Preeclampsia Awareness Month

May is Preeclampsia Awareness Month.  If you do not know what preeclampsia is, you should!  We have a website that Michelle and I developed that contains our stories and a lot of information regarding Preeclampsia.  Please take the time to familiarize yourself with this pregnancy related syndrome.  Knowing the symptoms can save your life or the life of another woman or baby.  On Saturday, the Olds family (me, my husband, and my son) will join the Taylor family (Matt, Michelle, and Emilee) and Kristen Remington to walk in The 2nd Annual Promise Walk for Preeclampsia as The Least Speedy Speedsters for Hailee.  Sadly, Hailee Jane Taylor did not survive.  Read her story here.  We miss her every day and wish that more education and research had been done in the past that would have possibly prevented the Taylor family from being affected by such a tragedy.  Michelle and I have dedicated ourselves to making others aware of the symptoms of Preeclampsia and preventing as many infant and mother deaths as possible.  For this reason, we are raising money for The Preeclampsia Foundation.  We far exceeded our goal last year and we were the top fundraiser for Atlanta!!  Our goal is $1500.00.  We are hoping to reach our goal by Saturday morning.  However, we are still $830 short.  If you can help, please click here and make a donation today!  (All donations are 100% tax deductible!)  Thank you all for your support in everything I do!  It means more than you know!

Perseverance

Reflecting on the events from last night and the fact that, after 10 years, the United States has achieved a huge goal, I am moved to talk about perseverance.  When you are trying to lose weight, it feels great and the motivation is highest when the number on the scale is consistently falling.  However, when your progress is impeded, either by time constrictions reducing your available time to exercise or by body weight fluctuations, you must stay focused on your ultimate goal.  Reset the smaller intermediate goals to reflect your new circumstances, but remain focused on the ultimate goal.  Do not let external stresses or factors derail your path.  Be determined and reach your goals, even if it takes you longer.  The men and women of the US military did not give up on their goal, even though it took 10 years.  Should you give up on your goals even if it will take a little longer?  NO!  Just take the time to reassess the situation and deal with the cards you have been dealt.  If you are determined, you WILL achieve your goals!  "America can do whatever we set our mind to do!"- Barack Obama.  So can YOU!

Be Thankful!

Yesterday my husband, Richard, dear friend, Michelle, and I participated in the March of Dimes March for Babies as part of Team DeKalb. (You can see our pictures here.) This is my 5th charity walk in the last year. If you have never participated in a charity walk, you should! The experience is awesome! It is a wonderful feeling to be joining with so many people (3 of the walks had over 1000 people participating) to help such worthy causes. These walks also serve as a reminder to me to always be grateful and thankful for the blessings that I have in my life. It is easy to get wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of today's society and forget to stop and appreciate, not only the beauty of nature, but all of the wonderful things that are in each of our lives. I am so thankful to God every morning when I wake up! I am thankful for a loving and supportive God who never leaves me, even in my darkest hours! I am thankful when my friends and family are also afforded another day on Earth! I am thankful for my wonderful, loving, and supportive husband! I am thankful for my little boy!! I am thankful for each and every one of my friends and family members- especially my wonderful parents! I am thankful for my wonderful country and the awesome men and women who fight to keep it that way! I am thankful for the health and well-being of my family and friends! I am thankful for my job! I am thankful for the wonderful and supportive people that I work with! I am thankful for all of my friends and family who have supported me through being laid-off and through my weight loss! I am thankful for the roof over my head, clothes on my back (no matter how big they are) and food in my refrigerator! I am thankful that I am here to inspire others to put themselves first and make the changes in their lives that they need to make! I am thankful for the sidewalks in my neighborhood that allow me to walk without having to worry about being hit by a car! I am thankful for Facebook for reacquainting me with so many of my friends from the past! I am thankful for Zach Marcy for his incredible support and belief in me and my power to "get s**t done" (as he put it)! I am thankful for this blog for allowing me to reach out and spread my message to 6 of the 7 continents (still looking for someone in Antarctica)! I am thankful that I am physically able to participate in these charity walks and raise so much money for such worthy causes! (Our next walks are The Promise Walk for Preeclampsia next Saturday, May 7, 2011 and then Walk Now for Autism Speaks on May 22, 2011. Please donate, if you can, we are WAY behind in our goals!) The list goes on and on... I challenge you to make your own "I am thankful for..." list today. Share your list with others so that, not only can you realize all of the fantastic things in your life, but also so that others can begin to take notice of the wonders in their own lives! Have a great day!!

Before and After

Here I am! Two months after having my son. I weighed about 335lbs.

Here I am today- 212lbs.

YOU CAN DO IT TOO!!!

Together We Can Change The WORLD!!!

I used to think that one person could not make a big enough change to really affect anything in this world. Well, I am certainly NOT taking credit for all of the hardwork that my friends and family have put in to their bodies and lifestyles, but I am happy to report that A LOT of my friends and family have contacted me to let me know how they are moving their bodies and how they are losing weight and feeling great!! Most all of them have noted that I have (somehow??) inspired them to make the changes in their lives. My goal was to help one person change their life for the better. I think I have reached my goal a couple of times over. :) Thank you all for ALL of YOUR hardwork! Keep it up! Together we can influence others in our communities and all over the world. We can also radically change the direction that future generations are headed by making changes to our food supply and by instilling in them a need and WANT to MOVE OUR BODIES every day!!

Please take the time today to comment on this blog and let me and my other readers know how much weight you have lost (even if it is just 1 or 2 pounds) and how you are moving your bodies today. I want to CELEBRATE each and every one of you!

TOP NEWS STORY: KRISTY ATE CAKE!!!

Yes, World, Kristy ate cake. I am not sure why people are so very shocked by this, but some people are. It was a co-worker's birthday today and one of the ladies in her department baked her a chocolate cake. When I went down to deliver some paperwork, I decided that I wanted a piece of her cake. (To be clear, it was the smallest sliver of a piece of cake that I could cut with the knife that they had. It was probably less than 30 calories worth of cake and the amount of icing that I ate was less than the amount left on the spoon after it is scraped off... small piece, in other words.) I ate it and it was good. I think some people are so very shocked because, if I was doing a "diet," a piece of cake would be forbidden. However, I am not doing a diet. I am not depriving myself of anything that I want. I am simply eating a small portion and accounting for all of the calories that I consume. It is funny, though, to see the look on peoples' faces when they see me eating things that would not be "on" a traditional diet. I have always tried to live my life by this motto: never do anything that you would not want to see posted all over the front page of the newspaper, on the news, or on the internet. However, I didn't realize that it should also extend to the food and drink that I put in my mouth. I believe that a lot of people who are overweight have a issue with this at one point or another. Most overweight people have attempted diets all through their lives and most all of the diets, even if they initially worked, failed in the long run. I, myself, had the same problem. One of the ways that I sabotaged myself was to drive by fast food restaurants on my way somewhere and buy food that I would eat while I was en route. Once I reached my destination, I would dispose of the trash in a trash can without anyone knowing what I had eaten. I would, also, go to the refrigerator while no one was looking or while everyone was asleep and eat portions of whatever food I wanted. If someone asked me shortly afterward if I had eaten yet, I would say, "Nope!" Then I would eat again, especially if they were eating something appealing. For some reason, I thought the food didn't count if I was eating it without anyone knowing. However, it does count and in a BIG way! When you are sneaking food, you are not being honest with yourself. You are not considering the food simply as fuel for your body, but you are considering it a comfort item or something to do when you are bored. When you tell people about your eating habits, you say things like, "I always eat healthy food- just salads and chicken, mainly." You never "remember" (more like CHOOSE) to tell them about the bag of McDonald's that you ate on the way in to work or the bag of Krystal's consumed on the way home. The worse part is you start to believe yourself. When my OBGYN asked me about my weight gain after I had my son, I said, "I have no idea why I am not losing weight! I eat veggies and chicken and I ride my stationary bike or walk." He said, "well, I guess some people just can't lose the weight. Maybe you should speak to a surgeon about gastric bypass surgery." I went home and thought about what he had said. I thought about it on and off for a couple of months. Then I started actually walking to prepare for my first 5K. Then I started actually eating the right healthy foods and avoiding fast food and processed foods. Then I started actually riding my stationary bike. Amazingly, the pounds started coming off- without surgery and without being dishonest to myself or anyone else. If you are overweight and you are truly ready to make a change in your life, YOU CAN DO IT! You have the power to make the decision to do the things that you need to do to take control of your life and make the changes that need to be made. Honesty is the first and most important thing that you must commit yourself to. Once you commit to being honest, with a little direction and education in food and fitness, you can redefine and remake yourself into anything you want to be! Just MOVE YOUR BODY!

Be Quiet and LISTEN!

It took me getting laid-off from work to learn that sometimes you just have to be quiet and LISTEN. Listen to your body and what it is telling you when it comes to food, weight, fitness, and situations (you know, that feeling that you get in your gut telling you that something is wrong or something wonderful is about to happen). Listen to nature and revel in its beauty. (I knew nature had sounds, but I really didn't know what they were until I spent time every day enjoying it.) Most importantly, I learned to listen to God. During my daily walks, I asked God to show me my purpose in life. Show me why I was placed on the Earth and what good works He wanted me to do. I asked him to guide me in the direction that he wanted me to go. Guidance was something that I needed more than anything. Without my job, I felt lost. I didn't know how to be a full-time mother and wife. I didn't know how to begin a good job search on the internet. It had been 10 years since I had looked for a job. But I did know how to give thanks to God and how to ask for help when I really needed it most. I knew there must be a purpose for me, since God allowed me to make the choice to live on August 17, 2008 when I went into respiratory arrest after having my son. I just had no idea what that purpose was. I decided to listen with my heart and wait until God showed me what He had in store. As the summer and fall of 2010 progressed, I began to be contacted by distant family members, friends from long ago, and some people that I have never spoken to, all asking for advice and guidance with losing weight or becoming healthier. It soon became clear to me that my purpose is to help others- "pay it forward" for all of the blessings that my family and I have received. My 5K walks are one way that I have found to pay it forward. I am also committed to instilling the same spirit in my son. We collected pajamas for the Pajama Program instead of presents for Drew's birthday. We purchased toys for foster care children at Christmas (Drew LOVED buying toys for "the boys"). This year, we will continue those traditions and I plan to find a few more charitable activities that we can do. In addition to that, Zach Marcy (Owner/trainer with Synergize Fat Loss) and I are working on developing a Lifestyle Makeover Program to help people who are overweight, obese, and morbidly obese change their lifestyle to one of positivity, healthy eating, and exercise. I feel like this is the direction that God has led me and I am listening!