Looking back at the past year I am so thankful for the wonderful opportunity that KGBX and my sponsors have given me to change my life…A year ago I had hoped that at the end of the year I would be “the perfect size” that was in my head and that I would see a huge dramatic change in the way I look. I can definitely see a change, just not as much of one in my physical appearance as I had hoped for. Somehow this year just took some twists and turns that I allowed to get in the way of the results I had originally hoped for. But maybe that isn’t such a bad thing….I have stepped back and looked at my journey over the last year and I have decided that the process really is as important as the results, maybe more so. I have learned so much in the past year about fitness, nutrition, health from Dave and Amasa at the Meyer Center; overcoming my fears, believing in myself, and enjoying my journey rather than focusing on the “destination” from my life coach Rosie. I have learned to Zumba, and to “Spin” and I have had a blast learning to shop again. A year ago I had to order a dress from the internet because I couldn’t walk into a store and find something that fit. The dress I got still wasn’t what I wanted and I had to settle. Tonight I walked into 2 stores and had so many to choose from that actually looked good and I realized even if I have a ways to go, how far I have actually come. I have been looking back through pictures from the past year and am posting the pic I sent when I entered the Lifestyle Makeover Contest a year ago. And here is one of my latest pictures in a new outfit. I am heading to Tanger next weekend for my final shopping spree and can hardly contain my excitement!

My rosacea seems to be a thing of the past. Rosacea is a condition that causes your skin to be inflamed and red and causes breakouts. It had embarrassed me on so many occasions and made me not want to go places. I had spent a fortune on makeups and powders to cover it and had started looking into laser treatment. DermaHealth has been a such a blessing to me and I’m sure they didn’t know when they signed up as a sponsor that they would have someone who needed them so desperately. Here are picture of me before treatment and after. It’s a little scary to look at and hard for me to put on here for everyone to see, but I think you really need to see them to know what I was dealing with during a flare up. I have had NO flares since starting treatment with DermaHealth and am so pleased with my skin.

I have a new hair cut and color from Paulette and Sa’Dia at Accents Salon. I feel youthful and fashionable again and my friends and family are always telling me how cute I look now. I will get my last cut and color next week before my big reveal at the KGBX Women’s Show.

Looking back at the last year I realize I am a much better “me” which was my goal all along. I am setting a better example for my children and teaching them how to take care of themselves. I have learned to look at life in different ways, acknowledge and confront my fears, and I am ready to face the rest of my life. This year will not be the end of my makeover, but the beginning. I will continue on this journey to better physical and mental health. I will definitely continue my membership at the Meyer Center and will make exercise a part of my life. I am just so thankful to KGBX for believing in my ability to make these changes enough to select me for this awesome opportunity. I hope to see all of you at the show!

It is with so many thoughts that I write this blog. The last month has been a difficult one. As if the holidays don’t bring enough stress, I have been to the Emergency Room 3 times and outpatient surgery 2 times with Pat for kidney stones and knee surgery! He has had some complications and so we are on our way back to the doctor within hours. I have spent many hours sitting in medical waiting rooms the last several weeks. I feel like I have been living on adrenaline and grabbing whatever I can whenever I can to eat and my results show it.

On the other hand, I have learned so much during my journey the last ten months. I think sometimes it’s so easy to get caught up in the results that I forget to concentrate on the journey and what I have learned this month. I have definitely learned that I eat out of stress and anxiety. I have also learned that when I don’t exercise I don’t feel well and I don’t cope with things as well as when I am moving every day. I had hoped to get through the holidays without gaining any weight and sadly, that didn’t happen. Though I only gained a little, I probably would have beaten myself up about this before my makeover. Now I have learned from talking to Rosie, and Amasa, and Dave that I just need to start making different choices again TODAY!

The New Year always brings a time for reflection and thinking about what I want to do differently in the coming year. I have the added “bonus” of having a birthday on January 3rd, so it is usually a time of contemplation about what is working in my life and what isn’t working. It was about this time last year that I decided to enter the KGBX Lifestyle Makeover and work on changing my life. And my life HAS changed in so many ways. I haven’t lost as much weight as I had hoped, but I have made so many changes for the better in my attitude toward life, toward myself, my choices, what I want. I feel like a whole new me. I have learned that when I get off track a little I can make the choice to get back on the track and that is what I am doing now, today, as I head back to the Meyer Center to work out for the first time in several weeks…

The things I have learned this year are things I will have to practice the rest of my life to maintain a healthy weight and a healthy lifestyle. Amasa, and Dave have taught me so much about the healthy habits I need to keep to be physically fit. I can’t even begin to say how much Rosie has taught me and the skills she has helped me develop to deal with life! My skin is looking so much better thanks to DermaHealth and I love my new haircut from Sa’Dia at Accents. They have all played a part in helping me shape a new me. The rest is really up to me as I again make myself a priority in the year 2010. Happy New Year to all of you as I know many of have the same desire to change your life that I have. May you find a whole new you in 2010!

Wow! What a busy couple of weeks it's been. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I had a wonderful day with family. I did very well as far as eating clean and didn't overeat this year. I savored and enjoyed everything on my plate, but I was reasonable about my portions. I have been decorating the house for Christmas (a big project for me as I love Christmas and fill every space of my house with it!) and notice I have sooo much more energy this year. What a wonderful 9 months it has been for me. The last several weeks have been a lot of fun. I went to Tanger Outlets and got a bunch of new fall/winter clothes. The Izod, Bass, and Van Heusen stores were having great sales and I was able to get a lot of new things. Here is a picture of me trying on an outfit at Van Heusen. I didn't buy this outfit, but I did get some other things. We stayed at Thousand Hills in a cabin for the weekend. It was wonderful and romantic. We have stayed there before and I was so excited to go again. Here is a picture of us while we were in Branson, celebrating 4 years together.

I had another visit to Accents Salon, this time to Sa'dia. She cut and colored my hair. I LOVE the new style she gave me and can't begin to say how many compliments I have had on the cut as well as the color. Pat absolutely loved my new hairstyle and I think I have found the style I want to stick with for awhile. See my pics here. Accents is a friendly and warm salon and both Paulette and Sa'dia have done a great job for me. My hair is naturally curly and I am always very nervous about getting it cut and styled, but they have truly made the process painless and I am so pleased with everything they have done. I will definitely keep going there after my makeover year is over.

I will have my third DermaHealth appointment this week. My skin is looking beautiful again and I can't wait to see what it will look like after all 5 treatments. The second treatment was a little more painful than the first and left some bruising, but the results were definitely worth it! Still waiting to post pictures until the end of my treatment and then I will put up before and after photos that you won't believe!

My sessions with Rosie are going well. I have learned so much about myself and she has helped me through some rough transitions in my life this year. It is comforting to know that I can call her when I need help and support dealing with an issue. I have enjoyed our work together so much that this week she is coming to my place of employment to do a mini seminar for our whole staff! I am very excited to share her with all of them for a short time.

Amasa gave me a new workout this week. I have only gotten to go through it once, but she always tries to do things to keep things fresh for me. I am enjoying my Zumba class and still love going to the Meyer Center 4 to 5 times per week. My weight is just stable right now and I am right at the 30 pound loss mark. With all that has been going on in my life I am happy right now to be maintaining the loss that I accomplished early on. Dave, my nutritionist, keeps reminding me that these two months that I have been "stalled" are just a "blip" in the big scheme of my weight loss journey. I have just over 12 weeks of my makeover left and it's time to push and try to lose some more of the weight. I am more than happy with what I have accomplished so far and my life is so much healthier than this time last year. I walked into the hospital to see my grandmother last week and my uncle didn't recognize me! That was a huge wake up call to how much I have really changed on the outside. But I have changed on the inside even more. I have much more energy and feel like I can accomplish ANYTHING I want to. Thanks to KGBX and all my sponsors for making this year possible for me and for my family. Happy Holidays to all of you…

I had my second visit with DermaHealth last week. I had a laser treatment to remove the veins on my face from my rosacea. This treatment was a little more intense than the first treatment but I can really see a difference already. Marcy was great and they always treat me wonderfully there.

Last weekend was very special to me, as I helped my oldest son complete his Eagle Scout project. See a picture of the two of us here. This is something that has been a long time coming and it was great to have the energy and stamina to help him work on it all day long. It was a beautiful day in every way and I spent some time that day contemplating how wonderful my life is in so many ways and how far I have come on my journey. Rosie continues to be such a blessing and helps me with so many issues in my life, big and small. She has a way of putting things in perspective.

I am meeting with Dave, my nutritionist at the Meyer Center, tomorrow morning. Between visits he encourages me through emails and he and Amasa have been great. She has given me quite a few workouts to choose from. Last week she set up a cardio express workout that I can get in quickly when I am short on time. She is always willing to listen to my frustrations and help me feel better about things. I will definitely renew my membership at the Meyer Center when my year is up.

It’s hard to believe I’m two thirds of the way through my makeover. I still have so much more I want to accomplish this year. However, I am very proud of how far I have already come. I live a much healthier lifestyle and have learned to confront my fears.

This weekend Pat and I will be spending the weekend at Thousand Hills Golf Resort. We are ready for a getaway and are very excited about it. We will shop at Tanger Outlets while we are there. I am looking forward to a new fall wardrobe. I have had so many emails from friends and family telling me how great I look and even though my weight loss is stalled right now, I feel fantastic! My life has changed in many ways and I am so grateful for every part of this experience. Thank you to KGBX and my sponsors for everything!

This month I find myself struggling with the weight loss aspect of my makeover. I know I have not been doing what I know is necessary to achieve weight loss. I have been frustrated with myself because I feel like I have lost my focus somewhat. When I think about it I realize that with a new job and 5 kids I have had other things that have required my energy. Anyone who has tried to lose weight knows it takes focus and energy to do it! I have had discussions about it with Rosie, Amasa, and Dave. All of them remind me that this makeover is about the big picture and the changes I have made for the better. I met with Dave this morning and actually had my first slight gain. I was, of course, disappointed because I have done so well up until now. He reminded me that sometimes we have to “push” and other times in our lives we have to “coast” because of other things requiring our attention. I guess I have been “coasting” this month. Now, with the holidays approaching, it is time to push! So I’m refocusing and again making myself the priority. I am about halfway to the goal I set for myself at the beginning of this journey. I have maintained my workouts at least 5 times a week and still look forward to going to the Meyer Center almost every day. Now I just have to get my nutrition back on track. Rosie told me that I am not off the track, I’m just not as far down it as I had hoped I would be at this point! She certainly has me figured out!

I got some awesome news from my new sponsor, DermaHealth. I was diagnosed with rosacea about a year and a half ago. I have flares which can be very severe with flushing and breakouts. I never even had breakouts as a teenager and here I am at 42 with a red, pimply face! Anyway, medicine has helped control it somewhat, but I have wanted to have laser treatment for awhile now. I met with DermaHealth and they have offered me LaserGenesis treatments! I am so excited as this is the best treatment for rosacea. I met with Nancy and she was wonderful and explained what the laser could do for me. I had my first treatment last week. They use a laser that destroys the vessels under the skin that are inflamed, causing the symptoms of rosacea. I will have a series of 5 treatments, each 4 weeks apart. I was a little apprehensive at my first treatment, not knowing how it would feel. It really just felt like I was standing by a bonfire as my face got warm under the laser. Marcy, the nurse, was absolutely terrific and explained how everything works and exactly what she was doing. I am so anxious to see the final result and will post pictures showing my progress. I have a picture of a bad breakout that I will share after my last treatment. It is an absolutely awful picture that I would probably never show anyone, but it shows what a typical case of rosacea looks like and I want all of you to see the difference in my skin. This is an absolute miracle of an offer for me and I am so grateful to DermaHealth for their services.

As part of my makeover I received a 3 day/2 night stay at Thousand Hills Resort in Branson. We will be going in November and can’t wait to get away. I’m also looking forward to another shopping trip to Tanger Outlet Mall while we are there. I have dropped 3 sizes and I’m looking forward to some new fall clothes. I finally had to buy a new chef’s jacket for work. See a picture of me in it here…

This whole makeover has been a dream come true and even though I’m struggling this month my life has changed beyond measure. I couldn’t do it without the help and support of KGBX, the Meyer Center, Rosie, Dave, Amasa, and all my sponsors. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! Time to get back on the track and “push”!

This week I have consultation with DermaHealth. I am so looking forward to this appointment because I have been struggling with rosacea for several years. I am anxious to see what they can do to help me with my skin issues. I am still enjoying my new wardrobe from Tanger and am looking forward to going again in another month to find some new Fall and Winter clothes. I will need some soon because most of what I have no longer fits! It feels awesome to pull something out of the closet that used to be too small, only to find that now it’s already too big! I have dropped 3 dress sizes already and am smaller than I have been in at least ten years.

Thank you to all of you who send me encouragement through email or Facebook. It is nice to know so many of you are cheering me on. I hope that in turn, I can be of some support to all of you.

I think sometimes we expect to see such a dramatic change on the outside, and while I do see those changes in my outward appearance, the most drastic change has been on the inside and how I feel about myself. I feel really beautiful for the first time in a long time and I am enjoying life so much! This truly has been a LIFEstyle makeover for me. I’m looking forward to the second half of my makeover year. I can’t begin to imagine how I will feel after six more months with all my terrific sponsors. I’m not saying it has been easy so far, but all the work has well been worth it. I truly know that the rest of my life will be so different because of this experience…So here’s to more hard work and continuing the journey to a better me!

Weight loss this month has really plateaued. Part of the problem has just been stress. Last week was a particularly clear example the kind of month it has been. My son had surgery last Friday and was sick for 5 days afterward, unable to keep anything down. On Monday my daughter and stepdaughter got rear ended and so I spent the next several days in the ER/cardiologist's office/ER again/cardiologists office again and dealing with the insurance companies. They are okay thankfully, but not without some scary moments as they both have heart problems and we have to be very careful with their health. On the way home from the Meyer Center Wednesday night I realized my front tire was flat so I spent the next evening removing it and taking it to be repaired. In the middle of all of this, I am dealing with new responsibilities at work and my washing machine decided to quit! Sooo, it's been a busy and stressful week and that has definitely affected my fitness and food plans. I know this is what life is all about and am trying to keep it in perspective. When I met with Dave, my nutritionist at the Meyer Center, the other day he also helped put it in perspective. He said we will all have "lapses" in following our program. These can last a day or two. Or we can have "relapses" which can last a month or so. What we don't want to happen is to have a "collapse"! I know I must work to keep this from happening. I've certainly had more lapses than I would like this month but haven't even really had a relapse as I've done well most days. I just haven't been able to get all the workouts in that I would like to or been quite as faithful in keeping my food journal. I know I have to recommit to doing those things again and hope that life settles down just a little to help me out! I did realize during all that was happening last week though, that I would have unraveled from the stress a year ago. That didn't happen. With my new lifestyle, my new confidence, and better health I was able to handle the stress in a much healthier way and know that I was going to come through okay. That's what this makeover is doing for me. It truly is about changing my life and the "big picture" and I am so grateful to KGBX and all my other sponsors for making it possible! I promise to blog again soon and hopefully will have some good news to share about the weight loss part of my journey!

I also got my hair done at Accents Salon by Paulette again. She does such a great job. My hair is naturally curly and I am always nervous about letting someone new style my hair. Paulette totally understands curly hair (hers is curly too) and I have been so pleased both times. The color was beautiful too. I will continue to go to her after my makeover ends because she has done a fantastic job.

My weight loss has been stagnant over the last few weeks. Life has been super busy and stressed and I’m finding that when my life is like that I am at my most vulnerable to bad eating habits. I have learned that I have to plan ahead especially on those days and make sure I have healthy options available. I have spent the last several days refocusing and getting back on track. Dave is very helpful with keeping me motivated and helping me understand what my body needs. I am still enjoying my membership at Meyer Center and Amasa is awesome. She has given me several different workouts to keep it interesting, including one I can use at home with a physio ball and hand weights, as well as one that I can do if I have nothing but a chair at my disposal. She is always so encouraging to me. I know the weight loss will pick up again now that I am back into my fitness and eating routine.

Rosie has been fantastic and I am beginning to understand myself better. This part of the Lifestyle Makeover has been so important for me because I want to get to the bottom of why I put the weight on in the first place so that it never comes back. She has enticed me into entering a 5K this weekend with her and some of the other Lifestyle Makeover Finalists! I am very excited and nervous all at the same time. If you had told me 4 months ago that I would EVER run again I would have thought you were crazy. It’s amazing what taking off 25+ pounds will do. I am now jogging and believe that one day I might be a runner again. This weekend I will most likely be walking and light jogging, but at least I’m doing it and I am very proud of myself for taking the risk. I will post pictures of the event with my next blog.

It has been anything but easy so far, but I am really learning a lot and truly feel like I’m changing my lifestyle permanently. Even when I have slipped back into bad habits, I have been able to recognize very quickly and refocus my efforts. That is what I will need to do the rest of my life to stay fit and healthy. Thank you so much KGBX for this opportunity!

Week 10 and I have finally hit my first “Big” goal…25 pounds. I am now officially out of the 200s and that feels great! Of course it’s been a lot of work and hasn’t been easy at times, but this really is about a total “Lifestyle Makeover”. My life is totally different now than before I began my makeover. I have learned that I really have to purposely schedule exercise into my daily schedule or it simply won’t get done. And I really do like to exercise I’ve found, but it’s so easy to find other things to do if I don’t plan ahead. Pat and I go to the Meyer Center 5 or 6 times a week. It is so helpful to have an exercise partner, whether it’s a friend or a spouse. We know we are accountable to each other on the days we feel like putting it off. Pat has lost 18 pounds himself and had the best checkup he’s had in years. Exercise has done so much for our energy level and I am starting to feel like a completely different person! My thoughts around nutrition have changed too. This also takes some planning so that I make good choices. Having a Subway on site at the Meyer Center also helps us eat healthy after our workouts and is one of my favorite things about the center. One of my other favorite things is Amasa, my trainer. She is so encouraging and knowledgeable and I can always count on her and Dave, my nutritionist, to fill me in on what I need to be doing to get the results I want. See a picture of Amasa and me here.

I also accomplished another big goal this week and was able to jog/run for the first time in years. I ran track in high school and loved to run, but after several knee injuries and surgeries, I had given up on the idea of ever being able to run again. The fact that I was willing to try says a lot about how I feel physically.

It’s almost time to start shopping for new clothes at Tanger Outlet Center too. I am so looking forward to that. Many of my clothes are way too large on me and this weekend I plan to clean out my closets and get rid of those clothes forever! It’s so odd to me that I cannot see the weight loss when I look in the mirror even though I’ve had so many compliments about how good I’m looking. I am trying to understand what it is in my head that just cannot visualize myself thin. It’s been 24 years since I was an “ideal” size, so maybe that has something to do with it. I just know that it’s something I will have to continue to work on. I do see it a little in my face in this picture of my daughter and me taken at a wedding last weekend. My face is definitely looking thinner!

Things with Rosie, my life coach, are going great. She is really helping me to feel empowered about my life. The way I am seeing the world is changing as much as my body. It’s time to overcome fears that have held me back from doing things I really want to do. She has a way of framing things that makes me really stop and think. Especially about being gentle with myself.

I am feeling so much more confident about myself. I think sometimes we think that losing weight will give us confidence, but I’m realizing it’s the JOURNEY that gives us the confidence. Showing myself that I CAN do what I set out to do is so much more important than what size I eventually end up. Just knowing I can set a goal for myself and really work to achieve it is amazing.

Thanks to KGBX and all of my sponsors for the opportunity to learn all of this about myself and put it into practice every day. And thanks to all of you who have been so encouraging to me along the way. I still have a ways to go, but I’m taking it one day at a time…

I’ve lost 6 more pounds since my last blog, bringing me to a total of 18 pounds. The weight loss has definitely slowed down a bit the last couple of weeks, but I have maintained my loss and I am continuing to work out and keep track of what I’m eating. Dave, my nutritionist, and Amasa, my trainer, say I am doing great so I will just continue to keep doing what they are teaching me and believe that the weight loss will pick up again. They are both so encouraging. I have been going to the Meyer Center 6 days a week and working hard. Pat (who has also lost 18 pounds!) and I have been taking a Strength Training class on Monday nights. Jennifer (last year’s winner) and her husband are in that class also. It’s great to have her there for encouragement!

It’s amazing how different I feel after only six weeks. I do not come home and sit on the couch and watch television after work anymore. Instead, we head to the Meyer Center. I can still watch tv there, but I’m active while I’m doing it. My whole thought process is changing also. Rosie, my life coach, is really helping me learn how fear controls so much of what we do. We talk for an hour each week about challenges and opportunities and she really helps me stay focused. I am really starting to believe that I can conquer anything.

I have really been thinking today about how much I have changed in so many areas. We went to Oklahoma this weekend to see Pat’s new grandbaby. Normally I would have used the trip as an excuse to eat whatever I wanted, but we went to the store once we got there and shopped for healthier choices. The only time we ate out was at Subway where we can always find something healthy. We even drove 5 hours and went straight to Meyer Center to work out before coming home to unpack! Before this makeover I would have gone straight home and crashed for hours because I would have been exhausted from the trip! What a refreshing change to have extra energy.

I went to Accents Salon last week for a new cut and color. Paulette was great! I absolutely love my new color and my hair looks so much healthier. I am posting some pictures of my new “do”. They were absolutely wonderful to me at Accents and I so enjoyed my afternoon there.

I have dropped a full size and even some of my things in the new size are loose. It is almost time to start using some of my Tanger Outlet Center gift certificates. I am truly looking forward to that as I love to shop!

I am so thankful to KGBX and all my sponsors for the chance to change my life!