Down one pound this week. Laying off of the sugar and whites. Battling sickness, a nasty virus going around.

Blessings to each of you. So many of you are really busting it - you are an inspiration!!!

Back - Sort Of

Well, I have been MIA for a few weeks as I was on a little trip to the States for a wedding. I enjoyed my time in the States with family and friends and actually was there for a little longer than expected, due to the death of my grandmother. The Lord gave grace and I was able to rejoice over the life and example of my dear Granny as well as rejoice and congratulate my younger sister on her wedding day.

All that said, I did not lose any inches or pounds during my trip :( The truth is, I just didn't exercise at all, though I stuck to my eating plan. On the bright side, I didn't gain any weight or inches, so I will just pick up where I left off.

My sisters talked me into picking up the 30 Day Shred DVD, so I think my workout is about to get kicked up a notch or two - Ha!!! One of my sisters has gone on record as ¨daring¨ me to do this workout start to finish in the 30 day time period. Guess that means it has to happen huh?

My family were SSOOO surprised to see me when I stepped off the plane, so that was a great feeling. You see, they have only seen me at a size 12 or 14 (blush) for the past six years or so. I wore a very lovely sz. 8 dress to the wedding and felt wonderful because sz. 8's fit comfortably now without any sucking in or strange contortions to make it happen :) My next goal is to wear a 6 and since I have never been any smaller than that, hmmm, it might take a miracle. I am counting on Jillian and the gang-Ha!

Well, enough of my rambles. I should probably do my week as a belated Nix the Fix. Not for points, mind you, but just 'cause I need that little shove it always gives me to get headed in the right direction!

Ruth H. SIIS, Journal 2

Just popping in to say that I will me MIA around here for a couple of weeks. It is for a fun reason. I get to fly back to the States to be in my younger sister's wedding, so I am really excited about that. Gonna have to watch out for Momma's home cooking though, can't overindulge!

Last week was not a case of putting my best face forward :( We were battling the full-blown flu around here and I was down for the count for four days straight; no exercise, no eating much of anything, just a lot of laying in bed thinking of everything on my to do list.

I am not going to weigh in this week. I suspect I am down a few pounds from the sickness, but I am not counting those. Will check back in when I return in two weeks if I am not able to log on during my time away.

Ruth H., SISII Journal Post #2

Wow, wow, wow! I am so impressed with all of the weight/inch loss going on around here. Good for you.

Well, I saw my own loss this week. I lost one pound and am down half an inch in my waist to 30 1/2". It was rather tough this week as our family was down with the flu. I had it two days and felt nasty the entire time. Oh well, pressing on anyway. I think we see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Also wanted to say that it is soooo encouraging to log on and see all of your wonderfully encouraging posts and admonitions to keep going forward. I have really been enjoying the tip posts as well and have learned some new things. Thanks ladies!

I'm Springing, I'm Springing...

Yayyy! I am READY to Spring into Shape. I have been looking forward to this challenge. A little about me.... My name is Ruth, I live in Panama, Central America where my family and I are missionaries. We work primarily with the Deaf at this time, but do some work in a "hearing" church as well. I have three fun-loving and energetic children - They are such a joy!

I had such a great time doing the last Christmas Crunch challenge and lost 11 pounds and several inches. I am happy to say that I haven't regained any of those pounds and am down a few more inches. I also formed some good eating/drinking habits during that first challenge that have really helped me to continue on with my fitness goals.

I would love to lose another 10 pounds and continue to firm and tone. I am doing a lot of strength training and I have a feeling that is what is stalling me out a bit on seeing actual pounds come off. I feel a LOT stronger and have had to buy new clothes and alter some of the old clothing, so I am not really complaining. I think I need to keep refining my food choices though as I am a lot hungrier the more I exercise.

Measurements:

Height - 5.6

Starting weight - 148 lbs.

Bust - 38"

Upper Arms - 12" and 11 1/2"

Waist - 31"

Hips - 38"

Thighs - 21" and 20 1/2 "

Nice to "meet" you all!

Last Update for the CCCII and Merry Christmas

So, here I am again after a long and extremely busy absence. We are moved and in the new house. Still some unpacking and shifting around to do as the new place is quite a bit smaller and very rustic. We moved from Panama City, the capital, to the "campo" or the country. While it is verrrryyy lovely and peaceful, there are some adjustments to be made.

Yayyy for getting our internet back up and running. I was afraid that we wouldn't have access 'till after the New Year, but here we are! So nice to be able to call family and use our webcam to let the kids participate virtually in some of the family holiday traditions.

Well, though I didn't count my points or use the ticker this particular challenge, I have been so very blessed to participate and I believe it was just the "kick in the pants" that I needed. I weighed in today at 149 lbs. this is down from the 160 that I started with. It is so nice to be able to pull anything out of the closet and have it fit great or even be too big and loose now. My waist is at "32, which is so much better than when I started and I have lost inches everywhere else that I measured. Can't believe how great I am feeling! My long-term goal is to get down to 135 lbs. and be fit and firm. I'm planning to stick with it because for me the benefits of the weight loss, great energy, and the "new lease on life" feelings far outweigh any desire for a temporary taste sensation.

Thank you to Dani Joy for hosting this challenge and for being such an inspiration and encouragement. Thank you to each one of you who left encouraging comments or advice when I updated. I hope that each one of you have benefited in some way from this challenge, whether through weight loss or being the recipient of another's prayers on your behalf or an encouraging word shared by another sister-in-Christ.

Merry Christmas to each one of you, wherever you may be and may God richly bless you in the New Year.

Blessings,

Ruth

Hangin' in there

Hi to all fellow Crunchers!

I'm so impressed with all of the "by-passing of temptation" that is going on around here. WooHoo!!! Ya'll are doing so great.

I have to say I'm sorry that I have been somewhat MIA around here. We will be moving next week so I have been packing like crazy. I knew that this would be happening at some point, but I really thought that it would be sometime in December. We will be planting a new church in a city about an hour and a half from where we are now. I am so excited to see what God will do through this new work! Because of the move I can't promise when I will be on here or how often. My internet access may be spotty for a little while. I will check in as often as I can and update on any progress or give a tip if I ever get one worth sharing-Ha!

My progress so far:

= I am down six pounds in weight. Yayyyy!

= I am working out faithfully and I believe that is has now become a habit. This makes me VERY happy.

=I am drinking water faithfully. I believe that breaking the soda habit has been my biggest success so far as I have noticed a general decrease in lethargy and not nearly so many headaches as before. Just wish I had done that years ago!

=I am preparing much simpler meals, but I believe they are much more healthy. My family seems to appreciate this as well.

I have been so encouraged each time I check in on the blog. I appreciate the "realism". I read about success as well as struggles and all of it helps keep me going and keep me accountable.

God bless you!

CCCII Journal Post, Ruth H.

The above picture is the promised BEFORE pic. It wasn't as hard to load as I thought it might be. I might be able to get this blogging thing down yet. We shall see. The date on my digital camera is set wrong, but this pic is from the last week in Sept./ first week in Oct. We made a quick trip up to Costa Rica and stayed in a little "wouldn't know it was there if ya hadn't stumbled upon it" place that had the loveliest grounds. The landscaping was beautiful and they had a stream running through the property with little waterfalls here and there. So pretty! Anyway, guess I had better get to the point.....

Wow! Some of you are doing so very good, it is really inspiring.

I have lost two pounds (no worries, I Don't Want to find them) so far and inches as well, so I am feeling really encouraged. I am guzzling water like it is The Beverage, and I have noticed some skin clearing benefits as well as the flushing effect! I have successfully stayed away from any soda and even coffee up to this point, though I think I may soon add my morning coffee back into the mix.

I would like to see more of a loss on the scale so I am trying to edit what goes in and hope to see those results in a few days. I am loving the exercise and my husband is loving the great energy high that I have after the exercise.

Keep up the good work, ya'll are doing fabulous!

Those Pesky Measurements

Dum, da, dum, dum.......

Starting measurements (as taken on Wednesday).

Biceps = 13"

Bust = 38"

Waist = 35"

Hips = 41"

Thighs = 22"

Update on my progress:

This first part is HUGE for me... I haven't indulged in a soda (diet or regular) since Monday. Really struggled with some crabbiness this week. I have also taken myself off of coffee for awhile so it was complete caffeine deprivation - Ha! That being said, I have turned the corner on the headaches and feel much better.

I have been sticking with my commitment to eliminate the "whites" and to exercise faithfully. I believe that the exercise is what helped me to pull through the caffeine withdrawals as I would get a bit of an energy boost after each workout.

I am excited about this challenge and get a little jazzed each time I check the blog and see that someone has commented or updated. I know I do better sticking to my guns when there is an accountability factor involved.

I am looking forward to updating next week with (fingers crossed) some pounds lost. Nothing ventured, nothing gained...

Ready to Crunch It in Panama

Hi to all! I am excited to get going with this challenge. My name is Ruth. I am a missionary wife and momma living in Panama, Central America. I have been married to a wonderful guy for the past eight years and we have three highly energetic, fun-loving children. I have spent time in Peru, Costa Rica, Mexico and now the lovely country of Panama. My life is always busy with lots going on in our family and ministry.

I am currently weighing in at 158-160 lbs. with some variance of a pound or two. Anytime we are in the States for furloughs or other reasons I gain about 10 pounds. Upon arrival back in Panama I usually drop 5-6 pounds fairly rapidly due to the heat and humidity.

My goals for this challenge are as follows:

1) Lose at least 10 pounds

2) Learn better eating habits as well as healthier food preparation.

3) Once and for all ditch the soda habit

4)Tone up and lose inches with exercise

I plan to cut out the "whites", sugar, flour, starchy veggies. I always lose when I do this, the hard part comes with not falling back into the bad habits over time.

As mentioned above, I plan to cut the soda habit. This is for a variety of reasons. I drink diet soda and know that it has horrible health implications with the alternative sweeteners etc. For some reason this is always the toughie for me!

I will be exercising at least 30 minutes per day and lifting weights every couple of days. I am a newbie at the exercise thing, but I have been at it for a couple of weeks now and I do appreciate the "on top of it" feeling that I get when I just do it.

I will be adding a pic as soon as I figure out how to do that.

Also want to say thank you for the opportunity to join your lovely group. Pressing forward....

Ruth