Why Macros?

I get asked constantly, "Why Macros?" and "What are Macros?"

Let's start with what are macros...

Macro based diets are sometimes called flexible dieting of iifym (If it fit your macros) Macros is short for macronutrients. Macronutrients are fats, proteins, and carbs. Macronutrients are found in all foods and are essentially what every human needs to survive. I am no expert, but let me do a quick break down for you...

Fats are needed to support cell growth and our nervous system. They help maintain your skin and organs. Fats also give your body energy. Every gram of fat is 9 calories.

Carbohydrates are used by our body to create glucose which is needed to give us energy. Carbs also help our muscles because if we do not eat carbs our body will use our muscles as an energy source. Every gram of carbs equals 4 calories.

Protein is needed to repair body cells because they are the building block of our life. Every gram of protein is 4 calories.

So in short counting Macros is just counting these three nutrients and they add up to a caloric number, but you mainly focus on counting your macronutrient numbers. Many people believe that counting macros vs. just calories is better because it is providing you with the amount of macronutrients that your body really needs to be optimal. I believe this, because often times when we are "cutting" (trying to lose weight) we go low-fat, no carb, or heavy fruits and vegetables not really eating protein. But every body needs a different combination of these based on several factors like goals and exercise.

There are tons of websites like this one and this one that will give you more information and Dr. Layne Norton is very insightful if you are wanting more information. Here is an interview Bodybuilding.com did with Dr. Norton that is very insightful. I promise if you go read the first question and answer in this interview you will have a light bulb moment. With a quick Google search you will find tons of websites that talk negative because you are not eating clean, clean eating is not sustainable for everyone because of the self-deprivation it sets up but you can eat clean or Paleo while still counting Macros.


So why Macros?

Picture from: fitness1pro.blogspot.li

I found before Macros that I was eating a lot of carbs from fruits and vegetables, lots of fats from nuts, and not enough protein. I was getting a little frustrated because I was trying to build some muscle, but I could not really gain it. I was eating 1500 calories and not losing weight. I would do a Whole30 and lose 10 pounds in a month, only to gain 5 of it back. I would be miserable because I would have to plan a Whole30 around "down months" when I would not be travelling for work or have any celebrations because those things would cause me to mess up.

I was over all of the stress and lack of progress which pushed me to make a change last April. After reading Skinnymeg's Blog for years and seeing that she was counting Macros I decided to follow suit and reached out to Poppy. I e-mailed Poppy about my concerns about hypothyroidism and dairy allergies. She was so sweet and encouraging telling me that those things would not prevent me from having success on this type of eating plan. So I took the plunge and submitted a form.

When I first got my numbers they added up to 1,565 calories total, but I felt so full when I ate my numbers perfectly. I really do not feel like it was the extra 65 calories, but all the extra protein that I was eating. I also felt freedom, I could and can eat whatever I want as longs as I have the fats, carbs, and protein for it. It was so freeing to go from self-deprivation to self-discipline. Instead of telling myself "no" I tell myself, " I may not have the macronutrients for that today, but I can have it tomorrow."


Let's talk the weight loss aspect of this. I have had a couple of messes up since I started last year, once during our summer trip and once when my birthday celebrations continued all the way into Christmas celebrations. But I have been closer than ever to my goal weight and I see the changes that my body is making.

The left picture is my beginning Macros picture and the right is at the end of the reverse,  beginning of a cut. There is only a 5 pound scale weight difference in that picture, but the progress that it demonstrates is huge! I have slimmed down and built muscle. I am so excited about where my body will go in the next few months and the fact that I am not only making a stronger body externally, but internally.

Love,

Jamie Lynn 

Motivation Monday: Me

Life has been crazy lately, not sure why exactly but it probably has to deal with juggling too many things. And then I had to go take a one day Valentine's Celebration and take it into a three day celebration. I overdid it for me, I had too many sweets and I had to rein myself back in. I loved eating it, but hated the sluggish feeling I was having. I am currently training for a half-marathon (I really just put that fully out there) and I need to be running more for it and all the carbs make me feel horrible.

So today's motivation for me to stay on track is fueling my body to train hard. Training hard in the gym and training hard on the asphalt requires lots of fuel. I want to grow my body, strengthen my body so that it can run those 13 plus miles with grace and ease.

Weekly Gym Selfie 2/17/2017

The half marathon is something that has been on my "Once in a Lifetime" list, I never thought I would run let alone want to try to run a half marathon. I made this goal a long time ago, got a little serious about it last summer, and now I am really planning on the half marathon and the trip around it.

Saying all that I know that I have to get my act together not only with the eating, but the training. I am currently having some IT Band and Hip Flexor issues and by not focusing properly on my training, my stretching, and rolling then how I am going to run it. If I am not putting myself first by taking time for my training and my eating how will my body heal everyday and run the race.



My focus this week for motivation will be am I eating to fuel my body and are my workouts supporting my upcoming goal of the race.

"Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us."
-Hebrews 12:1

Love,

Jamie Lynn

Monday Motivation: Staying focused

Happy Monday!!!

Right now I am in a reverse with my macros, that means that I am gradually increasing my macros in the attempt to give my body a break and allow it my metabolism to use those calories more efficiently. That means more food and more energy for my workouts.

Hot Duck Doughnuts

These also means the scale is not moving down as quickly and as I progress it might actually go up some. That is quiet a mental game and it almost feels like you are working against your end goals. I just keep reminding myself that I could not eat in a deficiency the rest of my life and my metabolism is already so bad due to Hashimoto's Thyroiditis that I needed to try to help my body by taking a break.  I plan on starting back into a cut at the first of March and will have Poppy calculate my macro numbers again.

Through this whole macro lifestyle I have learned so much. First, the scale does not show how strong I am physically and now mentally. I have learned that pictures and measurements speak so much more vs. the scale.

1/26/2017          5/14/16

I took the picture on the left last week after working out at the gym and remembered that I had taken a picture back last year in the same top and felt so much smaller in it. While it is the same shirt, I am down another pants size and had to have my mom take in some of my favorites clothes because there is a definite size difference between the then and now. This picture motivates me to keep going and not give up towards my goals. I am very close to my goal and know that as soon as I start my cut again that I WILL hit my size and my weight goal.

Love,

 

Jamie Lynn 

Motivitation Monday

I take like hundreds of pictures a month. I take pictures of my sweet Lulu and Charlie, doughnuts places with a sample of their doughnuts, pictures of the Mountain Man and me, and pictures of random things. Sometimes those pictures stay on my phone for when I need them and sometimes they end up a favorite of mine.

And then there are times that they motivate me and show me how strong that I really am. Like these pictures....

 

The bottom picture is right when I decided I was tired of being "overweight", the top right I felt so happy because I was losing some of the weight, and the left one is when we went to Lake Lure both of us had lost weight and I felt so much more confident. Looking back my first thought is that I should not have felt that happy with the way I looked, but then I remind myself I deserved to feel some sort of accomplishment with the way I looked. I had worked for that, I had sweat for that, I had made healthier eating choices, and I was a better person.

 

These pictures were taken June 2016 (Our 8 year Anniversary) to December 2016. I feel like I look so much happier because I am so much energetic and stronger. I maybe a smaller person in size, but I am a bigger person in my strength. I have done so many things I never thought I would and in these pictures I see a healthier, more tenacious, and happier couple because of the journey we have gone through.

 

 

I say all this to say that when I am having a day; I do not want to give up that doughnut, I do not want to work out, or I do not want to go for a walk. I remind myself to not give up my journey yet because I am not at my finish line.

 

So I leave you with this...

Are you at your finish line? What is your motivation to keep going?

 

Love,

Jamie Lynn

Sunday Meal Prepping

On Sundays I plan out my meals to help me to stay on track during the work week and hit my Macros. I like having a shelf in my fridge and a location in the kitchen that I can keep my food so that all I have to do is grab and toss into my Lilly Pulitzer Cooler and go.

Right now by breakfast tends to be one of two things, either overnight oats or an egg breakfast bowl. I make my overnight oats made with egg whites, protein powder, almond milk, a little stevia, and spices or fruit to my want. This time of year I warm up the oatmeal in the microwave. For my breakfast bowls, I cook turkey sausage and add it to egg whites, eggs, a splash of almond milk, seasonings, and veggies if I want. I love to top it with a little salsa verde.

Since it is cold I have been doing a lot of soups. I created a mock Dixie Stampede Veggie Soup that I added chicken to and reduced the fats in it; Unfortunately, while the flavor is spot on to me the texture is lacking. I have also been making a more macro friendly White Chicken Chili and  is it delicious. Both of these are tossed in the crockpot so all that I have to do is toss everything in and let it cook for a while and then I divide it all up into 5 servings.




Snacks right now have been Pretzel Thins or Greek Yogurt. I am really loving the Buffalo Pretzel Thins as my salty snack right now without the fats of chips and the Greek Yogurt gives me the sweet while hitting my protein macros.

Pretzel Crips Stock Photo

I would love to hear any tips you have that helps keep you on track during the week.

 

Love,

Jamie Lynn

I am back....

Hello! I apologize I have been gone forever! For the past couple of years I had a lot of work roles on my plate and while I loved them it did not allow for much time to blog. With some recent family needs I have stepped down from those roles which is allowing me more time with my family and more time to focus on my health, two very important things in my life.

Not teaching Summer School allowed me to hike to Clingman's Dome with my hubby and my momma.

 

 

 

Go to the Isle of Palms with my husband's family and get to see these two enjoy the beach.

 

 

It allowed me to spend some time with Baby C and do fun aunt things like the Sky Lift in Gatlinburg and take her on the tubing adventure of a lifetime, no seriously I lost my tube trying to help a little girl and got beat up by the rocks. Fun Times! I always have fun with her though and wait with baited breath to see what she says or does next.

 

 Not having so much on my plate has allowed me to focus more on my health and right before Christmas I got down to being 5 pounds away from my original Goal Weight, I got a little off track during Christmas and I am in a reverse so I am up a little. I will start cutting again in March to get ready for the summer. I am starting to lift weights more and have started following macros. I love following the macro diet lifestyle only because there are no "off limit foods" and I can tell my relationship with food is so much better.

Lifting and deadmills have made a dramatic difference in my pace with my 5ks. My pace used to be about 15 to 14 minutes per mile and this last race I ran was 10:24 and it was below 30 degrees during the entire run. I feel like this was great time, especially since I not only hate the cold but one minute I was cold because of the shade of the buildings and the next minute I was warm because I was out in the sun.

 

I feel like I not only smaller, but I feel so much stronger since the very first race. When I first started my journey I ran because it was convenient and personal, then I started some circuit classes, and now I do a mix of lifting, running, and my Saturday Body Sculpting Class. I feel like all this combined has made me a stronger person and is helping me to better reach my goal of better health.


As I move forward into 2017 I plan on keeping my health a priority and reaching my goals.

Love,

Jamie Lynn

She Did What?!

I ate a kid's meal from Wendy's last week! That is correct. I had a cheeseburger, French fries, and swapped my drink for a Frosty. You know what though... I do not regret it for one minute. It was tasty and satisfying.

I love eating in a healthy manner. It makes me feel good on the inside and strong on the outside, but sometimes you just want to eat something different. I just wanted a burger, I did not want anything else. I have learned that if I fill that void with what it truly wants in moderation then I am normally satisfied and I am not like a hungry bear searching for something to satisfy my cravings.

I had been running like crazy last week preparing everything for an upcoming business trip, celebrating our soon arriving wedding anniversary (7 years!), visiting grandparents, and still trying to stay on point with food. That running sure helped me hit my steps everyday, but my anticipation of only having one rest day ended up as two when I did not get home until ten one night.





My exercise for last week looked like this:
Monday: Elliptical for 35 minutes in the evening, burnt 482 calories
Tuesday: Body Sculpting Class. burnt 466 calories
Wednesday: Elliptical for 30 minutes in the morning, burnt 415 calories
Saturday: Jillian Micheal's "No More Trouble Zones"


My food last week was good except Thursday when I had a half price milk shake from Sonic. I enjoyed it, but at the of my enjoyment guilt slipped in and I was like I should have gone for the small and not a medium. You live and learn, in the past one slip up meant two days of slip ups. I would convince myself that I would just postpone my diet, eat whatever I wanted for a couple of days and get it out of my system. I would be cured! That never worked. Then I learned to wean that down to a day, but that was still bad because I would eat whatever I wanted to the point that when I woke up I felt horrible. Now, when I slip up it is for a couple of hours and I let it stay that way. I do not give myself a whole day of splurging, instead I eat a healthy breakfast and lunch then I try to eat that splurge in moderation or with something healthy on my plate. So our anniversary dinner was onion rings for appetizer with bread, I then selected grilled Mahi Mahi and braised spinach for my dinner. I did not like the braised spinach so I did not eat more than three bites. The milkshake is what killed it for me though. I had like 200 calories left and we all know that that milkshake had five times that amount.


In the near future I will be going out of town and I love to travel. I love the sights, I love the experiences, and I love the food. That is my downfall! I would really love to see the 150s before summer ends and if I want to I am going to have to stay on point with everything else! In the past I have tried not to eat into my exercise calories, but on active days I am starving if I only eat the 1,500 calories I allot myself. (I used to try to eat 1,200 calories until a nutritionist educated me, how did I ever do that?!) So I am going to try to up my intake to 1,600 calories max and see how that goes.

With all that in mind are my goals for this coming week:
Sunday- Rest
Monday- Elliptical
Tuesday- Elliptical w/strength
Wednesday- Elliptical
Thursday- Rest
Friday- Strength
Saturday- Cardio

Step Goals: 10,000 bare minimum
Food Goals: select healthy and enjoyable options
-log everything regardless if I go over
- try for a deficiency

What are your goals for this month?

Love,
Jamie Lynn

Motivation

Some days I think about giving up and throwing in the towel. Eating whatever I want. Watching TV or napping instead of working on the arm bumps. Some days I think it will be okay if I do not achieve my goal, I could be happy eating whatever I want or not working on slimming down. I would rock the curvy body again.

 

Then I think about when I started, I can remember going to get a pedicure with my Southern Sister and putting on one of the only pair of capris that I had that fit me and one of my husband's black t-shirts because my weight had gotten that high. I felt miserable, I was lacking all confidence, and I was willing to do anything to not feel that way. Do I want to go back there? No!

 

I do not feel that my beauty hinders on a perfect scale number, but I know that as the scale number goes down and as my arms become more sculpted my confidence goes up. As my runs become quicker and longer, my confidence hangs around more. When I have to buy new clothes, I get excited and no longer dislike taking photos of myself or looking in the mirror.

 

Would I want to give all this up to be able to gorge myself on whatever I want? No, because it makes me feel miserable when I do and for days after. My body actually seems to function better at the 1,500 calories that I try to consume everyday.

 

Do I screw up sometimes and overeat? Yes! But I get back on the horse and try again.

Do I get frustrated with the fact that it has taken 2 years and I am still not to my goal weight? Yes!

But then I look at pictures like this...

 

May 2014 (171.8 lbs)           June 2015 (167) 

     There is not much weight difference between the two and maybe there is not much difference between the overall look, but in my honest opinion my stomach looks slimmer and more than a 5 lb difference.

 

So that is my motivation, looking better and feeling better!

 

What is your motivation?

 

Love,

JamieLynn

My Story- The Past

As a child I never had problems with my weight, I was actually very petite mainly because I played outside and had to be called inside to eat. As I matured I started to gain weight. By high school I was dieting with my mom. We did Weight Watchers, Atkins, and I even tried cleanses. I would cut carbs, eat on a particular meal plan, and even would stay abnormally low on my points all in the name to drop pounds. Normally, I actually dropped them well. But who would not drop pounds eating pork rind pancakes or lettuce wraps (which I still eat and actually enjoy).

Senior Prom with two of my best friends, I am in the middle.

 

College- My friend Jenny B.

 

Jump forward to college where I took diet pills, developed my artificial sweetener taste buds, and became active through running and dancing. Around this time I met my hubby and started planning our dream wedding. Due to stress with finishing college, planning a wedding, and moving 7 hours away the weight melted off of me. At this time I was 170, the smallest I remember being. Overall on my wedding day I knew that I still had to lose more weight, but I felt beautiful.

 

June 21, 2008- Me and my love.

 

Slowly, I started packing on weight. I tried to stay active around the house by unpacking stuff, working in the yard, etc. I watched my portions and tried to cook healthy. Nothing worked. During this time I noticed I easily became fatigued and if I sat down for too long I would fall asleep. 

1 year anniversary- We met building houses in New Orleans after Katrina, so we revisited the site.

 

In that first year together I am not sure how much I packed on, but I know I gained weight. During this time, I got diagnosed with hypothyroidism. It was a relief in some ways because I was concerned that if it was left unfixed then the likelihood of my body starting to attack itself was high. Being on medicine for it did not help the weight issue, it just allowed my body to function more properly. I am not always freezing cold or becoming easily fatigued.

 

 This is only the beginning of my story, come back tomorrow for the second half.

What is your story? What is your past? What will you make your future?

 

Much Love,

Jamielynn

My Trip to the Big D

So Tuesday I flew out to Dallas for work. We managed to fit a little fun in after our conference everyday. I will admit I was scared how my weight-loss goals would go on this trip. I did not hit my goal before I left for Dallas, which was to be down 15 lbs from my start weight. I had a little over a pound to go.

 

My fun part of the trip was composed of:

 

Good food with good co-workers. We had Spaghetti Warehouse, Iron Cactus, and Colt's Bar-B-

Que. It was all good. I even had Tres Leche one night. I tried to eat healthy throughout the day and then splurge within reason at night. Come on, I was not at home and wanted to enjoy the local food places.

 

If it was not for all of the following though I would have been concerned.

We did a whole lot of walking in the couple of days that I was there. The last day we were there the expected high was 106 degrees! Oh my and we busted our butt walking that day trying to catch a train that left us. I am so glad I had my Fitbit to document our steps and miles.

 

I woke up every morning to this:

I woke up at 5:00 to workout two of the three mornings. I did about 20 minutes on the bicycle, then lifted weights with 50 jumping jacks between each set, and finished it out on the treadmill for a couple of minutes.

 

My goal was to work off what I was enjoying for dinner each night. I did not splurge the whole day, just enjoyed my dinner. I made sure not to overeat, especially because I had to walk back to the hotel.

 

So my weigh-in...... I lost two pounds! Yes! Finally I have broke the 15 lb mark.

 

Today, I decided while my out-of-commission honey was sleeping in I would go for a little wogging (jogging and walking). I had not gotten a run in for 2 weeks in and it was my best time yet, down by about 2-3 minutes for the mile and a half. I know the time is not great, but I have grown so much as a runner and I am proud of myself.

 

Stay tuned for some recipes.

 

Love,

Jamielynn

 

Follow me on: Bloglovin

 

Highs & Lows

So my weigh-in did not go as anticipated. I wanted to be down 2.6 lbs this week in time for my trip coming up. I had anticipated to be down by some because of the fact that I do a couple of what I call check-in weigh-ins. I know it is horrible to constantly weigh yourself, but I promise I limit myself.

Anyways, I weighed myself and there was no loss. I know I am doing well on working out because my Fitbit  is helping to hold me accountable. I just am going to be careful with my splurge points this next week.

On a high note though my clothes are starting to be loose and some of my smaller sizes are starting to fit me! I have to remind myself of the positive. When I started this journey I had 60 lbs I wanted to lose, now I only have a little over 46 lbs to go.

My OBGYN is great and gave me such wonderful encouragement when I started this journey. She said lose 20 lbs, see how you look and feel afterwards, She told me that the BMI Index is not always what is healthy for all individuals. Her words made me feel better. Even at my smallest I was a size 8-10 and weighed 170 lbs. The BMI Index made me feel like I would never be successful, her words made me feel like I could do nothing but be successful.

 

On to the good stuff. I showed you last week one of my two favorite breakfast items. Here is my other favorite breakfast item.

Overnight Oats: 1/2 cup Old Fashioned Oatmeal, 1 cup Milk, 1 package Stevia. Shake and place in fridge overnight. The next morning I add 2 tablespoons Milled Flax Seed and 1 cup of Berries. This is a really satisfying breakfast. I hope to try it with peaches one day this week.

 

Yesterday while I was grocery shopping I was trying to find a healthy snack to take on my trip next week. We all have heard the saying, Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance. I have learned this the hard way, when we go out to eat I plan what I might get. If you have a plan then it is so much easier to be successful. I wanted to plan a snack for my trip and really wanted the Cocoa Roasted Almonds that my niece eats, but could not find them in individual packages at Kroger. I know that by taking individual portions I am setting my self up for success. So, after going between several aisles and ruling out several options due to the fact that they will not travel well I decided on the following:

 

They are only 2 points original Weight Watchers and the sugar content in them are pretty low if you are a whole foods dieter.  The Coconut one has 7g of sugar which I thought was not bad since any chocolate bar would have at least that. I selected the flax one because the sugar fit into the whole foods diet and flax is a food known to help cholesterol. I tried both of them and they are yummy. My plan is to used them as either snacks or breakfast if needed.

 

 Yesterday, I not only did my 30 Day Shred but also did a jog/walk with the hubby. I am not fast at all, not even near fast. But I enjoyed it, I feel alive after despite the sore muscles. I took today off because it has been crazy. I plan to do the 30 Day Shred everyday until my trip since this heat makes it hard to run. I can remember the first day I did 30 Day Shred and the pain I felt. Everyday I complete it the workout gets easier. I have to remember to keep at it like it is my job. Thanks SkinnyMeg for that piece of advice. It reminds me that I do not get the opportunity to go back to bed instead of go to work, I have to get my butt up out of the bed. Time for me to get my butt up and get active.

 

Much Love,

Jamielynn

 

Fitbit Love

My end of the school year happy was waiting for me Friday when I got home. That is right as a teacher I get an end of the school year gift, only because I have a great husband who spoils me.

Here it is......

A Fitbit.

I was very apprehensive at first, but I am starting to love it. I can simply tap the screen to see my steps, distance, and my calories burned. Right now it is sticking its tongue out at me because I am not being active.

I can sync it to my phone.

This is a shot from Saturday. I worked hard that day. I not only did the 30 Day Shred but also got in some yard work. I was able to log each one in the activity tab so that it could accurately tell me how many calories I was burning. I log my 30 Day Shred as circuit training and because I push mowed (that is right suckers, I push mowed that baby, well part of it) I logged activity with moving or pushing heavy items.

 

You can do so much with the Fitbit. I use it to track my water consumption, weight, and am trying to start tracking my calories via it. I have not decided if I will swap from counting points to counting calories anytime soon, but I like the easy option. I so far LOVE the Fitbit and I am so glad that my husband decided to show his support for my health journey by getting it for me.

 

If you have any questions about the Fitbit do not hesitate to ask me. I fortunately had someone that was using one and they helped me. They love theirs so much they are swapping to the bracelet.

 

Much Love,

Jamielynn

New Leaf

Sorry, I was gone for so long. I love technology, but it is not always my favorite thing, If it is not easy for me I often give up and overcome because of my crazy schedule.
 

Anyways... I have been busy in the past year. I have moved and started fixing things up, I will post my diy things next time, I need to hunt down the camera.
 

If you know me well you know I am always into something. This school year I started a mission to defunk the house of chemicals. We are trying to get rid of the processed junk out of the house and eat healthier. I am not perfect at it by no means, but I am attempting.
 

I am on my eighth week of changing my diet and upping my workouts, I have lost 12lbs so far. I started this journey and then found out I have high cholesterol. Total shocker considering I am pretty healthy overall, not perfect healthy. The cholesterol test gave me a nice kick in the butt.
 

Right now I am working on trying to build up my stamina for running. I alternate between sprinting and walking. I am also doing Jillian Michael's 30-Day Shred. Some days I swear Jillian hates me, but I keep coming back again for her to kick my butt.
 

I am trying to count points for my food intake, I do better with points versus calories. I am always in a hurry so I need whatever works best.
 

Here is a picture of my breakfast:

 

It is so yummy. Greek yogurt, fresh strawberries, flax (helps cholesterol), chopped almonds, and local honey. This breakfast is like a grown-up version of a yogurt parfait. It is my one of my two go to breakfast items.

 

I am doing Summer School so I packed my lunchbox with my breakfast and some snacks.

 

Do not hate, my sweet MIL got me the bowls from Tuesday Morning. I packed my berry yogurt parfait, carrots, lite Goddess dressing, and a yummy local peach into my fabulous Thirty-One lunchbox. I love it.

My hubby purchased this for me as a gift. It is great because it is large and roomy.

 

One more thing about my food is the awesome dressing I found. I am a ranch girl, always have been. Let me just tell you that I LOVE this dressing because it is so yummy, so not diet tasting. I eat it on my salads, dip veggies in it, and enjoy it on the side of my chicken tenders also.

Sorry, it would not flip properly, but you get the idea of what dressing I am eating. I would recommend it, I like hummus though and it has some similarities.

 

Lastly, if you are looking for some motivation with your weight loss or health journey check out these links.

 

Skinny Meg: She is so funny, I found her blog via Mama Laughlin. Love reading both these blogs to keep me inspired, they are real women and they keep everything real.

 

I will try not to stay gone so long next time.

 

Love,

Jamielynn