Week #11 Weigh-in

OK, so I missed weeks 9 & 10.  I needed to separate myself from this project for a bit, reset myself.  Sometimes, when you've hit a wall with a project, the best thing to do is to gain a little distance, re-evaluate, and then try again from a different angle.  I did not stop trying to lose weight, per se.  I did, however, not worry too much about it until this last week when I decided to pick my blog back up.

So now, almost 3 months in, I'm back.  And I actually have some results to show this time!

  

For Mother's Day my husband and children gave me a gift certificate for a massage and facial.  I decided, when I started this, that when I lost my first 10 pounds I would treat myself by redeeming my gift certificate.  So today I am going to call and make an appointment for pampering as a congratulations to myself for losing 10 pounds!  It hasn't been easy, and there have been a few things in my way, but I did it.

Some may look at my results and think they're not much considering the amount of time I've put in.  Some may compare them to the results they have had (or have seen someone else have) doing something more extreme.  But all I see is that 11 weeks ago I was 10 pounds heavier.  Less than 3 months ago I felt bloated and was pushing the stress-limit on all my clothes.  11 weeks ago I got very winded chasing my children around outside.  I would have never dreamed of joining a softball team.  I was depressed, disappointed, and felt like I would always be waiting for my real life to begin.  Less than 3 months ago I was not the person I am today.  And though it's only 10 pounds, it's 25% of my goal weight loss.  10 pounds ago I was only hoping for what I have right now, just as right now I'm looking ahead of me toward my next 10 pound goal, wanting so badly to be there right now but knowing I need to put in my time and energy to make it happen.

Don't EVER compare your journey to anyone else's.  Everyone is different.  There are those who seem to come by things easily and don't appreciate the work you've done.  I heard a quote a while back that described these people saying "They started at the finish line and thought they'd won the race".  There will be those who are also struggling but have not yet reached that point in their lives to make a change, and they may begrudge you your success, may even unconsciously (or consciously) try to sabotage your efforts.  There will be those who are further along in their journey, they may have even been your reason for starting your own.  There are people who are at the beginning, like you, feeling their own way.  Their way will probably not be your way, but you can support and encourage each other.  The only thing you need to do is compare where you are, where you've been, and where you want to be and then make a choice.  Actually, make a lot of little choices, every minute of every day.  Each choice in the right direction gets you closer to your goals.  And each choice in the wrong direction gives you an example of what you don't want, and should not be seen as failures, but as learning experiences.  It's cliche (but, really, aren't most cliche things just truth that have been repeated far too many times), but the only failure is giving up.  Never, ever give up.

So, I'm back and ready to begin again.  Next week will be the end of 3 months doing this thing.  I've learned a lot, but there are a couple things I'm going to take away from this first part and carry with my throughout the rest:

1) I'm more capable than I give myself credit for.
2) If it works for me, than it doesn't matter what other people think.
3) Positive results are positive results, no matter how long it took to get them.

So, again, I extend my invitation to pick up exactly where you are, evaluate yourself inside and out (evaluate, not deprecate).  Decide where you want to be and take that first step in the right direction.  You are more capable than you give yourself credit for.  If you find something that works for you, it doesn't matter what other people think.  And slow and steady wins the race.

"You have all the weapons you need.  Now fight!"       

Week #8 Weigh-in: End of Month 2

So I'm just going to start by saying that there was not a single change in my measurements this week.  Although I got 3 solid workouts in, as planned, I could have done better food-wise.  Someday, I will do well with both these things at the same time.  THEN the magic will happen!!  However, this week I have nothing exciting to report.  I am not upset.  I know exactly why it happened, er... didn't happen.  And, as always, I am working toward a better week next week.

I am starting my softball league tonight!  I am very excited, and a little nervous, about this.  I have not done the "team-sport" thing in a LOOOOONG time.  And I have no idea what to expect, from the team or myself.  But I am excited to get out and do something active and fun and have the chance to meet new people.  I'm hoping this will open a door for me for future experiences like it.  Another step toward a healthier, more active lifestyle.

Anywho, here are the numbers.

 

Since starting 2 months ago I have lost 8 pounds, 2 1/2 inches from my chest, 4 1/2 inches from my waist, and 3 inches from my hips.  So, for that, I am proud.  And there hasn't been a single week where I've had to report a gain in anything, of which I am also proud.  

I am trying very hard to not just blindly follow a rigid diet or strenuous exercise plan.  I want these changes I'm making to be sustainable.  I do not want to lost 30 pounds and then have a stressful month in which there is no way I could possibly keep up with what I was doing before.  I want it to be part of my life.  I want it to flow so smoothly in with the rest of my life that it seems seamless, a part of the scenery, the furniture of my days.  I could very easily go back to the strict diet I have done, and succeeded with, in the past.  But I always fall off the bandwagon and gain all the weight right back because it's just not reasonable to live like that.  I could follow some crazy exercise plan, get myself in great shape, and then suddenly run into a busy place in which the workouts just don't fit.  I don't want to do that.  I've DONE that.  I want a true change, physically and mentally.  I want to be an athletic, active person, not just act like one.  I want to get back to the outdoors and enjoy the splendor that God has given us.  I want to play and explore.  I want to ground myself to something real and steady.  I want happiness.  I want a lot of things that are within my reach and I know that anything worth having is worth working and waiting for.  If I really want it, I will have it.  One step at a time.

Week #7 Weigh-in

I don't really understand how it's happening, but my measurements are continuing to slowly decrease while my weight is staying the same.  I didn't lose any weight this week, only getting 2 workouts in and I definitely did not drink enough water.  But something I'm doing must be working, even if it's slowly.

 

I was looking through some old measurements I had taken years ago when I had been trying to lose weight.  I was almost 10 pounds lighter, but I had more inches than I do now... I'm not exactly sure what the reason for this is.  My only thought is the last couple times I've lost weight I have done it with food only, so the weight came off quickly.  But maybe pairing it with exercise means that the weight comes off slower but the results are better.  I mean, I already know that is the healthier way to go.  But when I stepped on the scale this morning and saw that my weight hadn't budged for the third week in a row, I really wasn't expecting much when I measure myself.  I did it a couple times because I thought maybe I had done it wrong.

While I'd like to be losing weight and changing more visibly, it's obvious that my body IS changing, and I feel content in this.  Maybe this creepingly slow progress is exactly what I need to reach my goal of lifetime change, not just momentary weight-loss.  

This just goes to show how important it is to NOT make the scale your one and only measure for success.  My pants are starting to get a little big, I can fit into a pair of dress pants that haven't fit me for a while.  I may not be slim, but I'm slimming, and that's all the really matters.

Losing Inches But Not Losing Weight?

Focus on Fat Loss, Not Weight Loss

By Paige Waehner, About.com Guide

Updated October 05, 2011

About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by our Medical Review Board

Because so many of us want to lose weight, at any given moment, most of us know how much we weigh. Most of us even have a favorite scale, the favorite being the one that gives us the lowest number possible. We talk about weight, think about weight and, sometimes, lie about weight, but how often do we think about what that number means? For too many of us, weight isn't just a number but something that can actually change how we feel about ourselves. But, what does your weight really mean and how useful is it when it comes to tracking weight loss progress? Learning the answers to those questions may just have you tossing out your scale forever.
Focus on Fat Loss, Not Weight Loss
When you talk about losing weight, what you usually mean is slimming down. But slimming down doesn't always mean losing weight. It may sound odd, but it's possible to get thinner without actually seeing a change in your weight. This happens when you lose body fat while gaining muscle. Your weight may stay the same, even as you lose inches, a sign that you're moving in the right direction. But, if the scale doesn't change, you may not even be aware that you're getting real results. Knowing the difference between losing weight and losing body fat can change how you get results and may even change how you look at your own body.
The Truth About Your Weight
What does your weight say about you? If you think about it, that number doesn't tell you a whole lot. The scale shows your weight, but does it tell you how much of that weight is muscle and how much is fat? Or how much of that weight is water, bones or organs? A bodybuilder's weight could be off the charts because of extra muscle, but does that mean he's overweight or fat? Most of us would say no because we know that weight doesn't tell the whole story.
Knowing your body composition is crucial information if you really want to get results and, unfortunately, the scale doesn't tell you that. Another reason scale weight isn't so reliable is that it changes all the time. All of us experience weight changes throughout the day, sometimes by as much as 10 pounds depending on what and how often we eat and drink. You could gain weight right now by putting on a pair of heavy boots, but does that mean you've gained fat? No. Just as taking those boots off doesn't mean you've lost any fat.
While the scale isn't completely useless, it may not be the best tool for people just starting a fat loss program. If it doesn't help you stay on track and reach your goals, maybe it's time to throw out the scale for good.
Should You Throw Out the Scale?
You now know that focusing on fat loss is much more important than focusing on your weight. When you lose body fat, you're making permanent changes in your body, shifting your body composition so that you have less fat and more muscle. When you lose weight, you could be losing water or even muscle. It's impossible to know if you're seeing real results or just the product of your daily habits, hormonal shifts and changing hydration levels.
When you first start a program, you may need extra encouragement to keep going, proof that what you're doing is working and the scale may not give you that. Other ways the scale can work against you:

• It measures everything: The number on the scale includes everything - muscles, fat, bones, organs, fat, food and water. For that reason, your scale weight can be a deceptive number.
• It doesn't reflect the changes happening in your body: If you're doing cardio and strength training, you may build lean muscle tissue at the same time you're losing fat. In that case, the scale may not change even though you're getting leaner and slimmer.
• It doesn't reflect your health: As mentioned above, the scale can't tell the difference between fat and muscle. That means a person can have a low body weight, but still have unhealthy levels of body fat.
• It isn't always a positive motivator: If you step on the scale and you're unhappy with what you see, how does that make you feel? You may question everything you're doing, wondering why you even bother at all. Focusing on weight may overshadow the positive results you're getting such as fat loss, more endurance and higher energy levels.

Change How You Measure Your Success
Even if you're not ready to stop weighing yourself entirely, using other ways to measure progress¹ can keep you motivated and help you realize that you are making changes, no matter what the scale says.

• Go by how your clothes fit. If they fit more loosely, you know you're on the right track
• Take your measurements² to see if you're losing inches
• Get your body fat tested³ or use an online calculator⁴
• Set performance goals. Instead of worrying about weight loss or fat loss, focus on completing a certain number of workouts each week or competing in a race

If the scale is making you crazy, taking a break from weighing yourself may just open your eyes to other possibilities. Your weight isn't the only measure of your success. Put away the scale and you may just see how far you've really come.

 

If we aren't the change we want to see, who will be?

I loved the article below when I read it.  It really is that simple.  We have an obligation to ourselves, our sisters, our daughters, the next generation of women to change the perspective.  I look at my little girl and I NEVER EVER EVER want her to look in the mirror and feel disgusted by herself or go into school and compare herself to every girl she sees, of course seeing their merits as far above her own.  We need to stop the cycle, ladies!  We need to stop looking into mirrors to find our self-worth and start looking into ourselves, into the eyes of those who love us.  We need to get up and move, not because it will help us lose weight, but because our bodies were meant to move.  Our bodies CRAVE this movement, and we deserve the physical and mental benefits that come from it.  We need to fuel our bodies with natural, healthy foods so that our bodies operate at their best, like the fine-tuned machines that God built for us.  We need a paradigm shift!  Get up and move, feel better, eat better, get stronger, be healthy and happy.

As a side-note, for any men who happen to read this, especially those with daughters, you play a major part in this.  Tell your daughters they are beautiful inside and out no matter what, encourage healthy behavior, let them know you cherish them for the people that they are.  Set an example for healthy living, make it a part of your family life.  Encourage your girls to play like boys, to run and sweat and laugh... Fathers, your role is so much larger than you think.

Healthy vs. Skinny

November 14, 2011 by Natalie Lynn Borton

Skinny tells us eat as few calories as possible, nothing tastes as good as skinny feels, thinner is better, you’re worth more if you weigh less. When we see the words written out, most of us would probably agree those statements seem silly. But if we think about how we live our lives–the way we eat, the media we indulge in, the way we talk about our bodies to others or in our heads–we know that we’ve fallen for the lies.
Skinny wasn’t always “in,” but that body type has certainly dominated the media world for the past few decades. We see and hear skinny when we shop online, as we browse magazines, or while watching TV—and if you live in Southern California like me, simply walking by women on the street.
Let me first say, I am not anti-skinny. Some women are naturally less curvy than others, just as some women are shorter or have longer faces. Rather than bash one body type (which is never okay in my book), I want to bring attention to an issue today’s women are facing: in our culture, skinny trumps healthy.
What happened to health, exercising for wellness, eating what fuels our bodies to operate at their best, seeing beauty in the various shapes of women? We’ve exchanged truth for lies, worshipping outward appearance rather than embracing the bodies we’ve been given. Girls, we have to stand up for what is good and true. It’s time to say goodbye to the glamorized and romanticized ideas of skinny we have in our heads and treat our bodies with love and respect. Skinny is out, healthy is in.
Changing our mindset won’t happen overnight, but there are things we can start doing today that will help us exchange healthy for skinny over time. Start with these:

1. Ditch the scale (most of the time, at least). There is nothing inherently wrong with weighing yourself to ensure you’re within a healthy weight for your height and frame; however, that’s really not the way most of us use the scale these days, is it? Say goodbye to weight-based worth. You are more than a number.

2. Eat real food. For years, I ordered drinks at Starbucks with sugar-free syrup, drank soda of the diet-variety only, and bought low-fat and fat-free products at the store to avoid the extra calories of the real deal. Do yourself a favor and have real food in moderation. Treat your body to fresh, natural foods that nourish rather than diet foods that fill your body with chemicals. You will thank yourself in 50 years, I promise.

3. Minimize toxic media exposure. If watching a certain reality show or reading a certain magazine triggers your mind to believe that skinny is what it’s all about, stop exposing yourself to it. The more we see and hear lies, the more we believe them. Fill your mind, your eyes and your ears with information and images that contribute to you living a full, healthy life.

Make this pledge to yourself today: I choose healthy over skinny, real food over chemicals, and truth over lies.

Week #6 Weigh-in

6 weeks in and not much has changed over the last couple weeks.  But I am not giving up!  I am going to continue to try, continue to make small changes in my life, and I will achieve my goals eventually. 

My goals for this next week are the same as the last.  I did not do as much as I'd hoped, but I will try again this week.

1) Drink at least 64 oz of  water a day.- This week I did not do very well with drinking more water.  In fact, I'm pretty sure I was dehydrated and that probably accounted for some of my headaches and fatigue.  This is definitely something I need to pay closer attention to!

2) Continue working on cutting out Diet Coke- I'm going to aim for no more than 2 servings for the entire week.- I think I only had Diet Coke twice this week, which means I did achieve this goal.  I will try to aim for less than 2 this coming week.

3) Make healthier food choices at each meal.- I did OK with this for the most part, however I made cookies for work which I may or may not have over-indulged in myself.  I think I need to revamp my weekly menu.

4) Get AT LEAST 3 solid workouts in.- Oh boy, I did not do well this week.  I did 1 workout.  ONE!  Oh well, it's over.  I'm scheduling my workouts this week and will treat them as important appointments that I cannot miss!

Anyway, here are the numbers.  Not much change, a little bit smaller but not any lighter.  I'll get there...

 

I read a lot this last week.  I think this week I need to read a little less and move a little more.  And stay away from those stinkin' cookies!!  :-)

 

 

Hippy Hippy, Leggy Leggy Shake

Alright, I did my Turbo Sculpt video for the first time in a couple weeks this morning.  After my hiatus, it was difficult.  My legs were shaking, especially, doing all the lunges and squats.  But I have to say I've missed it and I feel so much better for getting up and doing it this morning.

I'm excited to be working back towards the progress I was making a couple weeks ago.  I can feel this morning what I was feeling then: the improved mental clarity and physical posture, the firmness in my muscles, the calmer internal dialogue.  I think exercise does as much, or more, for me mentally as it does physically.  Maybe part of it is pride in myself for taking positive steps towards my goal.  Whatever it is, I feel better for it.

The moral of the story, children, is don't stop.  These last couple weeks I have felt awful, both physically and mentally.  I've been tired, depressed, angsty, and disappointed in myself.  Those feelings are not worth the extra 20 minutes of laying around in bed or the couple extra chapters in my the book I'm reading.  I'm not saying that down-time is not important.  What I AM saying is that I need to find balance between my down-time and my go-go-go time.  They are both equally important to my health and should be given the time and the attention they each deserve. 

So now that I've worked out, I'm going to eat a healthy breakfast, get some chores done, and then spend some quality time with the kids. If you haven't already, take a look at your calendar this week and see if you can find a 30 minute pocket of time and fit in a workout or two.  I promise you won't regret it.

This cracks me up every time! 

Week #5 Weigh-in

Confession time:  I did not work out once this entire week!  Gasp!  My last work-out was LAST Thursday.  My ankle is healing but still not ready for weight-bearing exercise.  I had a bad food weekend (we had a date night and guests in town), so I tried to get my act together over the last few days.  However, I really need to get back into the habit of daily exercise.  Exercise is what was making me feel better, giving me more energy, causing positive changes in my body.  So this week, while I will try to be better about eating healthy foods, I will also re-focus and bring exercise back into it. 

This is the end of the first week of a new month for me, so I'm going to post the difference between my beginning numbers and my current numbers. 

 

This last week I lost 1 lb, lost 1/2 an inch around my chest, and 1/2 an inch around my hips, nothing around my waist.  While I'm still moving forward, which is important, I'm not making the progress I had hoped for and I know exactly why.  This is not one of those times were I worked my butt off and still only lost 1 pound and am left dumbfounded.  I know EXACTLY why these numbers are the way they are.  I got out of it what I put into it, simple as that.  

 

To that end, I am once again resetting myself.  My life seems to be nothing more than attempts and adjustments.  But I figure as long as I never stop making those little adjustments based on experience and lessons learned that eventually my life will be pointed in the direction I've always hoped for.   This week I will be specific regarding my expectations for myself, so I have real, doable goals to work towards.

This week's goals:

1) Drink at least 64 oz of  water a day.

2) Continue working on cutting out Diet Coke- I'm going to aim for no more than 2 servings for the entire week.

3) Make healthier food choices at each meal.

4) Get AT LEAST 3 solid workouts in.

I am promising myself, because I deserve it, that I will accomplish these 4 goals this week.  And I bet you anything that next week I will have much more pride in the numbers I present.  

“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.”

 -Henry Ford

 (BTW, I trust Henry Ford's opinion.  He was the guy who forgot to put a reverse gear in the first car he made.)

 

 “You get what you give. What you put into things is what you get out of them.” 

-Jennifer Lopez