Am I losing my mind?

Ecstatic.  Over joyed.  In shock.  Over Whelmed.  Proud.  Baffled.

                                                       This pic best describes how I felt this morning.

These are just a few of the emotions I am feeling this morning.  I have weighed in at 270lbs today. That is a 4lb loss since my last weigh in before vacation. That is a 20lb loss since I started this journey in May 2012. That is a total of 63lbs lost since I moved home from AZ.

                                                          63lbs since I looked like this!

I work hard and I am on track with my calories/weight watchers points 95% of the time, but to actually see the results from the hard work is amazing. If you do the math and see how hard I have been working and how much effort I put in everyday there is no reason I shouldn’t be losing but it is still just unreal to me.  Can anyone else who has lost a lot of weight relate with me on this feeling?  I know some people might think I am insane, but I have never been so proud! It really is showing me if you put your mind to something you truly can accomplish it!

 I find myself craving healthy foods and looking forward to my work outs.  Am I losing my mind?!      LoL. I am just so proud of who I am becoming.

Any who….. the boy and I did not go on our hike this weekend because the weather was crappy.  So we have postponed it until this coming weekend (weather permitting of course.) Instead we went on a 1.75 walk/jog around my neighborhood. I actually jogged for what I feel was the longest distance yet. I don’t know exactly what that distance was but I will be sure to measure it next time. I felt great afterwards and I can really feel my endurance building up.

 On Friday I did a new work out video on demand and I hated it! But I stuck with it. It was 40 minutes long and it was a mixture of strength, cardio, and abs, mainly focusing on abs and strength training. I used water bottles for my weights, I figure something is better then nothing. I have a friend who gave me  three pound weights that I am going to start using.  They will be fine for now. I know I will probably be ready for 5lb weights in a month but I am not worried about that today. From now on I will stick with the DVD's I like.

After doing the work out video I made a 2 egg white omelet with red and green peppers and a cup of watermelon on the side. Man was it delicious.  I decided to take a pic to share.

                                  Two egg whites with red and green peppers and 1 cup of watermelon

Today’s post is all over the place but it is better then no post at all. Hope everyone is having a great day! Thanks for reading!

Back at it!

Boy does it feel good to be back in the swing of things. Vacation was a good time, but eating on track and a long work out at the gym each day feels oh so right.

I wanted to do my favorite 2 miles in 20 minutes on the elliptical and completed it in 19:56. Four freaking seconds to spare I couldn’t believe it.  I then proceeded and completed 3 miles in 30 minutes and did a 5 minute cool down ultimately completing 3.3 miles in 35 minutes.  I also did 15 minutes on the bike. I figured my first day back at the gym I would revisit my favorite routine.  

I NEED to start strength exercises with free weights and I plan on buying some this weekend. I hate the free weight area at the gym, and I would not know what moves to do anyway. I do a Jillian Michaels DVD that has some good moves in it but I feel a little silly doing them at the gym.

I have been researching strength training DVD’s , does anyone have any suggestions, or any work out routines  you could recommend that involve free weights? I defiantly have the cardio covered, it is time to expand.

Sorry for the short post but I have work to get done. Have a good day everyone!

Post Vacation Post

Whelp vacation is over and it is back to the real world. L

I made sure I walked every morning that I was on vacation. I downloaded an app on my iphone that tracks your millage by GPS as well as shows you a map of where you walked and how many calories you burned.  I walked anywhere from 1.3 to 2.6 miles every morning. In addition to my morning walks I did a 1.8 and a 1.0 mile walk two nights last week. My goal was to complete 3 night walks in addition to my morning walks, but I did walk/jog the day I got home from vacation so I suppose that could count as my 3d.

I measured and weighed almost everything I ate except for my three planned “cheats”. My down fall was alcohol. I had 3 nights that I drank and did not account for those calories nor did I plan those drinking nights ahead of time.  I also took many extra bites of things without accounting for them.

Needless to say the scale when I returned from vacation was up 3lbs. I will take it! Having a wonderful vacation and only gaining 3lbs is fine by me!

I am not feeling very good today, but tomorrow I am back at the gym and I am going to begin to incorporate weights into my work outs. (I have been doing strictly cardio up until now except when I do my Jillian Michael’s DVD.)

Hopefully after a full week of being 100% on track I will feel much better.  The Chinese food and the guilt of going off track even though it was planned, was not worth it to me. Vacation was great but I am ready to be back on my routine.

This Sunday the 29^th is the day I am hiking the trail I used to hike in college. I am pretty excited about it because I learned it is only 1.3ish miles one way and my goal is to hike the trail without needing a break. I am very confident I will be able to do this due to how hard I have been working out. I feel my endurance is better and I can push myself longer. I am learning mind over matter when it comes to exercising.

I am not in a writing mood today but I figured I would document my vacation results. Below are a few pictures from vacation.  Have a great day everyone!

Sun Rise

Sun Set

Bean Bag Champion

Just another day on the beach!

Pre Vacation Post

Man am I sore! Every part of my body aches. I have worked out on the cross trainer crazy machine two days in a row now. Today will be my last day using it because I will be leaving for a week long vacation. I do love the machine because it is challenging and makes me sweat like crazy, but I am looking forward to the break.

Friday I will do my Jillian Michaels DVD and Saturday I will do my Billy Blanks DVD. I go to the beach Sunday and I have set exercise goals for myself as well as planned 3 meals that I will not worry about counting calories. It is going to be extremely difficult to stay on track during vacation but I am still high off of Monday’s weigh-in and I don’t want to ruin it

 

Vacation Guidelines

*Walk/Jog at least one mile every morning as well as walk 1 mile 3 afternoons/nights.   

*Walking/jogging 2 miles in the morning will not allow me to skip my night walk.

If I walk more in the morning and stick to my night walk that will put me in an even better position.

As far as eating I plan to still count calories and WW points. I will measure and weigh everything except for the following meals.

Wednesday 7/18  dinner at the steak house.

Thursday 7/19  small Oreo coolata from Dunkin Doughnuts.

Sunday 7/29 Chinese food

I think I will be able to walk more then a mile each morning because I plan on walking the entire beach from beginning to end, and then back and I am pretty sure one way down the beach is about a mile. It is also easy to walk long distances because there are so many houses to look at and little side streets to explore on. The main street going into the beach area is exactly one mile so if all else fails all I have to do is walk that once.

Eating will be a challenge because my family is going to buy junk food because “it’s vacation” so that is there excuse to go insane with fatty junky foods. My family also knows I am working very hard and they will buy some healthy stuff for me too but the temptation is going to suck! I will stay positive, and stand my ground. I think I will bring my motivational quote’s that I have printed out and tape them on the chip bags. That sounds insane but I bet it will work.

Overall I am excited to spend quality time with the family and have a week off of work!

This will be my view for the next 7 days.

I wish you all a great week and I will be sure to have a long post when I get back next week! Good luck to you all and thanks for reading.

Scared Straight

I have been struggling since last night with the thought of going to the gym today. I just don’t feel like it. I thought maybe I will do a work out video, but I really like to save those for when I am strapped for time. Maybe I will go to the track again, but I feel like I don’t walk fast enough if someone is not with me. I was kind of in a slump all morning about it. 

During my morning break I ran to a grocery store to grab some fruit for a snack today because I didn’t have any.

What I am about to say is not meant to offend anyone. I am not sure if it is going to sound rude or harsh all I know is that it is the honest truth.

The moment I entered the store I got my motivation.

Walking into the store in front of me was a very short, very obese woman. Before she entered the actual store she had already picked up a bag of potato chips from the promo bins in the entrance and placed them in her cart. Now maybe this woman has been working hard. Maybe this woman has lost 10lbs in the past month. Maybe these chips were her “cheat treat.” I have no idea. All I know is seeing this woman scared me. She was much older then I was and at that moment it dawned on me that if I don’t stay on track that could easily be me. My biggest fear is that I will die a heavy, depressed, lonely woman. It has been my fear for a long time. I feel I owe it to myself and to all the other people struggling with obesity to stay on track. I owe it to myself to keep fighting while I am still young. I have the advantage a lot of people do not have. If I am able to loose this weight I have the ability to prevent so many health issues when I am older. I am grateful I have not had any health issues thus far due to my weight.

My trip to the grocery store snapped me right out of my funk and I have set a goal for myself at the gym today. I am going to change it up a bit to keep it interesting.

Today I will do 20 minutes on what I call “the crazy machine.” I have included a picture of this machine below. I have no idea its real name but it is intense! Last summer when I attended the gym regularly I would use this machine often. The first time I tried it I was only able to complete 3 minutes. I believe the longest I have been on this machine is 30 or 40 minutes.

I will also try a new program setting on the bike today and my goal is 20 minutes. I will end my gym sesh with 10 minutes on the treadmill.

There are people who can not physically exercise. They would give anything to hit the pavement running. I shouldn’t complain about being able to work out and push my body to new measures.

The main reason I exercise is because it makes me feel so good. My drive home from the gym is my absolute favorite part of the day. I see results faster and I all around feel better when I exercise regularly.

I went from dreading the thought of going to the gym, to being excited about trying the crazy machine in a matter of 4 hours. Life is good today.

Success on the scale!

Success showing on the scale!

I weighed in this morning and literally jumped for joy into the boys arms when I saw that I beat this week’s goal by one pound! All my hard work and sticking to my plans this weekend paid off!

Saturday after work I went to the gym and did 3 miles in 30 minutes on the elliptical. I then completed 20 minutes on the stationary bike set to the cardio program (I have tried a few different programs and this seems to be the most challenging.)

I then hurried home because the boy and I were meeting friends at the movies. The boy was bragging about his buttery pop corn he could not wait to get. We ate a quick dinner of steak tips and veggies. I then popped my own popcorn with nothing but a pinch of garlic salt on it. I snuck it into the theater and ate it while everyone else around me ate buttery greasy pop corn and boxes of sour patch kids and air heads. Thankfully that candy did not tempt me but the boy’s pop corn sure did. I had about 6 kernels of his pop corn and to be honest it was not that good to me. It tasted too buttery to the point where if I had eaten it all I would have gotten sick. We saw Savages and I don’t want to ruin anything for anyone but I wouldn’t go rushing out to see it. It was good but I wish I had seen Ted instead.

Sunday morning I got up around 9am and was excited to try walking/jogging the track and climbing the bleachers. I got right up, ready and headed out! My goal before I left was to complete 1 mile around the track and climb the bleachers at least 5 times.

I completed 1.5 miles around the track, jogging about 4x’s and climbed a set of stairs a total of ten times. I wanted to do the bleachers but these stairs I found were tucked in the back away from people and looked a lot more challenging. I felt good and tired afterward. It took me a little less then an hour to finish everything and I was covered in sweat. I knew exercising like that had done something good for me because something is better then nothing but I did not really feel it until this morning. Man do my Quad’s hurt! They hurt so good though. I love that next day soreness. Love it love it love it!

Sunday morning I had a breakfast quesh that was nearly impossible to measure in terms of calories, so I made sure the rest of my days food was planned. Knowing it was Sunday and people could be stopping by with party food I wanted to make sure everything was planned out and accounted for.

Only one friend ended up stopping by which was kind of a relief because I didn’t have to worry about the junk foods and alcohol all day.

Stepping on the scale this morning and seeing I came in one pound under my goal made it all worth it. I am the lowest recorded weight I have been in over a year. Since May 14^th 2012 I have lost a total of 16lbs. I know 16lbs is a small amount but its 16lbs that I worked off. It is16lbs that I hope to never have to see again.

I am going on a week long vacation starting Saturday July 14^th and I am so nervous I am going to gain a few pounds. I have plans and goals for the week to help keep me on track I think this post is long enough so I will save the vacation guidelines for another post later this week.

Empowered

 ~*Fourth Of July*~

Whelp I survived the holiday, with pride I might add. Tuesday I had an awesome work out at the gym. After a steak and zuchinni dinner the boy and I went to a friend’s lake house for fireworks. Knowing there would be an unhealthy spread of food, I measured out some homemade pop corn and some special K cracker chips and brought them with me for a snack. I also brought a beer that was only 55 calories. That worked out great! I didn’t eat any of their food and I had a few of my beers. A night out and I was able to stay under on calories and WW points!

On the fourth of July I stuck to my gun as well. I made sure to do my work out video in the morning. Normally I would use the excuse of “it’s a holiday” to not workout.  With my new outlook that this is a life style change, I am seeing there are very few excuses to not do what I need to do. I am only hurting myself by making excuses.

 Friends came by to enjoy the sunshine and with them came food and booze. I had already planned my entire day of food and had it calculated and set aside before anyone came over.  After everyone left I felt very empowered that I had stuck to my plan. I honestly do not mind counting and weighing everything I eat, to me it’s a fool proof plan and it makes me feel in control. If I account for things I can have whatever I want, which is important.  I find it is also important to switch things up a bit. If I get bored wheather it is with food or work outs I am going to fail.

Today I really did not feel like going to the gym, although I feel like I really push myself and get a good workout at the gym, I just was not feeling it today. (I swear sometimes in the gym I feel like it looks like we are all on a hamster wheel.) I wanted to go walk the track at the local high school and then try climbing the bleachers a few times. Right after lunch I started not to feel too well and decided to rest from exercise today. It was also about 90 degrees so I didn’t think today would be the best choice to try something new since I don’t know how it’s going to be. Walking the track and climbing the bleachers at least 5 times is going to be my goal for this weekend.  Most likely this will be a Saturday after work or Sunday morning workout since the boy says he will come with me. I find having the boy with me is very encouraging. He doesn’t doubt I can do something, and he makes me feel like it is okay to try and push harder. He also makes me feel it is okay if I don’t reach my goal, as long as I don’t give up.  I don’t have to be embarrassed in front of him and he looks at me like there is nothing wrong with me. This is the most amazing feeling I have ever had.

Enough about my boy, I am off now. Either a walk or a work out video tomorrow and another weekend to try and stay on track with food lie’s ahead of me. Good luck to you all and thanks for reading.

Challenging Times

I always think that during the Christmas holiday season keeping on track with a diet is much more difficult then any other time of year. After the temptation from this weekend I was proven wrong! I had a family party on Saturday and an unexpected get together on Sunday and boy was it challenging!

Friday night was a date night with the boy. We went out to eat and he ordered a buffalo chicken tender appetizer with potato skins. Are you friggin’ kidding me!!! I only had one skin and half of a chicken tender. (Normally I would have eaten half the plate.)

For the entrée I got a bruchetta chicken with rice and asparagus. It was absolutely amazing but it was also 950 calories! I only ate half the entrée and boxed the rest up to go. The boy and I wanted a treat so I figured lets walk the mall twice then get a treat. I had a 1000 calorie treat in mind but luckily on our walk we discovered a frozen yogurt shop! It was very low in calories and hardly any fat!

Saturday’s party worked out very well. I stuck to my planed meal and only had a few bites of unplanned foods. Sundays get together was more difficult because it was unexpected but I kept my bites to a minimum and didn’t go over bored on my meals! I also went for a 2mile walk before people came over.

I have learned that in order to loose weight, stay healthy, and stay on track you have to really really want it. I know anyone who is unhappy with their bodies really wants the change, but it takes more will power and commitment then I have ever experienced. It takes changing the way you think, and the way you have been acting for so long. It takes ignoring your first instinct and really paying attention to what you want to do verse what you need to do. That is not an easy thing. What I do know, is that it is possible!! Stay focused, stay strong, and know that it will all be worth it.

         “Don’t give up on something you can’t go a day without thinking about”

             

I have a vegetable garden at my house and wanted to share a picture of my very first cucumbers and a zucchini that I picked Sunday morning! The cuke tasted a little sweet but it was very good. The zucchini will be part of tonight’s dinner and I can’t wait to try it. 

I can really feel a difference in my body lately from my work outs. I also notice in this picture my face and neck look so much slimmer. The scale at home says I have not gained or lost anything this week, but I am not letting it get me down. As long as I don’t gain, and I feel the difference, that is what matters most to me.  (right now)

Happy 4^th everyone, and good luck on conquering your challenges this holiday!