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Coffee Talk: House Updates & FASTer Way to Fat Loss Progress

Good morning, friends! How is everyone??? Today’s post a long one so grab a second cup of coffee and get comfortable! I’ve got a weekend update, some house progress pictures to share with you, and my thoughts so far on FASTer Way to Fat Loss.

In family news, my son was able to come home for a visit this weekend, and my younger daughter had two band performances so we’ve been busy. It’s been good to have everyone under one roof for a couple of nights. Here’s my little mallet player in her ill-fitting band uniform, lol.

I volunteered at our Cavalcade last night, and that was actually kind of fun. For those who don’t know, a Cavalcade is basically a marching band exhibition and competition. They are hosted at various high schools throughout marching band season, and last night was ours.

It’s nice because it gives the kids a chance to perform their show in an arena other than a football game. There are concessions, and it’s a big fund raising event for the band, and they need lots of volunteers to pull it off, so I cashiered at one of the concession stands for a few hours.

That’s why my son came home this weekend — he and and a few of his high school band friends are all at WCU together, and they came home to go to the Cavalcade as well as the football game on Friday night. He was there to see his sister perform with the middle school band both times, and that was really neat for both of them.

I’ve been asked for some more house updates, but the past few weeks have been a little slow on the decorating front. I’ve been waiting for a few orders to come in, and a couple things I ordered didn’t work out, so that was disappointing, but you can’t win ’em all!

I’m dying to finish up at least one room so I can post a room reveal, but I don’t have any that are ready yet. I guess I spread myself a little thin with the decorating — I started working on too many rooms at once, so none are getting wrapped up as quickly as I’d like, but overall, the house is starting to feel more “my own” as we continue to chip away at each space.

This weekend was pretty major, though. My friend Darla is a professional organizer, and I’ve worked with her on various projects over the years. The biggest was the laundry room in my last house. Because I loved that space, I asked her to help me with this laundry room. She and her assistant came yesterday and totally made over that room, and I’m so excited about it.

It isn’t quite done yet, though… this seems to be the theme with every room in my house. She did as much as she can do, but Paul and I want to get a counter to put over the washer/dryer, and we’re also planning to replace the utility sink with a vanity. I don’t want to do a whole blog post on it until we get those pieces in place, but here’s what I posted to my Insta Story yesterday.

The walls are more beige than yellow, but for some reason, my pictures always come out with a yellow cast to them, and I even adjusted the color in my Photos app before posting them. Oh, well.

While that was going on upstairs, Paul and I hung two more light fixtures, a mirror behind my desk, and a print in the powder room.

The light for over the kitchen table is one that went in yesterday, and with that, the kitchen is pretty much ready to reveal, but it sort of goes along with the family room, and I’m still waiting for the upholstered ottoman for in there. It’s on order, but it was a custom piece so it’s taking a while. I also want to replace the family room carpet with wood floors, but I’m not sure if we’re going to do that this fall or not.

Here’s a quick peek at the new light, though. My husband isn’t 100% sold on it, but I think it’s fun and different.

I got it through my designer, so I can’t give you a link, but the rug is from Pottery Barn. Pardon the cords in the corner… my daughter always leaves her laptop charger there. I guess we could get something to set there for her to put them in.

My office is the same story… it’s getting there, but not quite finished yet. We hung this mirror behind my desk yesterday, but I want to get my curtains hung before I post a reveal for that room, and we haven’t picked those out yet. I’m also still tweaking the styling of my etagere, but I added a few new pieces to it this past week so it’s getting there. I also want to replace my desk eventually, but I’ve decided to wait on that, so I’ll post the reveal without it.

And then there’s the foyer…. We have the new chandelier and the rug, but we’re working on accessories for that space, and I’m still debating if I want a table in the middle or not. I think I’m going to get everything else placed and then make that decision.

When I’m in there, I see that the living and dining rooms need something for the walls, and the living room still needs curtains… It is never ending! I’m not even sure which room I’ll be able to share first. At this rate, I feel like I’m waiting for something in every one.

All that said, I know that we have done SO MUCH in a short time, so I’m not at all complaining. Just saying I’m not ready to do a full reveal on any one space yet.

I did manage to put together a centerpiece for the dining room table, though. I still need to fluff the magnolia garland, but it was actually my 12 year old who pulled that out of a box in the basement and put it on the dining room table, along with those two pumpkins. She’s a natural born decorator, that one. (Personally, I feel it’s a little early for the “give thanks” sentiment, but I let it go since it works with the table and she set it there.)

I got the candles and runner at Home Goods last week, and we put them all together into a fall-themed tablescape. I’m really happy with how it turned out.

I’m not done with the buffet behind the table… we got a few things at Home Goods that didn’t work out, so that’s still a work in progress. Eventually we want to move that to the shorter wall on the right and get something different for this long wall, but for now, it’s staying put.

So yeah! Major progress, but lots yet to do. I’d really love to have my office, the foyer, and the family room/kitchen complete for the holidays. The dining room and living room can wait, and I’ve let my master bedroom go for now so I can focus on the first floor.

And since this post isn’t long enough… ha! I did want to give a quick update on my FASTer Way to Fat Loss progress because I’ve had a lot of questions about that.

First I have to say, since I’m not really doing their exact exercise program, it’s hard to give you an accurate assessment of the overall FWTFL program. I’ve been working out with a trainer for several years, and I wasn’t willing to give that up or take a break from it. I’m also a runner, and I’ve been working on increasing my miles lately, so I didn’t want to lose that momentum either.

I’ve been trying to do the sprint intervals on the low carb days, followed by my run, and that works pretty well, but given my training schedule (which varies week to week) I have to change up when I do low carb and regular macro and low macro days, and I’m not always with the other women in my coaching group. That makes participating in the Facebook Group a little harder. Plus I just haven’t had the time to check in every day, to be honest. This time of year is nuts, and I’m just trying to stay afloat.

That said, I’m trying to stick to the eating plan and the intermittent fasting. I still find the counting of macros a little confusing, but that’s probably because I need to plan better. I keep saying that, but I still haven’t really sat down and planned out a week or even a day of  meals, and that’s what you need to do in the beginning to make sure you get the right ratio.

People who have done the program for a while say it becomes second nature, but I haven’t gotten all that figured out yet. Again, it’s me, not the program. I hate to sound like I’m making excuses; everyone has time for what’s important to them, and I haven’t made this a high enough priority, but right now I have a lot on my plate. Maybe if I took a break from decorating my house… haha!

Tomorrow I start week 4 of the 6-week program, and I’ve been told it takes at least 4 weeks for the intermittent fasting and carb cycling to turn your body from a sugar burner to a fat burner. In fact, my coach told me that she continued to live the lifestyle after her 6 week program, and it was about 4 months until she really saw a big difference. All that to say, I think it’s still too early to tell if this is going to work for me or not.

I can say that at the beginning, I felt low on energy and even weaker than normal during my workouts, but that seems to be improving. In fact, yesterday I went out for a run, and I finally hit that 4 mile mark again! (I say “again” because I used to run much longer distances, but after a series of injuries, and just life stuff, I’ve been working on getting out of the 2 and 3 mile range for quite some time.)

Not only did I run 4, but I felt great and had energy left at the end, so that’s major progress.

What I do really like about the FWTFL program is the flexibility and the focus on progress over perfection.

You’re supposed to eat nutrient-dense whole foods, but if you go out to eat or get stuck and need to run through the Chick-fil-A drive-through (not that I know anything about that…) you can count those foods, and you aren’t cheating.

When I did the Whole30, I saw results a lot faster, but if you “cheat” you are told to start the whole program over again, and I felt a lot more deprived. With FWTFL, I don’t feel deprived, and I don’t feel like I can’t go out to eat or grab a snack on the go. So I like that about it.

I won’t know for sure if the lifestyle is for me or not until the six weeks is over and I see what the maintenance program is like, but even if I decide not to continue, I definitely feel like I can recommend it. I know so many women who have had amazing success with it and are on maintenance now. In my opinion, it’s a more sustainable program than most, and if you’re looking to make lifestyle changes, it’s a solid program for that.

Also, my coach is awesome. If you’re interested in trying it, her next bootcamp starts on October 29th, and you can sign up through my referral link.

So that’s about it for me! This might be the longest Coffee Talk ever. I need to go get ready for church.

Today is a “rest day” for FWTFL and since I did my 4 miles yesterday and lifted weights on Thursday, that works out perfectly for me. I’m hoping to go for a long walk this afternoon.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and have a blessed Sunday!

Join The Conversation

48 Responses

  1. Absolutely enjoyed your coffee talk today.
    I was wondering if you could post some ideas on how to wear the white boots?  I love them, just not exactly sure about how to wear them or what to pair them with.  Dark jeans, light jeans, white jeans, dress pants??  Thank you.  Your home looks beautiful and I completely understand about the charging cords😆
    3 high schoolers here.

    1. Yes, I think I’m going to post some ideas from pinterest, since I don’t have a pair yet and struggle with how to style them anyway. I think it would be more helpful to show looks that I like.

  2. Your daughter looks so happy in her band uniform, but don’t blink because her school years will fly by. 
    I love your washroom transformation, it looks fabulous! 

  3. Thanks for the updates! I really like the light above your kitchen table. So at least you get a thumbs up from me!! I also love the laundry room updates. I’d like to do mine someday. Maybe when I retire!! 😉

  4. Totally random, but do you have a piano? We put our piano in the foyer and love it there. I think our houses are similar based on your photos. I’d ask who your builder was but I have no idea who built our house. 😂 Happy Sunday! 

    1. We do. It’s in our living room, and it fits really nicely there. I have a friend with a baby grand in her foyer, and it looks really cool, but hers is a different layout. I used to know our builder, but now I can’t recall.

  5. What an informative Coffee Talk!  I did grab some more ☕️ to drink.  I really like the light over the table, that Paul isn’t sold on, yet!  I think it really ties into the design of the fabric valance.  Larry always tells me the inside of the house is to decorate how I chose, but that doesn’t mean he won’t try to change things or share a suggestion, like putting at least one dear head on a family room wall.  Not happening!  I have replaced the curtains in the 3 bedrooms and ordered new covering for our bed, and IF he’s noticed their new, he hasn’t commented, so that’s a win for me.  Since the bedding in each room is different colors, I opted for gray blackout curtains for all of the bedrooms, to coordinate with the wall color.  And we now have grey blackout curtains in the family room, that makes the room look so much better.  As of today, it’s looking like we are going to be in the cone of the storm that is strengthening in the tropics, mid next week.  Oh boy!  Have a great Sunday afternoon and evening.

    1. LOL about the deer head. Yeah, Paul really doesn’t care what I do inside. He does give me the side-eye every once in a while, but he usually ends up liking everything. He did put his foot down when I brought him the idea of painting our front door teal and the shutters black. I didn’t push it. It’s the outside of the house, and he should be proud of it. (They’re all getting painted black.)

      I hope this new tropical storm doesn’t amount to much. The waiting and watching must be so stressful.

  6. Jo-Lynne, Thanks for sharing! Brings back memories. I was a band parent for couple years and my daughter’s band did competitions and went to Rose Bowl. It is a big commitment and she had to give it up for showing horses ( band much less costly-HA). As everyone says- enjoy these days!
    Your house us really coming along! It really is a process! And it’s fun to add and subtract pieces to really get it like you want it! Saw PotteryBarn and Ballard’s both having good sales! Your Fall arrangement is cute! Love hearing about the decor! 

  7. How fun, that your son came home and you all got to enjoy a fun weekend together. Your house looks lovely and your improvements look to be coming along well. I am intrigued by the diet program you are doing. I feel that the flexibility would be good for me, as I can’t always stick to the same routine. Going to have to check into that more closely. Thanks for the info. Have a relaxing Sunday. – Amy
    https://stylingrannymama.com/

  8. I’ve been reading your blog for about a year and it’s well past time to say thanks and let you know how much I admire you.  Your writing is excellent – clear, informative, honest and friendly.   I appreciate your hard work and effort and look forward to each morning’s blog.   

    Love your beautiful new home and all the fashion posts. I’m now a woman in my early 70s and while not  everything works for me anymore (skinny jeans!), i enjoy seeing what you’ve found to share with us. 

    Enjoy your family Sunday!  

  9. Take your time decorating your new home. When you rush you sometimes make mistakes or don’t want to wait the long delivery time. I say this as I look at my dining room fixture and don’t like it, wonder why I bought it but can’t replace it as it was expensive. How many years do I wait before taking it down and kissing my money good bye? 
     You daughter looks so happy in her band uniform! It’s nice to see them following their passion.
      What does the intermittent fasting involve? Do you fast for a day or only eat between certain hours? 

      1. So, eat within an eight hour period. I need breakfast to kick start my day and get me through my workout. I’ll move dinner up to 4:30. Yikes! That’s early,  but if it helps me lose the weight and get back on track, I’ll make it work.

        1. I was always a first thing in the morning breakfast eater and definitely had to eat before I worked out. We I started FWTFL I decided I was going to do it exactly as written. I’m able to do an early morning workout, on an empty stomach, and not eat until noon. I’ve been doing this for a month now and I’ve made out just fine. I find that I enjoy my meals more too. 

    1. Joanna, there’s more to it than that. I recommend reading up on it before changing anything. Either look at the FWTFL program, or read up on intermittent fasting.

      I say if the dining room light fixture doesn’t make you happy, sell it and replace it, and chalk it up to a lesson learned. Life is too short! 🙂

  10. I think your dining room is just beautiful, and your laundry room is amazing!! I was wondering how you ‘found’ your decorator? I hired a decorator about ten years ago and my house turned out terribly 🙁 so I was wondering what you looked for when hiring someone to help you. Unfortunately, I live on the west coast so I think your decorator is too far away :)))

    1. I found her through a friend, and I worked with her for a small project on my old house, so when we bought this one, I called her right away. 🙂 I do think you have to find someone you “jibe” with, so to speak, and that can be hard. I like her style — that it’s a little more modern than mine, and she pushes me out of my comfort zone a bit. Of course, her job is to work with the style of the client, not her own, but her taste does come through. Before I called her in on this house, I looked through her portfolio to see what kind of spaces she designed for others, to be sure I’d like her plans for me. I like her use of color and that her rooms don’t look like every one I see on Instagram these days. Here is her site: https://reimagineinteriors.com/

  11. Really enjoyed your post today. Love the light in your kitchen. Your daughter is a natural at decorating. Her table decoration is perfect. I don’t think its ever too early to be thankful. Its a nice reminder how blessed we are. Plus, she is right on time for our Canadian Thanksgiving holiday which is tomorrow! Happy Thanksgiving to all your Canadian readers! 🎃🌿🍂🍁🏈

  12. Decorating a home takes time, especially a new home  and you’ve got a lot of rooms to design and put together.  Give yourself time otherwise it becomes overwhelming. 
    I like the kitchen light! 

  13. I haven’t done FWTFL but I have been intermittent fasting for over a year and love it. I have learned much from DyAnn Parham on you tube videos and I also
    listen to The intermittent fasting podcast with MelanoenAvalon and Gin Stephens they have a wealth of info. Everyday I have a fasting window and an eating window and have gotten back to
    My size 6 jeans my normal
    Size  perimenopause had me creeping up yearly I was pushing size 12’s when n

    1. That’s good to know, Leslie. I’d like to understand more of the why behind the concept so I might check those out. They do explain the basics in FWTFL and our coaches are all educated on it, but I’d like to understand more.

  14. I haven’t done FWTFL but I have been intermittent fasting for over a year and love it. I have learned much from DyAnn Parham on you tube videos and I also
    listen to The intermittent fasting podcast with Melanie Avalon and Gin Stephens they have a wealth of info. Everyday I have a fasting window and a feasting window and have gotten back to my size 6 jeans my normal
    Size  perimenopause had me creeping up yearly I was pushing size 12’s when I started. Much easier than FWTFL .!

    1. Can you share your process for intermittent fasting? I’ve heard pros and cons.. at 50 I would like to stay my current size and even drop 5 for a buffer… I eat pretty healthy with a treat here and there and exercise daily… sounds like you’ve had great success:)

  15. Love your decorations for the dining room table.. and the laundry room makeover. Don’t make the same mistake I did and have wet towels  in the fabric clothes hamper. You’ll quickly find mold and to the garbage they go.. great for dry stuff only. We are celebrating our Canadian  Thanksgiving this weekend so our second turkey dinner will be tomorrow.. then a break before Christmas . Ha! 
    Have a great day

    1. Yes, I need to train the kids. There are also hooks on the wall behind the door, and that is where they are supposed to hang wet towels until they’re dry (or I can put them directly in the wash from there.)

  16. FWTFL: I couldn’t wait for it to end, but then I did lose about 5 pounds the first round and did another round. After that, I started taking weight training classes at our local gym and just eat “healthy-ish” meals with nightly wine and no guilt. I try to take advice from my very healthy 89 year old Mom, who was a PE and Biology teacher: everything in moderation, stay active and don’t punish yourself.

  17. I absolutely love all your house updates! Wow what a difference to unstuck the washer and dryer. Much cleaner look. I am going to start a weight loss program called Optivia. The food is near 400 a month but I seen tremendous fast results my friend lost 20 lbs in three weeks! No exercise they want fat loss first then add exercise to build and tone. One crucial thing is to get protein and to eat every two to three hours! It’s crazy… Thanks for all you do!! God bless!!
    Cindy

  18. re Tina’s question about a decorator. I can be intimidated by someone sweeping their hand in front of them saying “I see puce”. The young lady who assisted me just graduated from interior design. She graduated from high school with my younger son. I told her what I wanted to keep, she made suggestions but didn’t bully me into anything. She helped me pick colors that I was very happy with. Now I have moved so I start over. Ha ha. If there is a school of design near you perhaps you could ask there. Also ask at Home depot or Lowes. The main thing is that you feel comfortable with the person. If all else fails send an airplane ticket to Jolynne’s decorator. I hope you find someone perfect for you.😏😁

  19. Girl, you need to give yourself a break! You do so much. Your house is shaping up so well and in what I consider record time! You were super lucky to be able to have the painting done bf you moved in. We finally got ours done (Edgcomb gray, thank you!) The painting company turned out to be a nightmare! We are deciding on a carpet now, but until that’s done, I have three rooms that can’t even be unpacked. Your house looks AMAZING! 

    WOW, that diet sounds complicated!! 

    1. Oh yeah, best decision ever. We have always planned a couple weeks overlap so we can paint before moving in — at least, in the only 3 houses we’ve ever owned. And it’s the only way I’ll do it… not that I’m planning to move again. Like ever, lol. I can’t imagine trying to have it all painted while we’re living here. Of course, I’ve done little projects over the years, a room at a time, while living in a house, but I knew I wanted this entire house painted, so yeah. That was a must when choosing a buyer for our old house. They had to be willing to close a few weeks after the closing on this house. 🙂 Fortunately the best offer we got was also flexible on closing date.

  20. The laundry room looks so much better with the washer and dryer not stacked. I think you will enjoy having a counter over top of them to use to fold laundry. You and your daughter did a great job with the dining room table. Fall is my favourite time to decorate so I say it is never too early for pumpkins that say “Thanks.” Besides, tomorrow is Thanksgiving for Canadians so it is very appropriate! One of the things that I am thankful for is finding your blog a few years ago. You have made a big difference in how I style clothes….so thank you!

    1. Awww, thanks, Bev. xoxo And yes, I love having the washer and dryer back on the same level. That’s how I’ve always had them before this house, and I like the folding space.

  21. I enjoyed your long post. I like your new dining room light. My  husband doesn’t always agree with my choices either, but unless he absolutely hates it, he’all agree and usually say he likes it after it’s done. He’s learned to trust my judgment, in other words. 
    I was on this program in late winter/spring. It was hard adjusting to it, and I never did like the low carb days, but I did lose the weight I wanted and still eat in much the same way now that it’s over. It helped me to change some bad behaviors and learn some good ones. 

    1. I meant to add this in my post, but I have learned from tracking my food over the past 3 weeks that I eat a verrrrry low carb diet naturally. Like, I can’t even get enough carbs in on the regular macro and low macro days. Even on low carb days, I’m sometimes too low. But unfortunately I make up for it in fats. This has been really eye opening to me, as I’ve been tracking my foods. I used to blame carbs when I gained weight or couldn’t lose, but now I realize that’s not it because I don’t eat many at all. I have just gotten so in the habit of eating low carb that anything I have feels like a cheat and I blame it. Not sure what that means… but I would like to understand that. Will eating more carbs help me be a more effective fat burner? Or is it okay to constantly eat a low carb diet? I guess that’s a question for my coach. 🙂

  22. Great post.  Fun to read.  I love the beige in your dining room. Is the beige in the dining room and laundry room the same? I know you said the laundry room looks more yellowed. I am back to square one on finding a neutral beige for my bedroom.  I  have wood around my windows and trim….outdated and my carpet is taupe/beige color and in good shape.  Our bedroom is the darker part of the house, so don’t want too dark but want some contrast to the ceiling.  So was wondering the color and name brand paint the dining room is in? I know you told us your house color and name brand paint before, but trying to find it in an old blog post.  🙁  No luck so far. I was thinking the swatches I came home with were going to work.  Neutrals sure are hard…..lighting once you get home can change the whole color.  Have a blessed Sunday.  

  23. OOPS ….I meant the color paint of of your kitchen table area is what I wanted, not the dining room.   The room with the new light.  Love that light by the way.  

  24. Enjoyed this long newsy post!  Your house is beautiful and I love your laundry room!  Your daughter looks happy in her band uniform.  It brings back so many memories as a band parent when my son was in marching band.  I do miss all those football games and competitions.  Even sitting in the pouring rain here in the Pacific Northwest! Thanks for sharing with us!

  25. I enjoyed this Coffee Talk post.  Love the light above the kitchen table and the laundry room.  Thanks for sharing with us!

  26. I saw the give thanks pumpkin and thought how nice you were to remember your Canadian followers who were celebrating Thanksgiving this weekend.  So Happy Canadian Thanksgiving to you!

  27. Your house is looking so good, JoLynne!  We built and moved 2 years ago and I know it took me almost a year to get everything the way I wanted it.  Furniture orders take forever, but in the end it will be sooo worth it!  Keep the pics coming! 

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