This week, I felt recommitted after my struggle the week before. I worked really hard at the gym and continued taking the stairs at work. I hit the 4 week mark of taking the stairs, so it has been a month since I have been on an elevator! Remember, I work on the 5th floor.
Daylight Savings Time hit really hard. It is harder to keep track of the time, making sure my boys are getting dinner and getting to bed and pushing back the time I am able to go to the gym. My goal is still to get there by 8:30, which so far has been doable. I worry about how it will be later in the summer when it is light until after 9 PM! I do not want to miss out on the bedtime routine.
Weight 235 I hit another milestone! 30 pounds! Booyay!
Chest 42 1/2"
Waist 43"
Hips 51 1/2"
Thigh 26 1/2"
Calf 17 1/2"
Bicep 15 1/2"
Forearm 11 1/2"
Overall, I have lost 17" since I started my journey on January 6th. I cannot tell you how GREAT this feels! I went dress shopping to buy a dress to wear to my brother's wedding. The last time I bought clothes in October and it was a size 24 skirt and 3xl shirt. Well, there was a super cute dress, but it was in a size 18. My sister tried to convince me to try it on, and even if it were small, I would surely fit into it by mid-June. Well, I reluctantly tried it on not thinking it would fit and it zipped right up! In fact, it was loose in some areas! Wahoo! I got the dress and now am worried it will be way too big for me by the time the wedding rolls around. I guess I will have to try it on again with enough time to go to a seamstress if needed.
Indulgence #1 - Creamy potato soup and rolls at my friends little boy's birthday. Yea, I ate 3 rolls. They were that good!
Indulgence #2 - Pizza with my little familia. We seem to have started a tradition that Friday night is our night to relax and eat pizza. We rented Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs2 which my little boy loved! When we took it back he hugged it the whole time saying, "I am really gonna miss this movie."
Until next week!
Monday, March 17, 2014
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Week 9
This has been a little bit of a hard week for me. The 8 week challenge that I participated in ended last week and the new one doesn't start until this week. I had a week between and got to make my own menu plan. This was exciting to me and I felt that I was very successful in this. However, I then got discouraged when the winners of the challenge were announced.
I felt that I worked hard. I stuck to the plan, even on most of my indulgence meals, I found myself looking at what I was eating or ordering. I knew if I was eating close to plan or not. The woman who won the challenge as having the biggest transformation lost 12 pounds. Because the challenge didn't take measurements, the winner was chosen looking at the before and after pictures. I was very disappointed because I had lost 26 pounds on this challenge and if she could have seen the measurements, she would have seen that I lost an overall 15 1/2 inches. She also chose somebody who had a fairly normal body weight to begin with, which made me wonder if I had even been considered as being in the running.
My husband didn't understand my disappointment. He told me, "Why are you discouraged? Why don't you just go step on the scale and look in the mirror?" A wise friend told me to not look at the extrinsic motivation. She said, "the woman who won may have needed to have that extrinsic motivation more than you." How true. When I started the challenge, I told my sister that I wasn't doing it for the prizes, I was doing it for my health and my boys. Hello, see the motivations that I listed in my first blog post!
My motivators for losing weight:
1 - I want to be able to play with my 2 little boys. I want to be able to run with them, keep up with them.
2 - Because I was older when I had them, I will be in my late 40s when they graduate. I want to be here as they get married and have children of their own. I want to be able to be healthy enough that I can play with my grandchildren. This is funny saying this as my boys are currently 4 and 1, but this is something that I think about.
3 - I have always been the "fat" sister. Looking back, I was so NOT fat when I was younger, but because I was taller and bigger than my sisters, I felt like the fat one. When I was working out at the gym with a trainer, one of my sisters told me, "If you ever get skinnier than me, I will kill myself." Since then, I have had the desire to be the skinny sister for once. Not so that my sister would "kill" herself, but so I can be "so there!"
4 - This is a vain motivator, but it is there. All the cute clothes are too small for me. I want to be able to buy cute clothes. I want to be able to shop in the "normal" section of a clothing store.
In the beginning of February I joined a group at my work that is working to lose weight. As part of that, I weighed in, and took my body fat and BMI. Here is the difference during the month of February and March. I have to remember that I am seeing results. I am doing it for me. I cannot let the lack of extrinsic motivators discourage me.
My BMI went down 2.2!
My Body Fat % went down 1.9!
Booyeah! I need to remember this!
Weight: 238 (down 1 pound, but a pound is a pound!)
Chest: 43"
I felt that I worked hard. I stuck to the plan, even on most of my indulgence meals, I found myself looking at what I was eating or ordering. I knew if I was eating close to plan or not. The woman who won the challenge as having the biggest transformation lost 12 pounds. Because the challenge didn't take measurements, the winner was chosen looking at the before and after pictures. I was very disappointed because I had lost 26 pounds on this challenge and if she could have seen the measurements, she would have seen that I lost an overall 15 1/2 inches. She also chose somebody who had a fairly normal body weight to begin with, which made me wonder if I had even been considered as being in the running.
My husband didn't understand my disappointment. He told me, "Why are you discouraged? Why don't you just go step on the scale and look in the mirror?" A wise friend told me to not look at the extrinsic motivation. She said, "the woman who won may have needed to have that extrinsic motivation more than you." How true. When I started the challenge, I told my sister that I wasn't doing it for the prizes, I was doing it for my health and my boys. Hello, see the motivations that I listed in my first blog post!
My motivators for losing weight:
1 - I want to be able to play with my 2 little boys. I want to be able to run with them, keep up with them.
2 - Because I was older when I had them, I will be in my late 40s when they graduate. I want to be here as they get married and have children of their own. I want to be able to be healthy enough that I can play with my grandchildren. This is funny saying this as my boys are currently 4 and 1, but this is something that I think about.
3 - I have always been the "fat" sister. Looking back, I was so NOT fat when I was younger, but because I was taller and bigger than my sisters, I felt like the fat one. When I was working out at the gym with a trainer, one of my sisters told me, "If you ever get skinnier than me, I will kill myself." Since then, I have had the desire to be the skinny sister for once. Not so that my sister would "kill" herself, but so I can be "so there!"
4 - This is a vain motivator, but it is there. All the cute clothes are too small for me. I want to be able to buy cute clothes. I want to be able to shop in the "normal" section of a clothing store.
In the beginning of February I joined a group at my work that is working to lose weight. As part of that, I weighed in, and took my body fat and BMI. Here is the difference during the month of February and March. I have to remember that I am seeing results. I am doing it for me. I cannot let the lack of extrinsic motivators discourage me.
My BMI went down 2.2!
My Body Fat % went down 1.9!
Booyeah! I need to remember this!
Weight: 238 (down 1 pound, but a pound is a pound!)
Chest: 43"
Waist: 43"
Hips: 52"
Thigh: 26 1/2"
Calf: 17 1/2"
Bicep: 15 1/2"
Forearm: 11 1/2"
I didn't have a ton of changes this week. I think it was because my body was just so exhausted and my workouts were not as intense as they have been. I need to remember to not push myself so hard and to allow my body time to rest and recover. This weight took years to get this high and it will not come off in 1 month.
Monday, March 3, 2014
8 Weeks
This has been a crazy week. I decided that since this was the last week of my 8 week challenge, I was going to push it really hard and be really good. I did succeed in that. I pushed it hard at the gym Monday - Wednesday, but then on Thursday, I had to take it slightly easier. My body was just done. I still got a good burn and did a good workout, just not as intense as earlier in the week. Food wise, I feel like a did really good. I caved slightly on Saturday when my husband brought home a dozen donuts. Not just any donuts, Krispy Cream donuts. I ate 3 over the course of the day. I have to admit, this is way better than I would have done previously, but not as good as I wanted to.
Indulgence #1 - Pizza with my family Friday night. I still stayed to just 2 pieces and actually felt really full after I ate. This is not normal for me after 2 pieces! My body is changing and adapting.
Indulgence #2 - Gotta count the donuts that I ate on Saturday. Mmmmm...but they were good.
weight: 239 This is down 4 pounds since last week and an overall 26 pounds!
Chest: 43" (down 1")
Waist: 43" (down 1")
Hips: 52 1/2" (down 1/2")
Thigh: 26 1/2" (down 1/2")
Calf: 17 1/2"
Bicep: 15 1/2" (down 1/2")
Forearm: 11 1/2"
Picture Time! I love seeing the pictures because you can tell a huge difference! They are motivating and I think anyone trying to lose weight or get in shape should do before and after pictures. I have seen so much improvement, but I have to admit, I am just at the beginning of my journey. I still have a long way to go.
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| Left: Week 1 Before Right: Week 8 After |
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| Left: Week 4 Before Right: Week 8 After |
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| Left: Week 1 Before Right: Week 8 After |
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| Left Week 4 Before and Right Week 8 After |
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| Left: Week 4 Before Right: Week 8 After |
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Week 7
This week, I haven't seen as many changes. I really think part of the problem is that I fond myself only allowing about 6 hours of sleep a night. This is not good and I have been so exhausted! I need to plan better so that I get more sleep. Hmmm....what a novel idea! Anyway, Monday was amazing. It was President's Day and I had enough energy to do something physical with my boys. We pulled out my rickety old bike, hooked up the trailer and then rode up to the elementary school. Normally, I am wiped out by the time we get there, but I actually ran around and played on the equipment with my boys at the playground. It was so much fun and these are the types of memories I want to be able to create with my boys. Rather than mom being too tired to play and sitting on a bench, getting out there and running around with them, going down slides and chasing them.
Weight: 243 (I am excited to see this still going down, even though I sleep deprived myself.)
Chest:44"
Waist: 44"
Hips: 53"
Thigh: 27"
Calf: 17 1/2"
Bicep: 16" (this was really between 15 1/2 and 16, but it was closer to 16 so that is what I am logging)
Forearm: 11 1/2"
Indulgence #1: My team when to Olive Garden this week. I ordered the all you can eat Soup, Salad, and breadsticks. I overdid it on something because my stomach rebelled the rest of the day. I ate 2 plates of salad, one bowl of the Gnocci soup, and 4 breadsticks. There was obviously something in there that my body is no longer used to getting and it made me sick.
Indulgence #2: Pizza with the family on Friday. I am amazed that I can hold myself to 2 pieces now and not crave to eat more. There was a time that I could easily eat 4 pieces!
Pictures next week!
Weight: 243 (I am excited to see this still going down, even though I sleep deprived myself.)
Chest:44"
Waist: 44"
Hips: 53"
Thigh: 27"
Calf: 17 1/2"
Bicep: 16" (this was really between 15 1/2 and 16, but it was closer to 16 so that is what I am logging)
Forearm: 11 1/2"
Indulgence #1: My team when to Olive Garden this week. I ordered the all you can eat Soup, Salad, and breadsticks. I overdid it on something because my stomach rebelled the rest of the day. I ate 2 plates of salad, one bowl of the Gnocci soup, and 4 breadsticks. There was obviously something in there that my body is no longer used to getting and it made me sick.
Indulgence #2: Pizza with the family on Friday. I am amazed that I can hold myself to 2 pieces now and not crave to eat more. There was a time that I could easily eat 4 pieces!
Pictures next week!
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Week 6
This has been my biggest week ever! I feel very accomplished even though I felt like I had a few more indulgence meals than normal. Friday was Valentine's Day and my work always gives us a heart sugar cookie. I look forward to this every year and normally eat mine, and then get at least another one from somebody who doesn't want to eat theirs. I would normally have eaten both before I left work. This year, I got mine and I debated on what to do with it. It sat on my desk and then after a couple of hours, I ate it. Guess what? While it was good, it was too rich for me! I guess after you haven't eaten sugar for 6 1/2 weeks, that does something to your sweet tooth.
On Thursday, my manager took my team out to breakfast. I was super worried because I knew I had eaten an indulgence meal Tuesday night and I knew I was saving one for Saturday night because we were taking dinner to grandpa. I looked at the menu and I consciously made health decisions. Guess what? I was satisfied. I didn't crave what everyone else was eating and thought my breakfast of egg whites, cottage cheese, sliced tomato, and a crepe were really good! My co-workers gave it some odd looks and thought I was odd. I think the sliced tomato threw them.
I also made a goal on Thursday to not use the elevator. I made the goal after we got back from breakfast and then I walked the stairs the rest of the day. I should note that I work on the 5th floor. On Friday when I got to work, I had to mentally make myself take the stairs because it is easy to justify the elevator first thing in the morning. But I stayed strong and took the stairs! It might have backfired on me just a little when I had to walk down 2 flights of stairs, walk across the causeway into another building, and climb 5 flights of stairs to the 8th floor and then reverse it to get back to my desk. But I did it! I didn't take the elevator once on Friday and I didn't stay at my desk either! It really can't count as a goal if I stay on the 5th floor all day long and the only time I would use the elevator was coming and going from work. :)
Indulgence Meal 1: Papa John's pizza. I stayed strong and only ate 2 pieces. Trust me, I love pizza and this was a huge deal to keep it to 2 slices! I almost didn't order the pizza because my 22 month old has to be dairy free for the next 6 weeks, but my 4 year old really begged. I ended up having to take all the toppings off and peeling the pepperoni off to put back on the pizza for my little guy, but he didn't complain and didn't miss the cheese.
Indulgence Meal 2: Beef stew. I don't know how much of an indulgence this was since it had lean beef (protein,) carrots (veggies,) and potato (carbs,) but I counted it as an indulgence meal. I also really watched my serving size to make sure I didn't over eat. I have found that staying on plan, even when eating out is getting easier to do. I also have fond that the amount of food my stomach can handle has decreased as I have grown used to eating 6 smaller meals throughout the day.
Weight - 245 - I have hit the 20 pound mark!
Chest: 44" (down 1/2") (overall 1 1/2")
Waist: 44" (down 1") (overall 3")
Hips: 53" (down 1") (overall 3 1/2")
Thigh: 27" (down 1/2") (overall 1")
Calf: 17 1/2" (down 1/2") (overall 1 1/2")
Bicep: 16" (down 1/2") (overall 1")
forearm" 11 1/2" (overall 1/2")
Total inches down from the start? 12. That is 12" that I have lost! Can we get a booyeah? BOOYEAH!
On Thursday, my manager took my team out to breakfast. I was super worried because I knew I had eaten an indulgence meal Tuesday night and I knew I was saving one for Saturday night because we were taking dinner to grandpa. I looked at the menu and I consciously made health decisions. Guess what? I was satisfied. I didn't crave what everyone else was eating and thought my breakfast of egg whites, cottage cheese, sliced tomato, and a crepe were really good! My co-workers gave it some odd looks and thought I was odd. I think the sliced tomato threw them.
I also made a goal on Thursday to not use the elevator. I made the goal after we got back from breakfast and then I walked the stairs the rest of the day. I should note that I work on the 5th floor. On Friday when I got to work, I had to mentally make myself take the stairs because it is easy to justify the elevator first thing in the morning. But I stayed strong and took the stairs! It might have backfired on me just a little when I had to walk down 2 flights of stairs, walk across the causeway into another building, and climb 5 flights of stairs to the 8th floor and then reverse it to get back to my desk. But I did it! I didn't take the elevator once on Friday and I didn't stay at my desk either! It really can't count as a goal if I stay on the 5th floor all day long and the only time I would use the elevator was coming and going from work. :)
Indulgence Meal 1: Papa John's pizza. I stayed strong and only ate 2 pieces. Trust me, I love pizza and this was a huge deal to keep it to 2 slices! I almost didn't order the pizza because my 22 month old has to be dairy free for the next 6 weeks, but my 4 year old really begged. I ended up having to take all the toppings off and peeling the pepperoni off to put back on the pizza for my little guy, but he didn't complain and didn't miss the cheese.
Indulgence Meal 2: Beef stew. I don't know how much of an indulgence this was since it had lean beef (protein,) carrots (veggies,) and potato (carbs,) but I counted it as an indulgence meal. I also really watched my serving size to make sure I didn't over eat. I have found that staying on plan, even when eating out is getting easier to do. I also have fond that the amount of food my stomach can handle has decreased as I have grown used to eating 6 smaller meals throughout the day.
Weight - 245 - I have hit the 20 pound mark!
Chest: 44" (down 1/2") (overall 1 1/2")
Waist: 44" (down 1") (overall 3")
Hips: 53" (down 1") (overall 3 1/2")
Thigh: 27" (down 1/2") (overall 1")
Calf: 17 1/2" (down 1/2") (overall 1 1/2")
Bicep: 16" (down 1/2") (overall 1")
forearm" 11 1/2" (overall 1/2")
Total inches down from the start? 12. That is 12" that I have lost! Can we get a booyeah? BOOYEAH!
Monday, February 10, 2014
Week 5
This was a little bit of a more difficult week. I ended up going to the gym by myself a lot and then Saturday, I just ran out of time. I tried to get to the gym to get at least a quick cardio before they closed, but just didn't get there with enough time to really do anything. I also found myself snacking more. Arg! This is something that I have been trying to avoid. My good friend's daughter was in the hospital and she had asked me to make cookies for her other children, who were feeling neglected. So I did, without question. Cookies are another of my downfalls. I kinda feel bad for my boys because they may not get as many yummy treats as before because I am trying to be more healthy. But in turn, that means they will grow up more healthy, right? Anyway, because I made cookies, I had them in my house. I took them to work to give out, I gave them to my friend's kids, but I still had some at home. Over the course of 2 days, I ate 2. This is not bad, per say, it just doesn't fit into my current goals. I must say though that if this had taken place 2 months ago, I would have eaten 2-3 fresh out of the oven and then snacked on them until they were gone. I probably wouldn't have brought any to work to share either. So, I can't look at it as a fail, I have to look at it as a positive. Baby steps. That is where I am. I am better today than I was yesterday and will strive to be better tomorrow than I am today.
My baby, and by baby I mean my 20 month old, also had surgery this week, which kind of threw me for a loop. I tried really hard to stick to my target goals that day and feel that overall, I did really well. We were also advised by the doctor to make his diet dairy free for the next 6 weeks. Can I tell you that dairy is in EVERYTHING? It is a most difficult change to implement, but it isn't too far off of how I have been eating. I still made pancakes Saturday morning for my boys, I just used almond milk instead of cows milk. Trying to figure out how we are both eating has been fun.
So last week, I posted that I weighed in at 248 lbs, and then Sunday morning when I stepped on the scale, I weighed the same. I thought, "ok, I didn't lose any weight this week again," but then when I went to write it in my book, I had written that I weighed 250 lbs last week. Huh. I guess I was just so excited to be under 250 that I just fixated on 248 and that is what I put. I "corrected" this on last week's post.
Weight and measurements taken February 9, 2014, at the end of week 5.
Weight: 248
Chest: 44 1/2"
Waist: 45"
Hips: 54"
Thigh: 27 1/2" (I finally went down in the thigh!!!)
Calf: 18"
Bicep: 16 1/2"
Forearm: 11 1/2"
I still saw progress after feeling like I didn't do a stellar job last week, so I am still happy. Best news though? My baby brother got engaged this week! I am excited for him and am trying to figure out what I want my goal to be for his wedding in June.
Indulgence: Café Rio Grilled Steak salad. I substituted whole wheat for the regular tortilla. It was delicious!
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Week 4
This has been a really good week. I feel that things are getting easier at the gym. My workout buddy was sick on Monday and Tuesday so we switched Monday to a rest day and then I went by myself on Tuesday. I have learned (or relearned) enough at the gym that I was able to give myself a very good workout on my own. My legs felt sore! Oh yeah!
At work, one of my co-workers brought in donuts to thank us for helping out on a project. 2 dozen Provo Bakery donuts. Donuts, the only thing that I craved my whole second pregnancy. My downfall! They sat near my desk and I could smell them! Ah, they smelled so good. They looked so good! But, I made the decision that I was going to do this journey and I knew that today (Sunday) was going to be my indulgence meal because of the Super Bowl, and I stayed strong. I left work that day without taking one of those donuts. I really didn't believe that I could do it, but I did!
Indulgence Meal 1: It hasn't happened yet as I am planning on using the Super Bowl party as my indulgence. That being said, I really don't want to go overboard and am going to try to stay relatively healthy with my choices. I also don't want to feel sick after eating a lot of foods I haven't eaten for a month now.
I decided to do my weigh in and measurements on the same day. I weighed in last Sunday and hadn't lost any weight and did my measurements on Wednesday, just like normal. I did go down some in the measurements, but I decided when I weighed in this morning that I should just measure today too. I will report today's numbers.
Weight:248 250
Measurments:
Chest: 44 1/2
Waist: 46 (down 1/2")
Hips: 54 (down 1")
Thigh: 28
Calf: 18
Bicep: 16 1/2
Forearm: 11 1/2 (down 1/2"
I also did pictures to compare. I can totally see the difference in my face. It is huge! Also, my shirt fits down around my hips without riding up. My husband also told me to look below the 5K on the shirt because you could see a huge difference there. I didn't take a side view picture of week 1 (how I wish I had!) so we will start the comparison with Week 4.
At work, one of my co-workers brought in donuts to thank us for helping out on a project. 2 dozen Provo Bakery donuts. Donuts, the only thing that I craved my whole second pregnancy. My downfall! They sat near my desk and I could smell them! Ah, they smelled so good. They looked so good! But, I made the decision that I was going to do this journey and I knew that today (Sunday) was going to be my indulgence meal because of the Super Bowl, and I stayed strong. I left work that day without taking one of those donuts. I really didn't believe that I could do it, but I did!
Indulgence Meal 1: It hasn't happened yet as I am planning on using the Super Bowl party as my indulgence. That being said, I really don't want to go overboard and am going to try to stay relatively healthy with my choices. I also don't want to feel sick after eating a lot of foods I haven't eaten for a month now.
I decided to do my weigh in and measurements on the same day. I weighed in last Sunday and hadn't lost any weight and did my measurements on Wednesday, just like normal. I did go down some in the measurements, but I decided when I weighed in this morning that I should just measure today too. I will report today's numbers.
Weight:
Measurments:
Chest: 44 1/2
Waist: 46 (down 1/2")
Hips: 54 (down 1")
Thigh: 28
Calf: 18
Bicep: 16 1/2
Forearm: 11 1/2 (down 1/2"
I also did pictures to compare. I can totally see the difference in my face. It is huge! Also, my shirt fits down around my hips without riding up. My husband also told me to look below the 5K on the shirt because you could see a huge difference there. I didn't take a side view picture of week 1 (how I wish I had!) so we will start the comparison with Week 4.
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