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Here it is...hump day!!!  Halfway through the work week.  If I am being honest I have to say that I am already utterly exhausted!!!!  I don't even want to think about anything more tonight....but I know that I made a committment to myself to focus on this blog in 2014.  I really hope and pray that I can provide information to others that will enrich their lives.

This writing thing is pretty difficult.  I don't know how authors are able to do it for a living.  Especially the great ones.  I struggle to come up with topics to write about, then when I think I have found a topic I like - I start to type and I can't think of anything to say.  So, tonight, I am going to apologize that my post is short and really doesn't make much sense at all.

What I am going to ask though is for my readers to give me feedback.  Please comment below with things that you would like to see me share.  What things do you want to learn about? What do you struggle with?  What do you want to learn from me?

When will winter end?

Growing up in Ohio, you woud think that I would be used to be cold in the winter months.  You would think that I would be used to wearing 20 layers of clothes to keep warm. But the truth is I am not.  The truth is that I can't stand the cold.  I even tried moving south to get away from the cold Cleveland winters.  The problem is I think they followed me.  I am laying under a pile of blankets and my nose is colder than the dogs and my feet won't warm up no matter how many pairs of sock I layer on.  

What is a girl to do?  Aside from loading myself up with a bunch of unneeded, fattening comfort food, I have resorted to plugging in a space heater and wearing sweaters to bed.  My furnace is working overtime these days - and it doesn't seem there is an end in sight.  I long for warmer days - bright sunshine - flipflops - all the great things that come with the Spring and Summer months.  

I have to keep reminding myself that it could be much worse.  I could still be in Cleveland with sub-zero windchills and multiple feet of snow that seems to never end.  There are a lot of things I miss about home - but this damn winter weather is certainly not one of them.  

First Step - Getting Started with Photo Organization

"Photography is a way of feeling, touching and loving.  What we have caught on film is captured forever...it remembers little things, long after we have forgotten everything." ~Aaron Siskind

What is keeping you from getting your albums completed?  Is it because you are overwhelmed by the thought of getting all of your photos and memorabilia in one place?  Before I moved from Ohio to Tennessee my biggest issue with not being able to get my albums done was the fact that I had pictures and memorabilia everywhere.  In each closet of my house and in the basement.  In my home office and the living room bookshelf - there were photos EVERYWHERE.  Seriously - I am not joking about that.  When we moved, I was able to get gather all of my photos and memorabilia and get it somewhat organized.  However, this is still a work in progress...and likely it will be for you too.

I am so passionate about learning how to get organized and teaching others how to get organized that I subscribe to a weekly newsletter - specifically devoted to giving photo organization tips.  I have learned that the VERY FIRST STEP to getting organized and setting yourself up for success is to "hunt" and "gather.".  What does this mean?  Well, just what you think it means.  Hunt for your photos and memorabilia that you want to preserve and gather them all in one place.  Now, I totally understand that this might take some time - because it took me some time too.  But the truth is, I devoted only 1 hr a day for a full week to searching for the stuff I wanted to keep and that I wanted to bring with me to Tennessee with the ultimate intent of getting EVERYTHING into an album.

By giving myself just 1 hr a day, it forced me to be as productive as possible during that time.  I was able to quickly find everything and get it in one place.  For me, it was tossing everything into plastic totes until I could begin the sorting phase.

Now, you are probably asking yourself "What kind of stuff should I be making sure that I hunt for and gather in one place?" Here's the list:

1. Heritage Albums & Photos - these are those old albums that Grandma left to you when she passed away.  These are the photos that have been handed down through the family for generations.  There is always SOMEONE in your family has these photos.  The ones of Great-Grandma & Great-Grandpa's 50th wedding anniversary.  The photos of your parents as babies.  You get the idea.
2. Old media, video tapes & film reels - These old media types can be digitized and they will add depth and dimension to your family stories once you are all finished. 
3. Printed Photos - This can be very overwhelming and I won't lie - it's gonna be a little scary once you see the shear number of print photos that you have once you get them all gathered into one place.  But, I promise you that this is so worth the effort.  
4. Digital Photos - Check out my previous blog Get Your Digatal Photos Organized for tips on getting all of your digital photos gathered in one place.  

I am going to leave you tonight with this - I know we are all busy and these kinds of projects are the last things on our list of things to do.  But I promise you that in the end you won't regret it.  Happy hunting!

Favorite Pinterest Boards

Are you a pinner? I have to admit that I may need a 12 step program for when it comes to Pinterest and pinning ideas, recipes and style ideas.  That's why it's only fitting that I share with you my favorite pinners and pin boards with you. 

1. Payless Shoe Source
2. Lane Bryant
3. Polyvore - truth be told I love this one because they post full outfits.  They are great if your looking for style ideas.
4. The Purple Store - Everything is purple.  Enough said.
5. Nature's Garden Candle & Soap Company
6. Cooking Mamas
7. Love Grows Wild
8. Daily Digi
9. All Recipes
10. Ahni & Zoe by Creative Memories
11. Old Navy
12. Country Music Candles
13. Trula Muir
14. Mary Kay
15. Peacock Blues
16. Wilton Cake Decorating & Candy Making
17. Cricut
18. Ancestry.com
19. Avon
20. The Idea Room

Happy Pinning!

Let's Bring Back the Photo Album

Growing up one of my favorite things to do was to flip through our family photo albums and looking at pictures of family events and family members that had passed.  I remember asking my mom about the pictures that I didn't know who or what they were of.  She would tell me stories about events or things that my ancestors would do.  What kind of people they were.

I really think that is where my love for photography came from.  I know that's where my love for genealogy and family history came from.  I am passionate teaching people how important these things are.  And trust me when I say that those people who continue to only keep digital files will one day regret that they didn't take time to print out all those pictures and put them in albums.  Now I am not saying to get rid of the digital files entirely.  What I am saying is that digital photo files should be veiwed as a backup - not your primary photo library.

Think back to when you were a child. I bet you were totally excited about that first 110 mm camera that you got for Christmas.  I bet you can remember the excitement you had when you picked up that envelope of freshly developed negatives.  So why don't people do that anymore?  Why have we gotten so busy that we would rather just keep all of our pictures hidden in our phones and on our computers?

Imagine this....one day your children are faced with the reality that you have passed from this life.  They are planning your memorial service.  They want to make a photo collage of your life - but there is one problem - they can't find any photos of you.  They suddenly realize that you have kept all of your photos on your phone and on your computer. The problem is you have locked your cell phone so that no one is able to access it and you have password protected your computer.  You have just deprived your children and your friends and family from having the chance to remember you through the pictures that you had saved.

How selfish is that?  I know that many of us don't want to think about the reality that one day we will not be here - but just think about the opportunity we have now to preserve our lives and the people that we are for futures to come.  You don't have to get fancy - but you need to start.

Get your digital photos organized, printed and in albums!!!!

As an Ahni & Zoe Consultant, my "job" is to help my customers and potential customers see the importance of sharing your photos.  Sometimes it is hard for me to explain to people the "why" and the "how" of photo preservation.  I decided that I would gather my thoughts and put it all in one easy to find post.

First, I need to stress why it is important to get all of those photos off your phones, digital cameras, hard drives and social media photo albums and get them into albums.  We live in a digital age.  I know that - and I have gotten stuck in that rut too.  But here's the thing - by keeping all those great moments locked up in your phone or on your hard drive - you are being selfish.  You are being selfish because you are not allowing others the opportunity to share and "live" those moments with you.

Think back to before we had smart phones, Facebook, Instagram and all of the digital "toys" we have today.  How did you share birthdays, graduations, weddings, family vacations and all of those other moments in your life with your friends and family? I know it's hard to think about it, but we took photos on a 35mm film camera.  We had to take 24 pictures at a time then take that little film roll to the local photo processing center (or put it in an envelope, seal it and drop it in the mail) and wait a few days - sometimes even a few weeks to get those photos back - printed on special paper.  You could choose matte finish or glossy, but the problem with glossy was that you could see finger prints after you flipped through the photos.  If you went to the right place, they would mount your photos in little paper "albums" which made it super easy to carry them with you and share.

Do you remember?


How about this?



Sometimes I wish we still had these wonderful things.  Film cameras - boy our kids wouldn't know what to do!!!!  And I often think - if we still had to take photos on film, mail them to York Developing in order to print the photos onto Kodak paper and wait for them to be mailed back to us, people would have a great appreciation for storytelling, scrapbooking and album making.  That's why tonight's post is about how YOU need to get your digital photos organized, printed and in albums and how SUPER EASY it still can be.

First, you need to get all those pictures organized.  There is a great software program offered by Panstoria that is great for those "computer savvy" people who want something to help them organize their photos, keep notes about them, edit them and order prints all from the same place.  It's kind of your "one stop shop" for the more serious amateur photographers, yet it's simple enough for the novice user as well.  Most people may recognize the software as "Memory Manager" which was marketed and sold exclusively by Creative Memories Consultants.  However, Creative Memories as you may remember it is now out of business, having been replaced by Ahni & Zoe in November 2013.  The software is called Historian (click to learn more)  With Historian you can create "vaults" that help you organize your photos however you want.  It also features photo editing tools,  file backup tools, and the ability to order prints of your photos.

Now, if you don't want to spend the money for the program, that is fine, you don't have to.  Here's some tips that have worked for me to help me keep my photos neatly organized in digital form until I am ready to have them printed to put them in albums.

1. Decide on if you want to store your photos on the "cloud" or if you intend on keeping them backed up to an external hard drive.  I recommend purchasing a portable external hard drive like this one. Keep in mind that if you are looking to buy an external hard drive there are alot of choices out there and as far as the size (Giga Bytes or Tara Bytes) you will need it depends on how many photos you plan to keep.
2. Once you have decided how you are going to store your backed up photos - BACK THEM UP!!!  I cannot stress how important it is to have all of the photos you want to keep backed up in some way.  While I know none of us want to think of the possibility of Instagram, Pinterest or Facebook suddenly going away - it is ALWAYS a possibility.  When was the last time you logged into your MySpace account?  Did you remember to save all of your photos from that account before you stopped using it?
3. Now, you need to decide how you want to organize your photos.  Create folders on your computer based on your "system".  For example, I organize mine by year, then month or event.  What I mean by this is I have a folder for ALL of the pictures I took in 2013.  The folder is simply named "2013".  Inside the 2013 Folder I have sub-folders.  Each one is named.  All photos I took for New Year's are in a folder named "New Years", I have a folder named "January" for all of those miscellaneous pictures I snapped throughout the month of January, Karey's Birthday, Jeff's Birthday, Easter, etc.  By doing this, I have given myself a simple system for storing my photos on my computer.  Then, once I have organized the photos, I just copy the whole folder to my external HD so that I have a backup.
4. Back up your photos every couple of months (I am a little OCD and tend to back up my photos each time I upload new ones or reorganize)  It's completely up to you how often you want to backup your files - but make sure to do it regularly.  You NEVER know when you might have computer issues that cause you to lose files on your regular computer.
5. Purge your photos every once in a while - don't be afraid to delete some pictures.  If you are anything like me you take ALOT of photos.  I LOVE to take pictures - of just about everything.  I have found recently that I can't stop taking pictures of my pets.  Almost everyday - oh okay - everyday I snap a picture of the fur babies doing something.  But do I really need 5,000 pictures of the dog sleeping?  Probably not.  That means that sometimes I have to go through the pictures (which is fun in an of itself) and pick out my favorite pictures to keep and then delete all the rest.
6. Rename you picture file to something that will help you remember what it is.  Right now I am taking part in a photo a day challenge.  That means that I am taking at least 1 picture each day with the intent on printing them out and creating an album specifically for these photos.  But, in December, how am I going to remember the photos I took this month?  So on my computer, each photo has been named.  As an example, I took this photo of Sophie on January 5th - so the file is titled "Sophie-Sleeping-January 5 2014"

7. PRINT!!  Yes, print your photos.  I like to print my by folder.  It makes it more manageable for me and also keeps me from getting overwhelmed when trying to decide which photos I am going to put into an album.  

8. DISPLAY and PRESERVE!  Purchase a high-quality, acid-free, lignin-free, photo safe album.  Don't be cheap!  I don't want that to sound mean, but if you expect your photos to truly be protected and want them to remain the same way they are when you first put them in an album - be willing to spend a little bit more money.  I promise you, you will not regret spending money on higher quality albums - but you WILL regret it if you skimp and buy a cheap album from one of those big box discount stores.  Your photos will not last.  Think about photos you have seen that your grandparents saved -you know which ones I am talking about - those old black & whites that are now faded and discolored and in some cases they are literally falling apart.  You don't have to get super creative (unless you really want to).  Check out the albums that you can purchase from Ahni & Zoe.  

Who is Mike Pettine???

Shifting gears just a little bit tonight because anyone who really knows me (and I mean REALLY knows me), knows that I LOVE football.  Not only do I love football - but I LOVE the Cleveland Browns.  (Yes, it's true - I bleed Brown & Orange) Today when my darling husband sent me a text at work that said "The Browns have a new head coach.", my first thought was "Who? Munchak?" Imagine my surprise when his response was "Bills DC Mike Pettine."  My first thought after that response was "Great. The Browns hire another nobody."  As a couple hours have passed and I have watched the taped press conference using one of my news apps of the Cleveland news channels, I am hopeful, but still cautious. 

I know my readers probably don't understand just how deep my love for football runs.  Let me just say this - football has been part of my life for as long as I can remember.  

Now that the Browns have hired their 15th head coach, whom I know absolutely nothing about, I have to find out about this guy.  What makes this guy the "right" choice for the Cleveland Browns and is he going to be the one that leads my beloved team to a winning record (I am taking baby steps to the whole playoffs-post-season-Super Bowl idea).  

Here is what I know about Coach Pettine.  He is 47 years old and was born and raised in Pennsylvania (I hope he wasn't raised a Steelers fan!)  His father is some famous high school coach in Pennsylvania, who apparently has a stellar record (326-42-4 in 33 seasons as head coach for Central Bucks High School West in Doylestown, PA). Coach Pettine was most recently the Defensive Coordinator for the Buffalo Bills (who by the way lost to the Browns in 2013 37-24).  His past coaching experience includes a stint as Defensive Coordinator for the New York Jets, Outside Linebackers coach for the Baltimore Ravens and a High School Head Coach.  He was a Free Safety during his time at the University of Virginia and played Defensive Back and Quarterback in High School where he earned All-State Honors.  

All of this is great - but he has no head coaching experience in the NFL.  Yet another coach added to the troubled Cleveland Browns head coach list.  It makes me wonder....what if he has a losing season in 2014 - will they fire him too?  I sure hope not.  I want to see what this guy can do.  I want the Browns to finally have a franchise coach....could Pettine be the guy.... finally?  

Listening to the press conference I am cautious, but hopeful.  It really does sound like he wants to turn this franchise around and turn us back into winners.  He seems to have some great ideas on what direction the team needs to head in order to be respected in the NFL.  After a long 14 years of heartache and loss, I pray that season 15 of the "New" Browns prove to be better - I just want to see improvement.  

GO BROWNS!

Points vs. Calorie Counting

Every time I have tried to lose weight and I have worked with doctors or nutritionists, they have always told me that I have to "count my calories", "stay within this range", "only eat protein", "limit your carbs".  While this advise makes a lot of sense when you think about the recommendations the medical community always crams down your throat, but what if you are like me and you have tried that method, only to be left feeling hungry, unsatisfied and defeated?  What if you are a picky eater like I am?  What if you have food allergies and sensitivities that make it difficult?  As we all know, Weight Watchers is always an option - but what if you can't afford it?  The good news is that once you are able to figure out your daily recommended points target, know that you have 49 extra points in a week (or 7 extra "cheat" points per day) and how to figure out points values (you can usually find lots of recipes that have points values included online and a lot of foods you buy in the store today have that little blue symbol on them that gives it's points value (like Yoplait Light Yogurt - 2 points per container)

I get bored very easily.  Which is another reason why I need my weight loss efforts to flexible.  I need to be able to have variety with my food choices - but also still be able to eat the things I enjoy.   We already talked about calories and recommended daily caloric intake - today I want to talk about why the Points Plus program may be another option for you.  (BTW - If you choose to join WW this month they are waiving the registration fee - and the online program is only $18.95 per month - that's just 61 cents a day - and no I don't get paid to endorse the company either!)

Monday I joined WW to give it another shot.  The last time I really concentrated on my weight loss and lost 100 lbs (back in 2002-2003) WW is what kept me on track  I am praying that it works for me again this time.  I am trying to remain committed.

Before I go for today - I am going to share a list of "Free" foods with you.  These are items that essentially have no points value (although they do have calories - so you still need to be aware of how much you are eating.)  These foods have a high nutritional value and very filling.

WW Zero Points Foods List
WW Points Plus Calculator (you can use this calculator to calculate points values of individual food items)
Calculate your WW Daily Points Target

Now you have the very basic information you need to follow the WW plan.

One last thing --- in 2014 WW has unveiled the "Smart Start" program.  It is a 2-week starter plan that helps you get a kick start on your weight loss.  More about this tomorrow......

Photo a Day Challenge

Back on January 1st, I decided that I was going to challenge myself to take one (1) photo a day for 365 days.  Periodically, I will have my photos that I have taken printed out (yes, printed out!) and will arrange them in chronilogical order in a scrapbook.  Today I am on day 21 - and I have to say this gets more and more challenging as the days go by.  My biggest obsticle has been deciding what to take a picture of each day.  I mean, as adorable as the cat & dog can be on a daily basis - there are only so many photos that can be taken of them - or is there?

My daughter, in her pre-teenness, has no problem taking "selfies" but God forbid I want to take a photo of her!  And my darling husband isn't very keen on having his photo taken.  In fact, none of us are really.

Part of the reason I wanted to take part in this challenge (which was issued by Ahni & Zoe by Creative Memories at the first of the year)was because I LOVE photography. I love capturing special moments and keeping them in albums to share with others. Another reason I wanted to take part in the callenge is because I want to try different techniques with photography. My issue right now is that I enjoy taking the photos on my phone instead of picking up my DSLR camera and actually experimenting.

I am inviting all of you to join the One Photo a Day Challenge with me. Take your photos, create an online album to store them in - but don't forget, you have to print them out and put them in a photo album so that you can share them with everyone you know!

Check out my products to help you preserve your daily photos at:

www.ahniandzoe.com/tracykimbrough

Making strides....

So I weighed myself this morning- and lost .4 pounds  I guess that's a step in the right direction right?  I signed up for SparkPeople but I just can't seem to get into the habit of logging into the site every day - and it just doesn't feel like it's really the right thing for me.  In my quest for the "perfect" weight loss program - I keep going back to just one - Weight Watchers. 

Today I re-signed up for the the Weight Watchers online program.  They have a new Smart Start program which helps you get used to eating healthy options - or at least that's what they advertise.  So I created my account today - browsed around the site and began getting ready to start tracking my points.  Tomorrow starts my official tracking.  

I now have my first goal - to lose 5% of my body weight in 8 weeks.  That's about 1 1/2 lbs a week.  Who's in this with me?  I would love to hear from you....and I would love to build a "team" of friends who want to support each other and help each other to reach our goals. Comment below if you want to join me.  You don't have to be working Weight Watchers - as I know not everyone has the money to do that. 

85 Books to Read Book List

Happy Sunday Night everyone!!  Thank you for stopping by tonight to ready today's post.  Last week I wrote all about weight loss, counting calories, etc. And I thought - "this blog is supposed to be about all kinds of things in my life". 

So, I decided to make a list of the books I want to read (or finish reading) over the next year.  I don't know if I will get through all of them, but I am going to try.  My hope is that as I read these books, I can share parts of them with all of you.  My thoughts, my reactions, my feelings...that's what I hope to be able to convey.  

Here's my list: (in no particular order)

1. "My Life" by Bill Clinton (I am already 1/2 was through) (completed 3/2/14)
2. "Raving Fans" by Ken Blanchard (completed 3/7/14)
3. "Overeaters Anonymous, 2nd Edition"
4. "Twelve Steps & Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous
5. "A Woman's Way through the 12 Steps"
6. "Drop the Rock"
7. "To Sell is Human" by Daniel H. Pink
8. "Idiot's Guide to Genealogy"
9. "Idiot's Guide to Vitamins & Minerals"
10. "Does the Noise in my Head Bother You?" by Steven Tyler (completed 4/20/14)
11. "Get Organized"
12. "The Organized Life"
13. "How to Work for Yourself" by Bryan Cohen
14. "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill
15. "40 Green Smoothie Recipes" by Jenny Allan
16. "Captain Phil Harris" by Josh & Jake Harris
17. "The Time Bandit" by  Andy & Johnathan Hillstrand
18. "The Time of my Life." by Patrick Swayze & Lisa Niemi
19. "The Blind Side" by Michael Lewis
20. "Live Loved" by Max Lucado
21. "Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner" by Scott Cunningham
22. "Living Wicca" by Scott Cunningham
23. "Master Your Metabolism" by Jillian Michaels
24. "The Ultimate Weight Loss Solution" by Dr. Phillip McGraw
25. "The Meaning of Witchcraft"
26. "Becoming Shaman"
27. "Animal Speak"
28. "Animal Wise"
29. "Leadership 101" by John C. Maxwell
30. "Life Makeover" by Chery Richardson
31. "Ten Feet Tall and Bulletproof" by Travis Tritt
32. "sToritelling" by Tori Spelling
33. "Always Looking Up" by Michael J. Fox
34. "Here's the Story" by Maureen McCormick
35. "Palestine Peace Not Apartheid" by Jimmy Carter
36. "Living History" by Hillary Rodham Clinton
37. "Now Pitching" by Bob Feller
38. "Nickel Dreams" by Tanya Tucker
39. "Making Candles & Soaps for Dummies"
40. "At the Alter of Speed" The Dale Earnhardt Story by Leigh Montville
41. "Experience, Strength and Hope" - Stories from the book Alcoholics Anonymous
42. "from Survival to Recovery" for Adult Children of Alcoholics
43. Chicken Soup for the Recovering Soul
44. Chicken Soup for the Country Music Soul
45. 2nd Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul
46. Chicken Soup for the Soul: Just Us Girls
47. Chicken Soup for the Soul: From Lemons to Lemonade
48. Chicken Soup for the Soul: Inspiration for Writers
49. Chicken Soup for the Soul: Parenthood
50. Chicken Soup for the Soul: Angels Among Us
51. Chicken Soup for the Soul: I Can't Believe my Cat Did That!
52. Chicken Soup for the Soul: Married Life
53. Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Magic of Mother's & Daughters
54. Chicken Soup for the Soul: Tough Time for Teens
55. Chicken Soup for the Soul: Food and Love
56. Chicken Soup for the Soul: Find Your Happiness
57. Chicken Soup for the Soul: Just for Teenagers
58. Chicken Soup for the Soul: Just for Pre-Teens
59. Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Cat's Life
60. Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Dog's Life
61. Chicken Soup for the Soul: Grieving & Recovery
62. Chicken Soup for the Soul: Shaping the New You
63. Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Story Behind the Song
64. Chicken Soup for the Soul: Teens Talk Middle School
65. Chicken Soup for the Soul: What I Learned from the Cat
66. Chicken Soup for the Soul: Dads & Daughters
67. Chicken Soup for the Soul: Couples Soul
68. Chicken Soup for the Dieter's Soul
69. Chicken Soup for the Entrepreneurs Soul
70. Chicken Soup for the Scrapbooker's Soul
71. Chicken Soup for the Sister's Soul
72. Chicken Soup for the Sister's Soul 2
73. Chicken Soup for the Soul: Recipes for Busy Moms
74. Chicken Soup for the Preteens Soul
75. Chicken Soup for the Preteens Soul 2
76. Chicken Soup for the Cat & Dog Lover's Soul
77. Chicken Soup for the Baseball Fans Soul
78. Chicken Soup for the Recovering Soul Daily Inspirations
79. Chicken Soup for the Dieter's Soul Daily Inspirations
80. "The Pound a Day Diet" by Rocco DiSpirito
81. "Life Code" by Dr. Phil McGraw
82. "The Total Money Makeover" by Dave Ramsey
83. "Financial Peace Revisited" by Dave Ramsey
84. "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
85. "Lean In" by Sheryl Sandlberg

Day 7 - What should I eat?

We all know about the food groups right?  The age old - food pyramid (which has actually been replaced by "My Plate") - the guide that tells us how much of each food group we should eat each day.  

According to choosemyplate.gov the 5 food groups are: Grains, Vegetables, Fruits, Dairy, and Protein Foods. 

Based on an 1800 calorie diet according to the choose my plate recommendations you should have the following:

Grains - 6 ounces - 1/2 of which should come from whole grains.  Grains include whole-wheat flour, cracked wheat (also called bulgar), oatmeal, whole cornmeal and brown rice - which are considered whole grains-and white flour, de-germed cornmeal, white bread, white rice - which are considered refined grains.  You can find a whole list of commonly eaten grains at:Grains List

Vegetables - 2.5 cups - Any vegetable or 100% vegetable juice counts as a member of the vegetable group. They can be frozen, canned, fresh, dried/dehydrated, whole, cut-up or mashed. There are 5 sub-groups: dark, green vegetables, starchy vegetables, red and orange vegetables, beans and peas, and other vegetables. To find a list of vegetables and their sub-groups visit: Vegetables List

Fruits - 1.5 cups - Any fruit or 100% fruit juice counts and can be fresh, canned, frozen or dried.  They can be whole, cut-up or pureed.  To find a list of fruits visit:Fruits List

Dairy - 3 cups - Fluid milk products and foods made from milk.  Dairy list can be found here: Dairy List 

Protien Foods - 5 ounces - All foods made of poultry, meat, seafood, beans and peas, eggs, processed soy products, nuts and seeds.  List of proteins can be found at: Proteins List

Oils & Empty calories should be limited to 5 tablespoons per day of oils and 160 empty calories. 

Here's a need, concise daily worksheet that can be used to track your daily food choices:Daily Calorie Worksheet

More information can also be found at Supertracker or http://win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/choosing.htmChoosing a healthy diet.

Day 6 - Getting Real

So all week I have been writing about things to consider when trying to lose weight.  And I started thinking today "why should my readers believe anything that I say about losing weight when I am as obese as I am and can't seem to lose weight myself?"  Well, in reality, there is absolutely no good reason why you should take weight loss advice from me.  I mean after all, as far as my weight is concerned, I am the LAST person you should take any dieting and weight loss advice from.  

BUT, here's the deal - I decided that 2014 was going to be a different year for me - spiritually, emotionally, physically and mentally.  That means that I have to admit that there are things that I need to change about myself.  Mark Twain said "Habit is habit and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time."  This tells me that I can't expect for my bad habits to change over night - I have to work on them.  I have to replace the bad with the good; one baby step at a time.  

I decided this year that I am going to work toward my goals, dreams and aspirations.  No matter what it took - I was going to strive for the good and leave the bad behind me.  To me, this doesn't just apply to my inability to remain disciplined enough to lose the weight I need to lose, but it applies to just about everything in my life.  Looking back I can't remember a time in my life that I was just over-the-moon happy all the time. Of course I have had days are better than others - but for the most part I have suffered from depression, anxiety and low self-esteem my entire life.  I suppose that is why I use food to stuff all of that away - to try to make me happy, but in the end, food is supposed to just be there to give me energy and nutrition and to help me survive. 

I have always wanted to be a journalist.  I suppose that's why one of my goals this year was to develop this blog.  I don't know where it's headed.  I don't know the end result, but my hope is that anyone who reads it shares it with at least one friend.  Then that friend shares it with another and another and so on.  I don't want to be a "downer" or a "Negative Nelly" - so I apologize in advance if sometimes my posts come across that way.  This blog is my outlet. And I hope that by using it to put my thoughts down, it will in some way inspire and help others too.  

"Instead of giving myself reasons why I can't, I give myself reasons why I can" - Unknown

So tonight I am going to share with you my goals.  These are the things that I want to accomplish inf my life.  Down the road we will talk about what I can do to get to where I am going. 

1. Quit Smoking FOR GOOD. 
2. Lose 140 lbs - my goal weight is 145 lbs. 
3. De-clutter my life by getting rid of unneeded and unwanted "stuff"
4. Organize!!!  - Get my life and home in order.
5. Learn to love exercise. 
6. Begin to read books again
7. Write a book
8. Publish that book
9. Better myself within my career
10. Be a better wife, mother, sister, daughter, cousin, niece and friend. 
11. Help others. 
12. Learn as much as I can. 

What are your goals?  Write them down.  Sometimes putting them down on paper (or in a blog) can help you see what you want out of life - and it may just help your work harder at achieving them!  I plan to be accountable. I need to be accountable to me, my husband & daughter, my friends - and anyone who reads "The World through Cece's Eyes".  

I welcome your comments, feedback, criticisms and pats on the back. 

Ever wish you could turn your favorite dish into a salad?

It's been a long day for me.  It's been a tough one.  I have been trying to stick to a 30-day challenge of replacing one meal a day with a green, healthy smoothie.  I have fallen short on some days, simply because I have been too lazy to put the effort in.  My body is feeling the difference for sure.  I am exhausted today and cranky.  I even snapped at one of my dearest friends....it's not fair to them that I am feeling this way.  But I digress.

Bacon Cheesburgers.  Pizza with double pepperoni.  Grilled Cheese.  These high calorie foods are some of my favorites.  I have often thought "If I had a salad that tasted like ___________, I would eat them more often."  I am always checking the app store for new apps that will give me meal inspirations and healthy alternatives.  I think I have found the best one yet!  It's put out by Fresh Express.  Of course it's made to help them sell more product, but I think it just might be my dream come true!  The app is called "Salad Swap" and the whole idea of the app is to give you Salad recipes that will help satisfy your cravings for certain foods.  There's a salad that helps satisfy the craving for a cheeseburger.

You gotta check this one out!!!  www.saladswap.com

So I am not going to be long-winded tonight.  I encourage you to check out the Salad Swap - you can get the app on iPhone but you can also use it online through the website.  Check it out....try a Salad Swap and give me your reviews!!!!

Day 4 - Counting Calories

Now that I have determined that I need to first determine what and how I eat....or more importantly HOW MUCH I eat, it's time to find out the best way to make sure I am staying on plan.  One of the greatest things about the internet these days is that there is a wealth of information right at your fingertips.  In my quest to learn the "right" way to get healthy I found a great cheat sheet that describes the most important things to remember about counting calories.

You can find the cheat sheet here: Calorie Counter for Dummies Cheat Sheet

This cheat sheet gives practical suggestions and helpful hints on how to make sure you are eating healthy and within the allotted number of calories you need each day.  There is also a section that dicusses calorie counting for weight loss.

So how do you know how many calories you need to eat each day in order to lose weight?  We all know that in order to lose weight you have to cut calories from your daily diet.  But did you know that if you cut too many calories from your daily diet that could be bad for weight loss too?  Cutting too many calories from your diet can mean that you are not getting the proper nutrition that is needed to aid in weight loss.

When too many calories are cut from your diet the metabolic rate will adjust in order to conserve the few calories that you are giving your body, which means that you will not lose weight any faster - and in my own experience, you may not lose any weight at all.  I once had a doctor put me on an eating plan that was restricted to 1,000 calories a day.  After two weeks, I felt physicall ill.  I was nauseated all the time, suffered from a severe migraine that last for 10 days and to top it off I didn't lose a single pound.  After two weeks, I called the doctor and told him that I could not follow this eating plan.  Needless to say, I never went to see that doctor again.

Here's what I had to learn about calories and how they affect weight gain, weight lose and weight maintenance.

1. Each pound contains 3500 calories.  
2. To lose 1 pound per week - cut your DAILY calorie intake by 500 calories.  (remember yesterday's post about figuring out your average daily caloric intake?  This is why you need to figure out what you are currently eating - so you can figure out how much you should be eating.) This means that if your average current daily caloric intake is 2000, you need to now cut that down to 1500 calories a day to lose 1 lb per week.
3. Adjusting caloric intake alone is not the only way to fight obesity.  Lack of exercise also leads to obesity.  (this is my problem - lack of exercise + to many calories a day = morbid obesity) This means that in connection with cutting calories - we also need to increase exercise.
4. Use the 20% rule: Figure out your average daily caloric intake.  Then, subtract 20%.  For example, let's say your average daily intake is 1800 calories x 20% = 360 calories. So, 1800 - 360 = 1440 calories.  Using this rule of thumb you can expect to lose 1/2-3/4 of a pound per week.  
5. Remember: Calories In Calories Out - Here is a cool website to help you determine how many calories you are burning.  It also contains other calculators like BMI (Body Mass Index) and BMR (Basil Metabolic Rate) caloriesperhour.com

Okay, I have given ALOT of information in this post.  So I am going to close for today.  Be sure to check back tomorrow!!!!

Day 3 ~ Learn what you eat first.

So after yesterday's post I decided that I needed to do some research.  See, that's how I am.  I have to know "everything" there is to know about whatever it is that I plan on doing before I do it.  I don't know why, but I have been that way for years.  For example, before I started promoting my Ahni & Zoe business, I had to read all the training, take all of the webinars, take notes and start all over again.  I had to know "everything" about the business before I felt comfortable being able to share it with others. My journey to a healthier me is no different.  So I research and I read and I try to learn new things.

Well, today's installment has to do with what to do BEFORE starting a diet.  I have learned that there are certain things that I have to learn about myself FIRST before I can delve into this whole "weight loss" thing.

What follows are the things that I have to do first, before I can jump in with both feet.

• Purchase a notebook or create a "food journal".  - This is where I will begin to keep track of EVERYTHING that I eat and drink for at least a week.  This is important because if I don't know what I am currently putting in my body, how am I supposed to know what I have to change?  I remembered that I have a bunch of legal pads and steno books here at home (among all of my other issues I am an office supply hoarder....that's a post for another day) So, tomorrow, I will start recording everything that I eat & drink for the next week, only concentrating on self-discovery. 
• Use my digital food scale.  Next, I will start being conscious of my portion sizes.  Weighing and measure as much of what I eat as I can.  It's time that I really learn what appropriate servings sizes are.  I can eat that oreo - but can I eat just one???  That will be the true test. 
• While I was searching for a new steno pad to use to start to record all the food and beverages that I am putting in my body each day, I found two books: "The Biggest Loser Complete Calorie Counter" and "The Complete Food Counter" by Annette Natow, PhD and JoAnn Heslin, M.A., R.D.  Both are awesome resources for keeping track of calories, protein, fat, cholesterol, fiber, carbs & sodium. 
  
  
  
  
• At the end of the week, total up the total number of calories eaten per day.  Then, add up all of the totals and divide by 7 to get the average number of calories eaten per day.  This will help to know where to start from. 

So, tomorrow I begin. . . who's going to join me?  Until tomorrow....

Day 2: What is Willpower?

My journey has just begun and today I have had a big lesson in willpower - or rather - lack thereof.  I fell asleep last night before I could prepare my green smoothie for today....then I woke up late and didn't have enough time to make one before I left for work this morning.  That was the first mistake.  I was so hungry today that I ended up going to Chuy's Mexican Restaurant - ordered a Chicken & Bean Burrito - it was huge and I ate almost the whole thing.  When I say it was huge, I mean for a "normal" person it would have been enough for at least 2 meals, if not 3.  Along with the burrito, Chuy's gives you a bag full of fresh-made-daily tortilla chips.  With the tortilla chips is their creamy jalapeno sauce.  It is the most addicting sauce in the entire world....hands down.  So of course, I snacked all afternoon on tortilla chips and creamy jalapeno sauce.  Needless to say, I did not have a good nutrition day and I totally sabotaged my own efforts of getting healthier.  

I have no willpower.  So what is "willpower" anyway?  According to dictionary.com, the word "willpower" is a noun meaning "control of one's impulses and actions, self-control". I think it helps for me to explain that I have an addictive personality.  When I find something that makes me feel good or takes me out of "me" My entire life I have found things that I enjoy and I have become overly obsessed with them. Sometimes that's a good thing - when your talking about things like reading, sports, and other positive activities.  But when your are talking about overeating and making bad food choices, it is bad and quite frankly could be life threatening.  

I don't know why it is so hard for me to make the right choices.  And I don't know why it is so hard for me to set myself up for success.  One of these days, I hope that I can figure it out.  I prefer it to be sooner than later.  Being the "fat" lady isn't fun anymore.  I hate the way I look when I look at myself in the mirror.  I hate the way I feel when I wake up in the morning. And I hate the way I feel when I go to bed at night.  I am trying to re-learn, at the age of 37, how to be healthy.  My biggest dream right now is to get this weight off and just feel better physically.  The emotions will follow once I like myself again.  It's been a very long time since I have liked myself.  I hate being in pictures and it's very hard for me to even want to take a "selfie".  I don't want to be reminded of what others see - a fat, unhealthy woman who needs to learn how to take better care of myself. 

So today, I am not very positive.  I can't be when I feel defeated.  As hard as I have tried to put on that "happy" face, I just can't anymore.  This is real.  This is my life.  And I don't want to lose it at a young age. 

So where do I start?  Does anyone have any suggestions for me?  Any ideas that work for them?  I make so many excuses about why I can't do this or do that - the reality of it is that I am overwhelmed - so overwhelmed that I truly don't know where to begin.  

Day 1: The Journey Begins....

It is a new year and I have resolved to make healthy changes in my life and my family's life.  It started with quitting smoking after being a full-fledged pack a day smoker for at least 21 years (probably more than that, but I know I was smoking when I was 16).  Quitting smoking was an easy decision - I was tired of not being able to breath.  I was tired of the yucky taste it left in my mouth after finishing a cigarette - and most of all I was tired of spending the money.  I realized that I spend on average $5.25 a day on cigarettes - this means I would be saving at least $150 a month.  That adds up pretty quick!  So I enlisted my DH to quit with me and with the help of ecigarettes from +blu ecig and +White Cloud Electronic Cigarettes we stopped buying cigarettes on December 29, 2013.  It hasn't been easy, but we are doing it.  One day at a time.  

The second thing that I decided I need to do is focus on my weight and getting into shape.  When I was younger I was very athletic.  I ate right. I exercised.  I stayed in shape.  I was healthy.  Over the years I have gotten extremely complacent.  I stopped eating right - choosing junk over the healthy choices.  I stopped exercising - it was such a chore with my busy lifestyle.  But I can't do that anymore.  I have to get healty.  I have to lose weight and I have to get into shape.  Today my journey begins.  I pledge to make better choices.  I vow to make a conscious effort to get more active.  Even if it means starting off small.  I want to feel better about myself.  I want to love myself - so that I can love my family more fully.  

So today begins the journey.  Today I am opening up and telling the world that I need your support.  My goal is to share my journey with you as often as I can.  I am going to try to post daily.