Pages

Saturday, March 7, 2009

The Incredible Shrinking Julia

I got the title of this post from my dad... this morning when I walked out of my room he said "Julia! You look really slim!" This was very encouraging for me, because for the past 23 days I have been cutting back with my diet... eating only 1 carb a day and very few sweets. For example, for breakfast I usually have an apple and scrambled eggs. (We eat scrambled eggs every morning at my house because our chickens lay very tasty ones, and we like them for breakfast) and for lunch, I have a salad with chicken or a hardboiled egg, tomatoes, cheese, pickles, sometimes carrot slices or peels, but no croutons. I happen to really like salads, so this isn't a bad thing for me. You have to be careful though, because some dressings like Ranch and Caesar are PACKED with calories. Dressings like oil & vinegar or Newman's Own Light Balsamic Vinaigrette are a better choice.

Here is a picture of one of my typical lunches...
Anyway, I said "Thanks!" and sat down next to my dad on the couch. He kept looking at me and said "Wow.... my incredible shrinking daughter!" This made me laugh. :) I've lost about 12.8 pounds, going from pushing 160 pounds to 147.2 pounds as of this morning. :) Yay! :)
A picture of me taken in my room today.
I would like to get down to where I only weigh 140 pounds. I think that would be a healthier weight for me... as I'm 5'9", rather on the tall side. :) I've been riding our exercise bike every day (except for when I was sick) burning close to 200 calories every day, which has helped me a lot.
I didn't find this 'diet plan' anywhere... I simply asked my mom what I could do to lose a few pounds and she reccommended eating fewer carbs and more vegetables. So far it's working quite well! :)

I believe that it is a biblical principle to take care of your body, and I'm not doing it in an overly obsessive way - I'm simply taking good care of what God gave me. :)

Love and Hugs,



Currently I'm feeling... Refreshed! :)

16 comments:

  1. Congratulations Julia! It is so good to eat healthy and exercise. It seems dieting works well for you-I have been on a diet for quite a while and have hardly lost anything. :( Thats ok though I guess becuase the exercise and eating better has helped me to feel healthier and more fit.

    Have a great day!

    Shannon

    ReplyDelete
  2. Awesome for you, Julia! I also lost 15# in like 2 weeks from smaller portions, drinking a TON of water, and not eating anything after dinner! I too believe in the Biblical way to be healthy. I LOVE exercising! so looking forward to it when it gets warmer!
    You look great too!
    Love ya!
    Manda
    The Daily Planet

    ReplyDelete
  3. I eat salads everyday for lunch. And go over to my blog. =) I love secrets!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Awesome, Julia! Your 'plan' is def a good one. All about creating a healthier lifestyle and less about losing quick weight! Keep up, girlie! <3 PS. I'm actually doing a lot the same as you are. =P

    ~Riah

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Julia,
    Hope you lose 7 more pounds!

    Sorry, both previous comments I wrote by mistake, You probably wonder how I got your blog- that would be Joanna. Sorry!
    See you tomorrow,
    Allison~

    ReplyDelete
  6. Good for you, Julia! That is wonderful!

    I am right now not eating any desserts myself. Not to lost weight...it's more of a "lent" thing....even though I am not Catholic. It is really hard, but God is daily giving me grace.

    However, you put me to shame with exercise.....I need to (just to stay in shape) but I don't

    ReplyDelete
  7. That is great Julia! =) And indeed, you *do* look slim. =P Yeah, I love salads too! They are so good. But we don't have them very often...
    Anyway, that is really great! I'm so happy for you! =D

    ~Madison

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hey Julia! That's awesome! Congratulations! You do look really good! =;) The nice thing about losing weight and eating healthy is that you feel so much better about yourself! =:) I hope you reach your goal and I am glad you are feeling much better now! It is no fun being sick! =;)

    Blessings!
    ~Rachel~

    ReplyDelete
  9. Awesome! I'm 5'7" and weigh around 130 pounds. I've lost 15 pounds since last April! Cool, huh?
    My mom is making me an Emma dress with some pretty fabric I picked out for the Father Daughter Retreat - I can't wait to show it to you when we're there!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi Julia! You look great! Keep going!:) I did a no sugar diet for about two weeks straight. i also did no fat foods. i often made different meals from what my mom made. I really need to get back on it though. It makes you feel so much better when you eat healthy! I agree with you on the biblical way of eating.
    Blessings,
    Miss Hannah

    ReplyDelete
  11. Congratulations on the weight loss, it sounds like your diet is very healthy. :)
    I'm doing a Q & A session on my blog at the moment and one of the questions someone asked me was what would I choose to eat if I could only eat one food for the rest of my life. I ended up choosing salad, because there are so many different things you can put in it.
    Btw, I love your bedspread, it's so cute and colourful!
    I hope you don't mind a stranger visiting your blog, I stumbled upon it via a comment you left somewhere else. :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Shannon,
    Thanks! :) It definitely is. Don't worry if you haven't lost actual weight, because muscle weighs more than fat, so you could be transferring all the fat cells in your body into muscle, which is leaner but weighs more. :) I did that a while ago but it crept back up - which is why I needed to lose a few pounds. :P.

    Manda,
    Hey girl! Congrats on your own weight loss! :D That's awesome! I like excercising too. :) It is fun! Especially if you listen to some favorite music while you work out. ;)

    Lauren Ann,
    Me too! Now, that is. :) I love salads. :)

    Mariah,
    Yes - it really is about a healthier lifestyle instead of losing quick weight... but I do hope to keep the weight off for a while. :D Good job if you're doing the same! :)

    Hi Allison!
    Me Too! :D That's great that you got my blog address from Joanna. It was fun seeing you today at church! :)

    Ella,
    I'm not eating desserts either... although I confess, I made cookies to take to church today and I had two of them today! Oh well. I can work it off. :) Well, I would probably not be as diligent with exercise if I didn't have an exercise bike in the loft to use! :) I used to go with my mom to a ladies gym but then it closed. :(.

    Madison,
    Hey girl! :) Thank you!! :) I really appreciate it. :)

    Rachel,
    Thanks! Yes, it really does make you feel better about yourself, and the feeling of accompolishment is so nice! :)

    Earwen,
    That is cool! The Emma dress sounds lovely... I assume you mean for the high tea... I'm wearing an ivory blazer with a sparkly/velvet purple skirt and purple & ivory pearl jewelry - the jewelry I made myself. :) My mom is helping me make the skirt. I still have to find ivory shoes!! :0!! :)

    Miss Hannah,
    Thanks! My mom did a no sugar and no salt diet once and she said it worked really well! I don't know if I could do something that strict though... I do love my sugar. :D

    Holly,
    Nice to meet you! I don't mind new visitors at all! :) Thank you so much for leaving a comment!! .... I do like that bedspread, I love the polka dots. :D

    Blessings!
    Julia

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hey Julia! Who doesn't love sugar!!!!:D It was very hard though. well, good luck for the rest of your diet! Oh, I love your room! I like the polka-dots on your comforter.:) Sorry, I couldn't help but look!
    Blessings,
    Miss Hannah

    ReplyDelete
  14. Congratulations!
    I love salads as well =D

    I am trying to get slimmer as well, and I agree with you on what you said at the end of you post. We should take care of our bodies! A lot of health problems can come from being over weight and eating a lot of sugar.
    This post was pretty encouraging to me, because some times I feel like i will never be able to get down to the size i want to be. So if i see other people loosing weight, then it encourages me to try hard and keep at it =D

    ~Marissa

    ReplyDelete
  15. Julia, I am a 'friend' of your mom, Michelle from She Looketh Well, I just wanted to say great job! As a women in her forties who didn't take the best care of herself and now has many children and long for more, I wish I had. I struggle daily with health issues that are a direct cause of poor choices and ignorance.

    The Lord has been making HUGE changes and bring great healing to me, but it is a long and difficult road. I do believe He will make me stronger and more able to care for my littles and, Lord willing, have more children to raise for His glory.

    You are wise to realized your responsibility in taking care of your body. May God bless your efforts and strengthen and encourage you and give you great resolve to be a strong woman of God able to fulfill His call on your life! You go girl!

    Lovingly,
    Michelle
    www.shelookethwell.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  16. Good for you!! I struggled with my weight for quite a while as well. I am pretty active, so that wasn't the problem, I was just really eating WAY to much. It also helped that I grew like 5 inches recently. :) My Dad says that our "Fitness should be a witness". My family didn't notice so much, primarily because they see me everyday, but my Grandparents were amazed. Keep up the good work!

    ReplyDelete

Hi! Thank you for leaving a comment on my blog. I hope you are having an absolutely wonderful day. :)

Please remember to keep your thoughts and remarks kind and pleasing in the sight of our Lord.

I would encourage you to sign your name to your comments... otherwise it might not be published.

If you have a question you would like to ask me, feel free to leave me your email address - it will not be published - and I will try to answer or help as best as I can. :)

Sometimes it takes me a little while to get back to you... but I do try and reply when I get a comment. :D

Love & Blessings!
~ Julia ~