A Fresh Start

I am just gonna go ahead and put it out in the open and be honest. I had a horrible week last week! There were only a handful of good food choices that I made, and I did not exercise at all last week. Not one single day! I was so disappointed in myself. I did do a ton of walking with us being gone so much, but it wasn't my regular workout routine.

I have come to realize that I am not very good at being outside of my normal everday routine. That is what happened this week. We would be gone an entire day, so we either ate out or I would not eat at all until dinner. Neither one of those are good decisions. I have also realized that I beat myself up...A LOT! I did not come into this thinking it would be easy, or that I would be perfect at it. This journey has been far from that. But, I guess I expected perfect and swift results. This journey does not include that either.

I have to learn that this journey is the same as my walk with God. I am only human. There will be good days, and there will be plenty of bad. Things will not happen in my timing, but I have to keep going in the right direction to get the results I want. Just as Gods Grace is new every morning, so is my chance to start this journey anew, with better choices!

I proclaim a fresh start today!

I got on the scale this morning to see what the damage was. It was not pretty! From what the scale says, I have gained back 3 pounds. It was very upsetting to see that, but I know I have the power to change it. The good news...I bought a new pair of jeans in one size smaller this week. So, those three pounds must not have affected my body that much. I could have possibly lost inches from all of the walking I did!

Yes, I steered off of the beaten path for a bit, but now I am back on my way to Wonderland!

At a Stand Still

I feel like such a slacker! The past week and a half has been very chaotic. Everyone was sick last week, Joshua multiple times. This week has just been go, go, go. With being gone so much, we have had to eat out, which means not as many healthy choices as when I'm at home. I have been super stressed with the kids. I am at a complete stand still with my weight loss. I was supposed to weigh in today, but think I will just wait to do it next week. I haven't exercised in 5 days, so I don't think the number is gonna be good. I have done a lot of walking since we have been out and about all week, but not my regular routine workouts.

We bought a treadmill last night, which I was very excited about. I thought, this is really gonna help me kick things back into gear. I get on it today, and I really don't like it. I don't feel comfortable walking more than a 2 on it. The belt jerks and slides around. I was so upset, considering how much money we had to pay for it. I will see what Adam thinks about it, and we will make a decision on what to do. I was so looking forward to having a treadmill in our home. I am so limited in my time without it. I can only go on Adam's lunchbreak, which is 30 minutes. I do get a good walk in that 30 minutes, but having one in my home will allow me to do it whenever I want, however long I want, and however many times I want.

I am definitely not giving up. Just gotta keep pushing through. I really hope the last two weeks of this month are better than the first two!

Progressing Everyday!

Thought I would take a minute and write a bit. Wanted to give everyone an update on how it's going. So far, so good! I ran into another roadblock this past week...a nasty stomach virus. It kept me from working out for two days, and from doing the 30 Day Shred for 3 days straight. I was really bummed, and tried to beat myself up about it. But, I knew that my body needed rest. If I didn't take that time to get better, I may have been much worse off this week.

I started the 30 Day Shred last Wedensday. You do a 20 minute workout everyday, for 30 days. Jillian Michaels claims you can lose 20 pounds in one month with this video. That's not really got me to buy the video, it was the amazing results I have seen from my friends on myfitnesspal. Plus it only being a 20 minutes workout is a big bonus..lol! My goal for the month is to lose 10 pounds, so as long as I reach that I will be happy. It is a great workout. I break a good sweat and on occasion want to cry...lol! I think my results will be great.

I had another non scale victory this week. I was able to walk a whole 2 miles on the treadmill today. I am so proud that each week I am able to push myself further, and harder. They aren't just words I speak and don't stick to. I have done really well at putting my plan into action thus far. I have lost a total of 10 pounds so far, and I'm feeling good. I really look forward to working out everyday. It brings me joy, and it's hilarious, because I never thought exercising would make me feel "JOY"! I feel so sluggish, not to mention lazy if I take a day off. So, I try to workout every single day, even if all I do is get on the treadmill. On grocery shopping days, I usually don't have time to do that, so I speed walk in the store, and make sure I do some vigorous cleaning to burn off some of those calories.

My progress so far since Jan. 1st, 2012:

Starting Weight: 256.4
Current Weight: 246.6

Starting Inches: (I didn't measure til 2 weeks into it)

Waist: 44.5
Hips: 51.5
Arms: 18
Thighs: 27.5
Calves: 18

Current Inches: (Measured Today)

Waist: 40 (4.5 inches lost)
Hips: 49 (2.5 inches lost)
Arms: 18 (Boo...but I'm doing strength training now!)
Thighs: 25.5 (2 inches lost)
Calves: 16 (2 inches lost)

New Goal for February

We are about to enter the month of February. This year is already flying by. I can't believe I have already been on this journey for a month now! I am really looking forward to this next month. I can't wait to see how I change, and how much further I can push myself. It's just another step closer to my Wonderland. I reached my January goal, so now I have to set up a hair appointment. Very excited about that.

I am gonna kick it up a little for February and add some weight training to my normal routine. I want to see these flabby arms of mine start to whittle away. Toning is going to be a big thing for me too. I would love some toning advice if anyone has anything. After 5 children and this much weight loss, I have got to tone this mess up...lol!

Now to set my goals for February. I decided to set my weight loss goal to 10 pounds for this month. I entered a challenge on myfitnesspal, and that is what we are all trying to lose. So, I'm gonna go for it. A double digit number, it's a little scary. I can't let it intimidate me though. Let's do this people!!

Goal Start Date:  February 1st, 2012
Goal End Date:  February 29th, 2012
Goal Weight Loss:  10 Pounds
Reward: Pedicure

Since I can't really tell much of a difference in the way I look, I'm gonna hold off on pics until this next month. We'll see what happens. Wish me luck!

Scale Time

My weigh in last week went rather well, with a 2.2 pound weight loss. That left me with only 1.6 pounds left to lose to reach my monthly goal. I felt like I could definitely do this. However, I did not get my hopes up for the scale because of what happened the week before. I figured I would just be surprised! :) I jogged a little over 5 miles this past week. I felt like I did really good. The only thing I did not get to do was my Biggest Loser workout, and I was praying that didn't set me back. I anxiously climbed up on the scale this morning, and it read....248.0. WOO-HOO!!! I lost 2 pounds this week. That brings my total weight loss for the month of January to 8.4 pounds. I am very proud of myself!

I am officially under 250 pounds. I don't remember the last time I was under that weight. It feels amazing!!! I can't wait to start really noticing a difference in the way my body looks. I can tell small things are starting to change, but nothing too noticeable yet. I do notice a huge change in the way I feel though. I have more energy, way more energy. Each week it seems I am able to push myself further and faster. This past week I was able to jog at a 5.0mph on the treadmill. Granted I could not do it for long periods of time, but I did it. That was a huge success for me. Can't wait to see what my body can do in this next week. I am super stoked. Stay tuned folks!!

Weighing In

My last weigh in was this past Monday 01/23. I had actually cheated twice during the week and got on the scale. It had only moved .2 of a pound, so come my actual weigh-in day I was not very enthusiastic at all. I worked very hard last week. Yesterday was my first rest day in 8 whole days. I felt very proud of myself. My Husband got on the scale first, and had lost 4 pounds. I was happy for him, and irritated all at the same time. He just started working out last week and had already lost more weight than me. It is very frustrating how fast men lose weight over women, and just not fair!

As I go get the scale out of the closet, I'm griping saying it's not gonna make a difference because the scale isn't gonna say something different from two days ago. I set it down, and step up. The scale reads.....250.0. I lost 2.2 pounds. I felt so excited, and stupid at the same time for complaining so much...lol! FINALLY!! I just wanted to sing. That's a total of 6.4 pounds for the month of January so far. I have only 1.6 pounds to go to reach my February 12th goal of 8 pounds. I may even exceed it, which would be awesome.

Another accomplishment is the inches I have lost. I wish I had been able to measure at the very beginning, but didn't have a tape measure. I measured myself for the first time last week. In a week's time, I have lost 1.5 inches in my waist and hips, and two inches off of my legs. I can tell a slight difference in the way I look, but not enough to be amazed. Adam says he can really tell though.

I am being able to push myself further and longer in my workouts, and that makes me feel amazing. So, I'm just gonna keep going, enjoy my skinny legs, and watch for the rest of me to catch up!! So far I have had a few bumps and grumps along my way, but this Road to Wonderland is looking more beautiful everyday!

Roadblocks

ROADBLOCK: 1.)A barricade or obstruction across a road set up to prevent the escape or passage, 2.)Something, such as a situation or condition, that prevents further progress toward an accomplishment.


I have recently come across a roadblock in my journey. I am pretty sure I have shin splints, which are very painful. It can occur when one goes from a non-active lifestyle to being active. It is almost as if your muscles go into shock, they tear and swell. A lot of athletes get them also, even though they are very active. It is preventing me from performing exactly how I want to. I was very disgusted yesterday, when I could only do 10 minutes on the treadmill. I finally just had to stop and come home, I was in so much pain. It never occurred to me, to just stop and assess the situation, this roadblock in my path. See the great thing about Roadblocks is, there is always a way around them, or sometimes to even remove them completely.

As I walked to the gym today, I was already nervous thinking that I might fail at my workout again! When I got on the treadmill, I decided to start slow and slowly push myself. This way I could see what triggered the pain the most. The faster I went, the more my legs began to throb. The incline was excruciating! I decided to take the incline to 0, and found a comfy pace at 3.0mph. It wasn't the ideal speed I wanted to go, but it is what I had to do to get around that roadblock! I was even able to go a little bit longer than normal at that speed to make up for some calories and mileage. I came home with the satisfaction of knowing that even though I had to do things differently, I was able to finish.

My whole point in this is to tell you not to give up! We all will encounter a roadblock or two, at one time or another. We will all struggle with different things. Don't give up if something not so ideal comes your way or falls in your path. Take a step back, look and reassess your situation. With patience you will surely find your way out!!