On to Diagnostic Evaluations...

Eek! Today is my last day of class for Abnormal psychology. We literally used the DSM-5 (and it's purple) to learn how to navigate through it, and discuss different disorders of course. (my last course merely mentioned it as a tool in 1 paragraph of notes). Instead of diagnosing everyone around me, I felt like a hypochondriac during that class. Ha ha! I hadn't really looked at my schedule, but my class starting tomorrow is DIAGNOSTIC EVALUATION. Yup, feel free start lining up. ;)

Kidding. ❤️‍

Study Habits!?

The hardest part about taking classes online is being disciplined. Especially after being out of school for 10 years. I stumbled across this verse and found it very fitting.  Right now, I'm just a full-time student. While I'm involved in different activities that keep me busy, I'm still getting use to fitting in time for school, even after a couple months. Any suggestions? To my fellow students out there, what are your healthy habits? (No pun intended!)

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Who Inspires You?

The million dollar question! Everyone asks me this. After watching my maternal grandfather and my father die from complications from diabetes, I know I have to take action. They inspired me. Rather than blame my wonderful genetics or bad habits I was taught, I want to be different. I'm taking responsibility. Both the Fravels and Sutherlands have a stubborn streak, so I know I'm capable of this. Determined. I thought this is only fitting for #tbt!! Please feel free to share in the comments! ❤️‍

Back in the Saddle Again...

Time to be honest. In the last few months I've gained weight back. More than I'm willing to admit. That is behind me, no reason to dwell on the past. I know what to do, I just have to figure out a healthy balance. So I'm taking it slow this time. 20-30 minute Zumba classes instead of a full class. 20 minutes on a TREADMILL. PT sessions that are more focused on the core and strengthening my spine. Not all of the above in one day. Week 1? I'm down 5 lbs. For the amount of work I put in, I will take it. Gladly. Clearly not the weekly winner, but not a loser! After a week, I'm feeling better, I have more energy. I'm not eating crap, so I don't feel like crap. I went out to dinner tonight with family and the ladies were really supportive and didn't let me make bad choices! Yes, I know I post a lot, especially on Facebook. But the encouragement helps me and gives me inspiration.

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Not My Will But Yours

I should be celebrating today. A little break for Labor Day weekend before a new class starts. However, I find myself frustrated. MY plans are taking longer than I anticipated. Does this ever happen to anyone else?

I've been emailing my academic advisor a lot this week. I thought my schedule would only take me year. Now It looks like I won't be done until Spring or Fall 2017, not Spring 2016. I'm frustrated - almost to tears. I have finally figured out a path... I know without a doubt in my heart, this is where I'm headed, this is God's plan for my life. ME, ME, ME. While I have an idea about where I'm going, have I really focused on how I'm getting there? I've taken steps, but I have I prayed about the process? Maybe I've felt God saying ABIDE ABIDE ABIDE these last few months, because He knew all along it was going to take this long? That I was getting the cart before the horse?

God's timing, not mine. God's plans, not mine. God's will, not mine.

I read a few devotions in the morning. They are accessible on my phone. I love the accessibility. I can worship anywhere. One of them is from the Bible App called "Elisha: A Tale of Ridiculous Faith." Today's message? From 2 Kings 3: 1-27. If you want to see some water in your life, then dig a ditch. You must be willing to start small. The size of your vision isn't intimidating to God. Many don't think big enough, but even more won't start small. I find sometimes I limit my capabilities. Limit how God sees me. Anyone else? But God is omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 
Jeremiah 29:11

In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.
Proverbs 16:9

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 

She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.
Proverbs 31:25 

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PS - If you're looking for devotions, the ones I use are:
Breaking Free Day by Day - by Beth Moore 
Jesus Calling - by Sarah Young
My Utmost for His Highest - by Oswald Chambers 
Elisha: A Tale of Ridiculous Faith 
 (not all at once, usually 2 or 3) 

Peach Frozen Yogurt

So I was browsing Pinterest and I found this recipe and thought I would give it a try. I'm very particular about yogurt in food. I think it's a texture thing because I don't like blue cheese, cottage cheese, etc. I generally do fruit-based smoothies because I can't do yogurt-based. I just can't.

When I was house sitting I couldn't find the food processor so I opted for the blender and it works just as well. If you're Rachael Ray fan like myself and estimate your ingredients sometimes this is not the recipe to do so. First, don't buy a large container of yogurt when you really only need one individual size. I used plain Greek yogurt instead of “plain yogurt” and it turned out fine. My preference is the Oikos brand. Remember that lemon juice comes out a lot faster than honey. Just saying.  

It was fantastic! 

Peach Frozen Yogurt ~ 4 Ingredients

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 5 min

Ingredients:

1 (16-oz.) bag frozen peaches or 4 cups fresh peaches, frozen solid
3 Tablespoons agave nectar or honey
1/2 cup plain yogurt (non-fat or whole)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Add the frozen peaches, agave nectar (or honey), yogurt and lemon juice to the bowl of a food processor. Process until creamy, about 5 minutes.

Serve the frozen yogurt immediately or transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the freezer for up to 1 month.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/201254677074087280/

Integrity

I clearly remember a lesson from when I was very young. I was walking out of the IGA and I found money in the gutter. I was maybe 4 or 5. I was so excited about finding money, I said, "Look Mom, I found a dollar bill!" Mom replied, "That's not a dollar bill, that's a 5 dollar bill!" I remember going back in and returning it promptly with my Mom. That's something I will never forget. She told me, "What if that was someone's last $5?" I've always been an honest person. I try to do the right thing (I'm not perfect, ask my sister). That's what we're suppose to do whether or not we are a Christian, right?

This week, I was excited to get my grade back on a paper from Week 1 (it's Week 3). Low and behold, I got 116%. I didn't know my professor gave extra credit. 93/80. I'll take it! I could use those extra points!! Then it struck me - I didn't realize extra credit was possible for this assignment? Not to my knowledge. Wait - what if it was a mistake? I will admit, I briefly contemplated not saying anything. I am human. That's not who I am. I try not to be prideful, but I take pride in my integrity. This isn't Survivor or Big Brother. So I quickly sent an e-mail to my professor. It was a mistake. While I didn't get extra credit, I knew I would have felt enormous guilt if I hadn't said anything. I was the first to come forward. I'm NOT posting about this to brag.

Remember, your little ones are ALWAYS watching. 

"Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." Matthew 6:13
"For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open." Luke 8:17

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A New Milestone

The way my body is shaped, pants are a challenge! Generally too short. Jeans have always been difficult. Really difficult. Partially because I refused to buy the ones that are all elastic. I stopped by my favorite store Tuesday and imagine my surprise. Not only did they fit, but they are the right length. They might be almost slimming. Say what? Yay yay yay!

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Gardening Tips?

So here's the secret to my gigantic plants. Pinterest.



First, I literally tore apart Kroger diapers and put the stuffing in the dirt. It holds moisture.

Tips: Do this outside. Little white stuff gets EVERYWHERE! Have an empty bucket to put the white stuff in and a trashbag for the leftover diaper parts. The stuffing is biodegradable.

Second, I cut holes in the sides (just slits) of a 20oz plastic bottle and placed in the middle of the pot, surrounding it by dirt, but leaving the top free. I would pour the fertilizer/water mixture in it, so it would disperse better into the soil.



Lastly, I tore off the bottom of my above ground pots so they could leak excess water. I did all of this before anybody realized we would have over 20 straight days of rain this summer. Also, I killed every plant at least once. Every single plant. Too much shade, too much water, but I finally figured it out. Trial and error. Apparently plants don't like to be watered every other day in April. Haha.

Personal Training :)

Today I went back to personal training! ツ

Since I'm just focusing on school right now, I have extra time. Maybe I should clarify. My time management is entirely different! I don't have pain, so I don't really have any good excuses not to be working out more. Don't worry, I'm taking it slow still. One zumba class a week, one personal training session - low impact. I trained with Bruce today and he was great to keep things below the shoulders and very light weights. Last thing I want to do is mess up the healing progress I've made. Slowly increasing my step goal. It was so good to be back and work up a sweat! ツ

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It's Good To Be Back!

My fellow Fitbit friends would understand this...

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Renovation & An Update!

So I've revamped my blog a little bit. It was originally a weight-loss blog, but this is a life journey. I have a lot of changes in my life! I've started back to school to finish my bachelor's degree. So far this is the first week. It's going well, trying to juggle time management! Not use to writing papers.I had gained a couple pounds since mid-April. In the last month, I've lost 12 lbs. Woop! The size of a small dog

This was our dog Chloe! ❤️‍

When my shoulder and back were injured I had to come up with a plan b for food prep. So I literally bought Kroger pre-made salads. It looks similar to this.

Turkey burgers are quick and easy to make, loaded with protein. Another go-to is Green Giant Steamers. I love these!!

Now I am certainly getting back to fresh produce now that my pain has subsided, but when in a pinch, these can work! I can't wait for my own fresh veggies! My tomato plant is a good 2-3 feet tall!!

I also got some new accessories! These make it fun!

I love my fitbit!

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What's All This Fuss About Zumba?

I survived! I survived! A high impact Zumba class, with modifications. I felt I kept up fairly well for a 2 month absence. I knew I desperately missed Zumba... But not sure I realized how much until today.

Zumba, as I have stated before, is my anti-drug. It's my go-to stress reliever. I will never forget my cousin Tiffany inviting me to Michelle Carpenter's class a few years ago. First, I thought Michelle was crazy. (In a good way... ) Through zumba I realized all women feel the same way about their bodies, doesn't matter your weight. (Not because of zumba...) We focus on the imperfections.

My second class was a real eye opener when I was dragged to the front of a room... With a wall mirror. Yes, I was terrified. But I was hooked.

You see, for 40 minutes, you escape. Into a world of Shakira, Pitbull,  J-Lo, and a bunch of artists I can't pronounce. You feel the energy of the instructor, forgetting you look nothing like them. There's camaraderie, laughing, dancing, sweating, pain, and oh, yeah - exercise.

It's nearly so much fun you forget it's a workout unless it's a squat song. Because it's cardio, it releases endorphins. Its a great calorie burning activity.

I love the Zumba instructors at Kore 7. They make us feel like family.  They make us feel loved.

That is why I love zumba!

Armed for A Comeback!

....zumba style.

I'm so so so excited... I've been pain-free for few days after months of rib issues/tendonitis in my shoulder, I'm attempting a comeback to zumba. Seriously, it's my anti-drug. I use it as a way to de-stress and cope with my grief. So without my zumba family and the exercise itself, I'm not going to lie, these last couple of months have been very difficult. I'm going to try and take it slowly and see how Saturday morning with Jessika goes. Fingers crossed!

Accountability!

So my friend called me out, rightfully so. A weekend getaway turned into 2 weeks. And yes, I feel like crap. My shoulder hurts I complained, it's hard to do meal prep. Did I get any slack? No. So, to prove that followed her advice, I bought healthy food last night... lots of salad kits, frozen steam fresh vegetables, and fruit. My excuse was lame, yes, I know. For the record, she was being a good friend. She wasn't being the food police, but was kind about calling me out.  #healthychoices

How to Enable Negative Calories on MyFitnessPal

How Do You Lose All That Weight?

So a lot of people have asked what I’m doing to lose weight. It’s hard. It’s not easy. If it were easy, everyone would do it. But you are worth this. That’s what I keep saying to myself. It’s about daily choices, sometimes moment by moment. Wait, isn’t that life in general? This is a lifestyle change. The biggest things I have learned, is 1) DO NOT BEAT YOURSELF UP FOR YOUR MISTAKES OR BAD CHOICES. Thank you, Angela Lutz. 2) EMBRACE YOUR BODY. Yes, every ounce. Thank you, Taryn Brumfitt. #IHaveEmbraced Some days it’s easier said than done. 3) DO NOT LET THE SCALE DICTATE WHO YOU ARE.

First and foremost, I have to be realistic with myself and what works for me. So when I know I’m going to start a challenge at my gym, Kore 7 Fitness, I don’t binge. I start slowly. I stop drinking pop. (SLOWLY – start cutting one can a day.) I felt bad for my coworkers. I warned them, they laughed. Supportively. (No caffeine?) I’m not a coffee drinker (neither was my father), but I do love a good cup of tea. No, I’m not a tea connoisseur. I share tea bags with ladies at church regularly on Sunday mornings. Tea – a cup or two is a great alternative, especially green tea. I also stop eating past 7 pm at night. Now that I have a regular work schedule, this is so much more possible.

At my gym, the owner, Esteban Lutz, does a high protein, low carb, low dairy diet. From a second generation hillbilly from the deepest part of Appalachia, when Angela told me no white potatoes, bread, or pasta, you should have seen the shock on my face. (WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO EAT?!!?) And then dairy? NO CHEESE?!?! You’ve got to be kidding me. During my first challenge at the gym I was faithfully entering the Subway 6” Oven Roasted Chicken on Wheat (great alternatives, right?) and saw the fat content for those few slices of provolone and was SHOCKED. That did it right there.

Water. Need I say more? I drink more water now than I have ever drank in my entire life. I was drinking water instead of pop. Now, pop gives me headaches. Yup, I survived the no caffeine period of a couple weeks. Now pop is generally too sweet for me and tastes nasty. This coming from the girl who drank 4 cans or more a day. Plus, you save money. Someone told me once that her husband works for a major soda company and when he walked to the diet soda side, he had to wear hazmat gear. He was a consultant. And we put this in our bodies?!?!

Now I will agree with the experts. Organic is the best, by far. But to be honest, it’s not in my budget. After discussions, we agreed a regular apple is better than a poptart.

You can’t starve yourself and successfully lose weight. It will damage your body. I eat 4-5 small meals a day. Every 3-4 hours. One day I had to have late in the day fasting blood work done, and I had a headache for HOURS after eating (healthy). I DON’T do meal replacement shakes all day. I’m realistic about meal timing and my routine. So here’s a general example of my day.

6am: Protein shake (vanilla almond milk and chocolate pure protein powder – tastes like a FROSTY!)

9am: greek yogurt and a banana

11am: ½ pita pocket (the ONLY grain I allow myself), tuna packet (PLAIN), carrots, celery, raspberries, 2 hardboiled egg whites

1:30pm: apple and a low fat cheese stick (that’s my daily cheese allotment)

3:30pm: protein shake (vanilla almond milk with vanilla pure protein powder)

5/6pm: Tyson Grilled Ready-to-Go Chicken Strips and Green Giant Steamer Vegetables (Antioxidants Blend)

I have to eat so close together during the day because that is when my breaks happen at work. I feel like I’m eating all day long, but it’s small healthy meals versus filling up on carbs or processed foods that do not satisfy your cravings. I know people will say, wait, frozen food? At night I don’t have time. I watch sodium very carefully. We were always cautious and conservative with salt growing up. So if I go for the already grilled frozen chicken and frozen veggies versus stopping for fast food? Yup, fine with me.

Exercise. You need to burn more than you eat. If you use MyFitnessPal (feel free to add me, username is levarficart) enable negative calorie intake on under your settings immediately. This messed me up big time the first challenge. I couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t losing more weight. My trainer David was frustrated and I was frustrated. He assumed it was food related and while I was eating all healthy options… in reality I was consuming what I had burned. You need to burn more than what you eat for the day in order to lose weight. I try to have a 1000 calorie deficit on good days. If you have low activity days, then lower your food intake a little bit. But don’t starve yourself. They say you need to do ½ hour of cardio every day and strength training. My cardio of choice is Zumba. Experts actually advise not to walk hours upon hours every day, but I do 20-30 minutes on the treadmill which is okay. Find what works for you. So example… my daily calorie intake is 1800 during a challenge. So I try to burn 2800 calories in one day. (Zumba generally=1000 calories for me, give or take.) A generous friend gifted me a fitness band in the beginning. If you can afford one, get one! BodyMedia is no longer producing the armbands, but I think they are still available for purchase via Amazon/EBay and they still support the product. I just purchased a fitbit (look me up – traci_fravel@yahoo.com) and I love it. The armband was leaving marks on my arms. For your calorie intake, MyFitnessPal will automatically generate it for you based on your weight, etc, but I can’t eat that much… They want me to consume 2200-2500 calories. But, 1200 calories, gave me headaches from being malnutrition.

I didn’t think I could do it in the beginning. I feel so much better. My body feels better. I feel thinner. If I eat carbs or processed foods now, I feel like crap. I am a firm believer that you are what you eat. Not self-worth, but what your body is made up of. I went to our local Mexican restaurant after the second challenge for my celebratory meal. Instead of putting away several plates of yummy Mexican food (be honest, a lot of people are capable of this!) I could barely eat a plate and a half. Crazy? On a cheat meal, I ate a burger and fries from Five Guys, and felt miserable the entire day. My body doesn’t respond like it used to, because it thrives on the nutritious food. And Almond Milk? Really? I am picky about my milk. I grew up on skim milk. I don't like even 1%. I can't drink Almond Milk in a glass, but it tastes really good (Vanilla Almond Milk) in a shake.

I do relax on weekends a little. I have to be realistic with myself. If I say I can’t have chocolate or a pop once in a while, I’m setting myself up for failure. I call it a cheat meal, cheat day. But don’t bring anything into your house you wouldn’t want to eat. How many of us have devoured an entire bag of chips?

More to come. In the upcoming days, I will post recipes, meal ideas, etc.

<3 Me