In the pink...

Comes from the English foxhunting tradition; people who foxhunt often 
wear scarlet jackets and are called pinks--so if you are in the pink, you are about to set off to gallop your horse across 

county.

Those who know me well, know that I really get into research. When I wrote my book “The Devil Made Me Eat That,” I looked at several different kinds of “supplements.” The side effects of some, I won’t say which, were down-right scary. I lost 80 pounds without using dangerous drugs or herbal supplements.  My goal was to lose 100 pounds. I’ve been stuck at 15 to  20 pounds short of my goal for three years now.

However, I’d say I’m in pretty good shape for the shape I’m in. I’m in a very good place right now, blood pressure – good, cholesterol – acceptable, knees – pain free. I’m even basking in the joy of being named Georgia Author of the Year Finalist. (That’s second place if you didn’t know.) Finances – surviving thanks to a few part-time jobs working with and for some awesome people.

It’s all good, right?

The only problem is it doesn’t leave any time for my first passion which is writing.

What I need is a job with a good income that doesn’t take a lot of my time.

“Yeah right! Who doesn’t want that?”

And the magic bullet for losing that pesky last 20 lbs would be nice, too.

The next few months will demonstrate whether or not I’ve found that job and the magic bullet.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, my day jobs go on without interruption. I haven’t spent a ton of money, which I didn’t have, and my friends will see if the healthy weight loss happens. (Cause fat shows, no matter how you try to hide it.)   Kind of like wrinkles.

What in the world am I going on about?

http://shopmyplexus.com/savvylady/index.html

I haven’t even gotten my starter kit yet, which cost a whopping $34.95. But I’ve been listening to the success stories of others – many others. And frankly my dear, I’m downright excited.

In years past my husband and I tried to sell Amway. The circles made me dizzy.

The products are good, but the business was too time consuming.

Then we tried to sell Miracle Maid Cookware.  Dwain kept talking people out of spending their money. I still have our set. 

I sold Mary Kay. Great products. I still use them. The downside for me was keeping inventory or finding customers who didn’t mind waiting for their order. Also time consuming – ordering for me, my customers and my recruits.

Dwain decided HE wanted to sell Pampered Chef. However, HE only liked the cooking performance.

Forget paperwork or selling. After he abandoned me with a crowd of people at a party in the middle of an ice storm – I QUIT HIS BUSINESS.

So… after much research here’s what I learned about Plexus. I don’t have to keep inventory. I don’t have to order for ANYONE ELSE. I don’t have to go to meetings. I don’t have to book parties.  I don’t have to browbeat my friends to sell for me.

But the best thing of all is this company is Christian based.

I have friends who are struggling financially, and physically. Jobs are few and far between and take a lot of time and energy to find, only to be told “you’re not right for our company.”

I’m 73 years old and nobody at this company has told me I’m too old, too dumb, too fat, too skinny or just plain don’t fit the company image. Everyone has embraced me and made me feel welcome.

If you are interested in joining me in this journey – pm me, text me, call me, or yell at me. But don’t wait for me to hound you. I won't. It’s your choice – always.

Check out my website:  http://shopmyplexus.com/savvylady/index.html

Connie in the pink.  

I grew up in an arid land. Our annual rainfall was somewhere close to 10 inches. That’s ANNUAL folks. I didn’t think anything of it, but when it did rain, it was an event. After the rain these amazing little desert frogs would emerge.  At the time, I didn’t know where they came from. Their song was my lullaby for several evenings afterward. They lay their eggs in the muddy puddles all around. My friends and I loved to catch the tiny tadpoles.

Once my girlfriend and I rescued a “crop” of these little cuties. We prepared a basin of clean water for them, thinking that had to be better than that cloudy, dirty water they wiggled through.

Dusk came, our curfew, and we had to go inside. The next day we rushed to see how our new pets were doing. But the tadpoles were GONE! Every last one of them… and in their place were tiny frogs, no bigger than the tip of my finger. What an amazing transformation.

Do you long for a transformation? The most “amazing transformation” comes when we ask Jesus into our hearts. He brings us out of the mire and into a new life. Like the tiny frogs, at first we are vulnerable and fragile. We need to be fed. We need to submerge ourselves into the Word of God, like the adult frogs burrow into the mud to survive the next dry season.

A few years ago I longed for a different transformation, a physical one. I was seriously overweight. I hated the way I looked and felt. Something clicked in my head and I got serious about getting healthy. My husband and I joined a gym and hired a trainer for a short time. When we felt strong enough, we continued on our own.

The weight came off slowly, but steadily. There were times I wanted to quit. There are still times like that, but I remind myself this is a lifetime journey. Something we only have one shot at it. So I plod along.

Today I am 15 pounds from losing 100 pounds. The last time I saw my doctor she called me amazing, and told me I was no longer “obese,” but normal weight. I told her, “I’m not done yet.” She had never admonished me to lose weight and was surprised, and concerned when the weight started dropping.  She couldn’t believe a septuagenarian could lose weight on her own – and keep it off without being sick.

The “secret” to my weight loss is no secret at all. I eat smarter. In other words, no more than my body needs. I take vitamins to cover any missing nutrients. I don’t exercise as much now, but I maintain my gym membership. I look and feel better than I’ve felt in years. (Okay I know that is vain, but it ain’t braggin’ if you can do it.)

Years of packing around too much weight wore out my knees. In December I had my second knee replacement. I did pre-emptive strengthening exercises. I was off the walker in a week and off the cane in another week. Everyone called me “amazing.” It’s not me who is amazing. I give credit to a skilled surgeon, God’s grace and the prayers of friends and family. Maybe a positive attitude helped, too.

Do you long for a transformation? Do you know Jesus? I can give you some pointers on both if you’re interested. I care about you. I’ve been where you are.

You can email me a conniefleming@comcast.net 

P.S. I’m not selling anything. I’m just giving encouragement.