A Christmas Present from Jesus...

I'm hoping that you all had an awesome day with your family and friends while celebrating the birth of our Lord! We've had a busy week, made complete with the adoption of Bethany Avianna in our family on Christmas Eve morning. It was a great way to start our Christmas holiday! We had a special time at the courthouse as we explained to the judge exactly why we wanted to adopt Bethany, (here's where the tears started to flow, y'all!) and even though I don't think her two-year-old mind understood everything, we'll all remember this Christmas Eve day when we got the best present we could ever ask for!

We ended up going out to eat twice on the 24th because of the plans we made for the day. And if you're like me, eating out while trying to lose weight used to make me panic. Eating out scared me because it seemed like my meal was out of my control - I didn't know what they would offer and if they would have semi-decent healthy choices. So, I've learned a few tricks to help me eat smart when we do go out.
-Eat a small snack before you go out. Don't arrive at a restaurant feeling famished!
-Order water - don't drink your calories!
-No appetizers. They are only added calories that you really don't need, especially since you aren't famished. Most appetizers are either fried or dripping in sugary sauces, so do your body a favor and skip them.
-Think lean protein and vegetables. Veggies should cover at least 1/2 of your plate - either fresh or steamed. I order a salad 95% of the time, sometimes with chicken on top. Also, always ask them to serve the dressing on the side. Most restaurants dump WAY too much dressing onto the salads. We went to Olive Garden recently, and if you've been there you know that they serve bread sticks and salad before your main course arrives. I skipped the bread sticks, and asked that they bring me a plate of salad with the dressing on the side. (I didn't want to eat the premixed salad they bring in large bowls to the table, because it's oozing with dressing.) They were very accommodating and I got exactly what I wanted. Don't feel like making special requests is a pain or a nuisnace! They're job is to wait on you, ya know. :-)
-If you want pasta, look for the whole wheat. Several restaurants are now offering whole wheat pasta! And stick to a marinara sauce instead of the creamy (and full of fat!) alfredo. The same rule applies to soups. You want to eat tomato based soups not the milky, cheesy kinds.
-Avoid desserts. I know, I know. The pictures look so yummy, right? But unless this is a special occasion, you really don't need it. If you've got a hankering for something sweet, order a bowl of fresh fruit. It will satisfy your sweet tooth, and you won't leave feeling stuffed and sluggish.

So, my plan for this week was kind of shaken up a little. I had already planned to weigh in a day early because of Christmas, and then the day before the weigh in I couldn't exercise and we went out to eat twice. Not the best scenario for weight loss, but I didn't have much of a choice in the matter. So, I stepped on the scale on Thursday morning and braced myself for the worst. Only to be surprised! I lost two pounds last week. Don't ask me how - I still haven't figured it out! I was so shocked and eliated to see that I'm down to 165lbs. I'm thinking that was a present from the Lord! Hurray!

My family was so sweet and got me some great presents! My parents bought me a nice exercise mat (the hardwood floor gets pretty hard) and they also got me an exercise DVD. Remember how I used to think that exercise DVDs were for people who didn't know what they were doing? Well, I've changed my mind. I was excited to do a workout with the DVD, so this morning I popped it in our DVD player after doing my cardio on the treadmill. It was actually really fun! I did pretty well with the cardio and abdominal workout, but the strength training was a little bit of a challenge - which is what I suspected. But I was actually able to keep up through the 20 minute workout, even though I'd just spent 30 minutes on the treadmill, so I was happy. Progress is being made! Now I have a program that can help me grow stronger in the areas where I'm weakest, so I'm hoping to add more muscle weight to my frame in the next few weeks. :-)
My mom also bought me a gift card to HyVee so I can buy specialty items from their Health Market. Hurray! Some of those things are so expensive...

I'm also excited because in the next few weeks we are going to be fixing me a spot in our basement that will serve as my personal gym. I'll be able to move out of our cramped laundry room and have all of my weights and exercise machines in one place - not scattered all over the house! Can't wait.

Blessings to you all! ~Bekah

P.S. I've put some pictures from the adoption down below: