Update

So, I promised to update this blog with the good and bad of my journey. I have been in a long slump of bad. Things in my life got crazy. And with the crazy, I lost my focus and determination. I still got up and went to the gym in the mornings, but found myself making it only 2-3 times a week instead of 4-5. My eating went to pot, I wasn't saying no to anything "good" and eating whatever. Trust me, my body reacted to the "bad" I was putting in my body while I was telling myself that it was "good." It is a testament to myself that we, as a society, are making ourselves sick with what we are choosing to eat. Processed = not natural and, while I don't know about you, my body does not handle this very well. It became more apparent than ever to me during this slump when I was putting more processed crap into my body.

As a result of all of this, I kept expecting to start gaining all my weight back, but didn't. I stayed pretty consistent. I have gone up and down with 3 pounds. The lowest I have been is 215 and the highest in this period is 220. More consistently, I am around 217-218. This morning, I got on the scale for the first time in awhile and it said I was at 218. For completely losing my focus that is not too bad. That means that I still have learned something in this journey, even if my food choices lately have not been stellar.

In this time-frame, my work highlighted me on the progress that I have made. I thought the highlight was for a smaller subset of people but it ended up being company wide. While it is cool, it was a little unnerving to have people walk up to me that didn't really know about my journey and congratulate me. Especially in a period when I was really struggling! I have to be honest that I felt guilty whenever I gave in and ate a treat, wondering what people would think when they saw me eating it. Come on! This is real life, I shouldn't feel guilty!

I was so strict with my food at the beginning of my journey. I did learn a lot. I learned about portion sizes and pairings that are the best. However, life is real and it became a struggle to maintain that level of strictness all the time, especially since I have 3 other people in my home that I am feeding.

Well, I rededicated myself. There is a quote by Winston Churchill that I have been thinking A TON about lately. It is, "Never give up on something that you can't go a day without thinking about." I may have been in a slump, but I never, not once, stopped thinking about my journey to be more healthy. Yes, being more healthy means that I will lose weight, and while it is one of my motivations to be able to buy cute, real, inexpensive clothing, that is not the end all. This is about me being healthy. This is about me being here for my boys. Being here for when my boys grow up and get married and have children of their own! I want to be around for a long time and not have my life cut short because of my poor choices.

The above quote has been instrumental in helping me rededicate my efforts. Today is Thursday, and I have been to the gym every single day this week. That is right. Every. Single. Day. It hasn't been easy getting back into the groove of waking up early every single day. But I do it. Every day this week I have lifted weights and done a HIIT treadmill workout that I got from Livy Loves to Run. If you have not heard of her, check her out. She is from Springville, UT, so local to me. She inspires me. She started last spring walking with her kids and has lost 100 pounds! She has done it all on her own.

On Tuesday, I had some co-workers tell me that I had lost more weight. I chuckled and told them that I weighed the same now that I have for quite awhile now. I haven't measured myself so I don't know what my measurements are and I haven't taken a picture since the last challenge with Body Buddies that I participated in finished. I told them thank you, but that I was actually in a slump that I was working on getting out of. It is hard work! I am hoping that I am on the upward climb of this slump. I am focusing more on what I am eating and how much I am eating. I have never counted calories on my journey but have been thinking more about utilizing the My Fitness Pal app.

Life is hard. It sometimes gets in the way of the goals we set. It is up to us to not lose sight of those goals, even when it gets harder in the process of achieving them. That is what I am doing right now. I am refocusing on the goals that I have set for myself. I can do it. I am strong.

By the way, for the month of October, I have accepted a challenge to not have any candy from October 1st to Halloween. Funny, that the day that I decide to accept this challenge, the Toblorone Chocolate bar that has been sitting on my cupboard since December started calling my name. I vowed to remain candy free though, so it will have to just waste its voice. I will not listen to it.

Week 28

My indulgences are getting a little out of control. I need to reign them in. I feel like I am sabotaging my efforts, but still seeing success. I feel like if I didn't give in to so many indulgences, I would see even better results. Gah, frustrating.

On the positive side though, I had some amazing workouts this past week! I had a killer leg day where I felt shaky when I was finished and then my legs let me know they were there the next day. I try to push myself every time I work out.

I found my anatomy book. Well, really, it is a book that breaks down muscle groups and gives exercises to do to target specific muscles. I need to spend some time developing some routines so that I can change up my workouts. This will only help my body be stronger.

I had a success. My mother-in-law gave me some cloths out of her closet that no longer work for her. I have been wearing them, but there was one cute, red blouse that felt just a little too tight. I pulled it out Saturday to put it on and guess what? It wasn't tight! I decided not to wear it on Saturday, but ironed it up to wear on Sunday. Man, that felt good. I love these celebration moments!

I also realized that, even though I have been stuck at 219 for a few weeks, that is the lowest Mike has ever seen me weigh. When I pointed that out to him, he looked at me and said, yea, that has been for awhile. Even though I weighed 220 a few years before, I didn't weight 220 working out. I weighed 220 through eating alone and some walking. My 219 that I weigh now is through really working out at the gym, building muscle. I have been striving for that number on the scale while my sweet husband reminded me that I have been the smallest he has ever seen me for a while now. I love that he sees me as beautiful, no matter how I am.

Weight: 219
Chest: 41"
Waist: 41"
Hips: 48"
Thigh: 25"
Calf: 17"
Bicep: 14 1/2"
Forearm: 11"

Week 27

This was my birthday week. I may have eaten 3 donuts on my birthday. Uggg...but, my eating the rest of the week was really good and my exercise was good. On Saturday, I went with my family to Red Robin. It has been a long time since I have eaten food like that, and guess what? It made me sick. I didn't even want to eat the rest of the day. I just felt blah. So, count that as a success! I have spent so much time working on putting healthy, nutritious food into my body that when I give it something that isn't up to par, it makes me sick. That will make it easier to avoid that type of food more often, right?

Because I felt blah all day after lunch, I didn't eat dinner. This is not the smartest choice. My body needed the fuel, but I just couldn't bring myself to eat. Then, at 10:20 PM, I ran to Wal-Mart to get diapers. I know, why do it in the middle of the day when you are out running all your other errands, right? Nah, I like to make things hard for myself. I had also needed some greek yogurt because I thought I had more of it in my fridge than I really did. Oops, my bad. Well, while I was wandering around Wal-Mart, trying on clothes (I fit into an XL top, can't tell you the last time that happened!) I decided I was finally hungry. I got the diapers and then wandered up and down the frozen food aisle. I kept thinking, "I am hungry. This is fast. It is late. It will be ok." Nothing looked good. Nothing. Anything that normally would have tempted me fell flat. I ended up going home and eating a string cheese (fat,) a greek yogurt (protein) and some edamame (vegetable.) It was good, and much more healthy than anything else that I would have eaten. Baby steps.

Weight: 219
Chest: 41"
Waist: 41"
Hips: 48 1/2"
Thigh: 25"
Calf: 17"
Bicep: 14 1/2"
Forearm: 11"

My measurements stayed the same as last week, but I am still going strong!

Week 26

It has been quite a few weeks since I last updated. Things got really busy and I had some good weeks and some bad weeks. While I didn't update the blog with my progress, I did still take my weight and measurements every week, except one. The week of my brother's wedding was just crazy and I didn't weigh or measure. Well, if I did, I didn't write it down.

I have been horrible at going to bed by 9:30 PM. I guess I am lucky to get in bed by 10:30 PM. It is my style to get things done after my boys are in bed, and well, they are just not going to bed early enough and then I try to rush to get things done to still get in bed. One week, I only made it to the gym twice in the morning. And one of those times, I was so tired when I got there, I just did cardio. But, I was there. The week of the fourth wasn't much better either. I slept through my alarm on Thursday and then Friday, the fourth, was just too crazy. I got my boys up early and we went and enjoyed some parade action.

My eating plan has been mostly good, with more indulgences than needed. I am having a harder time saying no to sugar. Especially donuts. I have had too many of those lately. Ah, donuts would be one of my major downfalls. While one part of me says I need to be stronger, the other part of me says it is ok every once in awhile.

My progress has slowed way down with the weight and measurements, but when I compare pictures, my body is still changing. My waist line is definately slimming down. My sister got tired of my pants always falling down and she bought me a belt. I have been putting it on the 2nd notch in and today, without even thinking about it, I put it on the 3rd notch in. It is the little victories that make this worth it.

Weight: 219 (this is 46 pounds down from the start of my journey!)
Chest: 41" (this is 4 1/2" down from the start!)
Waist: 41" (6" down from the start!)
Hips: 48 1/2" (8" down from the start!)
Thigh: 25" (3" down from the start!)
Calf: 17" (2" down from the start!)
Bicep: 14 1/2" (2 1/2" down from the start!)
Forearm: 11" (1" down from the start!)

Did you get that? P.R.O.G.R.E.S.S. A total of  27" from when I started this journey the beginning of January. I should note that I only measure my right side. Part of me wishes I had measured the left also. Another part of me wishes that I had also included my neck measurement. I am the shrinking woman! I just want to note that this has been a TON of hard work. But it has been so worth it.

Front picture is from July 6, 2014

Side picture from July 6, 2014

Back picture from July 6, 2014

Comparison: Back Left from May 4, 2014 Right July 6, 2014

 

Comparison: Front Left May 4, 2014 Right July 6, 2014

Comparison: Side Left May 4, 2014 Right July 6, 2014

Comparison: Front Left January 6, 2014 Right July 6, 2014

Comparison: Back Left January 6, 2014 Right July 6, 2014

Comparison: Side Left February 2, 2014 (I wish I had one from the start) Right July 6, 2014

Week 20

Wow, I started off the week doing really good and then ended the week not feeling so hot about how I did. It started off with a dutch oven potluck that my work did on Wednesday. I planned on counting it as an indulgence meal, and I tried to do so good, but ended up over-eating. The kicker? I used to be able to pound that amount of food before, noting to it. Oh, it made me feel so sick now! I tried to stay good and even filled up half my plate with a salad - no dressing - but still ate too much. And then, I had to just have some of the cobblers. It kind of went along the same lines the rest of the week.

On Saturday my sister told me that I was looking good and that I needed to invest in new cloths. My shorts are so baggy and falling off me! I just don't want to go spend a lot of money on cloths right now. I would rather save my money for when I get to where I want to be. I know I will need cloths before that, but I will make them work for me for as long as they can.

Weight 224
Chest 42 1/2"
Waist 41"
Hips 49"
Thigh 25 1/2"
Calf 17"
Bicep 15"
Forearm 11"

Week 19

This was a really good week! I felt strong and committed. I stayed strong on going to the gym every morning and am feeling more awake. I thought getting up at 4:40 AM would be draining, but as long as I keep my bedtime consistent, I find that I am actually getting more sleep than when I was going to the gym at night. Plus, I don't have to fight for weights or equipment. There are way fewer people there at 5 AM than at 9 PM.

Weight 223
Chest 42 1/2"
Waist 41"
Hips 49"
Thigh 25 1/2"
Calf 17"
Bicep 15'
Forearm 11"

Week 18

I decided to make the switch to going to the gym in the morning. I thought it would be so much harder, and you know what? I am loving it! I have to be disciplined and go to bed by 9:30 PM to wake up by 4:40 AM, but my night time routine has gotten so much easier and less stressful. I am able to enjoy putting my boys to bed instead of rushing them through their routine just so I can run out the door to go to the gym.

I discovered that it really kicked my metabolism into gear. I was starving all week long! I ate what I normally ate and then tried to be good in between. I ended up upping my portions a little so that I could last 2 1/2 hours without feeling like I wasn't eating anything at all.

Weight 225 pounds (40 pounds lost overall!)

Chest 42 1/2"
Waist 41 1/2"
Hips 49 1/2"
Thigh 25 1/2"
Calf 17"
Forearm 11"

Total inches lost overall 23 1/2" - this makes me happy!