Hello everyone! How was your Thanksgiving......................mine was really nice, but I totally over ate. It was all soooooo good. We had all the regulars, turkey, stuffing, potatoes, corn, pecan pie! The stuffing was so good, and the pecan pie.........two things I never eat except for Thanksgiving, so I went a bit overboard. I actually only had a small piece of pie because I was so full, so of course I had to take a piece home. I went to the mountains for T-day, my sister Linda’s house. So not only did I overeat on Thanksgiving, but the 3 days I was there. We went out to dinner the 1st night, and my sister went all out, as she always does, we had sticky buns one morning and then a huge breakfast the other. I of course had to be polite and eat what was made for me. Yes my family is supporting me on my journey but they also feel that when it’s a special occasion, you celebrate by eating, so I celebrated. I think I gained 5 lbs in those 3 days, but of course have not gotten on the scale to find out for sure. Im putting that off until I think I have lost it again! No, its not really excuses, it life!

I have been watching the biggest loser again, they just did the exercise where you carry the weight you’ve lost up 500 steps, taking off the weight you’ve lost every 100 steps for each week, then jogging one mile to the end. The winner of this challenge also won a home gym worth $25,000...............hmmmm, wonder if that would make a difference for me! Um yes, Id have to say it would, I would love to have my own home gym, you could work out in your bare feet and you don’t have to worry about parking.

Also an update on selling my home, well with the market the way it is, I have decided to rent out my home and wait to sell my house. Im planning on moving in with my brother, who has a beautiful house and needs a roommate. I can save some money while Im there and am actually excited to be moving back to north Wilmington and getting the opportunity to spend some more time with my 8 year old nephew Michael, as my brother has shared custody. They also have the cutest dog who needs lots of walks. Its actually going to work out for both my brother and myself, so I am excited!

My cousin Phil is doing well, we hope to have him home soon, he will be going through intense therapy and they say it may take a year for him to get back to where he was, but he is expected to recover almost 100%. I have felt so lucky that I have been able to be there for my family.

"Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value."
- Albert Einstein

Until Later, Bonnie

Hello Everyone How are you? I am doing good, all things considered. As you read in my last post I have been going through some family troubles but am happy to report my cousin Philip has been transferred to Bryn Mawr Rehab in Malvern. Im so grateful I have been able to spend so much time with him and able to be there. I have had no real schedule lately and am looking forward to getting back to a routine now that he is out of danger and on his long winding road to recovery, but things are looking good!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I cant believe the Holiday season is starting...........time really does fly. I am going to the mountains again this year, up to my sisters in New Germantown, PA. It is beautiful there and very tranquil. I am looking forward to taking another hike up the mountain as we did last year, counting on my brother Duke and in-law Pat to do it again with me.

I have still been eating well and am keeping the weight off but the exercising has eluded me! Well, actually I have totally abandon exercising, and I can feel the difference. I am more active that I have ever been which is keeping the weight off but as I have said before, need to step it up again to lose, but am thrilled that I have learned how to eat right and maintain my weight. I know exercising is also to keep a healthy lifestyle, and I will continue to keep it apart of my life. I just need to get back into a routine, so much harder than it sounds, although I know allot of people do understand that..............I so understand why people need trainers to keep them motivated, guide them and push them.

Well I have not sold my house yet, if fact I am now trying to rent it out at this time..... The market is still bad and I cant afford to even break even at this time, so Im gonna hold on and hopefully rent it soon. I will then move into my brothers house and that will help both of us right now. I will get to see more of my nephew and still get to live in a beautiful home and add my womens touch to the house. My Brother is willing to let me do whatever I want as far a decorating and Im actually looking forward to it.

“Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe". Saint Augustine

Well time to go for now, but will keep you posted, Happy Thanksgiving to All

Until Later, Bonnie

Happy Halloween everyone! Candy candy candy....................Thank Goodness I am not a sweets girl. Im not too worried about all the candy around because I’d rather have potato chips.

Things have been crazy since I returned from my vacation. My cousin Philip, who is more like a brother to me and at times, a father figure (he was also named after my father and I also have a brother named Philip who we call Duke) had a terrible accident Sunday morning about 5am, a week ago today.........He is in ICU in Christiana Hospital. We are not sure exactly what happened because he is not able to communicate with us and the doctors said he may not even remember because it is a brain injury. We think he must have gotten up to go to the bathroom and his sugar was low, (he is a diabatic) or he was just half asleep, opened the wrong door and fell down the basement steps. He has bleeding in the brain in 2 areas, broke his nose, jaw, fractured both of his eye sockets and there is a problem with his aorta vein in his neck. He has since developed pneumonia and although he is breathing on his own (Thank God) he is on a vent and has a tube going down his throat which is helping to keep is lungs as clear as possible. His temperature is fluctuating up and down, up to 103, but this is also expected due to the pneumonia.

The doctors think he didn’t realize what was happening because the 1st reaction of someone falling is to put their arms out to try and protect themselves from the fall, Philip did not do this because he has no broken bones anywhere but in his face, which took the whole impact of the fall. He had open heart surgery 2 years ago and his heart is strong (Thank God again), that is also when they found out he was also a diabatic, he started on insulin right away.

My family has been keeping a vigil at the hospital since, and Thank God again that I have a huge wonderfully strong family. We have been taking turns and staying with my cousin Susan (Phils wife) as she wouldn’t leave the hospital for the 1st 6 days, we have at least been able to convince her to go to her sisters house at night and sleep in a real bed, and its only 5 minutes away from the hospital so she can get there quickly if need be.....................I will keep you posted but please include Philip in your prayers, as it will be a long recovery either way.

Well as far as Me................I am still eating pretty good but haven’t been to the gym in over 2 months, I went to the doctor on Wednesday and according to their records have lost 32 lbs since my last visit in Sept. 2009. I apparently had gained another 10 lbs from Sept. 2009 to Jan. 2010, which I can totally believe because I was in such a bad place, I did nothing but eat in my depression, and when you don’t move much and eat a lot, it is easy to put on 10 lbs.
I was attempting to take my own food to the hospital, salads and fruit, small cooler full of water, but that didn’t last long! So I am either not eating at all or doing the vending machine thing, not good, but I am aware and changing that too!

I am still not working, as now I also have to take Delaware State boards, DE has recently changed their regulations and are no longer having reciprocity with PA. Im going to have to take my State boards again and will do it soon, as I need to get back to work but am actually grateful Im not working right now so I can be there for my family. I have not forgotten everything I need to do, and I am preparing myself for everything.

No luck with selling my house yet, thinking about maybe renting it out. This year started out being a great year, meeting Sara (my trainer) my friend Rose getting the ball rolling for me. Im not sure what happened but Im not gonna give up. Im gonna step up...................and keep going in a positive direction. Even though I haven’t been working out like I need too, I still feel Im heading in the right direction. I have learned so much about myself and my body over the last 9 months and I can truly say I have made changes that will stay with me forever!

"Walking your talk is a great way to motivate yourself. No one likes to live a lie. Be honest with yourself, and you will find the motivation to do what you advise others to do" ~Vince Poscente

Until Later, Bonnie

Hello everyone I have been having some good things happening along with the not so good one, but making the best of it. I have kept the weight off, 43 lbs, and believe I have lost a few more.............but I have not been to the gym so check on their scale, which is the one I have been using since day one So that is the one that matters, and I don’t have a scale at home anyway. I am going to the doctor tomorrow and will also see what I weighed a year ago, long before I started my journey. I will keep you posted on that one. My weigh in date for Plexus is January 14, 2011, which really is right around the corner. I may have to pull a “Biggest Loser” move or go to a fat farm or something Lol, just kidding, I know the way to really lose is a life style, and I am doing that and I havent given up.

I went on vacation to Florida with my girlfriends (My YaYa’s) and I did pretty well. We rented bikes for the week and rode 5-6 miles 4 of the days we were there. And I swam a lot, everyday either in the ocean or the pool......... I am definitely happy to exercise while in the water, I love to swim I guess because it doesn’t feel like exercise to me. I also decided to be the designated driver so that everyone could drink and enjoy their selves and I could not only save calories but money. It worked out well, although I must say I drank more last week than I have in a months. I save it for when we were at the condo. We had great weather too

So right now, the goal is the same for the weight loss, but even one pound closer is something Im gonna grab!

"Failure cannot cope with persistence." Napoleon Hill

Until Later, Bonnie

Hello everyone! Well, let me see, where do I start today. I am feeling and doing a lot better than my last entry. I am doing my best to re-frame and remind myself even though I may have stalled a bit, I can still do this. I have lost another 2lbs, so I am happy about that, brings me to a new total of 43lbs, still haven’t stepped it up like I surely need to, but Im not falling behind again.
It also makes me realize how important your trainer is to your success. I use to think, who needs a trainer, either your gonna do it or your not, but I have come to realize having a good trainer is key. My trainer Sara can motivate me like no other. I haven’t worked out with her most of the summer. I thought I would be ok without her for awhile and didn’t want her to worry about me. I have come to realize why and how important they are to reaching your goal. No wonder so many people hire great trainers, not only do they motivate you, but you have someone you have to answer too. Someone who will see changes more than anyone else. Sara’s winning smile and her presence has been greatly missed. I hope to be working out with her again soon I miss you Sara!

I have been working hard getting my house ready and have gotten rid of so much stuff, even though it doesn’t look like it, I can feel it. Actually my basement surely looks a lot different I cant believe how much stuff I have accumulated over the last 12 years living in this house. When I started getting rid of things, I would discover new boxes behind boxes and realized I never unpacked them from when I moved in. Yes, some sentimental stuff, but still just stuff. So I decided to go with my number one rule that I have always used when I go shopping, which is, it has to be 3 reallys! When I shop, I don’t buy it unless I really, really, really want it.
I have know for years that I already had too much “stuff”. This rule has always worked for me and helped me to not buy something I really didnt need. It really does feel good to get rid of things, clean out drawers, closets, it's kind of freeing. It makes me feel more organized, well because I am more organized. I also realized Im not gonna buy any more cleaning supplies until I have used every cleaning product in my cabinets. I have doubles and triples of cleaning products, you forget you even have them, they are in a cabinet all the way in the back and you don’t see them, need to use them. Try it!

“We all need someone who inspires us to do better than we know how.”
- Anonymous

Until Later, Bonnie

Hi Everyone! I was getting back on track, and somehow I have managed to sabotage myself again.
Its so hard to stay motivated! I so want to get back to where I was, thinking positive and the feeling that you can do anything you set your mind too! It just seems to be getting harder instead of easier, and then you fumble again and cant even manage to pick yourself up. It starts to feel like everything is just too hard. You read wonderful words of inspiration and think yes, then the next minute the words have left you and you cant even remember what they were. You wonder how others keep doing it day after day, and you remember that it use to be you helping to motivate others and you just cant figure out what happened to yourself.

You start to double guess yourself and think maybe I did try to change too many things all at once, even though when you started, you were so positive of the goals you wanted to achieve and they didn’t seem so out of reach.

Im still spinning my wheels, and I say to myself Im not gonna give up. Yet somehow you have totally given up and are just fooling yourself. I don’t know where I am going and cant seem to see the future like I always did. I know I am over thinking things. Im in that rut of saying, ok tomorrow I will step it up and start again, then you don’t. You feel the disappointment in others and feel like you cant face anyone, you know you have not only let yourself down, but everyone!

I have to get over it and just do it, I went to the gym when I was at my heaviest and faced everyone, what makes it different now?

“When life knocks you down, try to land on your back. Because if you can look up, you can get up” ~ Les Brown

Until Later, Bonnie

Hi everyone Well I have had a lot going on. I am happy to say I have lost the 5lbs I put back on, so my total goes back to 41 lbs Thank God I have to say, one of the best things I have learned is how to eat better. I know I will never go back to the way I use to eat. I always ate fast food regularly, working in an office and buying lunch everyday was a really bad habit, not only was it costly but so bad for you. Its really nothing but grease and processed foods, and it sure doesn’t help you get through the afternoon easily. I now take notice of how the things I eat make me feel. I would just drag in the afternoon after eating lunch. My body does tell me now what it needs. I actually crave salads and greens! I still crave my Taco Bell, lol, but I order from the light menu which is very tasty and only half the calories and fat as a regular taco. I have said before and will say again, I can never give up my Taco Bell! That will always be my special treat. I’ve also learned to eat my biggest meal at lunch and a lighter dinner.
I have some things I need to work on there though, as it does make me want a late night snack after a light dinner. One of my favorite new snacks is soybeans, add some spices to them and snack away. I finally found them in the grocery store and just love them. Another favorite is humus and carrots.

Im still having a tuff time with the career change, and have been having a really hard time focusing. I love my new career but have run into some problems with my licence and need to get that straighten out, but have no regrets on changing my career. Im taking longer than I should but not gonna give up.

I want to start mediating, Empowered Yoga has just added a new meditation room that I want to check out, I so need to put my mind at ease and learn to focus again, one of the things I have been struggling with. I have so many things on my mind I cant seem to prioritize well. Im still all over the place. This was always a strong point for me, focusing on what I want and able to prioritize. Still so many things to accomplish, and I know we will always have a list, but I need my list to change and not still have the same things on it!

I still have 4 months to reach my weight loss goal, I started to give up on myself, then realized I really have no choice, I have to continue doing what I need to do, no matter what your goal is, you have to keep working towards it, and when you reach it, give yourself a break and start with a new goal. Its really the only way to live!

“Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's TRUE strength”

Until Later, Bonnie