Pounds Lost, Pounds Left to Lose Jars

I am very excited for today's post because it is a DIY project and it is one that I have been wanting to complete for months. If you have read the title, you know today's post features weight loss progress jars.


For this project I used:

Supplies I Used

• Ribbon (any size you like)
• A Sharpie permanent marker and a pencil
• A Bath and Body Works gift / hang tag (for tracing purposes)
• Marbles (for progress purposes)
• Scissors
• A hot glue gun
• 2 jars (I used Bath and Body Works candle jars, removing any left over wax beforehand)
• A hole punch
• Thick paper (for the labels)

Here are the steps I took to create these jars. If you are pretty crafty, you will probably be able to cut some steps in half (step one specifically) or cut some steps out all together.

Steps 3 and 4

1. First, I removed any leftover wax from the candle jars. I did put one candle in the freezer for about an hour before taking it out and letting it rest for about 5 minutes. I then used a sharp knife to carve four sections that I was then able to then pop out. For the second candle, I simply cut the wax out, skipping the freezing portion. 
2. I let the jars soak overnight in dish detergent before washing them in the morning and letting them drain. 
3. I took a thick piece of paper and used a leftover Bath and Body Works Christmas hang tag to trace the shape before cutting it out. This will serve as the labels for the jars indicating which one shows weight lost to date and which one shows weight left to lose. 
4. Using the hole punch, I punched a hole at the end of the tag and threaded the ribbon through the hole.
5. I made sure the jars were dry both inside and out before taking my hot glue gun and adhering the ribbon to the jars. I placed the ribbon about a half an inch to an inch away from the top of each jar, but I am sure placing the ribbon in the middle will look nice as well. 
6. The last step was filling each jar with the marbles!

Step 5

Step 6 (Finished Project)

There are 20 marbles in the pounds lost jar, indicating the pounds I lost during 2013. There are 43 marbles in the pounds left to lose jar indicating the weight I have left to lose.

Side note, I found some motivational print outs on Trendy TreeHouse that I may go back and add to some of the marbles. If so, a few larger marbles will be necessary. 

DIY Project

I have stated several times that I have a few DIY projects that need to be completed. For one, I was supposed to complete my weight loss progress jars a few months ago. That was something I started in my head but failed to actually put in motion. Following that, there were several weight loss related DIY projects that I wanted to start, but never did.

This past weekend, as I was on my way home from my weekend trip to the mountains, I passed by a set of chairs sitting at the end of someone's driveway. I wasn't driving and was able to see that although the chairs were at the end of the driveway, they had a free sign on them (although the sign was laying flat by now).

To make what would other wise be a long story short, someone picked up the chairs for me and this post serves as my official announcement of my next (and soon to be completed) DIY project. Resorting these soon to be decorative items.

I have no idea where I am going to start. I believe I saw a post on Instagram where someone redid their entire backyard patio area, but of course I don't remember who they were.

I know my first stop will be Michael's but I have no idea where I will go from there. My hope is to remove all of the rust, change the color of the paint (once the rust is removed) and re-do the lattice on the seat and back.



Of course this won't be a one day job, I am thinking about stretching it out over 3 days. There is no need to rush it, which was my problem when it came to my weight-loss related projects. I had a great idea, but didn't time myself to the best of my ability.

I would love to have these chairs done by the end of October, but no later than Thanksgiving.

As times goes on, I will post my updates and (hopefully) post my finished results in a couple of weeks!

DIY Opportunity

With a hectic schedule, I have to either record things on my phone or write them down in an agenda (yes, call me old fashioned if you want). The same goes with workouts. Lately, I have had to take to Twitter to announce that I am working out so I can hold myself accountable to doing something.

I have often seen workout schedules posted everywhere from the internet to Instagram and I have decided to create my own. That way I can see what needs to be done and plan for it. Early morning workouts are beneficial for me because they really set the mood for the rest of my day but at this stage of trying to incorporate more workouts, I may have to double some days up (always allowing myself rest days).

I have a list of DIY items pertaining to fitness and working out that I can't wait to try (some of which I have already mentioned on this blog) so if I am able to create a workout calendar, that is one additional thing that I can use to my benefit and maybe it will inspire me to workout.

I always think that if I have something to do that takes up a greater portion of my day, I won't have time to do anything else. I have to change my way of thinking. If I have enough time to sit through a 2 hour lifetime movie, then I have more than enough time to get in a workout, that is what I have to constantly tell myself.

Essentially, I have to make time for what I want. I want to workout, so I have to make time to do just that. No excuses, no what if this or what if that, just settle down and do what needs to be done.

Visual Aids

I have decided that I need to set up visualizations of my weight loss. I have heard of those on a weight loss journey keeping track of what they lose (and unfortunately gain) with jars and marbles, like this:

I have also heard of those on a weight loss journey marking off their weight with something similar to this (instead of this computerized version, I would have a handmade version to give it some personal appeal):

Although this is small, the object is to cross of the numbers you have left to go. For instance, I have 48 pounds left until I reach my goal, so I would cross everything up until 48 (because that is what I have left to lose).

This is something else I found to be interesting, which may work out better for me:

Each time I lose a pound, I (or someone else, if they feel generous that day) will put a tip in the jar. The reason I say this will work out better for me is because I participate in Relay for Life, which is a week after my birthday this year. As my contribution, I can donate "my pounds lost" (the money of course!!).

These are just a few of the ideas that I have come across (or that have been brought to my attention since I started this journey). Hopefully, I can get some of these visual aids started this weekend.