If you would have told me a year ago

I would have told you that you were crazy if you would have told me a year ago that today I would be 3.4 pounds from losing 90 pounds. I would have let you know that you were certifiable. You see last year at this time I had no self confidence and no self worth. I had tried to diet but it had never worked because I was doing the quick fad things. Losing weight is a life style change, a life long commitment to eat better and exercise more. Do I fail, absolutely but now I take those failures and use them to my advantage, not to beat up myself but to learn what triggered the event.

 This week has been one of those weeks and the picture to the left actually is a picture of sin. You see this week I ate a McDonald's Happy Meal. I know, I know it is just a Happy Meal but it was on top of my regular food, so on that day I doubled my calories. It wasn't even the lowest calorie Happy Meal (Chicken Nuggets) it was a cheeseburger happy meal and they put a regular fry in it instead of a kid fry. That's right I stuffed my mouth with it all. I might add here that even though I doubled my calories I was still below the calories I started with last October. So lets look at the triggers. Depression, lack of money (makes sense to me to spend money I don't have to feed my addiction) and lack of sleep. So now I know what the triggers are how do I fix them. Lack of money, I am in the process of finding a better job, not too many people have openings for my skills or lack there of, but I am trying. Lack of sleep isn't going to change any time too soon seeing Brenda and I are on different schedules and Depression, I am working on this one but it is a daily battle for me. I know you are saying Drew, you are so happy all the time... Even a clown wears a mask.

As you can see my transformation is coming along. I feel encouraged when I put on a piece of clothing I haven't been able to wear, this week it was jeans. Besides my fat jeans I have not been able to wear jeans for about 2 years. I had two pair in the closet just waiting for me and this week I was able to put a pair on. I am so stinking close to a 3xl shirt it isn't funny. I can get it buttoned but it bunches a little when I sit down.

 Overall I am happy with the weight loss has gone and to possible be at 90 pounds gone next week is exciting. At 100 pounds I will be half way there. at this rate it will be at the end of my 51st year that I am fit by 51 but it will happen and I will be bringing you along on the entire journey. Thank you for being my accountability partners. So until next time, I will see you on the other side. ~ Drew

Everything Is Going Fine Except Everything

Chris Sligh - This is Life

The fact that I have a vested interest in this album project has not swayed my opinion at all. Anyone that knows me, knows that if I think something sucks I would tell you.
This is life is an album that was worth waiting the extra time for. Chris Sligh has hit it out of the park with his 37 song 3 CD album.

"Hey I'm on top of the world and everything is fine, except everything." the beginning words of "Around Me" really sums up how all of us feel at one time or another.

The Cd's are split into three areas, Praise and worship, Love and Hope.

In CD one you actually go on a journey with Chris From Worship to praise. He covered a few classics but also wrote some originals that are so great that I know some day they will be classics themselves. Some of my favorites, in no particular order, "You meet our needs", "teach me oh God", "How Great", "Communion Song." and when you hear "Come Revive", you won't be able to stay in your seat.

In CD two we see a personal love story between Chris, his wife, his child and his Savior. Some of my favorites in the CD is the a fun song, " A Poorly written love song", "This is Life", "Around Me", and "A good man"

In CD three, one of my favorites. Chris sings of over coming hardships and hardness that life throws your way and being triumphant over them. There isn't a song I don't like on this part of the project. LOVE "Shining Down", "Just Hold On",and "Learning to fly" however its "You were born to die" that even as I type these words I am tearing up.

Friends if you don't include this CD project in your collection you are missing out. Please support his ministry, I think these songs will touch you in places you never knew where touchable.

http://chrissligh.com/

Until next time friends, I will see you on the other side ~ Drew

I defeated

i screamed at God, in fact I yelled, I screamed, I cried. the pressure that I've been under lately monetary wise,relationship wise and now transportation wise had become too much for me. I am seeking God to give me renewal on all accounts. and I just ask you my friends to continue to pray for my family. It seems that every where we turn the devil is attacking us. I know God gives us the strength to handle whatever He gives us but sometimes I wonder how much more strength He's going to have to give me before I break. He does supply every one of our needs and He has shown that to us time after time. but still I doubt, and that's just the human  in me and all of us that when things are going bad we doubt what is happening in our life.

God has been so good to us in the past and I know I shouldn't doubt Him and I don't reallt doubt Him I just doubt the situation that we're in. I know once again He will get us through this hard patch and we will have to reexamin to find out how we got here in the first place. the heartache that we have is self imposed. God doesnt want us to suffer but we start listening to the king of lies and soon it becomes our truth.

On the plus side today. I have a family that loves me, inlaws that aren't outlaws and a God that will supply all our needs.  plus... I was able to fit into a pair of jeans that I know I have not worn in a very long time. until next time my friend I'll see you on the other side ~Drew

Are you sitting there wanting a Big Mac while Drinking my Slim Fast... Not me

Good Morning and I am sorry I have not written in a week. Seems the ADHD has really been kicking in even making it hard for me to read my bible. It rained last night which is nice because the gardens really needed it. This morning I took a pot of sun tea out side in hopes the rain stops and the sun comes out. While I was breathing in the newly cleansed air I noticed something red over in the garden so I decided to pick it. 13 tomato's later and all my pockets full I made it back inside in time to see Brenda off to school. Its been a week of a lot of work outside just getting ready for the upcoming cold season and I have tons more to do.  God surly has blessed us with a great garden of tomato's and cucumbers this year. I can hardly wait to see what the potato's are doing, won't be long before we harvest those.

     The locusts have been sounding the last couple of days and according to folk lore that means it only 6 weeks till the first frost. I am so not ready for winter. 

As I sit here eating my 35 calorie toast with my 50 calorie peach - mango marmalade on it , I am reevaluating some of my choices this week. Because that is what I do to make myself stronger and smarter. I have to tell you I AM NOT ON A DIET. If you go on a diet of potions, pills and little tricks to try and lose weight you will return to your old ways of eating and pack on more pounds then you lost. The secret of weight loss... are you ready? Changing the way you think about food thus changing the way you consume it.
We are slapped in the face with food ads everywhere. None of which, by the way, are healthy choices for a new life style. I have a motto here lately, the more music, glitz and fast paced fun on a food commercial... the more unhealthy it is. Watch Next time, the fast paced commercials enticing you to buy are the unhealthiest. Just something to think about as you sit there with your slim fast wishing you had a Big Mac. This week I lost 1.6 pounds. I hope and pray you have a wonderful week and I hope to visit with you again soon, hopefully before next Thursday. So until next time, I will see you on the other side ~ Drew
      

80 pounds gone

Thin Down Thursday ~ Just like anything in life, if you sin and confess those sins and come with a humble heart before God he will continue to bless you. Each and every day we make mistakes but we have to take ownership of those mistakes to overcome them. Regardless of how badly I screwed up the other day God went ahead and blessed me with a 2.2 pound loss. That's 80 pounds gone on this  journey of weight loss. I thought it was important for me to share when I fell on my face this week. So many times in this weight loss blogs you only hear the good and never the bad and then when something bad happens to you, you feel as though you can't do this. You can do anything you set your mind to. Will there be hickups? It is guaranteed! Thats right guaranteed, it even says so in the bible. "In this world you will have problems, but take heart I have over come the world." John 16:33. Take heart my friends,  I will always be open and honest with you becasue it forces me to be open and honest with my self. So until next time my friends, I will see you on the other side ~ Drew

1000 calories over

Yesterday was a horrible day for my weight loss to say the least. First of all I only got 4 hours of sleep the night before. With very little sleep my resistance is down. I walked into speedway and automatically picked up 2 of their breakfast sandwiches and ate them (Meaning I had over 800 of my 1438 allowed calories in one meal) For lunch a couple of egg rolls (360 Calories) and then last night, homemade chili dogs (You don't want to know)

As bad as yesterday was and as horrible I was at eating, today is a new day. I plan of taking a couple of walks and eating right. See when you fall off the wagon it doesn't have to be the end of what you are doing. It may be a little set back and I may suffer on the scales scales tomorrow but it is not the end. So if you have hit some stumbling blocks this week with whatever you are doing, pick your self up and brush yourself off and start all over again.  It is possible to achieve what ever you want through persistence. So until next time friends, I will see you on the other side ~ Drew

Come on get happy

I don't know what it is about early morning but whenever I get up earlier than what I normally have to I always have the Partridge Family theme going off in my head. I don't mean the original theme where it says come on and meet everybody, I'm talking about the one that says come on let's get happy. I don't know if its gods trying to pump me up for a beautiful day or what. so here it is "come on world of the song that were singing, come on get happy. A whole lotta love is what we will be bringing, it will make you happy" do you have a happiness song that helps you get through the day?

Yes I still struggle throughout the day, but you know with that song and what grace God gives me, I know I can make it. only 7 more hours of work and I get this evening off and I'm going to watch Extreme Makeover weightloss edition and then go to bed early. so until next time friends I'll see you on the other side~Drew

Bored

I am bored. I am bored of my diet I am bored of what I'm doing for a living I am just bored in general. it is almost like I have lost my zeal for life. I get upset when I gain weight but I know it's my own fault. because being bored with my diet makes me eat things I shouldn't. I still keep close to my calories but some of the stuff to nutritionally isn't as good as what it should be. I really enjoyed dumpster diving in going thru the trashand finding things that I can use. I love implementing plans for those things but then I get to the part where I don't have the money to finish something and I get very frustrated

my diet is a joke sometimes I mean how many ways can you make a Subway sandwich. I think I've tried to low calorie subs about everyway there is to do them.

My boss is very verbally abusive at times. I know she doesn't mean it and I think its the alcohol the talks most of the time. she was thrown into the job without any training whatsoever so they've done her diservice. but it is also true that she hasn't tried any self growth of the manager and that she doesn't look for different answers she has to always be right. and then she will lie to you if find her wrong in something and then she will tell you that's not what she said.

working 2nd shift my home life is a little shaky. never knowing what my family is doing or where they are.

the good parts though I am losing weight and I am getting closer to God. I know the boredom will go away and that my zeal for life in general will come back. I just ask that you continue to pray for me and that God reveals to me what he wants me to do with my life.

I appreciate you listening to me. Until next time I'll see you on the other side ~Drew

Not so thin down Thursday

Thin Down Thursday ~ I GAINED 2/10 of a pound. It was bound to happen. My eating habits this week have been atrocious. Not because I wanted to but because I am poor. The stress of Brenda working only part time this summer, bank accounts over drawn, and lack of sleep has also affected me this week. I KNOW that there are brighter days ahead. Brenda is back to working full time and God will supply our needs and some of our wants. So I rest in Him. What are you struggling with today that could use some prayer? I will certainly go to the Lord on your behalf if you would like me too. You can even P.M. if you would like at anytime and ask for prayer. Make it a great week everyone and don't let life's circumstances get you down. You are the only one that can change that by your choices. 

     

     On a brighter note on I am enjoying my photography and you can see some of it at https://www.facebook.com/DoubleaStudio I am enjoying my gardening which is doing well. Tomato's are an everyday thing while cucumbers are about a once a week thing. Still waiting on green peppers as they are just setting. Pulled the watermelon and cantaloupe yesterday as nothing set on them and the broccoli has been done for a few weeks. Never got any head lettuce it seems bugs bunny and his friends were hungry.

I am also enjoying my dumpster diving and projects that I have going on. On the right you see one of my freebie projects and right now I am working on a 9 foot long 3 foot high dog eared fence. I am doing it without having to spend any money. I always have a project in my mind and hopefully one day will get the house  and garden the way I would like it.  Well that's all for now, I have taken enough of your time.

 

Until next time, I will see you on the other side ~ Drew

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My name is Drew and I'm a ...

     My name is Drew Wohlford and I am a carbaholic. I have pretty much tackled my bread issue with this great bread from Healthy Life. I had been getting it at Walmart but I found out the other day I can get it at Save-A -Lot for $2.00 a loaf.

    My problem with carbs however comes with pasta. I LOVE PASTA!!!! in fact everytime we have pasta I have a tendency to eat in excess. In fact I can say I am addicted to pasta. With butter, with a red sauce, with cheese it doesn't matter I love my pasta. So I don't eat pasta very often because I can't stop.

     I believe that is one of the reasons that I only lost one pound this week because last night we had good ole pasta. I know that I can't be too hard on myself because we all fall off the wagon at times, it just means that I need to watch myself better when it comes to the love of my life .... Pasta. EVERYTHING in moderation. So my friends I will continue to do what I am doing and please feel free to cheer me on or yell at me if you see I am reaching for something I shouldn't be reaching for. I count on you all to be my accountability partners in my journey to a more healthy me. Until next time, I will see you on the other side ~ Drew