you know when you have those moments, those life-changing moments? those moments that radically shift your thinking and set you down a different path. one of those moments happened today.

i just finished my biggest loser bootcamp workout, and was just checking my facebook before i hopped in the shower. michelle aguilar (winner of biggest loser season 6) had updated. a while back, she had filmed a clip for the website 'i am second'. i watched the video again, and something broke in me. she said in the video that God began to strip her of her armor, which was her smile, and really make her face her battles. she said at the end, "when i came to the finale, i wasn't the same person who had started this journey. the scale would not define me, my weight would not define me, but all along, God was defining me!" something turned on in me.
and now that i can finally see through the tears, i am here to say.....

the scale will not define me
my weight will not define me
my insecurities will not define me
what i can do or not do will not define me
what i look like will not define me
impressing everyone will not define me

i will be defined by Jesus Christ. i will be defined in Him alone, because its in Him, that i have been made whole! i am a conqueror, because thats who He is in me!

Portion Guide

Vegetables from all colors of the rainbow are an important part of a healthy diet. A serving of cooked veggies is half a cup, or about the size of a baseball.


A one-cup serving of pasta or rice should be about the size of a tennis ball. You'll fill up faster on a serving of grains if you choose healthy whole grains whenever possible.

It takes about 850 peanuts to produce an 18-once jar of peanut butter, so a little of the stuff packs a powerful protein punch. Two tablespoons, about the size of a ping pong ball, is an appropriate serving size.

Don't go for a cartoon-sized stack of flapjacks – one compact disc-sized pancake is the recommended serving size.

One serving of meat is about three ounces, roughly the size of a deck of cards.


Dried fruit keeps longer than fresh fruit, but it also has 4 to 5 times the calories by weight. One serving of dried fruit is about 1/4 cup, or about the size of a large egg or golf ball.


A few cheese cubes and some fruit is the perfect mini-meal between lunch and dinner. To make sure you're noshing on the right amount, roll some dice. A serving of cheese is one ounce, or the size of six dice.


When not covered in cheese and sour cream, potatoes aren't hard on the waistline and are high in potassium and vitamins C and B6. A perfectly portioned baked potato should be about the size of a computer mouse.


Taken from The Food Network

A Coincidence....I think NOT!

There are two themes in this blog entry. Thyroid & Glyciemic Index. I hope this isn't a long post, but please stick with me, cause its pretty incredible.
When I was 18, I went with my friend to the naturopath. He told me that I had a thyroid problem, whether it was under or over functioning, I can't really remember. I almost promptly disregarded that information, and continued on with life. A few years later, during my first year of marriage, a lady told me that she was pretty sure I had a thyroid problem (she could tell by my eyes) and that i should start taking Kelp, because my body was lacking iodine. So, I bought a bottle of Kelp supplements and took them till the bottle was half gone and then almost as promptly disregarded it. Fast forward a couple years to the time Mark and I are doing my fertility treatments with the specialist. The Doctor tells me that the best way for me to lose weight and increase the chances of conceiving is to go on something called the G.I. Diet (Glyciemic Index Diet). I nodded and agreed and like everything else, almost promptly disregarded. Moving on to the present, yesterday I had an doctors appointment and the doctor told me that...amazingly enough...my thyroid was over producing a hormone that was causing another more serious condition. Well, that was shock enough. But then, today I went for coffee with a friend, who on Sunday told me that she had something she felt to share with me.
So, today, she shares that she has battled some illnesses and treated them with natural supplements and by...wait for it....the G.I. Diet. Now, some may say that this is all a incredible coincidence. But I see more. This year, I prayed that God would show me all the things in my health that I needed to get in check so that I could lose weight, get healthy and live the life that I was meant to live! So, patient as He is, reminded me, once again of the things that he has been trying to tell me for a decade! He is so faithful! This has made me so excited for what this year holds. Pray for me this year. Pray that I don't almost promptly disregard the things that I need to do. That I have the determination and tenacity to follow through, press forward and have real success. I don't want food, weight, sickness, deficiencies or allergies to rule my life. I want to have these things under control, so that I can be free!

So its going to be....

...a little of everything! I've figured that you've all stuck with me this long, and you've been an incredible encouragement to me. This year is going to be full of adventures, challenges & changes. And I think I will just tell you about them as they come. Whatever I'm feeling at that time, I will let you know. A few things that I'm really excited about is teaching myself to cook more, learning to crochet, knit & sew and planting a small veggie & herb garden! These things I will definitely be posting about. So, thats that. Let it begin!!!!:)

What will the New Year Bring

I want this year to be better than previous years in blogland, so will you help me?
I want to know if I should change things up a bit...pick 12 themes, make each month focused on something in particular, or do certain days of the week be designated for something (example: June is Food Month or Wednesdays is Weird Fact Day etc....) or something like that.
I'm open for any suggestions!
Let me know what you think?? :)