "extra" points per week). So far I haven't used any weekly's and I don't plan too.

I will weigh in on Tuesdays, so every Tuesday I will blog about my previous week! So far Weight Watchers is working well, and I am super excited for this journal to a healthier, happier me! If you anyone has any tips or good Weight Watchers recipes, please feel free to share! Also if anyone is trying to lose weight, but keeps getting frustrated, I strongly suggest Weight Watchers, because you can still eat what you want, just in proportion. Also, if anyone needs an accountability partner - I will be glad to help!


See ya tomorrow!

xoxo Stephanie

A little about my best friend

I have lots of best friends, really I do. All are so different and so special to me in such different ways, but my bestest friend, my role-model, and someone I know will ALWAYS be there for me is my Mama.

My Mama and I share a very special relationship. She is my best friend, my biggest encourager, my personal chef, my shoulder to cry to, my ear to vent to - she is the BEST! My Mama and I are very similar; the older I get, the more I become her, like really. We are the sentimental ones out of the family; we both have very tender hearts and it doesn't take anything for either of us to cry. We think just alike and our personalities are super similar, but our relationship goes much deeper than that.

Over the years my Mama and I had the typical "teenage-girl- mom drama." We fussed (because we are so much a like) and because she is my mama I typically take/took my anger/problems out on her (sorry, Mama!!), but over the past few years, she and I have gotten extremely close. I tell my Mama everything, seriously. I used to not, but as I have grown up, she is seriously become my best friend. Anything from boy trouble, school, friends, and so forth- I tell her, and no matter what it is, she listens with an open ear.

My Mama has seen me at my very best- she has been so proud of my accomplishments, but she has also seen me at my worst, I'm talking my darkest, worst days, and during those times she has encouraged me, loved me, and prayed for me- and for that I am forever grateful.

My Mama is the one that I know I can text or call anytime of the day (even 2 am) and she will answer and help me with whatever I need. She gives the best advice (even though I don't always listen,) and she gives me love like no other.

So who is the "Mama?" Well her name is Becki and she is one of the kindest people you will ever meet. I know I'm probably a tad bit biased, but really she is the best. She is the music director at our church, a high school chorus teacher, and a high school and college english teacher. She is daughter to  two of my biggest role models,  wife to my daddy, Mama to my sister and me, Bebe to her grandchildren, Mrs. Poston or Beckster to her students, and a best friend to me. She has great voice, she can play the piano & organ like no other- she is very talented. She never meets a stranger, she tries her hardest to make everyone happy, and she has a HUGE heart, and I am lucky enough to be her daughter.

Mama,

Thank you for all that you do for me. I wouldn't be the person I am if it wasn't for you. Thank you for your love, your support, and all of your prayers. Thanks for always listening to me vent, and giving me advice when needed. Thank you understanding me like no other, and supporting me always. If one day, I am only half the mother and wife you are, I will be doing great! I don't tell you nearly enough, but I love and appreciate you so much!

Love,

Stephanie


**To be continued**