2014 - WHAT A BLESSED YEAR

2014 - WHAT A BLESSED YEAR!

What a blessed year 2014 was for me.  My kids, Ashlie and Cody are both doing great!  They are really becoming grown-ups!  I look at them and remember where I was at their age and I'm just amazed by their progress!  They are doing great.

I paid my house off this year.  Yippee!  What a feeling of freedom!  I upgraded my car from a 2006 to a 2011 with very few miles.  And I was able to do it with cash.  Yeah baby! 

I will be completely debt free in 4 weeks.  I have the money to pay off my last two bills but I want to pump up that emergency fund a little more. 

I was able to reduce my work week from 5 days a week to 3 days a week.  And I'm not even 62 yet!  My golden years are financially secure even if I live 25 more years (Ok, The Buddhist monk says I have 29 more!).

I've continued to lose weight this year with Skinny Fiber.  I started jogging and completed my first 5K.  More weight loss and jogging in 2015 with yoga added.

I have good friends who are my family.  I have kids I love and adore.   I love them with all my heart.  Everyone is healthy and doing well.

Here are some things I tell my kids that I have learned:

Pay God first.

Pay yourself next.

Live below your means.

Save money for your future.  In your 20's, 30's, 40's and even your 50's, you just don't believe that 60 is really coming.  It does and in your head you are yelling I'M ONLY 25!  Be prepared.

One of my mother's favorite sayings that i have passed on:  Live like you will die tomorrow.  Plan like you will live forever.  Wise words.

Now, I'm not saying that my life in 2014 was all balloons and flowers.  It wasn't.  There have been days and still are that were hard and filled with tears.  I just choose to focus on my blessings.  And my blessings are overflowing!  Every day.  Every week.  Every month.  Every year.

Decide to make changes in 2015 that will have positive effects on your life in the present and in the future.  A year from now you will be amazed how far you have come and how quickly it has gone by!

To all my Facebook friends, online and off, I am hoping for you that 2015 will be YOUR year! 

Happy New Year!  Make 2015 the ride of your life!  I plan to!

copyrighted 2014

caryn cannatella

Skinny Fiber Sales:  www.caryncann.com

THE CHRISTMAS BONUS

THE CHRISTMAS BONUS

If you are lucky enough to get a Christmas bonus at your job, be grateful. Even more than that, tell your boss or bosses THANK YOU and tell them how much it means to you.

Did you know that many people who get that bonus every year never even say thank you? I can't even imagine. Christmas Bonuses are GIFTS. You don't really earn it. Whatever you get is more than you had.

I have gotten bonuses that ranged from $25 to thousands. I was just grateful for the $25 as I was for the thousands.

Appreciate your Christmas bonuses. Your company doesn't have to give them and isn't obligated to give them. If you work for a small company, those bonuses come out of your boss' pocket. It is his/her money and they choose to give it to you at Christmas.

So, if you got one or you get one, take 30 seconds and tell the person who made it happen Thanks you. If you can't tell them in person, call them. If you can't call them, then text or email them. I'm telling you that it will mean so much to them.

Gratitude is a way of life!

copyrighted 2014

caryn cannatella

Skinny Fiber Sales:  www.caryncann.com

THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

I wanted to share something with ya'll. Today I was at the bank cashing a check. I watched an old man (he might have been younger than me but he looked tired and old). He was bent over and using a cane. He was clean and carrying a back pack. I don't know about where you live but if you see an adult carrying a backpack in Houston, they are usually homeless and carry everything they own in that backpack.

I watched him walk through that strip parking lot picking up trash and putting it in the garbage. When I finally got my cash, I decided to drive over and talk to him. I got out of the car and said hello. He said, "I don't mean to bother anyone, ma'am." I told him that he wasn't bothering me.

I said, "I noticed you were picking up garbage and putting it in the trash can." He said, "Well, you know people just throw trash everywhere these days." I said, "I really appreciate it and I want to give you this gift card to go across the street and get you something to eat and I want to give you this cash for Christmas."

He was sitting on the curb when he looked up at me, with tears in his eyes and said, "Thank you so much. I'm a veteran waiting on my disability."

I had actually cashed my weekly allowance for twice what I usually make it out for so I went back to the car and got more money to give to him. I told him, "I have had a very good year and I want to share it with you." He said, "How did you know?" "God told me."

This old, tired, veteran of our armed forces put his head in his hands and cried so hard his shoulders shook. I thanked him again and wished him a Merry Christmas. Several minutes later I was on the street at the traffic light and I glanced over and saw him where I left him. His head was still in his hands and his shoulders were still shaking.

So why am I sharing this? Because there are many people out there who just need a little help. We all hear about the spirit of Christmas but too often it seems to be centered around what we buy as gifts or what we get as gifts. These people are invisible to most of us all year long. Find someone who needs a little help this Christmas and just help them. It doesn't have to be a lot. It doesn't even have to be money. It could be a blanket, some gloves, a coat you don't wear. You will feel the love emanate from that person.

Make the Christmas Spirit come alive this year. It will make your Christmas so special.

copyrighted 2014

caryn cannatella

Skinny Fiber Sales:  www.caryncann.com

PORTION SIZES

PORTION SIZES

Let's talk about portion control!  One of the main problems with being on a weight loss program is that we think we are eating less than we truly are.

This is the reason I have to portion my food out.  In my mind and my eyes I think 1 cup is a bowl full, which is usually 2-3 cups.  Get you a plastic container that holds one cup.   It's not a lot of food!  So let's say you fix hamburger helper for dinner.  If there are two of you, it should be enough for 2 meals!  I KNOW!  HOW CAN THAT BE????

Well, here's the deal.  When you eat that one cup of whatever, you should be adding things to it as sides.  Like a small salad.  Add some roasted, grilled, boiled or steamed veggies.  Throw in a piece of wheat bread and a bottle of water.  You will have a satisfying meal that is low on calories, and is portion controlled.

It's really the same for everything we eat.  Especially the stuff we just love to eat with no thought to the calories or portion size.  I tell you.  I have eaten a family size bag of chips in 2-3 settings.  When you check the servings per bag, it's like 10-15!   WHOA!  If I eat them all in the morning, I am way over the calorie count for the day.  And that's not even considering the carb content!

There truly is nothing most of us can't eat.  We just have to learn to do it in moderation.  That is very difficult for me.  I eat mindlessly.  Sometimes I don't think I even taste the food.  Sometimes I don't even particularly care for the food.  That's why I have to portion my food.

There is nothing wrong with candy, cake, cookies, etc.  You just have to say ONE cookie instead of a dozen!  Or ONE piece of fudge instead of 6 pieces and licking the pan too!

It's tough!  I know from my own experiences.  It's tough staying with portion control when some things taste so good you wish you could eat it all.  And I admit it, sometimes I have!

Make a promise to yourself to really find out what a portion size is for the things you put in your mouth.  And then for a week, stick to portion sizes and add healthy side dishes to complete and complement your meals.

I'm betting you will find what I have.  You lose weight when you do!

copyrighted 2014

caryn cannatella

Skinny Fiber Sales:  www.caryncann.com

STRUGGLES WITH WEIGHT LOSS!

STRUGGLES WITH WEIGHT LOSS!

Even with Skinny Fiber, the past few months have been tough for me on this last weight loss journey.  My weight fluctuates always so I don’t pay much attention to the scales.  I pay attention to my clothes.   They seem to fit about the same but I don’t feel the same.

I feel bloated.  I feel unhealthy.  I feel fat.  I feel tired.  Nothing I am currently feeling is a good feeling. 

This weekend I decided to take stock of what was going on in my life and what I was and wasn’t doing to reach my goals.

Here are my reasons, which we all know are just excuses.   My ex died in August and it has really affected me much more than I thought it would.  I was in a car wreck in October.  I was restricted from jogging for almost 2 months.  I’ve been sick for the past 3 weeks.  It’s Thanksgiving.  It’s the holidays.  I’m busy.  I changed my schedule at work.  I guess I could add that we had rain some days.  Some days it was cold.  Some days it was hot.   There is always an excuse isn’t there?

So Sunday after the football game (Go Texans!), I decided to really think about what was going on.  Where had I gotten off track?  Here is what I realized.

1.      I wasn’t limiting my carbs like I had been.  Might explain why my blood sugar has increased.

2.      I wasn’t drinking 10 bottles of water a day.   Some days I was only getting in 4 bottles.  Not nearly enough for a big girl like me.

3.      I wasn’t eating enough protein.  I need protein 3 times a day, minimum!

4.      Some days I had forgotten to take my evening Skinny Fiber.  If you only take it half the dosage, it’s only going to work half as well.

5.      I was comforting myself with food again.  When you are eating and not paying attention to what or how much you are eating, that is for comfort.  No different than a baby with a pacifier.

6.      I stopped moving much at all.

7.      I stopped preparing my weekly meals on the weekend.

8.      I stopped portioning my food.

9.      I started drinking diet sodas again.  Not a lot but more than 2-3 a week.  Nothing wrong with a soda every now and then but let’s face it, folks, they are really bad for you.  And they are full of sodium which bloats you!

I had my answer.  When I was losing, the magic was ME.  When I stopped losing, the problem was ME.  Oh, the magic is still there.  I just chose to ignore it.  For awhile.

Sunday after the game, I cooked my breakfasts, lunch and dinners for the upcoming week.  No thought or preparation needed when thinking about eating.  Everything is portion controlled.

Monday I drank my protein shake when I woke up.  Two hours later I ate my egg muffins.  5 hours later I ate my meat muffin.   For dinner I had a bowl of chili.  And for a snack, another protein shake.  And it was all under 1500 and very few carbs.   I also pushed my water intake back up to 8 bottles. 

I slept so well last night.  I don’t think I woke up even once.  When I did wake up, I felt great.  I was ready to get up, get dressed and get moving.  I have felt energized all day!  I know by the end of the week, I won’t feel bloated anymore.  My system will be corrected.  I’ll be back moving come Thursday.  My body will be happy and so will I.

I could have given up.  In the past I would have.  Not this time.  I have come too far to turn back now.  If you are struggling and feeling like you have failed in your weight loss journey, you haven’t.  It’s just a set-back unless you decide to quit.  Re-commit.  Re-focus.  Remind yourself why you started this journey.

Come get back on your program with me.  Order your Skinny Fiber and commit to making 2015 your year of reaching your weight loss goals!  I have!

copyrighted 2014

caryn cannatella

Skinny Fiber Sales:  www.caryncann.com

DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES?

DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES?

I do!

For those who know me well, they know that I am a miracle believer.  This is especially true when I have lost something.  I am known for calling things back to me.  Yep, that's what I do.  I send the message out into the universe that I need whatever it is I am missing to be returned to me.  And I thank God for returning it to me.

It's weird how it works.  In fact, I don't really understand how it works.  I just know it does.  Yes, people laugh at me.  Some scowl or become sarcastic when I suggest they try it instead of getting mad.  It's such an easy way to relieve stress over something you have no control over.

I told my online friends about a situation that happened last Friday.  My son, Cody, and I cashed his paycheck at the bank.  Because he has no account, it is processed through my account, which necessitates both of us sending in our drivers licenses.  Normally, the first thing I do before counting the money is get the licenses and we put them back in our wallets.  This time Ashlie was with us, we were all talking and having fun so all I did was count that big fat envelope of money.

Later when I was putting his money away, I realized the licenses were not there.  The next morning I returned to the bank.  My regular teller told me that our licenses weren't in the box of others.  I was really upset.  This would necessitate both of us going down to the DPS, standing in line, waiting for hours, paying again, just to get our licenses.

And then something happened.  I got home from work yesterday and mixed in with all the junk mail was a very small envelope addressed to me.  My name was written just like it appears on my driver's license.  I opened that little white envelope and both of our licenses fell out.  Nothing else was inside.  The return address was nowhere near the bank and we hadn't left the car after leaving the bank.

Coincidence?  I don't believe in them.  Miracles?  I believe in with all my heart.  Although these occurrences no longer surprise me, I am still always in awe.  This isn't a rare thing.  It's a pattern.  And I'm so grateful to have these miracles in my life.   I know it isn't the kind of miracle like a blind man seeing or a man rising from the dead.  But it is a miracle.  And every time it happens, my faith is once again bolstered.

It always reminds me that miracles usually happen because someone listened to the voice of God and performed an act of kindness for another person.

Could you be someone's miracle today?  I bet you could.

copyrighted 2014

caryn cannatella

Skinny Fiber Sales:  www.caryncann.com

HATING MY BODY

HATING MY BODY

This is something I have struggled with most of my life.  How can I take good care of my body when I hate it so much?  Throughout my life it has betrayed me, kept me a prisoner, and made my life miserable.

One day I decided to write down a list of the things my body has done for me during my life.  I was amazed.  My body has been very good to me even when I haven’t been good to it.  It has protected me when I couldn’t protect myself.  It has kept me healthy through the years.

Don't get me wrong.  There are still things I just can’t stand about my body.  But I do remind myself of how strong my legs are when I complain about my upper arms.  I still despise that turkey gobbler that now hangs under my chin.   But it does give me something to play with when I'm sitting at my desk!  lol 

I've always enjoyed very good health.  I know that part of this is just good genes.  However give credit where credit is due!  I have not taken the best care of this aging body!  If it were a car, it would have been junked years ago due to upkeep and maintenance.  I couldn’t even have gotten much just for parting it out!

If you hate your body, take a few minutes to think about how your body has helped you through the years.  You will be surprised.  And then decide to start liking your body even if it is just one or two parts at first.  Who knows?  Maybe someday you will begin to truly love your body and develop a healthy relationship with it. 

copyrighted 2014

caryn cannatella

Skinny Fiber Sales:  www.caryncann.com

WHEREVER YOU GO, THERE YOU WILL BE

WHEREVER YOU GO, THERE YOU WILL BE

How many times have your seen others, or even yourself, decide that if you can just change your scenery, or location, that your life will somehow magically become different?

I know most of us have experienced it a time or two.  For some of us, it is a way of life.  We may say, “I know that change comes from within” but we really believe that it is that new man/woman, that new house, that new city, that new job that is really going to affect the change.

It doesn’t.  No matter where you go, who you are with, or what you are doing, the one constant is YOU.  If you are always looking for love, you will be looking for it wherever you go.  If you are always lonely, you will still be lonely in a group of people.  If you are wishing for a change in your life, you will still be wishing whether you live in the States or in Russia.  If you don’t have friends, chances are that wherever you live, you won’t have friends.

Why?  Because it truly is about YOU.  You are the common denominator.  You are the same wherever you are, wherever you run, wherever you hide.  If you want to see changes in your life, then the change you have to make first is YOU.   You don’t have to do an extreme makeover.  Start small. 

I see so many women who believe their worth is totally dependent on whether they have a man in their life.  The end result is that they are in a new relationship about every 4 months, cry and moan when it ends, and wonder why it never works out.  The person they really need to depend on for their worth is themselves.  No one can give you what it takes to feel worthy.  It comes from within and that is where the change has to happen.

If you are lonely and don’t have friends, pick one hobby and make an effort to attend a function once a week or every two weeks to be around others who enjoy the same hobby.  Smile.  Make the first move and introduce yourself.  With each step you take, your confidence will take root and bloom. 

To manifest a true change in your life, you have to start with yourself.  Other people may encourage you in changing but only you have the power to initiate it and see it through.

With each tiny movement forward, you will see the change more clearly.  If you choose not to change, then you will be where you are.  No matter where you go.  It really is true:  Wherever you go, there you will be.  Decide what you that will be.

copyrighted 2014

caryn cannatella

Skinny Fiber Sales:  www.caryncann.com