Saturday List - Blogs & Sites

Yes, I know there's a place on my sidebar for this, but I wanted to give you a list of all kind of blogs and sites  I've found helpful and just plain enjoyable... :-)  They are in no particular order and you'll find all kinds of topics, from fitness to Chrisitanity, to motherhood, to crafting.... I'm sure there's something for (nearly) everyone in this Saturday List!!

fittipdaily.com == This site is a GREAT resource for all kinds of tips - from exercise to nutrition to even style & Hollywood.  I've set it as a favorite and check in every few days for whatever little nuggets the crew at fittipdaily.com have for me.
sparkpeople.com == You've seen me write about this before, but the fact is you can't beat a FREE resource for tracking food and fitness.  Honestly, even though I use my bodybugg and its software/program, I still use sparkpeople for my nutrition tracking.  Sparkpeople's food tracker has probably the LARGEST collection of foods to choose from & will allow you to add a recipe or food that's not listed.  When you do that, it's put into the collection so all the other sparkpeople.com members have access to it, too -- I'm serious.  Mega-Info on this site!
bringingprettyback.blogspot.com == follow Kristen as she continues on her journey to bringing the "pretty" back into her life.  She's already accomplished quite a bit in the fitness/weight loss arena, and she also writes about real-world things and it's really fun just to keep up with her.  Plus, I love her radio shows that she posts!!
moneysavingmom.com == one of the first blogs I started following a couple years ago...I totally have a blogger/mommy crush on Crystal!  The subtitle of her site says "Helping You Be a Better Home Economist" - and she totally does!  She'll alert you to deals - whether they are online, in store (and most times with coupons), but she also gives tips and info for living simpler and (drum roll, please...)  DEBT FREE!  Dave Ramsey is one of her financial 'heros' and he's actually mentioned her on his show and website because she's doing such a great job equipping families today with what they need to survive (and thrive!) in today's economy.  Plus, she's a Christian, which is always refreshing in the blogging world! :-)
fussymonkeybiz.blogspot.com == One of the most recent blogs I've been following.  I LOVE how Crystal (interesting how many Crystal's this list has...) uses Proverbs 31 as part of her header on her blog.  She blogs about her family and events and such like everyone does, but she has such a talent for decorating and shabby-chic craftiness that I feel totally inspired every time I visit!
lysaterkeurst.com/  == Lysa Terkeurst is my hero for helping me to realize that my weight loss battle isn't just a flesh-and-food kind of battle.  You may remember, she is the author of Made to Crave - a book that has totally transformed my life.  On her site, she does a great job at giving day-to-day encouragement on many different topics even though she goes through many hard times herself.  She is an awesome woman of God!
eachdaygodsway.wordpress.com/ == Leah is a good friend of mine, who I'm ashamed to say I don't see NEAR as often as I want.  But she is SUCH an encouragement on her blog!  Leah's a stay-at-home mom and wife who blogs about whatever truths the Lord reveals to her, and I can tell you from experience she is full of God's grace and love for her fellow Christian sisters.
And, last but definitely not least: sharalonghorne.blogspot.com/ == Let me just say it this way:  I want to be a Shara when I grow up! LOL  Shara is full-blooded, unashamed, almost in-your-face Pentecostal & proud of it.  It's so rare to find a Pentecostal woman who is NOT a kook (or "code 24" as some my my old WHC security friends would have said), but who is confident enough in what she believes that she honestly feels like she'd be doing wrong if she DIDN'T share! But she also blogs about things that real parents in the real world are concerned about.  I love her encouragements and her teachings, and I'm sure you will too!

Hope you enjoy!!  Happy reading!!

Bugg and Body update :-)

So I went to the doctor Friday for the first time since I had my meltdown at the end of February and started on this new journey of fitness, and found out that since February 22, I have lost exactly 25 lbs and my BMI has dropped by 5 points! :-)  I think it could have been more, but the last few weeks I've not been as active as I'd have like (due to migraines and travel), but i will take 25 lbs anytime!

My bodybugg usage has gotten better.  Basically, I just had to accept that there were certain things that I'd have to do to make sure my bodybugg and iPhone were useful - namely, reconnecting anytime I wanted an accurate read-out.  I suppose this is to be expected for most techies out there, but this instant-gratification girl had to learn that the hard way.

I absolutely LOVE that I have a pretty accurate of my calorie burn.  For example, yesterday, after walking/running 3 miles on the treadmill, I burned nearly 500 calories MORE than my goal AND walked over 1,000 steps over my step goal, too!  Love that part.  Here's a screen pic of my bodybugg dashboard for iPhone:

I'm still using sparkpeople.com to track my food/calorie intake, though.  Mainly because Bodybugg's food tracker leaves quite a bit to be desired.  So on bodybuggs' dashboard, I should be able to see my calorie deficit (my calorie burn minus my calorie intake - you always want a deficit to loose weight), but I don't because I use sparkpeople.com to track my food.  Then I just try to make sure my calorie burn is MORE than my calorie intake by just checking between to the two apps.  Who knows, maybe they'll improve the app for food tracking, but for right now it kinda sucks. :-/

In other news - Happy Mother's Day!!  Hope all the mothers/grandmothers/godmothers out there have a beautiful day!

Here's a little bit of inspiration for you before I sign out:

Common - it's a good thing. ;-)

I ran across something just now that I thought might help a lot of people (like me) going through weight loss struggles.  I've posted songs from Mandisa before here on my li'l blog, so hopefully you guys are a *little* familiar with her. ;-) 

For those who aren't - Mandisa auditioned years ago on American Idol and wowed the judges at her audition with her vocals.  Problem was, after she got her "golden ticket", Simon (you know, dear old Simon) said some pretty hurtful things about her size.  She didn't even know he'd said them until AFTER her AI journey was nearly over and she was watching episodes with her family! 

Anyway, she turned that hurt into inspiration, so to speak, and today, she just posted some awesome news on her official FB page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/mandisaofficial

I share with you guys things that help me see that I'm not alone.  And Mandisa's journey has soooo inspired me!  It's because of her that I've stumbled across some major tools for my wieght loss journey: Lisa TerKeurst's Made to Crave, and Beth Moore's Praying God's Word. 

There is a verse that I found through the Mandisa/Lisa/Beth's guidance, that really hit home:

NO temptaion has taken you except what is common to man.  God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of excape, that you may be able to endure it.  I Cor 10:13

Check out that first line: "No temptation has taken you, except what is common to man."  The worst lie the enemy could ever feed us (and sadly, the most effective) is that we are alone in what we're going through.  Can I just tell you, that YOU ARE NOT ALONE?  The creator of the universe - who cares so much about each of us individually that he individually numbered each individual hair on our head - promised YOU that what you're going through someone else is going through.  That temptation you're facing - someone else is facing.  That battle you're fighting -  someone else is fighting.  YOU ARE NOT ALONE. 

We may never meet each other on this side of Heaven, but we can rest assured that we have a fellowship of believers who are right there with us - walking the same path we're walking - united in our goal.

God bless you on your journey - whatever that journey may be.  Here's a last little bit of inspiration for the journey ahead:

Livin' Like I'm Fit

I've been on this particular leg of my journey for just a few weeks now, but somehow, I've managed to lose 5.1 lbs! The only real changes I've made are being deliberate about drinking water vs. Mountain Dews and cutting out (most) snacks. I say "most" because I still have at least a banana or crackers, etc. for a snack. I only *really* exercised one time all this week, and made smarter choices for my food options.

The deeper you get into this, the easier it becomes, for sure. I've been listening to the "Fat2Fit" podcast today (check 'em out here), and one of those episodes mentioned that if you live your life like you will "when I'm fit" right now (instead of waiting till you're "FIT" to start living that way), then after you lose your weight, you won't have too hard a time trying to maintain, etc. And most of the battle of losing weight will be taken care of.  I mean, let's face it, if I had 'lived like I were fit' before now, I wouldn't be in this predicament, now would I?

So, that's my mantra - I'm gonna "live like I'm fit"!