Reality Check

Well I weighed in on National Weigh in Day, (January 2). Yep, you guessed it I did my best impression of Macaulay Culkin from "Home alone". Ah! I was back in the 200's (sob! I mean, gulp!). I weighed in at 202 pounds. However I knew what I needed to do, and got back on that horse. Remember I made it this far, I can do this. So I got back into gym class moving my body, started counting my calories again, and yesterday I weighed in at 196.6 (which is +7.6) where I was BEFORE the holidays started. I can live with that. Now I do not want to stay here! I am trying to reach 40 more pounds down, which just became 47.6 down for this year.

I can do this! So can all of you out there! This is our life! Are you happy at where you are? Are you happy at your level of physical fitness? If not, get started! Only you are stopping yourself! No more excuses, get moving! We can do this!!! So how are you all doing so far?

I spin you right round, baby right round

Well I had a horrible, horrible eating weekend!! pms struck me hard & nobody dared to get in between me & chocolate this weekend!! (trust me! I would have hurt somebody if they had even tried!) But at last today is Monday and I am back on the wagon again, striving for clean eating and I added a spin class today so............ Drumroll please .........I will be taking spin 5 days a week now!!! (dunt, dunt, Dah!!!!) (don't you just love "implied" sound effects!) So we shall see if I am still able to walk on Friday. (this has been about a month and half process to work up to). Definitely whining all the way!!

I have added step class back into my routine, and will be blogging about the low down of step class tomorrow. Now that is some fun stuff!

I am going to try to eat clean and step up my work outs for the next few weeks, I have set a "target date" to see what I can accomplish by that date of October 14th. (I have an annual party to attend on the 15th so I am going to use that as a source of motivation to keep me, keeping on. Hey! I have been on a diet since January you really have to set either different weight loss goals and/or event motivators to kick you in the bootie to kick it up a notch!). So much of this weight loss journey that I am on all starts in the mind!!! And for a large part 50% of it is fought and success is determined in the mind! What is my decision today? Will I make good eating choices today? Will I move my body today?


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Diet updates (photos)

Here I am on New Year's Eve 2011. (weighing in at 249.5)




Here I am weighing in at 222.5. ( I was hoping this time i just might be able to loose this weight. Being overweight is exhausting!)



Here I am below weighing in at 202 pounds, I have now added in exercise to the weight loss equation. Not just focusing on my diet.



Here I am below (pictured with my momma, one of my cheerleaders!). Weighing in at 198.4. (yeah! I had broke into the 100's!!)



Below is a picture of me today. (I had just won the spirit contest at spin class - you might not be able to make out the rub on tattoo on the side of my face but I am pretty sure that is why I won the contest. Go Cowboys!). Here I am weighing in at 189.2 (woo HOO!! 60 pounds down) I have crossed the half way point and am very excited to knock out the next 40 pounds until I can hit maintenance phase. It is hard to be on a diet for 9 months and counting, but I am so glad that I have gotten started and I am getting stronger, healthier everyday not just for myself but also for my family)




Here I am holding a goodie filled box for winning the spirit competition for my spin class. (it is filled with a shirt, backpack, & 3 coupon for smoothies there at Sky Gym-where I have meet so many people who offer me daily encouragement on my weight loss journey!! I am going to have to blog about them in the upcoming weeks!). You never can make a successful journey on your own you need a support system!!!

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Stuck!

Well I have hit a plateau. Ugh!! I have been at the same 2/3 pounds for 19 days now. Ugh! I will not stop. I will keep going, I can do this! That is all I'm going to say or whine on the matter, hopefully I will have a great diet update to report next week.


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down 56.3 pounds

Do you need to lose weight? Have you tried before only to be derailed from your efforts? I know! I had slowly gained weight over a decade of having 3 babies. On one hand I knew I was gaining weight, on the other hand it just did not seem that important to me I was busy enjoying my life, and my kiddos to try to focus on that. Then one day I saw a picture of myself and my daughter that was taken as we were walking down the beach. OH MY GOODNESS!! Can you imagine my horror, when I realized how large I had become! Why, oh why had my husband not told me? Yes, I saw myself everyday as I applied my make-up and styled my hair. However I did not get a full length body shot in the mirror every day. In fact the more I thought about it, when I sat down to do my hair and makeup the mirror just let me see about boobs up. As a began to take an inventory of what my body really looked like now. I will be honest with you I was overwhelmed!!! I thought is it even possible to loose this much weight without surgery? I just did not know.

Then last fall, I attended the Friday night football game, at our local High School. It is the event of the week in a small town! Notice all the kids out on the field for the pre-game welcome of our high school football team. I mean to tell you the whole town shows up for the Friday night football game. (think Friday Night Live, TV show). It was there that I spotted a lady who had once been heavy who was amazingly skinny!!! I had to know right then and there -How? What did she do? I did not realize it then, but seeing her success made me realize that there was hope for me, I had potential to lose weight to. After all, if she could do it, so could I!

I started gathering information on how she had done it, talking over the possibility that I should really

gear up and try to lose the weight I had accumulated. I decided to start in January after the holiday (after all I had decided it would be very hard to start during that time of year). My husband, and my mom

became my cheerleaders! They refused to accept excuses from me. They told me it was possible to lose the weight if I really tried.

So I have to tell you as of this week I am down 56.3pounds. I am so excited that I moving right along in this weight loss journey that I am on! I was stopped yesterday at the grocery store in my

small town and was asked how I am losing my weight. Yeah! Clerks at the store are even noticing all

my hard work!! I have to tell you I have 44 pounds left to go - but I now know it is possible! I can do this

and I will do this. If you need to lose weight, or are starting to question if it is possible and even worth

trying I want to encourage you to see the potential in yourself! You can do this!

My weight loss journey

I made my mind up that this would be my year, to lose the weight I had gained and losed and gained back in between each pregnancy and had now became a part of who I was. I don't think that the extra weight made me "less" of a person, or not as important as someone who was not. I did however noticed how it was often the very first thing that people noticed about me, and labeled me. I was not happy with this label, but I knew where my value was found. I knew that God, loved me and thought I was precious. I knew that my husband and my daughters loved me and thought I was precious. And truthfully I did not have the energy, the time, or the desire it would take even see "if" it was attainable to lose the weight that I had gained and put on over those 13 years. (I mean 99/100 pounds seemed impossible for my brain to even begin wrapping itself around)

However in December of 2010 my heart started to race, and my blood pressure was high for the first time and it scared me! I did not want to die an early death. I had a lot to live for! It motivated me to take a long hard look in the mirror, and at the scale and pray about it and decide that I wanted to make some changes for the right reasons! After all just because I was plus size did not mean that I had given up I made sure my hair was done in a cute style, my make up was done, and looked put together when I went out. I had gained weight slowly with time, and did not think that I had given up on my self.

I knew life would not continue along the same, enjoyable pace, if my health was starting to be an issue. So I needed to make some drastic changes. I first looked at how a lady in our town that had been plus size for at least 10 years had lost weight with out surgery. I had heard that she had used some prescription medicine. I thought this might be the right place to start. So I went to the clinic and got some RX that helped with appetite suppressant. As I losted the first 5 pounds I got very excited and thought maybe, just maybe this is doable!

The 2nd month in I was excited, after I had lost the first 15-17 pounds my heart stopped racing, and my blood pressure returned to normal. However it took me being very focused to stay committed to my weight loss because during this time even though I was losing weight no one, and I do mean NOBODY noticed! When you are really overweight you have to really lose ALOT of weight before anyone begins to notice! I used pictures and stories of Alli and others that had lost the weight (above Ali had lost 112 pounds! Which is so WOW! but do you think the first 5,10,15,20 pounds people said WOW!) Ali's website is Alivincent. I located other photos and videos on youtube as encouragement to keep going!

The 3rd month into my weight loss journey someone gave me a free "visitor pass" to a local gym. This has radically changed my life. I got busy moving, joined a body pump class that taught me how to lift weights. This and the stationary bike are my favorite things to do at the gym!!! Here again if you want to be strong and in shape, you do what the people or ladies who are strong and in shape are doing! I would not be intimidated away from the gym. I was commited! I am constantly surprised at how much stronger my body is becoming - who knew that I was or had become so weak! I guess since I became weak over time I had not realized it how bad out of shape I had become-I know you would think I would not have been so shocked! (below is a photo from my stationary bike)

The 4th month people have started to realize that I am losing weight! Yeah!! It is so encouraging to hear kind words of encouragement off the lips of others! (can you tell one of my love languages is words of encouragement). I am now down 44.7 pounds. I have gone down 4 pants sizes, almost 5! I have just started to get to shop in the "regular" ladies department or section of a store! (I will update after my next shopping trip!) I have been able to really research different nutrition and weight loss books and try some of the different approaches that I have read over the last 4 months. I have implemented changes to my diet as well as my families diet. This has really been a life make over, not just a weight loss journey. I still have 55 pounds to go!

(Here is a photo of me celebrating the royal wedding, forgive the shadow that the iphone casted) (I know I can be such a dork, but hey! me and my girls made a special memory together!)

I describe this as a journey because I still have 55 pounds yet to go. However this time is my time! I am losing weight, I am getting stronger, and I am going to achieve my goals! Thanks for all who are following my weight loss journey on my blog! (my next diet update I will post my full length updated photo of myself, from January to now.) I still have a ways to go and I am excited for the journey!!!

I am 40 pounds down!

I am so excited! Last week I hit the 40 pounds down mark! Woo Hoo! This is an amazing mark to hit on my weight loss journey! I am very excited! I am now only 9 pounds to go before I am below 200! This really inspires me to keep on keeping on!

Party!

It's funny how you can be cruising along focused on your goal, working hard. Encouraged by the results you are seeing and then out of now where

Bam!">
All of a sudden yesterday, I was overwhelmed with weariness! The night before we had gone to small group and I was told that someone could tell that I lost a little weight in my face. Don't get me wrong I love compliments, but come on! I have lost 33 pounds, and have gone down 3 pant size. So depressing that nobody is realizing or noticing all the hard work I have put in. I almost cried yesterday, and was thinking "Why Bother!?!" I have been on a diet for 3 months now, working my bootie off and nobody can tell! Then I realized I was being hormonal! Did I mention I started craving, chips & Salsa and Brownies?

So I decided that I was being sensitive, and that yes, I was being hormonal. So I would allow myself "permission" to eat a higher calorie dinner last night. However limiting the amount of food to only one plate, and I would count my calories. So I made chicken fajitas, chips with salsa and guacamole, and had 1 piece of brownies. However that seemed to really, really satisfied the beast of hormones that was raging in me. I did not even have a snack later on that evening. I weighed this morning and I did not gain, I did not lose either but I am OK with that today. I feel more inspired to I was checking in on blog land and my favorite blogger Keelie over at RealFat had an inspirational post this morning that has really helped me get my head back on. I am staying committed -God has not brought me this far to head back into the wilderness! So I am about to head off to Body Pump class. I hope everyone has a great weekend!!!
Image by Cool Text: Free Graphics Generator - Edit Image

Image by Cool Text: Free Graphics Generator - Edit Image

1 degree can make all the difference!

I got home from the gym the last two days with a giggle. The First one, was after my second class called "Body Pump" -each class has a different instructor. This instructor was precious! Funny, kind, encouraging, and she wanted to know my name at the end of class, and encourage me to come back to class which I Really, Really appreciated!! But I got the giggles almost when she asked if I was a new member at the gym. (Did I happen to mention that I was the only Plus size woman in the class? I couldn't help but giggle and think, "hum, however could she tell". (The old me would have been to intimidated to go into class and participate, but not now! That old way of thinking though still roars it's ugly head every once in a while. )

Just as quickly as I can be encouraged something small can happen that lets the wind out of my sails! I am fighting through it! I ran into a good friend today at the grocery store that I used to see on a weekly bases, and haven't seen as much in the last 6 weeks. She did not mention my weight loss at all -boo hoo! (33 pounds! and she did not notice-ugh!) I kinda whined around, and had a little pity party for myself. However not a huge one, no following off of the diet wagon or anything.

So when I got home and was checking my emails I was very encouraged to find the below video being sent to me. So after watching it, I am more positive and I choose to cross the line!!

and keep crossing that line!! I also received my LoseIt weekly report from last week. I choose to celebrate my small victories, or choices each day, each week!

Exercise total for last week:

type: Total time: Calories burned:

Yoga 25 Min 64

Walking 5 Hours & 50 Min 1400

Stationary Bicycle 1 Hour 20 Min 831

Weight Lifting 1 Hour 15 Min 259

Total 2555

I hope you enjoy the video. Thank you everyone, who sends me an email, or comments on my weight loss journey updates! I really appreciate your encouragement!! (More than you know!!!)

Down 33 pounds!

I am very excited to report that I am down 33 pounds!!! Woo Hoo! This does my heart good! I have been working out about 2hours a day (total -not all at one time), and after I enter my calories for the day and my exercise (which on the LoseIt! site/app subtracts the calories burned from calories eaten) I try to keep the final number somewhere in between 800 and 1,000 calories per a day.

My favorite new thing to eat for breakfast is 1 packet of oat fit maple and brown sugar oatmeal, 1/2 T of peanut butter, 1 truvia packet, 1 tsp of flax seed-ground, and 1/4 tsp of cocoa powder. I get my fiber, I get my protein, I get my heart healthy omega 3, and best thing yet it taste like you are eating no bake cookies! This breakfast adds up to being 220 calories, but it keeps me full and gives me the correct fuel to work out!

If you are currently dieting or trying to cut back what do you like to eat for breakfast?