Nutrisystem Week 17

What is 25lbs?

It's week 17 on my Nutrisystem diet and while I was taking a shower I got to thinking about what exactly has changed since this project began. I don't have any measurements to go off because I was too mortified with myself in the beginning, heck I didn't even take pictures until I was down to 200 lbs (yeah, not showing that one until this is all over), so I made a list of what has changed and here it is:

What 25 lbs is to me:

• Wearing my size 6 wedding ring again (down from a size 7.5 ring)
• Going from a size 2x shirt to lg/xl shirts
• Going from a 42DD bra with extender to a 38D
• Wearing size 16 jeans (loosely) instead of being an Oreo cookie away from a size 20 (I'm actually pretty sure now, that I should have been in a size 20)
• The pure fact I can sit up easily without struggling (yeah it was that bad)
• Having the ability to walk down the street with my daughter without becoming breathless
• Being able to look myself in the mirror every day and smiling (we don't even have a full length mirror in the house, that's how far gone I was)
• Standing on the scale and being thankful for what I lost and remaining opptimistic that there is more to come (off)
• And most important: Happy. Losing 25 lbs has changed my mood from despondent, unhappy, short tempered depression to happier, much happier. I laugh more, I have an aura of confidence, and I take a deep calming breath before I over react. Everyone has noticed a difference, including myself, and it feels good; I feel cleansed.  

While I love all of the things that have changed about me, my favorite is the happiness, more specifically the fact that I laugh more, it really does feel good to laugh again. I didn't realize how miserable I was, I mean I had a clue because I was just so bleah, but looking back it was quite severe; I'm glad things are changing for the better.

The end of this post is almost here, so lets get down to the nitty gritty. This week I lost .8 lbs, bringing my total weight loss to 26.2, which means I'm less then 10 lbs from my goal weight and 3.8 lbs away from my 30 lb Nutribear! I can't wait for both :D

Want to lose weight and get healthy on Nutrisystem? Click here or send me a message on Facebook and I can send you a $30 coupon off your first order!
 

Start weight: 211
End of week 1 weight: 204.8
End of week 2 weight: 202.2
End of week 3 weight: 201.2
End of week 4 weight: 201.6
End of week 5 weight:199.6
End of week 6 weight:198.2  
End of week 7 weight:196.2 
End of week 8 weight: 195.6
End of week 9 weight: 193.8
End of week 10 weight: 192.8
End of week 11 weight: 190.6 
End of week 12 weight: 190.8
End of week 13 weight: 189.8 
End of week 14 weight: N/A
End of week 15 weight: 186.6
End of week 16 weight: 185.6 
End of week 17 weight: 184.8 

You can follow Nutrisystem on:

• Facebook
• Twitter @Nutrisystem
• You Tube
• Pinterest
• Google+

Join today by calling 1-888-853-4689
Nutrisystem is providing my meals and resources free of charge, for my participation in the Nutrisystem Nation Blogger Program.

Best of Warner Bros 100 Film Mother's Day Giveaway

Best of Warner Bros 100 Film Mother's Day Giveaway

Mother's Day: A time to give thanks and show your mom how much she means to you. Do you wish you could just give her the world or something just so outstanding she would automatically dub you her favorite child? *Don't judge, I know I'm not the only one with sibling rivalry-itis* Well, while you may not be able to give her the world, I can possibly help you out with the outstanding gift...

Warner Brothers has given me the opportunity to giveaway a prize valued at $597.97 to a lucky fan...The prize? The Best of WB 100 Film Collection, which will consist of:

• 100 movies including all 22 of Warner Bros. Library’s Best Picture™ winners on 55 discs presented in book style premium packaging. 
• Two all-new documentaries: Tales from the Warner Bros. Lot and The Warner Bros. Lot Tour. With hours of commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes and more on select films. 
• A limited edition 27” x 40” poster
• And a postcard series of Warner Bros. movie posters designed by legendary Bill Gold.

You KNOW you want this prize, whether for yourself or as a gift for Mom, you'll share with Mom right? 

Are you a mom, who wants a special something for Mother's Day this year? Use the Fill-In-The-Blank above, fill it out, and casually leave it out. Maybe someone will get the hint of what you really want on your special day.

To Enter this giveaway, use the rafflecopter form below

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Warner Bros. supplied these materials to me, at no charge, for giveaway purposes only. 

Nutrisystem Week 16

Week 16...There's nothing like losing 25 lbs and getting a new haircut. 

Not only did I pass the 25 lbs mark, but I chopped off 11" of hair (10" donated to Locks of Love). I feel fantastic right now and have been getting quite a few compliments, especially about wearing clothes that fit. Hey, in my defense it's hard to wear clothes that "fit" when you're self conscious about a giant roll showing, so it's easier just to wear baggy t-shirts that are shapeless and hide everything but the initial bulkiness. The only time I wear t-shirts (my husbands t-shirts) now are when I'm lounging around at home, when I leave the house I actually put decent clothes on that have shape.

Anyway as I was saying, I feel great. I went for a walk with my daughter to a playground a couple streets down and didn't get winded from the walk there or back, which is huge because last year, about half way there I would just want to stop and not want to go further and DREAD the walk back, especially knowing my daughter couldn't walk the whole way and I'd have to carry her. Now I'm confident I can do it and if I keep it up I'll be getting more exercise and more quality time with my daughter.

All I have to do now is keep on track, my goal weight is well in sight, 10.6 lbs to go and I'll be at my "comfortable weight." I'd LOVE to surpass my goal, but I'd be happy just reaching it. No longer do I dread stepping on the scale, I look forward to seeing my success each week; even if I gain a little, I know how far I've already come and how far I'm still willing to go.


Want to lose weight and get healthy on Nutrisystem? Click here or send me a message on Facebook and I can send you a $30 coupon off your first order!

 

 
Start weight: 211
End of week 1 weight: 204.8
End of week 2 weight: 202.2
End of week 3 weight: 201.2
End of week 4 weight: 201.6
End of week 5 weight:199.6
End of week 6 weight:198.2  
End of week 7 weight:196.2 
End of week 8 weight: 195.6
End of week 9 weight: 193.8
End of week 10 weight: 192.8
End of week 11 weight: 190.6 
End of week 12 weight: 190.8
End of week 13 weight: 189.8 
End of week 14 weight: N/A
End of week 15 weight: 186.6
End of week 16 weight: 185.6 

You can follow Nutrisystem on:

• Facebook
• Twitter @Nutrisystem
• You Tube
• Pinterest
• Google+

Join today by calling 1-888-853-4689

Earth Day Freebies 2013-Expired

April 22, 2013 Earth Day

Here is a list of Earth Day freebies from Participating stores:

Big Bowl: Free ReUsable Tote Bag w/all Carryout Orders (on 4/22 only)

Caribou Coffee: Stop by Caribou Coffee with your own travel mug on Earth Day to get a Free Coffee of the day (on 4/22 only)

Disney Store: Free Reusable Tote at Disney Store, just bring them 5 plastic grocery bags to recycle (on 4/22 only)

EVOS- Stop into an EVOS on Earth Day (4/22), to get a free organic milkshake.

H-E-B: Bring in 5 plastic bags, and they will give you a Free tote bag (on 4/22 only)

Jo-Ann Fabric: First 50 customers get a free tote bag (on 4/22 only)

National Parks: Free Admission April 22 – 26 for National Parks Week

Pottery Barn- Kids get a free packet of seeds (April 20-22)

Starbucks: Bring in your travel mug and get free tea or coffee (on 4/22 only)

Target- Free reusable tote and samples April 21 ONLY beginning at 10am while supplies last

The Body Shop: Free Earth Lovers Shower Gel with ANY purchase in-store or online (on 4/22 only)

*Photo courtesy of Giann.net*

Pinecone Research Survey Company

Sign up for Pinecone Research!

One of the BEST survey companies out there. 

You'll get $3 PER survey you take, there is no minimum amount for cash out, they only send you a few emails a month, and you also have the chance to test products (I've tested at least 4 from them)!

Official Blurb:
PineCone Research conducts on-line interviews with consumers from all walks of life to obtain their opinions about new products. To become a panel member, all you need to do is complete the simple form above. This will only take a few minutes of your time.

It's easy and fun to see and evaluate new product ideas in the comfort of your own home. You will earn points for each completed product survey, which can be exchanged for cash and other rewards. PLUS you will be automatically entered into a bi-weekly Sweepstakes to win additional cash prizes for your time. Each interview usually takes 15-20 minutes of your time. Plus, you are free to leave the panel at any time should you choose to do so.

Registrants who complete the signup form online and align with the recruit target(s) and are eligible for membership consideration will immediately receive an email invitation containing a link, ID and password to complete the full registration process. The link takes them to a brief “staging” survey (6 minutes or less) to gather some further information about that registrant and their household, and to gain agreement to the terms and conditions for panel membership. 

Save your points and redeem them on tangible rewards or use your points to cash out. Remember each survey you complete (the household questionnaires don't count) you get 300 points, which is equal to $3 in cash.

Terra Vonnel and the Skulls of Aries Review

Terra Vonnel and the Skulls of Aries 

Review

I found Terra Vonnel and the Skulls of Aries to be a very quick read. It's 110 pages long and I finished it in less then 40 minutes. Not only is it a quick read because of the shortness in length, but also because of the story line. It's fast paced with zero time frame, as far as I know the entire adventure happened in a day.

The main character is Terra Vonnel a 17 year old female pirate, who's in search of the Skulls of Aries, which will unlock a treasure that not only has the potential to change her future, but more importantly her past.

There is violence, but very little gore. I assume the target audience to be 6th-8th graders and while this book is written for a much younger audience, I believe that the author, D.C. Ackers, could fill the book in with more detail and easily make this into a book for young adults; right now it has enough detail in it to where a person won't get lost and can easily understand the entire plot, without having to go back and re-read anything. To me this felt like more of a synopsis/summary of a book to come.

In all, it was well written (I only found a few minor grammatical mistakes) and would be a great read for a young reader who loves an action packed adventure.


You can find Terra Vonnel and the Skulls of Aries in paperback format for $4.89 or on Kindle for .99

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Nutrisystem Week 15

This is my week 15 Nurtrisystem post, some of you might wonder where did week 14 go? Well last week I had Thyroid surgery, so I wasn't able to write something up between the pain and the not being able to stay awake for over 10 minutes at a time. But I'm conscious this week so we're good to hook :)

I was a bad little girl this week when it came to staying on my diet, I'm not even going to lie, I went so far off the diet path, I couldn't see it with binoculars. I had to do a mini fast before my surgery and after the surgery I was in so much pain, that it had been 24 hrs since I'd eaten. Once the pain started to subside it was all soft comfort foods (potatoes, cake, bagels, Oreos saturated in Milk, etc). 

Now that I'm not in pain anymore and can eat regular foods it's back to my diet I go, I'm about 11 lbs from my goal weight and feel great. I had a stack of pants that I found a few months back, that were too small and guess what? Four out of Five fit me now! 

My new weight is 186.6, over a 3 lb loss from last weigh in, which means I've almost lost 25lbs! I'm going to try and be especially good, since my goal is so close, I want and NEED to get there, it's almost summer and I want to be able to enjoy it with my little girl and not be self conscious. Tune in next week for my next update :D

Want to lose weight and get healthy on Nutrisystem? Click here or send me a message on Facebook and I can send you a $30 coupon off your first order!

 

Start weight: 211
End of week 1 weight: 204.8
End of week 2 weight: 202.2
End of week 3 weight: 201.2
End of week 4 weight: 201.6
End of week 5 weight:199.6
End of week 6 weight:198.2  
End of week 7 weight:196.2 
End of week 8 weight: 195.6
End of week 9 weight: 193.8
End of week 10 weight: 192.8
End of week 11 weight: 190.6 
End of week 12 weight: 190.8
End of week 13 weight: 189.8 
End of week 14 weight: N/A
End of week 15 weight: 186.6

You can follow Nutrisystem on:

• Facebook
• Twitter @Nutrisystem
• You Tube
• Pinterest
• Google+

Join today by calling 1-888-853-4689

Nutrisystem is providing my meals and resources free of charge, for my participation in the Nutrisystem Nation Blogger Program.

PottyCover Review and Giveaway

Disposable Toilet Seat Covers For Kids

 

My daughter just turned 3 and we've been potty training her for about a year now. While she has everything down pat, she still wears a diaper to bed and when we go places. The majority of the time she will ask to use the potty, unless she's having too much fun, which results in an accident, hence the reason she still wears a diaper when we go out.

Another bit of information pertinent to this review is that I was NEVER a germaphobe years back, I only washed my hands when they were dirty and I didn't care what I touched, but that all changed when I had my daughter (haha no I'm not one of those people that has to sanitize everything). Now I'm constantly thinking about what I've touched that has the potential of getting her sick, I actually dread using public bathrooms because lets face it some people are just nasty.

So, when I was given the opportunity to review the PottyCover, I jumped on it. Dealing with dirty toilets will be one less thing I have to worry about now because these Potty Covers are great, whether you use them for your kids or even yourself (I know I'm not the only one that's used a toilet that was so gross, that I sat above it).

 

The top of the PottyCover is made out of a non-woven fabric and the bottom is lined with thin plastic (compare to seran wrap), which means it's waterproof, so nothing is going to seep through from the top of the toilet seat. From the picture I saw I thought it was gong to be thick and kind of bulky (aka a pain to carry around, especially for being disposable), but I was surprised to find that they are thin, light, and the individually wrapped package is only about the length of a hand, so it can easily be put inside a purse.

When placed over a toilet seat it fits perfectly. The front flap covers almost the entire front of the toilet, while the side flaps cover a few inches past the top lid, so you don't have to worry about your child grabbing the dirtiest part of the toilet while they try to balance themselves. Once you or your child are finished with the PottyCover just roll/crumple it up and throw it out.

I would recommend this product to anyone whether parent or individual, especially if they go on long car rides, where pit stops have to be made and restrooms are far from clean.

A pack of PottyCover sells for $5.99 and it is available on Amazon, Ebay, all Buy Buy Baby stores around the country and at select Bed Bath & Beyond stores.

Visit their website for more information. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway   I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Join Box Tops for Education

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Choose a school to support and your designated school will receive all of your online Box Tops earnings.

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Michal's Window Review

Michal's Window, A Novel: King David's First Wife

This story takes place in biblical time and is the fictional love story of David (from David & Goliath) and his first wife Michal. The author, Rachelle Ayala, does a fantastic job at writing; for dating back so far she writes the story in a very modern fashion, so there isn't any getting lost or having to look up a thousand year old word just to understand it's meaning.

The story itself...I have mixed feelings about. While it was written in such a way that I couldn't put it down, Michal's Window was just so full of sorrow, it was just heart ache after heartache. My heart went out to Michal more times then I can count, she honestly just suffers throughout the majority of the book, loving a man who in return doesn't want to love her so much. David slowly loses his mind as the years pass and tortures Michal's heart and soul with all of the decisions he makes.

There are many battles and fights in this novel, so it does contain blood and violence and there are sexual scenes, which on some reviews I've read say are "too much," but I found them to be very mild and almost vague, a few times I found myself re-reading a paragraph to try and confirm that the characters actually had sex.

My only complaint about this story is that the word lord is always capitalized (LORD) and it feels like it's being shoved down my throat, but that's just my mentality. It probably wouldn't bother anybody else, but it just makes me uneasy and puts me off balance. The author said "that it is capitalized in the King James Bible and I didn't want people to get confused when it reads differently in the Bible quotes." So there was logic to it and wasn't meant to push.

I give this book a high rating because of the way it's written, but as I said before it's just too sad for my tastes. You can buy Michal's Window for kindle here or in paper back here, it is 458 pages long.
 
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Nutrisystem Week 13

Week 13 on my Nurtrisystem diet went better then expected, I was able to lose 1 lb since last week, which puts me just slightly under 190!

Since I have changed my eating habits (i.e. not nearly as much sugar/a different type of sugar) I have noticed huge changes and I'm not talking about weight and body changes, I'm talking about my taste buds. I don't know if you remember my second Nutrisystem post where I said I had eaten an entire bag of Reese Cup Mini's that my husband bought me for Christmas before I started my diet, well guess what he did it again, he bought me A LOT of candy for Easter, 90% of it being Reeses products (yeah I know I'm still wondering if he grasps the concept of me being on a diet for the past 3 months...). While I didn't jump on them like they were going to disappear in  the blink of an eye (like I would have before my diet), I waited a day and was just like "Meah, there here and I want the peanut butter," so I opened one and took a bite and guess what? They were gross and I was mildly disgusted by them, after one bite it even gave me a small belly ache and left a horrible taste in my mouth. This isn't even the first time it's happened though, I ate a piece of cake a few weeks ago and after 3 bites I had a belly ache from hell.

Although I'm going to miss enjoying chocolate, I'm kind of relieved. Chocolate was a huge craving I used to have and if I didn't get that craving taken care of, I would eat everything in sight until I finally got what I wanted, obviously over eating in the end. Right now the only thing I've noticed I've been craving is salty type foods, like potatoes.

Not only am I thankful to Nurtrisystem for helping me lose weight, but for also kicking my habit, their chocolatey foods were like a Nicorette patch for me, slowly weaning me off and changing my taste for what I "had" to have.


Want to lose weight and get healthy on Nutrisystem? Click here or send me a message on Facebook and I can send you a $30 coupon off your first order!

Start weight: 211
End of week 1 weight: 204.8
End of week 2 weight: 202.2
End of week 3 weight: 201.2
End of week 4 weight: 201.6
End of week 5 weight:199.6
End of week 6 weight:198.2  
End of week 7 weight:196.2 
End of week 8 weight: 195.6
End of week 9 weight: 193.8
End of week 10 weight: 192.8
End of week 11 weight: 190.6 
End of week 12 weight: 190.8
End of week 13 weight: 189.8 

You can follow Nutrisystem on:

• Facebook
• Twitter @Nutrisystem
• You Tube
• Pinterest
• Google+

Join today by calling 1-888-853-4689

Nutrisystem is providing my meals and resources free of charge, for my participation in the Nutrisystem Nation Blogger Program.

 

April 2013 Freebies and Deals

April 30, Tuesday

• Free Mio is live again for Twitter users
• Enter to win from Simply7 http://woobox.com/nbsfof/3d347f

April 29, Monday

• I won 2 packages of Potty Covers, you can to, just enter this giveaway for your chance to win
• Check your Marlboro accounts to see if you got a free zippo light, it will be under Offers. If you didn't get one this time check back next Monday :)
•  Free Mio for Twitter users
•  $0.50 off TWO (2) M&M'S Milk Chocolate Singles http://bit.ly/1559m2S