Diets, Diva’s & The Christmas Wish- Twinning Times Two…

Last September, Cindy and I made a joint commitment to lose 40 lbs each by next year.  From holiday cookies to candy apples and our all time favorite- gummy bears, the twin venture has had the usual share of laughs with not only us but also our second generation twins aka the Little Pawners, Maryssa & Makenna Mahaney. 

  
After months at Planet Fitness, I’ve lost 21 lbs and Cindy 16 but we’ve had our fair share of setbacks along with successes ya all with Halloween candy, Thanksgiving and now Christmas goodies surrounding us.  My sister approaches everything with her Redneck Reality “comedy spin” and a dash of Diva when I offer a few healthy tips to stay on track like bean chips or the Paleo Diet. 

My twin sister often has “something to say about everything” and mixing business with dieting may have her reaching for a cupcake at our upcoming weekend of weddings & events!

Last week, Cindy joined me for a meeting with Dawn who has a Saturday wedding at Belltower Chapel and Gardens where I’m working part time as a wedding officiant.  Dawn chose a Mexican restaurant for the meeting which left Cindy and I staring at a bowl of chips and queso along with an appetizer platter of fried cheese sticks, shrimp and mini tacos.  As you’ve probably guessed by now…we had a few of those chips.

Trudging back to the gym after putting on a few ounces (we weigh everyday), Cindy and I had both committed to “being good” at a scheduled family & friends trip to Six Flags Holiday In The Park last weekend BUT couldn’t keep from enjoying 1/2 of a Carmel coated candy apple with peanut topping.  Luckily, the walking we did “leveled out” the candy apple.

From our Christmas shopping adventures we’ve learned that everywhere we go—there are cookies, candy and even popcorn near the check out counters along with bags of glistening gummy bears.  Trying to stay on track during the holidays won’t be easy but we are “in it to win it” on our diet journey for our very first trip to Twinsburg, Ohio next year to see all of our twin friends from Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and FB. 

   

Maryssa and Makenna are out of school for two weeks on their break and normally burn off calories by jumping on their trampoline but with a winter chill headed this way, we may need to find a few indoor activities.

Having their cousin home for the holidays has kept the twins busy and given us the joy of having everyone together but giving her a cookie here and there while enjoying one yourself could pose another “diet setback!” 

    
Since Cindy and I will start our weekend of weddings at BellTower Chapel, we will most likely be forced to make a fast food run between the second wedding in Richland Hills and the third wedding in Alvaredo.  Often our running from Appraisal Appointments for Pawning Planners clients and event locations has our “diet demands” taking a back seat to convenience but we are trying to plan ahead by packing a few healthy treats for our road trip.

Menopause and thyroid cancer caused a setback for me with medication bouncing my weight up and down for five years and my sister is also struggling with menopause.  Coming to terms in our fifties to change our eating habits and add excercise hasn’t been easy but it’s a commitment we plan to keep as a TwinTeam.

Cindy and I have the occasional “moments” of sitting in our suv’s at the gym retweeting and liking our social media followers to prepare ourselves for entering the gym and “getting busy!”  Forcing ourselves to “get out and go in” may be easier because we are almost always together and if we weren’t, I’m fairly certain that 5 days a week wouldn’t be happening for either of us.

Since my schedule is often planned weeks or months in advance, I schedule a trip to Planet Fitness in Weatherford three days a week and Fort Worth two days a week into my day.

Weekends are almost always too inconvenient for me due to commitments with Texas Twins Events, Texas Twins Treasures and The Pawning Planners.  Because of this, I’m adding a stationary bike to my home along with a jump rope and Shark Tank excercise board to “fit in” more excercise. 

    
My family spend a lot of time together either working at events or the movies & fun parks but often healthy choices when you are “on the run and having fun” can be a real struggle for folks especially when your twin sister loves popcorn but we realize that skipping everything might be too hard for even us so, we have cheat days to level out the strict days because diets aren’t fun. 

  Counting down the days until Christmas, I’m going to be at the mall to grab a few last minute gifts and know the delicious smells from the food court will be calling my name which is why I’m eating healthy before making the trip…wishing all of our twins and friends many blessings and much fun this holiday season, I’m really wanting the pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks but opting for home brewed caffeine to save my carbs for lunch ya all…

Wendy M Wortham The Pawning Planners