The Last Post

This is the last post ever for this blog. I have been blessed to share my weight loss journey and thoughts on this blog for the past year.

But after my father's recent strokes, I felt that there was a need for some MAJOR changes in my life. Part of that Change is to create a new blog for me. One that is about me. I believe this one was more about the product of Nutriiveda and Zrii. The fun things I learned, great people I met thru that program, and fun adventures with friends because of the company.

The new blog will all about ME!! I know I am so vain. But if it helps me to be at my fitness goal by next year at this time. Then it will be worth it.

Thank you to all that have followed my blog and I hope you follow the new one.

1fatwomansjourneytothin.blogspot.com

I know I am not perfect. But I hope that we all can have OUR BIG DREAMS TO BECOME REALITY

Food For Thought

An Amazing friend of mine sent me this as a thought a few weeks ago. It has hit home, in a very profound way. I am in a position where I NEED to reclaim my life. I need to refocus on my health and start losing weight again. I must defeat those things in life that are holding me back from becoming the person I truly desire. I know I am blessed with many people who want to help me achieve the very best me. For that I am so thankful.

An excerpt from

http://newsletter.simpletruths.com/a/hBNwpGEB8PINaB8a06NNnSyDE9e/usprod>

Leading With Passion

by John Murphy


Are you a disciple of action? When it comes to walking your talk, do you walk with responsibility and accountability? Do you execute your intentions with attention?

Leading with discipline requires motivation and effort. It is easy to say we are going to do something. It is quite another to let our actions speak for themselves. It is common to dream. It is less common to turn those dreams into something beneficial, something truly inspiring.


Leading with discipline requires initiative, action and stewardship. This means taking the required steps, doing the homework, working with others, committing to service and following through. It means accepting a certain degree of risk and sacrifice to challenge oneself and raise the bar.

Discipline means showing up early, staying late and doing whatever is ethically necessary to get the job done well and on time.

Discipline means saying "no" to negative thinking and disempowering actions and saying "yes" to getting involved and being part of the solution. Discipline means going the extra mile, where there is typically less traffic.

When we act with discipline, we demonstrate care, concern and dependability. We account for ourselves, our teammates and our results.

Leading with discipline requires setting goals and establishing measurement. With effective goals and metrics, we set expectations, assess performance and make adjustments as needed. Without access to the score, we lose the means to accurately measure performance against standards and evaluate progress.

Setting goals and keeping score is motivating. Consider any sport as an example. Without clear goals and score-keeping, the sport can quickly lose momentum and enthusiasm. Often, it becomes boring. However, when a scoreboard lights up and the clock is ticking, the same physical requirements take on new meaning. Something within us lights up. We want to perform well. We want to set a new record. We want to do better than we did before. The simple act of setting goals and measuring performance is a powerful strategy for leading with passion and discipline. It triggers the heart as well as the mind.

Within every passionate leader is a deep sense of conviction. Goals are set to drive focus and accountability. Metrics are in place to assess balance and performance. Heartfelt commitment is embodied to fuel courage, initiative and action. There is a keen sense of discernment, responsibility and decisiveness. Work gets done on time. Good habits are formed. Bad habits are broken. Balance is maintained within and among tasks, activities and relationships, resulting in a sense of harmony and oneness. Think of this like conducting an orchestra. Without discipline, each functional unit could play at will, resulting in a great deal of noise. The passionate leader teaches the value of discipline, timing, practice, participation, patience, teamwork, measurement, and balance. Together, we can make beautiful music, but it does require discipline as an essential habit.

Take a moment now - a moment of discipline - to evaluate your own habits and tendencies. What do they tell you about your sense of passion and leadership? Are you actions inspiring? Do you finish what you start? Do you set clear, specific, measurable goals? Do you keep score, and if so what specifically do you track? Are you holding yourself and your team accountable for performance? Are you stretching yourself and your team to rise to new heights? Are you identifying obstacles to peak performance and removing them? Are you pulling the weeds?

If you are one of my friends who seriously want to help me achieve this goal. Please text me, call me, email or Facebook me. I have to lose 175 pounds by August of 2012. It can be done, it is only 3.5 pounds a week.

I might have failed in the past, but that means I can and will be successful this time!

Personal Tsunamis and the Recovery

As those who are close to me know that the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami that followed affected me in a very profound way. First to know a sister’s pain for not knowing where her brother was in Sendai was humbling. It made me so grateful for my blessings and the safety I have in my home in Chandler. Then to know the joy that was felt when they were informed he was safe helped me to remember that there are miracles everyday.

Then the thought that changed my mind hit! It changed my motto for everything that I do. When the people of Japan woke up that morning they didn’t love their family, friends, and countryman as much as they did 30 minutes after the Earthquake. They didn’t desire to do good in a profound way, like they do now. It isn’t just the people of Japan who changed, this change happened here after September 11, 2001, after Hurricane Katrina, and after the Tsunami in Thailand. It seems that it takes a HUGE tragedy for us to be motivated to do better. We shouldn’t have to wait for something bad to happen to want to live our dream life. We can’t be held back by our own laziness, fear, or skill level. Inside each one of is something amazing that needs to be achieved. For me it getting Thinner and as I have started to fail at this endeavor I am coming to realize that it is time to turn around and plow through the fear, the laziness, and old habits to become the person I want. It is easier said than done. I had hoped on this journey that there would be people to help, motivate, hold me accountable, or have the same desire. I forgot to see that there are many on the sidelines cheering me on and setting a great example of living a healthy life.

Then the second and more profound thought came to me about my family, and the past few years, both the good and bad. Just like the earthquake hit first in Japan. So did the problems in my 18 year marriage. There were “little tremors” that we experienced but we didn’t “shore up the house” for the big one. When the “big one” hit the first thing BOTH of us did was to make sure the kids were alright. But then without warning in my life the “tsunami” hit and everything was destroyed. And again the 1st priority is to make sure the kids are safe. But it is now time to rebuild. A new and better life for my kids. It will be different and not look the same. But it will be safe and we will all learn from the experience. For the good or the bad, this is part of my journey of change. It might have started in April of 2007, but it has made me wiser and stronger.

But just like the picture, some houses were completely destroyed, others have major damage, and others are ok. The same is true in our lives. We face challenges, some of them completely knock us to the core, others leave us shaken but able to go on, and sometimes it is us who needs to help those who are suffering.

So part of my change included getting a new car. A small car, no more the family car, just one that is functional. Buying a car for cash, no debt. It made me feel good and blessed.

I am grateful for those who are my cheerleaders, because you seem to shout louder when I am not listening. Thank you!

Welcome 2011

Well to say that I have needed to update the blog would be an understatement! Heck, I wish I could say this is me in the picture! As with any good intentioned behaviors this blog writing and dieting hit a HUGE WALL. I could call it the Holidays, My Birthday, Valentine's Day, or whatever. The truth is that I have started to make some bad food choices that lead me to the 343 pound woman I once was. I believe writing the Awful Number makes me realize that it is so easy to lose focus on what we really want in life.

There has been some great improvements in the past year, and I need to remember that. The big news was that I took 20 minutes off of my time for Susan's Young Adult Cancer run! I did it in 52 minutes and 58 seconds. I was so happy. I wanted a better time, but I didn't put in the effort that I should have,i.e Training better.

Here is the Offical Race times. http://www.alldistancerunning.com/SusansResults11.htm#5K_OVERALL_FEMALE

Eliisa's time is there as well, and YEP! She Kicked my butt again. Way to Go Eliisa!! You are an amazing example for me to follow. Now if I could just run faster than you.

So I have listed before ways to lose weight before on the blog, Here are some ways to gain weight faster and feel bad about yourself. (So if I don't do these things, I will be back on track)

1. Don't Exercise-Use that extra time to watch TV, Facebook, or surf the web/

2. Eat out at least 3 times a week. (If you can make sure that one meal is 1500-2000 calories you will pack it on FAST! My personal Favorite-Zinburger with Hand cut Fries, with a side order of MoJo Frozen Yogurt) It is great to feel like crap afterwards.

3. Stop eating a High Protein Breakfast. Instead fill up on Begals and cream cheese, or My personal Favorite English Muffins with Peanut Butter (Yes they are Gluten Free, But still)

4. Stop snacking on Veggies or Fruit-Chips and Yogurt are better tasting.

5. Eat late at night right before you fall asleep! The best choice of foods here are Pizza and Nachos. Before it included Hot Dogs. I just haven't found any I like.

6. Don't build yourself up spiritually every morning. There is no need to stop sleeping those extra 7 minutes when you could be doing Yoga, Praying, feeling closer to God. Maybe even finding that inner peace that is so missing in everyones life.

7. Stop drinking water all the time-Hot Chocolate is much Better than plain water. Don't forget to add the extra creamer to it. You can't miss out on those extra calories.

8. Stop Drinking the Nutriiveda Shakes 2 times a day- That way your product goes farther and you body will feel like crap because it is missing the vitamins and minerals that it needs.

9. Don't sleep- You need to stay up so that you can eat foods that are High in Fat, High in Salt, High in Sugar, and High in Calories. There are so many good TV programs on HULU.

10. Stop Journaling- You don't want any proof of what you are eating, what you are thinking, and plus that takes away from the TV time that you need to gain the weight.

SO this list might be funny, sad, disgusting, or any other words you can think of, but it was the formula that I have been using. It has helped me to gain 40 pounds back that I lost. Yep makes you feel like crap.

There are too many people like myself who forget the simple steps to losing weight.
B.O.B- Believe, Obey, Become

If I Believe in the Nutriiveda Transformation (which I do) then I will make sure that I am taking the 30 minutes to exercise. That I am eating for my dosha to put me in balance. That I believe that I can lose the 2nd 100 pounds and weigh 143 by September 2, 2011. It starts with the mind set of I can do anything.

If I OBEY the plan then I will not feel the need to "cheat". There are so many times in life when we want the short cut. But if we follow the instructions exactly then we find success. I found it interesting that during Susan's Run how many people were "cutting the corners" of the course. They weren't hurting anyone but themselves. No matter what you do, you have to Obey, to get the reward that you really want.

Then I will Become. I will become the physical beauty that I desire to be. I will then become healthier for my kids. I then will become a Positive force for good in the world. Then I become the athlete that I miss so much. Then I become the friend I need to be. Then I become what God wants me to Become.

Seeing that I know what to do. I have put it up for the world to see. I now need to put it in ACTION!! Maybe a Shake for breakfast would be a good way to start!

I Finally Have a Spine!

Just like the collarbone, I was able to feel my spine and backbone. It is something I had never experienced. It made me also realize that I needed to 'grow a spine' or 'have some back bone'. As an overweight person (ok, I still am) I have spent my life trying to fit in and do things so people will like me. As a general rule, people don't like FAT people they judge them. I have heard things like lazy, if you would just eat less, remember portion control, exercise more, fat people shouldn't drive small cars, you need to buy a 2nd seat for the Southwest Airlines, or my personal favorite the plus size section is over there. I myself have been guilty of those thoughts, I went to an older single activity and noticed right away that the woman were overweight and I was judging them. It shocked me to the core that I was so mean & ruthless. I was glad I didn't say anything, but thoughts lead to words and words lead to actions. I am sure that I stared and gave
'dirty & mean looks' like those same ones that still stare at me. We live in a world where we never accept others more importantly we don't accept who we are ourselves. We find that we have many imperfections that we cannot change anything. One of the biggest changes in this transformation has been the spiritual transformation. I had made a choice at age 19 to become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I accepted this blessing and lived my life for the most part according to it's teachings. I was able to serve a mission, be married in the Mesa Temple, and raise my children with the love and support of wonderful church programs. I should have been happy. But life isn't always about happy. The problem was that I was just 'mormon' by appearance, go to church on Sunday and look the part don't go all in and allow the blessing of the Love of Christ to take effect in my life. As I started to change my spiritual life in November 2006,
things started to change in other aspects of my life. My friendships were becoming stronger, my love for my kids was growing, and my career was taking off. It was my marriage that was falling apart faster. So when this year started I felt lost, alone, betrayed by so may in my life, where was I to turn? I began the Nutriiveda Transformation that included working on my spirit. It was easy to do because I was already broken financially (no job), physically (weighed 343.8 Pounds), emotionally (my husband of 18+ years had left with my oldest son), and spiritually (I felt let down by my church leadership). As I started to pray with a true and earnest heart, I started to feel the Holy Ghost stronger. As I continued to go to the Temple, I started to understand God's plan for me. But I still doubted if I was loved by God. Yes, I was seeing incredible blessings in my life, but couldn't believed that I was loved by God, because my life was so messed up. But I was
surviving (you might have to ask my friends if I was really surviving). My kids were surviving (maybe physically, they were broken as well emotionally). I still had doubts and questions, so I turned to my friends and asked them about their thoughts on God. The answers were so helpful. But the question asked by 1 friend hit me to the core, because it was what I was thinking. The question was "Did you become LDS when you got married?" Even though that answer was NO, it made me question even stronger what I believed. I knew I needed the answer and as a WISE woman said this "sometimes there are questions that only YOU can answer. I feel that maybe it is time for DEB to find out. How I wish I could answer your questions and have them resolved...I can't...but the Lord and you can....find him....ask him...look inside and trust yourself no matter what YOU decide" This played on my mind and over and over again! (I was grateful that it was General Conference
Weekend, because I couldn't go to church with all these doubts) I knew where I needed to go and where I would find my answer. I wanted to know with all my heart if I was a Daughter of God, loved by an Heavenly Parents. In the Bible, James 1:5 it says -"If you lack wisdom as of God, and he will give you the answer". I had asked God before about the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, if Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, if the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- Day Saints was Christ True church on the earth today and I was told thru the Holy Ghost. Yes it is true ! But I had never asked if I had any devine worth, was I really a special person with heavenly parents who loved me?. I was texting a friend and I came up with a spiritual challenge, Read the Book of Mormon & Attend the temple once a week,by January 4, 2011 (my 42nd Birthday) that gave us 92 days to achieve this goal. (i asked 3 friends to join with me, and I grateful for those miracles in their
life already) If after that time if I still felt nothing, then I needed to look for a different spiritual option, for my life. I fasted and prayed to know! The lord has given me the answer so clearly. Not only thru friends whose testimony scares me, but thru love example of walking at the track, thru talks given in church, thru job interviews, thru great primary leadership. But also thru music. (Jericho Road) They have 2 songs that "what his love is for" and "love will find you there" These were not just chance happened they were hand of God in my life. I was told "Seeing is believing, NO! When you Believe it, then you will see it!!" I had believed I could lose the weight and did. I needed to believe in me!
As I doubted what I knew all along, just as my kids sometimes don't think I love them because I make them do chores, take their medicine when sick, do their homework, or have manners. It is the with my Heavenly Father and me, just because these things happen doesn't mean I am not loved, that I don't have greatness built inside of me, just because of who I am! A Daughter of a Loving God who believes in me enough to send my older brother to Earth to suffer and die for my mistakes, my hurts, my broken hearts, my losses, and my failures. Because he believes in my success as a person, as a mother, as a child, and as his daughter.
This is why I finally have a spine and backbone! I have great things to accomplish and I cannot do it without being 100% obedient.

100 Pounds Lost! I don't want to find them

Finally 100 Pounds lost.

I have “dreamed” of that day for YEARS and I mean like over 16 years. That is when I realized how Fat I had become. It has been on my Bucket List for that long as well. So to say that I longed to be able to say that I made it seemed that it took about 4 weeks to finally get it off. The day came on October 10th 2010. That might not mean a lot to many people but it means the world to me. That day I weighed in at 241 pounds.

So what does it really mean to lose 100 pounds? The total amount as of October 16, 2010 since Feb. 1st is 105 pounds. Yep that is a small wrestler. So basically I lost a small 14-year-old boy a PERSON. As the numbers were read (yep, I close my eyes when I weigh in) I heard that it was 238. I knew I had finally made it. I didn’t cry or feel sad. I was in shock. But I still knew this meant that I still wasn’t even half way to my goal. To the friends who support and encourage me in this journey the best part was being told that you were proud of me. I never realized that having someone believe in me made it easier to keep trying. It helped me to understand that it is possible for me to accomplish anything that I put my mind to.

So what exactly has happened during this journey? What have I accomplished or been able to do again?

After not being able to walk 5 houses down the block, I was able to walk a mile, in Feb.
In March I was able to “Walk” my first 5k, and completed it in 1 hour and 10 minutes
In April I was able to “Walk” Pat’s Run 4.2 miles. It took me 90 minutes but I felt a sense of accomplishment.
In May I was able to win $250 for the 1st Nutriiveda Challenge
In June I was able to go down the waterslide with my kids for the first time ever. It is something that changed how I looked at this weight loss.
In July I was able to see my middle boy get baptized, and I wasn’t afraid or ashamed of how I might look in the pictures. (That was HUGE for me.) I also realized I have a collarbone!
In August I ran/jogged for the first time since 1985 when I ran Cross Country at Corona del Sol High school. I was just bored walking at Ben’s practice when I started to run. I had made it a whole lap around the track. It was so happy. (I so posted it on FB!!) But the part that was amazing and humbling was that Saturday I was at Ben’s football game and the kids were being crazy. I just wanted to get to the car and go home so I started to jog and then run with the Ben and Beth behind me. They caught up really quickly and Beth said, “Mom, do you know you are running, really running” I was caught off guard that my sweet 5 year old daughter had never seen me run. To her I was the mom who just sat on the couch or went to work because I didn’t have the energy to do anything.
In September I started to walk every Tuesday Night at the CDS track and a minimum of 2 miles. I also had started to walk on the treadmill every morning. It was a great way to start the day.
In October I realized that I could get faster if I ran the back part of the track and run up the stadium stairs. It has been great to feel muscle again my legs.

So the 2nd Nutriiveda Challenge was completed on the 16th of October
The final weigh in numbers are 238.0 pounds. My waist was 40 inches and my hips were 53.5 inches. That is a 15% weight loss in 12 weeks.
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed in the fact that I still didn’t get the 100 pounds off in 12 weeks, But I cannot say that I am not proud of the accomplishment. (It has been a hard thing for me to admit!)
I was told that losing this weight is like climbing a mountain, yes the view from the top is the best, BUT the view is also beautiful when you are half way up the mountain.

This journey is not just a weight loss plan. (The biggest benefit!) But it is a mind, body, and spirit transformation. I can that there has been times when I have forgotten about the spiritual aspect and have felt empty. As I was able to redirect myself back to the most important thing I need to remember that I know what I know and I cannot deny it. This life is never easy and sometimes it is filled with doubt. It happens with the weight loss as well, I wonder could I have exercised more, could I have increased my intensity, could I have eaten better. The one conclusion is that it is the consistent actions that lead to the goal whether physical laws or spiritual laws.

I know that I am not a blogger but I do have goals. So here they are!!

I will be starting my 3rd Nutriiveda Challenge on November 1st. The reason is that when that Challenge is over it will be Feb. 1st 2011. The year mark.
I will be participating in the Dash and Splash again, my goal time is 35 minutes.
I will be completing the Book of Mormon by Jan. 4, 2011.
I will be attending the Temple weekly.
I will be walking every Tuesday Night at the CDS track.
I will be back in school to complete my degree.

I have been blessed with great friends who have taken the time to help me along the way. Thank you for your words of encouragement and support. To celebrate the 1st 100 pounds lost; on October 26th 2010 from 6pm –8pm we will be celebrating at Surreno’s on Arizona Avenue. Come join the celebration!

The Mulligan the Collarbone and CdS Football Kick-off

I know that the blog hasn’t been updated as often as I have liked but that is about to change. Part of my recommitment to the Nutriiveda Challenge
Things in my life have been crazy. My divorce trail is over and I am waiting on the final decree to be signed to be officially divorced. After 18 years of marriage I never would have believed it would end in divorce. But as I was once told by a very WISE MAN, Everyone deserves to be happy. Ben was baptized and it was amazing. The kids also are back at school. Ben and Bert both started football.

I have also started the Nutriiveda Success Group; it is a group that meets every other week to talk about their success with weight loss and to share great ideas. I loved the ideas shared. I really like that we are able to make commitments to each other to help us stay on track with the weight loss.

That brings me to the Mulligan. In golf, when you want a do over you ask for a mulligan. I asked for one with the Nutriiveda Challenge. I restarted on July 23, 2010.
My new starting weight was 280 pounds, my new waist measurement was 49.75 inches, and my new hip measurement was 60 inches.
I needed the new start and it has been great. I was able to recommit myself to the principles that had helped me lose some weight earlier this year. I had felt bad because my goal of losing over 100 pounds before the divorce didn’t happen. I had also hoped to lose 100 pounds before Kasey’s Mission Farewell, which also didn’t happen. I was starting to feel like I wasn’t making any progress. Boy was I wrong!!

That brings me to THE COLLORBONE!
For over 30 years I have been over weight, morbidly overweight for 18 years (yep I ate to find happiness and comfort) so whenever I look in the mirror I have seen nothing but fat. I was starting to notice that ALL of my shirts were falling off of me. I looked like a little kid with their dad’s shirt on. I started to notice that I had this weird looking hard thing on the sides of my neck. So during a weigh in I showed Eliisa (yes only a true friend would look at what you think is strange on your body) I told her isn’t this weird, She said “No, that is your collar bone.” I knew thru biology class that I had a collarbone but I had never felt it. Then when I could feel a shoulder joint as well. I realized that I had been losing weight. I can’t explain the joy that has come from feeling my collarbone. (Yes, I have asked many people to touch it because I am so happy I can see it.)

But nothing so far has replaced what happened at the Corona del Sol Football Kick-off Potluck. I have gone with Bert for the past 3 years. This was the 4th time. In years past because of my size I would find a table in the back corner and even have my kids or soon-to-be-ex get me a plate of food. I didn’t want to embarrass my son, but also I didn’t want people to see how really big I was. It was easier to not participate then to try. It was even harder seeing that this is the same High School that I attended and feels that it was an amazing place to be a part of for four years. I would do the same thing during the wrestling potlucks as well.
We this night was different, I was able to get there earlier and had a desire to help any way that I could. I had energy to help, even though I had been at work all day long. I walked in and a lot of the Mom’s noticed that I had lost some weight. I signed up for the email list to help and even looked at the shirts they were selling. I had already made up my mind that I would be getting a 2XL shirt for Ben’s football team. (For me that was success seeing that on Feb. 1st I was in a size 5XL) So I asked the mom behind the table for a 2XL, she passed it to me. I put it up to me to see if I needed a size bigger. She said, “Honey, that shirt is too big on you, you need a XL” I couldn’t believe my ears. But I knew she was right and I bought it. You would never know that $10 shirt is worth about a million dollars to me. I then helped the other mothers stock the tables for the potluck. It is a lot of running back and forth, but I had the energy and I wasn’t embarrassed about my size. I was THRILLED to help my son’s team, any small way that I could. I then made a choice to put on a Corona del Sol Shirt. It was the first time in 23 years that I was able to show my AZTEC PRIDE!! I was worried that the shirt would be tight. It wasn’t in fact the arms are kinda baggy.

This has been a journey to coming back to the person that I was before, NO Fear, Trying to be kind, loving, helpful, and in control. I am no way perfect but during this transformation I have used the help of the one and only perfect one, Jesus Christ.

I have found strength that even on bad days I can see the miracles. I am so blessed, loved, and grateful. I love Nutriiveda and Know that this weight wouldn’t come off so fast without a product that eats fat naturally. A group of people who are positive and see the miracle and opportunity of the business side of the product.

So it come down to this in 3 weeks of the new challenge I have lost 21 pounds and 7 inches total. I weigh less than Bert for the first time in his whole life. That moment when I weighed in and heard that I was under 260 (Bert is 261) I was excited. I didn’t cry about the fact that I was so happy of that fact, until the next day. As of August 14, 2010, weight 259.0 pounds, waist 45.5 inches, and hips 57 inches. ( If I could only get the fat off of my butt and hips faster!! )

I still will hit my goal of losing 100 pounds before convention. My first goal is to Beat Eric Johnson’s one-month record of 32 pounds in 4 weeks. I will take effort and determination. The worst that happens is I lose more weight.