JUSTJOSS's SparkPeople Blog

For my mom...

Sun, 12 May 2013 19:24:38 EST

My mom died on September 16, 1978 at the age of 37. She had a brain tumor. She was diagnosed when I was 5 years old. Given 6 months, she was a fighter & would live for 3 more years. My mom never complained, never asked "why me", her only worry was her "jocie". She was not ready to leave me. My mother probably loved me more in 8 short years than some love their children for many more.

Last Sunday I turned 43. I have lived almost 6 years beyond my precious "mommy". Thankfully...

Forget it ... I refuse to give up.

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 17:17:45 EST

I could write a long, never-ending, excuse filled blog on how my weight loss train derailed. But I have decided to make it real simple...

I am here, I am determined, and I am going to get to 150 this year.

I am not starting over ... I am moving forward.

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Me

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 16:12:59 EST

Greetings to all my fabulous Sparkfriends. I apologize I have not been here. My family is moving into a new home, yay, my allergies are about to kill me, boo, and I have finally started my new job, yay, so time is not on my side these days.

I am still fighting the good fight, following the road, curves, bumps, detours and all. Also, I am still going to Weight Watchers although I am not following the points lately like I should be.

Thank you all for the St. Patty's day...

GS Cookies never cured a cold & other randomness...

Sat, 23 Feb 2013 21:22:30 EST

I have been taking a bit of a spark break. I did not mean for it to happen, it just kind of did.

So here is a little randomness. Some stuff I learned, some stuff I have been thinking, some stuff...

*A sleeve of Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies will not cure a cold/sinus infection.
*I went to my Weight Watchers meeting this week & gained back 2.6 lbs. Again, proof that GS cookies do not cure a cold.
*Despite my weight gain I still had a "win" this week at Weight ...

Detour

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 09:00:05 EST

Nothing can add a detour to the journey like a cold/sinus infection. For 10+ miserable days I have gone from starving my cold (just could not keep food down, did not want to eat) to stuffing my cold. The last 2 days or so all I have wanted to do is eat.

Throughout it all ... I tracked my points. I may have missed a piece of licorice or 2, but other than that, I tracked the chocolate chip ice cream, the valentine candy that I swiped from the munchkin, and all the other bad foods....

WW Week 7: My Valentine

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 13:54:23 EST

Today is Week 7 on my Weight Watchers journey. Although I did weigh in this morning, I did not make the meeting. For a week I have been battling a cold & sinus infection. My face hurts so bad I feel as though someone took a bike pump & pumped my cheeks beyond capacity so I decided to come home & rest.

I was not sure what to expect. Not feeling well I have not nearly walked like I did last week, but I have not eaten a whole lot either. I actually had 20+ weekly points leftover....

Fat Tuesday

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 09:03:48 EST

Definition: Fat Tuesday is the traditional name for the day before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. It is more commonly known as Mardi Gras, which is simply Fat Tuesday in French. It gets its name from the custom, in many Catholic countries, of marking the day with feasting before the fasting season of Lent begins.

~Courtesy of about.com

Although today is "Fat Tuesday" there will be no splurging for me. This is not an excuse for me to indulge. I am still contempl...

Sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching...

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 09:30:28 EST

This message is for my cold:

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Live for the Day, Not for the Weigh In

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 08:36:57 EST

I am sure I do not have to tell anyone that life is too short. I didn't realize it in my teens & twenties, but I guarantee you I know it now in my forties. Sometimes I stop & wonder what happened to my thirties.

Last December I made the decision to give up drive thru eating and on January 3rd I went back to weight watchers. Now I find myself living for my Thursday weigh in at my WW meeting. I admit I was a little slow to get on board the WW program, but over 2 weeks ago I came ...

WW Week 6: Love handles; Not so Lovely

Thu, 7 Feb 2013 12:23:53 EST

Today was my weekly Weight Watchers meeting & weigh in. I am sick as a dog with a cough & chest congestion but just could not miss. I kept my germs to myself.

It was worth it. I lost another 2.6 pounds. 8.4 total.

This past week I tracked every single point. On Tuesday I had to use 2 activity points to make up for my 2 point overage, but I didn't dwell on it like I normally would, I just kept moving.

The meeting was great. Our leader Lori truly found her...

If only there were a bottle for that...

Tue, 5 Feb 2013 16:01:57 EST

Do you ever wish that when felt happiness, inner strength, courage, will-power, or anything positive that there was a bottle that you could use to capture that feeling? Then for the times when you are feeling sad, defeated, tired, afraid you could pull that bottle off the shelf & renew yourself with what you need?

I think about that from time to time. Today at lunchtime I decided that it was time to break my drive thru ban & have my husband buzz thru the Taco Bell drive thru. Ba...

Wine a Bit ... You'll Feel Better

Mon, 4 Feb 2013 09:17:42 EST

Throughout my neighborhood, this flag can be seen in quite a few of the yards..

I have to admit, I have never been much of a wine drinker. I will drink a glass for a special occasion or around the holidays, but overall, not much more than that. Wine usually gives me a headache & truth be told, I have never had much of a taste for it ... until now.

I tried a sparkling Italian wine at the Oliv...

Half Off

Sun, 3 Feb 2013 16:32:30 EST

Today marks 11 days that I have been tracking all my Weight Watchers points. No small accomplishment for me.

I have had to learn a lot about budgeting my points, discipline, and portion control. I have made it a "point" (no pun intended) to watch my portions way more closely than I ever have before because I know if I blow my points at breakfast, the rest of the day will be fruits, veggies, and little else. Not bad, but not always what your hungry for.

So although I ...

WW: Week 5 Forgive Yourself

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 11:39:45 EST

Last week I made the commitment to add every bite, lick, and sip to my WW point tracker. No more cheating, no more thinking I could get away with either not tracking everything or simply not tracking at all. I did it. I tracked everything. I used every point without going over. I lost 4.4 lbs.

Today I shared with our group leader, who asked me to share with the group, one thing this week other than my tracking that made a difference. I shared that I had to forgive myself. No...

A Given vs. A Goal

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 23:12:16 EST

A Given.
I have not set better health as a goal. This is a given. I never wake up in the morning thinking I would love for my blood pressure to be too high, my acid reflux to cause me pain or for my over-all health & well-being to be bad that day. Better health is a given. I want to live longer, watch my munchkin grow up, know my grandchildren ... all givens.

Better health & a longer life for me ... given.

A Goal.
I have set several major goals for myself. ...

Never Underestimate the Power of a Point

Sat, 26 Jan 2013 14:14:37 EST

I am in Weight Watchers transformation mode. I made the decision on Thursday morning that good or bad, I was determined to track every bite, lick, and sip that went into my mouth or the reality is, WW will not work for me if I don't. I had to start facing what I ate.

Today I am tracking day 3. I am amazed at all the great food I can eat for little points! I am trying Progresso Lite Soups for the first time. 2 points per cup & a cup fills me up. The day started with a cup of f...

WW: Week 4 Tracking those points!

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 08:35:54 EST

Yesterday was my 4th WW weigh in & 3rd meeting. Wow, what a turnout. It was by far the busiest meeting yet. Wouldn't you know the center blew a router that morning & our poor leaders had to take all the member's info by hand. At least we were able to get weighed in.

The meeting was great as usual. There is a lot of positive, valuable member feedback. Our leader Lori does an awesome job of encouraging people to speak up and share. I shared some of the same tracking woes that ...

My name is jocelyn and...

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 09:19:47 EST

Today along my journey to weight loss I came across a billboard...

Boom. There it was in black & white. I realized this morning that I have not been tracking my weight watchers points because I was too afraid of facing everything that I ate. The points tracker has become like everything else, my scale, my mirror, my tight pants ... all are reminders that I have an unhealthy relationship with food. I ...

For MLK...

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 21:04:51 EST

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50

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 08:45:12 EST

I have not eaten anywhere with a drive thru in 50 days. No fries on the fly, no dangerous dunkin donuts doughnuts, no cheeseburgers in paradise, no fast food in 50 days. It may seem like a small acheivement, not to me.

I pass drive thrus every single day. There are many times it would be just easier to zip thru a drive thru for a quick hunger fix, but I don't. Many think "there are healthy choices...

WW: Week 3 Where I want to be, not where I was.

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 11:31:59 EST

Today was my 3rd Weight Watchers visit. Drumroll please...

I lost 3.4 lbs from last week & I am down 2.8 lbs overall! Yay!

I am so glad I was able to stay for the meeting today. Before the meeting started, a few of us were talking. It turns out that Allison, who like me was back to WW after being gone for 5 or so years, lives a block away in my neighborhood! It was as if she were reading my mind when she said "how about we get together a few times a week & walk". W...

Reflection Inspiration

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 18:13:53 EST

Inspiration comes from many, many different places. Often, inspiration is found in the success that others have enjoyed. When you read about fellow sparkers or simply your fellow man losing 40, 60, 80, 100+ pounds, it is nearly impossible to not be inspired.

I have never been one to look at myself in the mirror. I am not fishing for compliments or looking for a self esteem boost, this is just my reality. The other day I found myself staring long & hard at my reflection. I came...

I am never starting over again.

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 08:02:39 EST

I woke up this morning. Did I eat perfectly over the weekend ... no. Did I get all the exercise in that I had planned ... no. But guess what? I still managed to wake up today, a Monday even. It did not kill me. My obituary is not appearing anywhere. So am I starting over this morning ... No.

This whole notion of "Starting Over" works for a lot of people. It doesn't for me anymore. I move forward. Because everything I do is not wrong, everything I do is not perfect and yes...

For Rev. Ed...

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 00:43:25 EST

Peace be with you.
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WW: Week 2 Lessons Learned

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 11:34:05 EST

Today I went to my 2nd Weight Watchers meeting. There it was ... that square block in front of the nice, smiling leader behind the desk. The scale. Yesterday I had just gotten back from a 4 day trip to visit my best friend in Jacksonville so I was not sure what to expect. Sadly I had to miss the meeting because I had my 2 yr old with me & could hardly get him to stand still long enough for the weigh in, let alone a 30 minute meeting.

I gained .6. Honestly, I was not all that d...

Charmed ... I'm Sure

Sun, 6 Jan 2013 16:22:28 EST

As part of my commitment to my goals & mentioned in my last blog, I had decided to use the rope charm bracelet my husband gave me for Christmas as a reminder of what I want to accomplish this year.

I wanted to choose a charm that would mean something special. I first looked into adding 3 charms "1 5 5" to remind me of my weight loss goal, but unfortunately Pandora does not have individual number charms. So I looked through all their charms to find the pefect match. There it was....

225

Fri, 4 Jan 2013 18:23:57 EST

There it is ... 225. I stepped on the WW scale yesterday & that was the number. Yes, it is just a number, but I am done being 225.

Everyone has there motivation for losing weight. Some are shooting for a magic dress size, others are working towards eliminating medications attributed to their weight. My motivation is 155. That is my magic number, my goal, where I want to be in 2013.

Am I changing overnight? No. First I eliminated the drive thru. Yes, fast food i...

WW Meeting 1: I finally get it now.

Thu, 3 Jan 2013 18:42:38 EST

My first go around with Weight Watchers was nothing to write home about. I was not a fan of writing down everything I ate to figure out how many points I had left for the day. That along with lack luster meetings left wanting to head in a different direction and as I did, the scale headed in another direction as well. Up.

Today was a brand new day. My very first meeting back at WW. I have to admit I was a little apprehensive. Finally, I had to be accountable to another human ...

Blank Page

Tue, 1 Jan 2013 08:36:06 EST

Today is the start of a brand new year. No resolution for me. Resolutions are like diets in my world, they are short term and never last. Instead, today I choose to keep going.

In December I successfully gave up drive thru eating. The first 2 weeks were tough. I missed stopping at Dunkin Donuts for my twice weekly drive thru stop for a chocolate chip muffin or a creme filled donut. I missed stoppin...

A Thank You for When I Can't Always Thank You

Mon, 31 Dec 2012 07:55:19 EST

This is a "thank you" for all the times I could not personally visit all the sparkfriends who support me so much with sparkpage comments, blog comments, etc. I try to always personally thank everyone for sparkgoodies, but I know that there are times when I cannot always visit everyone when they are kind enough to offer support with their kind blog comments & stops on my page.

So as my journey continues into 2013, I want to say,,

~courtesy of twitter

Rubylites: Ruby will be on ABC's 20/20 on January 4th @ 10 pm eastern.

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Going Back

Sat, 29 Dec 2012 20:57:31 EST

I have decided to go back to Weight Watchers. I need the accountability and I really want to give the new point system a try. I have a new determination. This is not my New Year's resolution, this is not me starting over (again), this is me taking control of my life and doing everything I can to make sure I get it right this time. I am going to do everything I possibly can to change my life for the better.

He is too important not to.

While at home, my sister & I went walking. She totally kicked my butt, but it was great. The fresh, crisp air felt fabulous. Sh...

Am I Afraid to Lose?

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 09:21:07 EST

Am I afraid to lose the weight? If I had not been down this road before, the question would seem ridiculous to me.

Starting in the mid-nineties I became a corporate trainer for the company I worked for. I had been a size 12-14 for as long as I could remember, then after traveling & eating out for several years, I found myself in an 18 (if I had actually worn the size that properly fit) & over 212 lbs.

On one of my training trips to Michigan, a girl in the office had ...

Priceless.

Sun, 9 Dec 2012 17:56:21 EST

Gas for trip to Pennsylvania ... $200.00
Jacket for munchkin because we left his at home ... $14.00 at Wal-Mart

Pappy taking his only grandson to the fire station where he has been a lifetime firefighter...

Priceless.

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Christmas: Test One

Fri, 7 Dec 2012 10:37:01 EST

Today marks the first real test of the holiday season. We decided to head out this weekend to visit my parents since we won't be seeing them on Christmas plus we wanted the munchkin to get to see his cousins.

So far in December I have been doing pretty well. No drive thrus & have really picked up my exercise. Usually on a trip we hit the drive thru to save time but definitely not to save calories. This year is diffferent, I packed our lunch.

Tonight will be the real ...

A picture is worth...

Thu, 6 Dec 2012 08:21:43 EST

They say a picture is worth a thousand words ... boy they aren't kidding.

Yesterday we took the munchkin to get his picture taken for Christmas. At the end of the session, I decided to hop in the last picture so that Jake would have a picture of the two of us. My husband refused saying not until he loses 50 lbs. Since losing my mom so young, I think it is so important that as much as I detest having my picture taken, I know how precious pictures can be.

After the pict...

A "Shout Out" for the Rescues

Wed, 5 Dec 2012 00:34:27 EST

When my husband & I first married he became a dad ... to my golden retriever Libbie. Libbie was my then 7 year old golden retriever. I had always wanted a 2nd dog, a companion for Libbie. My husband told me "if you can find a miniture golden retreiver ... we'll get a 2nd dog.

About a year later I was checking out Project HALO (Helping Animals Live On) a no kill shelter in our area. Low & behold, among the many, heartbreaking pages of animals looking for forever homes, I found h...

My Christmas Wish

Tue, 4 Dec 2012 09:16:45 EST

I have so much to be thankful for this year, it would take days to name everything. I am so thankful for a healthy, happy child; a kind, patient, and lovng husband; a roof over our head and food on our table; we are employed; our loved ones are safe here at home and not fighting in wars far away; my supportive and fabulous friends both outside & inside spark.

There is so much that I wish for. I wish every military person could spend this holiday with their loved ones, that every ...

Life Lessons

Mon, 3 Dec 2012 09:14:23 EST

The amazing thing about being human is that as we grow older, we are always given the opportunity to grow as people if we are open to it.

I became a first time mom at 40. Honestly, I had not thought I would ever get married let alone have children. If you asked my family, they would probably tell you the same thing. After I turned 30, I decided that a career could only fulfill so much & that I wanted a family to share my life with. At 32, I was blessed to meet my now husband & ...

My Holiday Pin Up Girl

Sun, 2 Dec 2012 07:33:16 EST

I have long admired the pin up girls. There was actually a time when curves were celebrated instead of criticized. Women had a shape to their figure without being called over weight, obese or sadly, fat.

For the holidays, I wanted to change my profile picture for a more seasonal pin up girl. I love snowmen so when I found my current profile picture, she was the perfect fit for me.

I am really writing this blog in the hopes that my pin up girls (or more like their cl...

Drive thru? No thank you.

Sat, 1 Dec 2012 08:29:59 EST

Today is December 1st & there are no more excuses left to not turn my life around & work hard to reach my weight loss goals.

No more drive-thru's. No more quick trips thru McDonald's for a cheeseburger, no more stops at Dunkin Donuts for a hot chocolate & a muffin. No more Steak n Shake fries. Dr. Phil said it best ... food in wrappers will kill you.

Exercise. I am 42 years old and I am lazy. A few days ago I was chatting with a friend's sister n law who is a pers...

Being a Leader for Me

Fri, 23 Nov 2012 07:08:46 EST

Yesterday, after a lot of thought & consideration, I decided to step down as a co-leader for the Progress Not Perfection team. It was an incredibly tough decision, but I thought it was best.

For almost a year now I have struggled to get back on track. I have written motivating blogs, been to the brink of giving up, joined challenges, promised myself I would track food & exercise but nothing seems to be really working for me. It is very hard to co-lead, motivate, and inspire othe...