Tag Archives: The Hobbit

A Hobbit Forming Adventure

Ditch the Can, Last of the Weight Loss Journey, Simple things that make life better December 14, 2013 Comments: 2

MV5BMzU0NDY0NDEzNV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwOTIxNDU1MDE@._V1_SX640_SY720_Last night was the chance of a life-time. You only get to see the opening/midnight showing of a movie once, right?

I’m not a huge midnight/opening night girl. But the Tolkien craze is one thing I share with my kids–and once kids are teens and young adults it’s especially fun to find common interests since Mom no longer dictates a schedule.

So at 11 p.m. last night I climbed into the mini-van with my sixteen-year-old (passenger side, of course, since he just got his driver’s license). We picked up a few friends and met my daughter and her friends at the theater for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. At 3:20 a.m. we climbed out said mini-van and stumbled into our house.

My head is swimming today, folks. But being invited along with my teen–priceless and worth it! (The movie was awesome, too!)

This was a bit of milestone for me in my weight loss/get healthy journey of the last year. You may remember this post where I chronicled Day 51 of my weight loss journey–and the fun of going to the midnight showing of the first Hobbit movie.

hobbit paula

Last year. About 25 pounds down and 30 to go.

I believe I was 20-25 pounds down at that point. I was serious about calorie reduction and packed a water battle, apple slices, and popcorn (with less butter than theater popcorn) into my purse. As I remember, I was also concerned about eating after 7 p.m., something I’d focused on NOT doing during those early days of weight loss. I was surrounded by junk that night and oh-so-tempted to buy a soda. But I resisted the Coke and only snitched a little of the cookies and candy the kids around me offered. It felt mostly like success.

Last night was similar except I lived in the position of one who’d reached her goals instead of one working toward them. I packed healthy treats and planned ahead for late night snacking by eating less at the evening meal and taking a walk.

This year I also planned ahead by indulging in the rarity of an energy drink. Thanks to Kaos Gold, the new energy drink by DtC, I ingested only 30 calories and 80% less sugar than if I’d chosen another brand. No doubt my energy drink kept me awake so I could act like a teenager in the wee hours of the morning.

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Kaos gold to help me stay awake! Roughly 30 lbs less than a year ago!

It’s fun to compare last year’s Hobbit night pictures with this year’s. Last year, the coat was getting too big, but I still had some pounds to lose. This year I’m in a brand new DtC t-shirt size medium! I don’t think I’ve purchased mediums since getting pregnant with my third child, 18 years ago!

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My friend and fellow Kaos Gold lover, Suzy.

Wahoooo!!!!!!!

The title for this post has a double meaning. While going to the midnight showing has become a hobbit-forming adventure, so has caring about my body and being intentional about maintaining a new life-style at the size I was created to be!

Folks, I fully intend to be at the midnight showing of the third Hobbit next year, even if I will be 49 years old! (Dying to see what happens next. They left us with a cliff hanger!) AND I fully intend to post a picture here celebrating continued health and life-style change!

Best wishes on your hobbit-forming health adventure!

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Monday Morning Makeover~Voices

Inside Out, Monday Morning Makeover, Videos, Weight Loss December 9, 2013 Comments: 4

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Weight Loss Journey Day 51

The Early Weight Loss Journey February 23, 2013 Comments: 3
hobbit kids

David and Sarah, Sam and a friend–and Gandolph, of course!

Ugh! Days like this are hard.

One appointment to the next. No time to exercise . . . and went to the midnight showing of The Hobbit with the kids. That was fun . . but . . . all those slender children of mine think a midnight showing means tons of high calories snacks.

I did eat more than 1200 today, but my whole goal for this exercise loss has been to tackle it in a way that I can maintain once the weight is down. I want to feel “normal” so I can live like this later.

So . . .  instead of not eating after 7:30, which has been my goal since I started 6 weeks ago, and instead of feeling deprived of no snacks at the theater, I made adjustments. I cut up an apple and covered the slices with lemon juice and slipped that, some lower calorie popcorn, and two water bottles into my purse.

I did indulge in half of a homemade cookie that Seth’s friend’s girlfriend baked and two miniature candies Sarah brought to share. So I had a little junk. But mostly I made healthier choices than I would have in the past.

hobbit paula

Gandolph and me

Looking at my calorie intake for today I would have been able to do that AND make my calorie goal if I’d fit in a way to exercise. But some days are just like this. The point is I’m making CHANGES and not giving up.

Real Time Update:

I’m reminded that losing weight is a marathon not a sprint–at least for people like me who let too much weight pile up before dealing with it.

But be encouraged, my friend! Mindfulness about food, exercising, taking healthy products to support you, all of that kind of thing PAYS OFF.

I’m daily blown away with how much better I feel. It’s not just that I’m wearing cute clothes again or getting all kind of compliments, it’s that I feel like ME again.

I know I’ve said it before, but it is huge to start to feel normal. To be almost the size you were intended to be when God created you. I didn’t even know I no longer felt like me. The weight came on slowly, and life just moved forward. Then I woke up and realized I had to deal with what had happened to my body. And as I did, I rediscovered myself.

And I’m loving it.

(BTW, the coat in this picture was the one I wrote about a while back that was given to me in answer to prayer a few years ago. I’ve enjoyed wearing it for several winters . . . but it’s too big now! Time to check out some winter clearance racks!)

What About You?

How do you handle the snacks at movies or other special events? Have you had an experience when you surprised yourself by feeling like the true YOU when you didn’t expect it?