Well count down to Christmas is just 3 days now and my kids are near crazed with excitement! I confess I've had a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit this year. With David working the two jobs we almost never get to see him anymore, and with every penny we make going to paying off debt we're not doing as much giving this year as we normally do.
But getting this close to the big day and seeing my children's joy in the holiday is starting to kindle a little bit of the spirit in my own heart. Children are such a joy and a blessing and their sweet innocence never fails to amaze me. I'm so grateful for the three children I've been given.
Thank you everyone for your notes and emails last week. I so appreciate your friendship and support during times like these. So first the good news! Getting under 200 lbs seems to have been the magic feather to me. I've ovulated all three months that I've kept my weight in the 190's. This has been one of the major barriers to me getting pregnant so I know you'll understand my joy in this. However a new problem has presented itself and it is still extremely unlikely that David and I will be able to conceive without further medical intervention. I ask for your continued prayers and support that this problem will resolve itself quickly and that I will be able to keep losing weight in the meantime!
This week I am hovering at 195. I'm not expecting a loss this week frankly, with it being Christmas, but I would like to maintain so that's my goal this week. I've lost 30 lbs to date and am very happy with that. I had my appointment with my weight loss specialist last week and I lost another percentage of body fat and 9 lbs during the last month. He was very happy with my progress so hopefully we can lose another 9 lbs this month. :-)
I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas, or a merry holiday of choice. I love you all!
Monday, December 22, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
Daisy Grace
First with the official business. I weighed in at 194.5 this morning. That's down three lbs from last week. I don't why. I didn't follow my diet this week and I didn't exercise really. I think it's God's way of making this week easier on me.
Today is the anniversary of my daugter's due date. She was due one year ago today. It's hard for me to write about but it helps me to talk about her. Here is an excerpt from my journal:
"Today is the first anniversary of Daisy's due date. It's strange how time just keeps moving on, passing you by almost unrecognized. It seems like it was just July and I was spending the day remembering the day she left us. That day is almost easier. It's a tangible day, a tangible grief. It's the day she died and I can grieve for her, for the end of my pregnancy, for the moments I held her little body, for the loss.
The due date is harder for me. It's about what could have been. It's about the 1 year old who isn't running around my house. It's about the little blonde-headed girl who isn't blowing out her candles. It's about what I don't have. It's about the loss of a dream. And every month that passes without me being pregnant seems to make that loss more poignant.
Sometimes I wonder if I've already held my last baby, if I've already passed those precious milestones that turn a baby into a toddler into a preschooler for the last time. Did I treasure them enough? Of course not. I was planning on doing it 4 or 5 more times. Such big plans I had for myself and my family.
How was I to know that God had His own plan for me?
Now there's this bitterness in me that I hate. It boils up when I see a pregnant woman, or someone holding their newborn. It spews forth when my sisters get pregnant or my friends announce their news. It eats me up while I sit in church and listen to all the babies cry. I hate this angry person who can't even be happy for others because they have what I want. Maybe that's what I need to learn from this experience? Compassion in the face of loss.
This is the pain that keeps on giving. This is the wound that won't heal, it's ripped open over and over. It keeps sluggishly bleeding, draining me of hope.
Daisy, I miss you. I hope you're not disappointed in me that I'm handling this trial so badly. I miss you everyday. Our family is not complete without you here. I know we'll all be together someday."
Today is the anniversary of my daugter's due date. She was due one year ago today. It's hard for me to write about but it helps me to talk about her. Here is an excerpt from my journal:
"Today is the first anniversary of Daisy's due date. It's strange how time just keeps moving on, passing you by almost unrecognized. It seems like it was just July and I was spending the day remembering the day she left us. That day is almost easier. It's a tangible day, a tangible grief. It's the day she died and I can grieve for her, for the end of my pregnancy, for the moments I held her little body, for the loss.
The due date is harder for me. It's about what could have been. It's about the 1 year old who isn't running around my house. It's about the little blonde-headed girl who isn't blowing out her candles. It's about what I don't have. It's about the loss of a dream. And every month that passes without me being pregnant seems to make that loss more poignant.
Sometimes I wonder if I've already held my last baby, if I've already passed those precious milestones that turn a baby into a toddler into a preschooler for the last time. Did I treasure them enough? Of course not. I was planning on doing it 4 or 5 more times. Such big plans I had for myself and my family.
How was I to know that God had His own plan for me?
Now there's this bitterness in me that I hate. It boils up when I see a pregnant woman, or someone holding their newborn. It spews forth when my sisters get pregnant or my friends announce their news. It eats me up while I sit in church and listen to all the babies cry. I hate this angry person who can't even be happy for others because they have what I want. Maybe that's what I need to learn from this experience? Compassion in the face of loss.
This is the pain that keeps on giving. This is the wound that won't heal, it's ripped open over and over. It keeps sluggishly bleeding, draining me of hope.
Daisy, I miss you. I hope you're not disappointed in me that I'm handling this trial so badly. I miss you everyday. Our family is not complete without you here. I know we'll all be together someday."
Monday, December 8, 2008
No change
I'm still 197.5 this week, just like last week. So my body has reacted to this diet the same way it reacts to all of them: great weight loss the first week and then nothing. Sometimes I wonder if I lined up 8 different diets and then rotated through them each week for two months if I could have some sustained weight loss. I have an appointment with my weight loss doctor next week so I guess I'll wait and see what he has to say. I love you all and hope you have a good week.
Oh, by the way, if you're wondering what to get that woman in your life for Christmas you might want to check out this blog for ideas.
www.salsacrafts.blogspot.com
She has some great stuff for great prices. Make sure to scroll through older posts to see everything. I especially love the "Ho Ho Ho" blocks.
Oh, by the way, if you're wondering what to get that woman in your life for Christmas you might want to check out this blog for ideas.
www.salsacrafts.blogspot.com
She has some great stuff for great prices. Make sure to scroll through older posts to see everything. I especially love the "Ho Ho Ho" blocks.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Thanksgiving
I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Our Thanksgiving was great, very quiet and simple. We were very happy to have my family over on Thursday and then Papa and Grammy over on Friday. I cooked a wonderful meal (if I do say so myself) and didn't worry about my weight all day long. That was the best present I could have given myself. So all in all, considering how much I ate that day, I'm proud to report that my weight this morning was 197.5. I only gained 1 lb over the Thanksgiving weekend and I know it could have been much worse.
So now starts the Christmas season. Cookies, candies, parties, and treats. I'm going to have to be very careful if I want to keep losing this month. When I was a member of Weight Watchers they had a saying I liked. "The Holidays are 4 days not 4 months!" I am taking some days off of course, David's company Christmas party especially! Cheryl always cooks for it and I look forward to it all year long. Yum-o.
Anyway, I'm buckling down again now. Started lifting weights again and hitting the workouts. If my doctor is right I should be able to lose most of the weight in 2 months so let's get started!
Love ya all and Merry Christmas!
So now starts the Christmas season. Cookies, candies, parties, and treats. I'm going to have to be very careful if I want to keep losing this month. When I was a member of Weight Watchers they had a saying I liked. "The Holidays are 4 days not 4 months!" I am taking some days off of course, David's company Christmas party especially! Cheryl always cooks for it and I look forward to it all year long. Yum-o.
Anyway, I'm buckling down again now. Started lifting weights again and hitting the workouts. If my doctor is right I should be able to lose most of the weight in 2 months so let's get started!
Love ya all and Merry Christmas!
Monday, November 24, 2008
Hope
Last Thursday I had a Dr.'s appointment. Actually two of them. One with my Family doctor to go over all my lab results, and one with the weight loss specialist in their office. All of my labs are within normal ranges which is good, though some of the numbers are higher than I like them to be. I asked my doctor to up my dosage of metformin to 1600 mg and he agreed. And unlike starting at 1000 mg, moving up to 1600 has had no adverse side-effects.
Then I went to meet with the weight loss specialist. I've put off this appt several times. Every time I try to talk to a doctor about losing weight they tell me the same thing.."Eat less, Exercise more." This usually after I tell them that I'm eating 1500 calories a day and exercising 6 days a week! Then if I press the point they usually tell me that I must be lying about how much I'm eating. GRRRR. So I didn't have high hopes for this appointment.
Well the guy who ran my appt was awesome! I say "guy" instead of "man" because he was maybe 22 years old. He listened to what I told him about my current routine and then told me he wouldn't change any of my exercise because I was doing everything right but he did want to tweak my diet a little. Then he ran a metabolic and body composition scan. This tells you exactly the number of calories you specifically burn and also your percentage of fat to lean muscle.
Well it turns out that my percentage of body fat is 35%, ideal is 18-25%, so mine is actually pretty good. He told me he had never seen a woman who weighs as much as me have that low a percentage of body fat. It's usually closer to 50%. He told me if I had 10 more lbs of lean muscle they would put me in the same category as female body builders! Also because I have so much muscle and muscle weighs more than fat he changed my goal weight. All this time I've listed 150 as my goal weight but he told me that 170 is my goal now! So I lost 20 lbs just at that appt! :-)
After seeing the results of the scan he said he thinks my biggest problem is I'm not getting enough protein in my diet to support all that muscle. He gave me a program that involves 2 meal replacement shakes a day, combined with snacks of fruit & veggies. And then one meal that's heavy on lean meats and vegetables. He wanted me on the shakes because he said it would be easier to keep track of the calories I'm eating and at the end of one month we'll know exactly what's going on.
So I've been on the program for 3 complete days now, I was 203 on the morning of the first day and this morning when I woke up I was.........................
196.5!
I lost 6.5 lbs in just the three days I've been on it. Plus I've had more energy, I spend more time full and less time hungry, I don't crave carbs at all anymore, and I've been sleeping like a baby! HALLELUJAH! Something is finally working and I'm so happy. I have hope again for the first time in months.
So with the change in my goal weight I now only have 26.5 lbs to lose. Seems so much more manageable to me than 50 lbs. Everyone say a little prayer for me that I will be able to stay on the program and not cheat.
I am however taking the day of Thanksgiving off! Have a happy Turkey Day everyone! I'm so thankful for each one of you being in my life!
Then I went to meet with the weight loss specialist. I've put off this appt several times. Every time I try to talk to a doctor about losing weight they tell me the same thing.."Eat less, Exercise more." This usually after I tell them that I'm eating 1500 calories a day and exercising 6 days a week! Then if I press the point they usually tell me that I must be lying about how much I'm eating. GRRRR. So I didn't have high hopes for this appointment.
Well the guy who ran my appt was awesome! I say "guy" instead of "man" because he was maybe 22 years old. He listened to what I told him about my current routine and then told me he wouldn't change any of my exercise because I was doing everything right but he did want to tweak my diet a little. Then he ran a metabolic and body composition scan. This tells you exactly the number of calories you specifically burn and also your percentage of fat to lean muscle.
Well it turns out that my percentage of body fat is 35%, ideal is 18-25%, so mine is actually pretty good. He told me he had never seen a woman who weighs as much as me have that low a percentage of body fat. It's usually closer to 50%. He told me if I had 10 more lbs of lean muscle they would put me in the same category as female body builders! Also because I have so much muscle and muscle weighs more than fat he changed my goal weight. All this time I've listed 150 as my goal weight but he told me that 170 is my goal now! So I lost 20 lbs just at that appt! :-)
After seeing the results of the scan he said he thinks my biggest problem is I'm not getting enough protein in my diet to support all that muscle. He gave me a program that involves 2 meal replacement shakes a day, combined with snacks of fruit & veggies. And then one meal that's heavy on lean meats and vegetables. He wanted me on the shakes because he said it would be easier to keep track of the calories I'm eating and at the end of one month we'll know exactly what's going on.
So I've been on the program for 3 complete days now, I was 203 on the morning of the first day and this morning when I woke up I was.........................
196.5!
I lost 6.5 lbs in just the three days I've been on it. Plus I've had more energy, I spend more time full and less time hungry, I don't crave carbs at all anymore, and I've been sleeping like a baby! HALLELUJAH! Something is finally working and I'm so happy. I have hope again for the first time in months.
So with the change in my goal weight I now only have 26.5 lbs to lose. Seems so much more manageable to me than 50 lbs. Everyone say a little prayer for me that I will be able to stay on the program and not cheat.
I am however taking the day of Thanksgiving off! Have a happy Turkey Day everyone! I'm so thankful for each one of you being in my life!
Created by MyFitnessPal - Free Diet Journal
Monday, November 17, 2008
The Finish Line
This last Saturday I finally checked something off my "to-do" list. I ran in my first 5K. I was very nervous because I've been so sick the last couple of weeks but I knew if I kept putting it off I would never do it. So I decided Friday night that I was going to run (in large part because my family decided to come cheer me on).
I got to the race Saturday morning and registered and got my number. I stretched and tried to stay calm. There were a lot of seriously scary runners there. I felt intimidated just stretching next to some of those people.
My goal was honestly just to finish the dumb race but in the back of my mind I really wanted to run the whole thing. Not walk at all. I'd never run longer than 20 minutes though.
Here's my before picture...you can tell it's the before because I'm still looking pretty good. :-)
This is me looking less happy 3 miles into the race.
This is the finish line and me looking overjoyed because I got to stop running.
And finally this is me crying all over David's shoulder because in the end I was able to run the whole thing. All 40 minutes and 3.2 miles.
Sadly but not real surprising I did not lose weight this week. In fact after the race I gained 2 lbs. Just my luck. So I'm hovering at 203-204 and can't seem to budge. I have an appt this week with my doctor to try and come up with a game plan. We'll see how that goes. I hope everyone will set a goal this week, something you think you could never do. Have a great week.
I got to the race Saturday morning and registered and got my number. I stretched and tried to stay calm. There were a lot of seriously scary runners there. I felt intimidated just stretching next to some of those people.
My goal was honestly just to finish the dumb race but in the back of my mind I really wanted to run the whole thing. Not walk at all. I'd never run longer than 20 minutes though.
Here's my before picture...you can tell it's the before because I'm still looking pretty good. :-)
This is me looking less happy 3 miles into the race.
This is the finish line and me looking overjoyed because I got to stop running.
And finally this is me crying all over David's shoulder because in the end I was able to run the whole thing. All 40 minutes and 3.2 miles.
Sadly but not real surprising I did not lose weight this week. In fact after the race I gained 2 lbs. Just my luck. So I'm hovering at 203-204 and can't seem to budge. I have an appt this week with my doctor to try and come up with a game plan. We'll see how that goes. I hope everyone will set a goal this week, something you think you could never do. Have a great week.
Monday, November 10, 2008
The Side Effects of Met
So I have some good news this week. I've been asking my OB to put me on a medication called metformin for a long time. It's actually a diabetic drug but it has has a lot of success helping women with PCOS manage their symptoms and lose weight. But my Ob has always been more concerned about helping me get pregnant again, rather than treating my PCOS. So last week I made an appointment to see my family doctor and he had no problem prescribing the medication for me. Without getting too technical, metformin helps with insulin resistance.
Now the bad news. 50% of women who take met will have no side effects at all, and about 25% of women will have low-moderate side effects, and 25% of women will have extreme side effects.
Does anyone want to take a guess as to what group I fall into?
I have been taking this medication for 3 days now, the majority of which I have been in my bathroom having an overly-friendly relationship with my toilet. When I'm not in there I am nauseous and have horrible headaches, not to mention the fatigue and stomach cramps. Part of me this morning was considering if lying on the floor and dying wouldn't be a better option than taking my morning dose. I will adjust to the medication, most women will have no symptoms at all after 2-3 weeks.
That's right...2-3 WEEKS! So 3 days of complete misery down, only 18 days to go. If any of you who live close to me want to drive over here and shoot me I'd appreciate it.
On the bright side I've lost 5 lbs in 3 days. You can guess how.
Now the bad news. 50% of women who take met will have no side effects at all, and about 25% of women will have low-moderate side effects, and 25% of women will have extreme side effects.
Does anyone want to take a guess as to what group I fall into?
I have been taking this medication for 3 days now, the majority of which I have been in my bathroom having an overly-friendly relationship with my toilet. When I'm not in there I am nauseous and have horrible headaches, not to mention the fatigue and stomach cramps. Part of me this morning was considering if lying on the floor and dying wouldn't be a better option than taking my morning dose. I will adjust to the medication, most women will have no symptoms at all after 2-3 weeks.
That's right...2-3 WEEKS! So 3 days of complete misery down, only 18 days to go. If any of you who live close to me want to drive over here and shoot me I'd appreciate it.
On the bright side I've lost 5 lbs in 3 days. You can guess how.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Trudging, Trudging
That's all it feels like I'm doing lately. I can't shake this cold I've had for about 3 months (I suspect it comes from working in the nursery). I've been very cold lately too so I wonder if my thyroid is acting up again. Anyway, I was 203 again this week. Sigh. Trudging, trudging.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Halloween Party
Hello Everyone! Sorry for the delay in posting this week. Monday was my annual Halloween Party and I was running around like the proverbial chicken for the last week. For those of you who live too far away to come to my spectacular party I will say this, it is waaaay too much work! I spend about 4 solid days coming up with all Halloween themed food and decorations. Here's a couple samples of my work.
From the top: Celery Mummies, Mummy Toes, Monster Toes, Mini Mummies, Witch's Hats, Bloody ears and Skeleton Bones.
So obviously, since I have no self-control and I was baking all week I gained another 2 lbs this week. :-) This is the one week where it doesn't really bother me because I know I deserved this gain.
Anyway, I started running again last week and I was surprised how easy it was to pick it up again. The date for my 5k is officially set for Nov 15th and I'm training hard. My goal has always been to run the whole thing without any walking. Yesterday I ran my best time yet, I managed to run for about 22 minutes before stopping. I'm at a 12 minute mile right now so I'll need to either run longer or faster. :-) Maybe both.
Hopefully this week will be a bit better than the last 2 and we can start seeing some 100's on the scale again!
From the top: Celery Mummies, Mummy Toes, Monster Toes, Mini Mummies, Witch's Hats, Bloody ears and Skeleton Bones.
So obviously, since I have no self-control and I was baking all week I gained another 2 lbs this week. :-) This is the one week where it doesn't really bother me because I know I deserved this gain.
Anyway, I started running again last week and I was surprised how easy it was to pick it up again. The date for my 5k is officially set for Nov 15th and I'm training hard. My goal has always been to run the whole thing without any walking. Yesterday I ran my best time yet, I managed to run for about 22 minutes before stopping. I'm at a 12 minute mile right now so I'll need to either run longer or faster. :-) Maybe both.
Hopefully this week will be a bit better than the last 2 and we can start seeing some 100's on the scale again!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Emotional Eating
My week was long. That's about the best I can say about it. I'm at 201 this morning so I gained 2 lbs this week. David started his second job so he's gone in the evening now. I've always had a problem with emotional eating and it really flared up this week. I found myself eating late at night, something I haven't done in months and months. I'm also having a hard time finding time to exercise with the new schedule our family is on. I'd really appreciate it if everyone would say a prayer for me this week, help me to get back on track.
Monday, October 13, 2008
ONE-DERLAND!
That's right! This morning......
199!
We have crossed the threshold into the 100's. I can't even describe the emotion when you first see that 1 on the scale after...well....a really long time. We still have a long way to go, but let's all take a second to relax, celebrate, and enjoy a bit of treadmill dancing.
199!
We have crossed the threshold into the 100's. I can't even describe the emotion when you first see that 1 on the scale after...well....a really long time. We still have a long way to go, but let's all take a second to relax, celebrate, and enjoy a bit of treadmill dancing.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Old Navy
All right I didn't make 199 this week like I wanted to. In fact when I weighed myself this morning I was still 201 just like last week. However I am super happy this week anyway! Want to know why?
My mom and Christy and I went shopping this weekend. We were out celebrating Christy's 20th birthday and we went to Old Navy in Casa Grande. Now I haven't tried on any clothes since I started to lose the weight. I told David that I wouldn't buy anymore clothes until I didn't have to buy plus-sized clothes anymore. I was terrified I still wouldn't fit into normal sized pants. But Christy wanted me to try some jeans on with her so I went to the back of the rack and grabbed the biggest size they had, an 18. And then I thoughy, well I've lost a lot of inches around my hips, so I grabbed a 16 too. Just in case.
We went to the dressing room and I decided to try on the 18's first. I pulled them on and buttoned them and they were HUGE on me! :) I was so excited to think that I not only was in normal sized clothes but that I wasn't even the biggest size. So, I pulled on the 16's and guess what? They were too big for me too!
That's right...I am in size 14 jeans! I was doing a little happy dance right there in the dressing room, much to the amusement of the teenage boy who was working there. Here's a pic.
I had to mess with the color so you could even see the jeans. We took the picture last night and it was a little too dark. But still...here I am in Old Navy clothes. I haven't worn jeans in over 2 years. I am super excited.
This week I want to thank Grandma and Grandpa Mace for sending in their pledge and my sister for making me try on clothes, and my mom for buying me 2 shirts to go with my new jeans. That's it for this week. Love ya all!
My mom and Christy and I went shopping this weekend. We were out celebrating Christy's 20th birthday and we went to Old Navy in Casa Grande. Now I haven't tried on any clothes since I started to lose the weight. I told David that I wouldn't buy anymore clothes until I didn't have to buy plus-sized clothes anymore. I was terrified I still wouldn't fit into normal sized pants. But Christy wanted me to try some jeans on with her so I went to the back of the rack and grabbed the biggest size they had, an 18. And then I thoughy, well I've lost a lot of inches around my hips, so I grabbed a 16 too. Just in case.
We went to the dressing room and I decided to try on the 18's first. I pulled them on and buttoned them and they were HUGE on me! :) I was so excited to think that I not only was in normal sized clothes but that I wasn't even the biggest size. So, I pulled on the 16's and guess what? They were too big for me too!
That's right...I am in size 14 jeans! I was doing a little happy dance right there in the dressing room, much to the amusement of the teenage boy who was working there. Here's a pic.
I had to mess with the color so you could even see the jeans. We took the picture last night and it was a little too dark. But still...here I am in Old Navy clothes. I haven't worn jeans in over 2 years. I am super excited.
This week I want to thank Grandma and Grandpa Mace for sending in their pledge and my sister for making me try on clothes, and my mom for buying me 2 shirts to go with my new jeans. That's it for this week. Love ya all!
Monday, September 29, 2008
So Close!
Oh I am so close that I can practically taste it. This morning I weighed in at 201! Just 2 lbs away from that 199. On one hand I can't believe I'm so close to no longer being 200 lbs and on the other hand I can't believe how long it's taken me to get here! Oh well, no use crying over spilled milk.
I've been at 203 for so long (over a month now) that I was almost in shock as I stood on the scale this morning. Let's all cross our fingers that it wasn't some kind of bizarre aberration! I'm attributing the loss to the garage sale we had this weekend. Although I basically ate junk all weekend I also was carrying couches and huge boxes around too. I guess the exercise outweighed the food this week.
So now I'm up to 24 lbs lost, I'm desperately hoping to be under 200 when I post next week. I also measured myself for the first time in a month or so and I was down 4 inches from the last time I measured and down 29 inches from the beginning! That's over 2 feet...wow.
I want to thank Bill & Cheryl for sending in their pledge this week, and David R. I will be calling to cash in on those free babysitting nights! :-)
If I get under 200 this week I will definitely post a photo next week. Hope everyone has a wonderful week.
I've been at 203 for so long (over a month now) that I was almost in shock as I stood on the scale this morning. Let's all cross our fingers that it wasn't some kind of bizarre aberration! I'm attributing the loss to the garage sale we had this weekend. Although I basically ate junk all weekend I also was carrying couches and huge boxes around too. I guess the exercise outweighed the food this week.
So now I'm up to 24 lbs lost, I'm desperately hoping to be under 200 when I post next week. I also measured myself for the first time in a month or so and I was down 4 inches from the last time I measured and down 29 inches from the beginning! That's over 2 feet...wow.
I want to thank Bill & Cheryl for sending in their pledge this week, and David R. I will be calling to cash in on those free babysitting nights! :-)
If I get under 200 this week I will definitely post a photo next week. Hope everyone has a wonderful week.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Hello Again!
Sorry about the long break there. I had a couple of really strange weeks there, weight-wise. I'm 203 this morning, which is what I was 2 weeks ago the last time I blogged. But in between now and then my weight has been up to 210 and back. I don't know how it's even possible to gain 7 pounds in 1 week; you'd have to eat an extra 25,000 calories! Which I can guarantee you I didn't! :-)
But I'm back down to 203 now and I'm determined to be under 200 lbs in the next week or two. My training has also been off, mainly because of my own stupidity. I read an article that said doing 30 minutes of jumping jacks burns more calories than 30 minutes of running. Well one night when I didn't want to train I decided to try it. What they don't tell you is that it's impossible to do jumping jacks for 30 minutes! I got to about 15 minutes and just couldn't do anymore (mind you this was about 500 jumping jacks). The next day I woke up and my calves were cramped so badly I couldn't walk! I hobbled around the house for 4 days in extreme pain and it took about 7 before I could walk normally again. So I lost a whole week of training. But hopefully we are getting back on track this week.
I want to thank Natalie, Celeste, & Kelleen for sending pledges in. I wish I could say I spent them on something fun but David's paycheck last week was calculated wrong and we didn't get as much as we usually did so I used the money to buy groceries that week. So thank you for feeding us! :-)
I hope everyone has a great week and see you next Monday!
But I'm back down to 203 now and I'm determined to be under 200 lbs in the next week or two. My training has also been off, mainly because of my own stupidity. I read an article that said doing 30 minutes of jumping jacks burns more calories than 30 minutes of running. Well one night when I didn't want to train I decided to try it. What they don't tell you is that it's impossible to do jumping jacks for 30 minutes! I got to about 15 minutes and just couldn't do anymore (mind you this was about 500 jumping jacks). The next day I woke up and my calves were cramped so badly I couldn't walk! I hobbled around the house for 4 days in extreme pain and it took about 7 before I could walk normally again. So I lost a whole week of training. But hopefully we are getting back on track this week.
I want to thank Natalie, Celeste, & Kelleen for sending pledges in. I wish I could say I spent them on something fun but David's paycheck last week was calculated wrong and we didn't get as much as we usually did so I used the money to buy groceries that week. So thank you for feeding us! :-)
I hope everyone has a great week and see you next Monday!
Monday, September 1, 2008
20 lbs
Well, actually 22 lbs to be exact. That's right this week I reached my first milestone, I'm a quarter of the way to my goal. This morning the scale was at 203.
Obviously I'm thrilled this week with my progress. Thank you everyone for your support during the last couple of months. I know now that with your help and love I can do anything.
I think this is a good time to call in pledges, mainly because I don't have any clothes that fit anymore! :-) When I go running I have to be very careful, otherwise my exercise pants end up around my ankles!
The poll this week wasn't that hard apparently as most of you got it right, walking only burns about 100 calories!
Love you all and have a great week. Maybe next week we can celebrate me hitting that mystical 199!
Obviously I'm thrilled this week with my progress. Thank you everyone for your support during the last couple of months. I know now that with your help and love I can do anything.
I think this is a good time to call in pledges, mainly because I don't have any clothes that fit anymore! :-) When I go running I have to be very careful, otherwise my exercise pants end up around my ankles!
The poll this week wasn't that hard apparently as most of you got it right, walking only burns about 100 calories!
Love you all and have a great week. Maybe next week we can celebrate me hitting that mystical 199!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Good Week
Well I had a very good week. I exercised consistently every day, got in my running and my weight lifting. And ate extremely healthy, though part of that is because I cut out wheat. You'll find if you don't eat wheat there aren't a whole lot of unhealthy foods left! I did really well on the no-gluten diet. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be and I definitely felt better and had more energy this week. But we all know my freaky body isn't super consistent, so I'm going to try it again this week but I'm not getting my hopes up that my results will be as good.
Things are getting exciting in the scale department. This morning I weighed 206 on the dot which is down 4 pounds from last week and is just one pound away from that elusive 20 pounds. Next week should be very exciting if things go well. So we're officially down 19 lbs from the start, and 24 inches!
My race is getting closer and my training is going very well. Tonight I run another practice 3 miles so I'll let you know if my time improves. Thank you Natalie for sending in your pledge! This weeks poll split evenly between 600 & 800 calories for a Super-Sized French Fry. The answer is....600! Don't forget to vote in this week’s poll! Love ya all!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Let them eat cake!
Monday, August 18, 2008
Training
Well I am knee deep in training for my 5K and loving it! It's super hard for me to get up early to run but that's the only way to avoid the insane heat! I'm following the Couch to 5K program, which takes you from doing nothing to running a 5K in 9 weeks. I'm on week 4 and I'm already running for 16 minutes out of my 30 min routine, and up to running for 5 minute blocks at a time. I've never been a runner before so I'm really proud of my progress.
I was 210 when I weighed in this morning, which is 1 lb up from last week. But I've been doing a lot of weight lifting this week so I'm going to think of that pound as pure muscle. :) I need to thank Christy this week, she took me to see a movie as her pledge. We saw Mamma Mia and if you haven't seen it GO NOW! It is hilarious. Also thanks to my mommy. She brought me a present for each of the 5 lbs I lost. Love you Mom!
So this week, to continue the tradition of crazy experimentation, I am trying a gluten (or wheat) free diet. A lot of women with PCOS have a sensitivity to wheat and I suspect I might be one of them. So this week should be interesting. Last night I made a loaf of bread that is made from garbanzo bean flour...it was actually pretty good.
I've roped David into working out with me at night, every night before bed we do 100 crunches and 10 push-ups. David has quickly shown me up by moving on to 15 push-ups, but he still can't do as many crunches as I can. It looks like exercise edged out dieting as the most important for losing weight. This week think about how you can get a little more exercise into your life, nothing big...just baby steps! And don't forget to vote in the new poll.
Have a great week everyone.
I was 210 when I weighed in this morning, which is 1 lb up from last week. But I've been doing a lot of weight lifting this week so I'm going to think of that pound as pure muscle. :) I need to thank Christy this week, she took me to see a movie as her pledge. We saw Mamma Mia and if you haven't seen it GO NOW! It is hilarious. Also thanks to my mommy. She brought me a present for each of the 5 lbs I lost. Love you Mom!
So this week, to continue the tradition of crazy experimentation, I am trying a gluten (or wheat) free diet. A lot of women with PCOS have a sensitivity to wheat and I suspect I might be one of them. So this week should be interesting. Last night I made a loaf of bread that is made from garbanzo bean flour...it was actually pretty good.
I've roped David into working out with me at night, every night before bed we do 100 crunches and 10 push-ups. David has quickly shown me up by moving on to 15 push-ups, but he still can't do as many crunches as I can. It looks like exercise edged out dieting as the most important for losing weight. This week think about how you can get a little more exercise into your life, nothing big...just baby steps! And don't forget to vote in the new poll.
Have a great week everyone.
Monday, August 11, 2008
I'm back with a new look and a fresh start!
Hello Everyone! Well I ended up taking three weeks off instead of two, and it was just what I needed. A time to refresh my energy, clear my mind, and think about something else than losing weight! Now I am recharged and ready to go. You probably noticed I changed my blog, I want something fresh for the next leg of my journey.
I want to thank everyone who has sent in a pledge, you are all such a wonderful support for me. I also want to thank my newest pledger David Rookhuyzen! David has pledged 2 free babysitting nights once I've lost 20 lbs. That's great motivation for me, thanks David. It's not too late to pledge if you want to, I can use all the encouragement I can get.
Well the 3 weeks off did me good because in that time I hit a huge milestone for me. I am finally under 210! This morning the scale was at :
So altogether that brings me up to 16 lbs lost so far! And it brings that elusive 20 lbs a lot closer, just 4 lbs to go. I'm excited to see the scale continue to go down and my health continue to improve. I've recently taken up running and decided to enter a 5k in September. I'm busy training and this last weekend did my first practice run. I did the course (which is 3 miles) in 45 minutes. My goal is 30 mins so I have 5 weeks to improve my time. I hope everyone who is able will come cheer me on at the finish line as I complete this goal.
15 lbs lost means another pledge comes due, this time from me! I was going to get a haircut, but have decided to keep growing my hair out, so instead I will be getting highlights done.
Thank you everyone for continuing to support my efforts, the healthier I get the more likely David and I will be able to expand our family. We love you all and don't forget to vote in the poll to the right.
I want to thank everyone who has sent in a pledge, you are all such a wonderful support for me. I also want to thank my newest pledger David Rookhuyzen! David has pledged 2 free babysitting nights once I've lost 20 lbs. That's great motivation for me, thanks David. It's not too late to pledge if you want to, I can use all the encouragement I can get.
Well the 3 weeks off did me good because in that time I hit a huge milestone for me. I am finally under 210! This morning the scale was at :
So altogether that brings me up to 16 lbs lost so far! And it brings that elusive 20 lbs a lot closer, just 4 lbs to go. I'm excited to see the scale continue to go down and my health continue to improve. I've recently taken up running and decided to enter a 5k in September. I'm busy training and this last weekend did my first practice run. I did the course (which is 3 miles) in 45 minutes. My goal is 30 mins so I have 5 weeks to improve my time. I hope everyone who is able will come cheer me on at the finish line as I complete this goal.
15 lbs lost means another pledge comes due, this time from me! I was going to get a haircut, but have decided to keep growing my hair out, so instead I will be getting highlights done.
Thank you everyone for continuing to support my efforts, the healthier I get the more likely David and I will be able to expand our family. We love you all and don't forget to vote in the poll to the right.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Cleansing
Good morning everyone. This week was kind of strange, the first half of the week I was very sick and the second half I decided to a cleanse. So my normal routines were very off. After a 3 day fast my weight this morning was 211. I was very excited to see the numbers go down though there is a possibility that some of that we'll come back as I slowly begin eating again. I'm working on keeping it off by easing back into my food routine. Today and tomorrow I'm only eating raw fruits and veggies, then slowly adding in nuts, dairy, and meat will be last of all. I'm really focusing on eating a whole foods diet and avoiding anything processed.
I haven't been exercising while sick or fasting so I'll be starting that up this week. I'll probably begin with some slow walks and work myself back into my routine.
I have to tell you all that after all this time I'm really getting tired of trying to lose weight. Especially since it's not working very well. I'm really starting to get burned out. So I'm offiicially taking the next 2 weeks off. I will not be weighing myself every morning or writing down everything I eat, I won't be counting calories or calculating carbs. This is not to say that I'm jumping off the wagon. I fully intend to eat healthy and exercise, I just will not be focusing on losing weight. I'd like to spend some time focusing on my spiritual life and my family.
Thanks you all for your support, I will be posting again 2 weeks from now.
I haven't been exercising while sick or fasting so I'll be starting that up this week. I'll probably begin with some slow walks and work myself back into my routine.
I have to tell you all that after all this time I'm really getting tired of trying to lose weight. Especially since it's not working very well. I'm really starting to get burned out. So I'm offiicially taking the next 2 weeks off. I will not be weighing myself every morning or writing down everything I eat, I won't be counting calories or calculating carbs. This is not to say that I'm jumping off the wagon. I fully intend to eat healthy and exercise, I just will not be focusing on losing weight. I'd like to spend some time focusing on my spiritual life and my family.
Thanks you all for your support, I will be posting again 2 weeks from now.
Monday, July 14, 2008
A very busy week
Hello everyone. This has been a very hectic week for me. We had visitors for the week (Mom and Blondie we had an awesome time!) I also started a summer day camp for about 10 children 3 times a week. We had Daisy's birthday and also my brother Erich's birthday, both of which I made cakes for, and we spoke in church yesterday. So sometime in there I had to write a talk.
With a week that hectic I was relieved to get on the scale this morning and see my old friend 215 lbs. Being an emotional eater, I was afraid the stress this week would make me fall off the wagon! But we got through. I also figured out that I made a mistake a couple weeks ago when I was figuring out my daily calorie allowance. I had accidentally written down the wrong number so I've been eating almost 800 calories fewer than I'm supposed to be! This is most likely the reason I'm not losing any weight right now, my body thinks we're starving and is hanging onto the weight as hard as possible. So this week my plan is to eat more! :) How many people get to say that?
Anyway, I'll post pictures of the cakes I made this week. Thank you everyone who prayed for me and kept me in your thoughts on Wednesday. I know that your prayers were answered for me on that very difficult day. Also thank you to those of you who called, it meant so much to me.
With a week that hectic I was relieved to get on the scale this morning and see my old friend 215 lbs. Being an emotional eater, I was afraid the stress this week would make me fall off the wagon! But we got through. I also figured out that I made a mistake a couple weeks ago when I was figuring out my daily calorie allowance. I had accidentally written down the wrong number so I've been eating almost 800 calories fewer than I'm supposed to be! This is most likely the reason I'm not losing any weight right now, my body thinks we're starving and is hanging onto the weight as hard as possible. So this week my plan is to eat more! :) How many people get to say that?
Anyway, I'll post pictures of the cakes I made this week. Thank you everyone who prayed for me and kept me in your thoughts on Wednesday. I know that your prayers were answered for me on that very difficult day. Also thank you to those of you who called, it meant so much to me.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
3 Months in Review
Well I've been doing this for three months now. And as of yesterday I was 214 lbs which is 11 lbs lost total. Obviously I would have preferred to have lost more weight but I've also lost 20 inches and I think it's obvious, looking at the pictures above, that I'm getting healthier and slimmer. I've also established great habits of exercise and healthy eating that will be part of my life forever. And I'm not giving up, hopefully the next three month will be easier!
Tomorrow is Daisy's birthday. David and I will be spending some time at the temple and in the evening we will have a birthday cake and a balloon ceremony to remember our little girl.
Monday, June 30, 2008
215 lbs
You know I was very excited to reach 215 lbs, but I'm starting to get very tired of seeing it on my scale. Losing 10 lbs was really nice, but it would be nice to move on to 12 or 15. I did lose 2 inches this week so at least there's that.
It was a busy week with Emma's birthday and all. We had a blast celebrating with her and I made her a very cool cake (if I say so myself). Here's a picture, and yes it is a cake!
Also I got several requests for a picture of me in my new dress, so here it is. Check out my new shoes. :)
All right. Next Wednesday is my daughter Daisy's birthday. She's the reason that I'm putting in all this effort to get healthy. She was sent to me to help me become a better person, a better wife, and a better mom. I'm dedicating this week's weight loss to her. I would appreciate everyone's thoughts and prayers as my family goes through this and next week.
Love you all.
It was a busy week with Emma's birthday and all. We had a blast celebrating with her and I made her a very cool cake (if I say so myself). Here's a picture, and yes it is a cake!
Also I got several requests for a picture of me in my new dress, so here it is. Check out my new shoes. :)
All right. Next Wednesday is my daughter Daisy's birthday. She's the reason that I'm putting in all this effort to get healthy. She was sent to me to help me become a better person, a better wife, and a better mom. I'm dedicating this week's weight loss to her. I would appreciate everyone's thoughts and prayers as my family goes through this and next week.
Love you all.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Size 14
We spent this last weekend in Flagstaff visiting some friends who were in town for a couple of days. We had a great time in the 80 degree weather! We visited Lowell Observatory, rode the ski lift at Snowbowl, and took the kids to the Flagstaff mall to play. While they were playing I wandered over to JC Penny and the dress above caught my eye. I wanted to try it on but when I looked through the rack the biggest size they had was a 14. I was upset because I'm usually a size 18, but I thought I would try it on anyway. And it fit. I am now a size 14! I've dropped 2 dress sizes along with those 10 lbs. I was so excited that I had to have the dress, and David also bought me new shoes to wear with it.
This morning the scale was back at 215. So I lost 3 lbs this week and that got me back to a total of 10 lbs lost so far. I also lost 2.5 inches this week, which brings me to a total of 17.5 inches so far. I feel really good about where I am right now, slow and steady weight loss and the inches are coming off!
Tip for the week. When you eat or drink something look at the label for the serving size. What you might think is one serving may actually me 2 or 3! Love you all!
Monday, June 16, 2008
Blah
That pretty much describes this week. I was a little under the weather and pretty much just burnt out on the whole weight loss thing. I took the week off, and tried to be aware of what I was eating without obsessing about it and also didn't really exercise. So pretty much as expected I gained weight this week. Just 2 lbs so I'm not worried. I really needed a break and now I'm feeling much better about it. My new goal is to lose 10 lbs by July 9th. That's just over 3 weeks so about 3 lbs a week. That's a little high but I would really like to have lost 20 lbs by then. We'll give it our best shot. I've been taking the kids to the pool every morning so if we count that as exercise (very light exercise) I'm up to 3 hours of exercise a day! It's kind of addictive once you get used to it. My food of the week is string cheese, low win fat and high in protein! Make sure you're reading labels so you know what's in the food your eating. Love you all, have a great week!
Monday, June 9, 2008
Double Digits & Reflexology
Good morning everyone! It is a good morning because today the almighty scale read 214.8, which means it's official. I'VE LOST 10 LBS! I'm into double digit weight loss and couldn't be more excited! I'm also down 2 more inches this week which puts me at 15.5 inches lost total! I was thrilled while exercising yesterday because my workout pants kept slipping down while I was kick boxing, so I think I've gone down a size. It's so amazing to watch my body change and get stronger. Poor David, he's probably tired of me asking him to feel my biceps! :)
Speaking of David, he was sweet enough to upgrade my pedicure pledge to a full hour of reflexology! (Which is massage for the hands and feet). It was wonderful and so relaxing. And speaking of pledges we've knocked out 2 more this week. Christy and I will get to go see a movie together. And Mom, it's time for that massage! Also thank you Natalie and Celeste for sending your pledges, it looks like I'll be putting them towards new exercise clothes!
I want you all to know how much I appreciate your support. It's so easy to fall off the wagon, but knowing that I get to come to you every week and tell you how I'm doing really motivates me to keep going, even when it's hard. This is the 8th week that I've been doing this and I can honestly say that I look forward each Monday to getting on and updating, (especially now that I'm losing consistently)!
Everyone have a great week and try to drink more water! Especially you Arizonans-it's getting hot!
Speaking of David, he was sweet enough to upgrade my pedicure pledge to a full hour of reflexology! (Which is massage for the hands and feet). It was wonderful and so relaxing. And speaking of pledges we've knocked out 2 more this week. Christy and I will get to go see a movie together. And Mom, it's time for that massage! Also thank you Natalie and Celeste for sending your pledges, it looks like I'll be putting them towards new exercise clothes!
I want you all to know how much I appreciate your support. It's so easy to fall off the wagon, but knowing that I get to come to you every week and tell you how I'm doing really motivates me to keep going, even when it's hard. This is the 8th week that I've been doing this and I can honestly say that I look forward each Monday to getting on and updating, (especially now that I'm losing consistently)!
Everyone have a great week and try to drink more water! Especially you Arizonans-it's getting hot!
Monday, June 2, 2008
Camping and Losing Weight
I've decided that camping is a great thing to do while you're losing weight. You're eating all fresh prepared foods, with no McDonald's around the corner, you're getting plenty of sunshine and fresh air. And even if you don't go hiking or anything you are still bumping up your level of fitness by gathering wood for the fire, setting up your tent, taking your kids to gather pinecones, ect. We spent the weekend camping up on the Rim and it was beautiful! Thanks to the Rookhuyzen family I got to sleep in a heated trailer at night, enjoy the pine trees during the day, eat some really good food, and lose 2 more pounds and 2 more inches!
My new official weight is 217 which is 8 lbs total lost so far and just 2 lbs away from the 10 lb mark! I'm excited to see 217 on the scale because in the past I've tended to plateau at 219. Just think, if I keep losing weight at the 2 lb a week rate I will be under 210 in just 4 weeks and under 200 in 8! Whoa! I guess I'll have to camping a couple more times in that period. :)
I thought that this week I would introduce you all to the newest member of the Drorbaugh family. She's a girl, her name is Lucy and she is 8 and a half pounds. She's our new Beagle puppy. We've had her for about 2 weeks now and she's settling into our family great! The kids and I absolutely love her and David will like her more once I finally get her house trained.
Here's a picture of Lucy enjoying her first camping trip. I hope you all have a great week and I hope that next week we can call celebrate me saying "goodbye" to my first 10 lbs!
My new official weight is 217 which is 8 lbs total lost so far and just 2 lbs away from the 10 lb mark! I'm excited to see 217 on the scale because in the past I've tended to plateau at 219. Just think, if I keep losing weight at the 2 lb a week rate I will be under 210 in just 4 weeks and under 200 in 8! Whoa! I guess I'll have to camping a couple more times in that period. :)
I thought that this week I would introduce you all to the newest member of the Drorbaugh family. She's a girl, her name is Lucy and she is 8 and a half pounds. She's our new Beagle puppy. We've had her for about 2 weeks now and she's settling into our family great! The kids and I absolutely love her and David will like her more once I finally get her house trained.
Here's a picture of Lucy enjoying her first camping trip. I hope you all have a great week and I hope that next week we can call celebrate me saying "goodbye" to my first 10 lbs!
Monday, May 26, 2008
6 Weeks and Counting
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Well at the end of 6 weeks of hard work I am at 219. I lost another half pound this week and brought my total weight loss to 6 lbs. I also lost another 6 inches this week which brings me up to 12 inches lost total. I didn't expect to lose much this week, given the large loss last week. I've also been doing a lot of strength training and trying to build up my muscle base. Here's a fun fact for you, most of you know that muscle weighs more than fat, but did you know that the more muscle you have the more calories you burn when you're doing nothing at all. I'm all for that!
I bumped up my carb intake this week, I think I've been undereating slightly for how much exercise I've been doing. And I'm doing a lot of research into insulin resistant diets, which recommend a high carb (healthy carbs) and low fat diet. I'll be moving closer to getting refined sugar out and more fruits in.
Since it's been 6 weeks since we all started I think this might be a good time for an offcial tally.. For those of you who pledged by the pound we are going with an official 6 lbs lost. I think I'll be getting a massage with the pledges so far. :) I sure could use it with all this weight lifting. I hope you enjoy the new pics and can see the difference, I can sure feel it!
Monday, May 19, 2008
WOO-HOO
Half the time I don't understand what's going on with my crazy body and this was definitely one of those weeks! However, this time it was working for me instead of against me. Yes, that's right--I lost weight this week. Not only did I lose weight but I lost 5 lbs! I took a picture of the scale so everyone could share in my joy at being under 220!
As you can see I am 219.5 this week (I round to the nearest half pound to make calculation more easy). Which means I have lost 5.5 lbs total and I've also reached my first goal! I will be collecting a pedicure from David this week!
Why the dramatic difference? I can't be sure but I did make some changes this week. I changed up my exercise routine (thank you Lindsay for this tip). Instead of my exercise bike I took the kids for a ride in our bike trailer. If you've never pulled 80 lbs of kids behind a bike in a stiff wind...that's the way to burn calories! I also switched from 5 to 8 lb weights for my nightly lifting. As far as food is concerned I cut down on the amount of refined sugar I've been eating and upped my protein intake. I think it worked. :)
I'm so excited to see results. The cherry on top is that I also lost 6 inches this week! Including more than 1 inch off each thigh! I just bought a new exercise DVD called Turbo Jam so I'll be working that into my routine this week. Eating healthy and loving life. Here's to never being 220 again!
As you can see I am 219.5 this week (I round to the nearest half pound to make calculation more easy). Which means I have lost 5.5 lbs total and I've also reached my first goal! I will be collecting a pedicure from David this week!
Why the dramatic difference? I can't be sure but I did make some changes this week. I changed up my exercise routine (thank you Lindsay for this tip). Instead of my exercise bike I took the kids for a ride in our bike trailer. If you've never pulled 80 lbs of kids behind a bike in a stiff wind...that's the way to burn calories! I also switched from 5 to 8 lb weights for my nightly lifting. As far as food is concerned I cut down on the amount of refined sugar I've been eating and upped my protein intake. I think it worked. :)
I'm so excited to see results. The cherry on top is that I also lost 6 inches this week! Including more than 1 inch off each thigh! I just bought a new exercise DVD called Turbo Jam so I'll be working that into my routine this week. Eating healthy and loving life. Here's to never being 220 again!
Monday, May 12, 2008
10 Things I Love About My Body
1. Smelling the Daisies David brought me this week.
2. Kisses
3. Hearing Emma sing the mother's day song in Sacrament.
4. My hands
5. My neck
6. How it heals itself every time I cut myself with a knife.
7. Being able to see my beautiful children.
8. That achy feeling in my muscles after I lift weights.
9. Tasting new foods for the first time.
10. My eyes.
1 thing I hate about my body. It's inability to lose weight no matter what I do. After a perfect week of eating healthy and exercising over an hour each day this morning the scale showed a pound and a half gain. That's right, after a month of trying so hard my weight is 224.5! Bringing my weight loss for the month to half a pound.
I don't think I need to tell you how upset and discouraged I am. I don't know how I could be trying any harder than I am now. I started this with such high hopes 4 weeks ago and it's hard now to feel that the hour and a half I log on my bike everyday isn't just a waste of time.
I'll be adding a daily food log to the right hand side of the page, so you all can see what I'm eating. I guess in a way I feel the need to prove to everyone that I really am trying. I don't know if I'll ever lose this weight, and I don't know if I'll ever get pregnant again. What I do know is that I tried my hardest. I'm eating healthy and I'm exercising.
What else can I do?
2. Kisses
3. Hearing Emma sing the mother's day song in Sacrament.
4. My hands
5. My neck
6. How it heals itself every time I cut myself with a knife.
7. Being able to see my beautiful children.
8. That achy feeling in my muscles after I lift weights.
9. Tasting new foods for the first time.
10. My eyes.
1 thing I hate about my body. It's inability to lose weight no matter what I do. After a perfect week of eating healthy and exercising over an hour each day this morning the scale showed a pound and a half gain. That's right, after a month of trying so hard my weight is 224.5! Bringing my weight loss for the month to half a pound.
I don't think I need to tell you how upset and discouraged I am. I don't know how I could be trying any harder than I am now. I started this with such high hopes 4 weeks ago and it's hard now to feel that the hour and a half I log on my bike everyday isn't just a waste of time.
I'll be adding a daily food log to the right hand side of the page, so you all can see what I'm eating. I guess in a way I feel the need to prove to everyone that I really am trying. I don't know if I'll ever lose this weight, and I don't know if I'll ever get pregnant again. What I do know is that I tried my hardest. I'm eating healthy and I'm exercising.
What else can I do?
Monday, May 5, 2008
Car Trip + Tired Kids = Emotional Eating
There's nothing to describe the experience of being in a car with 2 small children for 13 hours. It would drive any one to drink..or in my case to a box of oatmeal creme pies. Which I might point out I don't even like! I've always been an emotional eater and it's more then choosing to eat something bad or to eat something good. How many times have you seen an overweight person at a fast food restaurant and thought something like this, "If they didn't eat so many french fries, they wouldn't be so fat!" If losing weight was as simple as choosing to eat one food over another don't you think everyone would be thin? Who would choose to stay in a situation that makes them so unhappy? It's true that the basic science of weight loss is burning more calories then you eat, but the reality is much more complicated.
Emotional eaters eat to make themselves feel better about something, which in turn makes them feel guilty about their weight and self-control, which in turn drives them to eat more so they can feel better. The key to breaking this cycle for me is to find something that will make me feel better without turning to food. A lot of people will use exercise for this but I place exercise more in the "necessary evil" category then in the "reward" section. Any ideas? What do you do when you are upset to make yourself feel better?
Well, I didn't do great in Utah. But I didn't do badly either. I was at 223 this morning which is up 1 pound from last week. But thinking about all the junk I ate yesterday on the way home I'm just happy it wasn't more. I'm thrilled to be home and back to my routine. Back with my exercise bike and my kitchen where I feel more in control. I'm not beating myself up about the mistakes of yesterday but instead am recommitting myself to this week's effort. I thankful for all of you who are following my progress and really appreciate your support.
Emotional eaters eat to make themselves feel better about something, which in turn makes them feel guilty about their weight and self-control, which in turn drives them to eat more so they can feel better. The key to breaking this cycle for me is to find something that will make me feel better without turning to food. A lot of people will use exercise for this but I place exercise more in the "necessary evil" category then in the "reward" section. Any ideas? What do you do when you are upset to make yourself feel better?
Well, I didn't do great in Utah. But I didn't do badly either. I was at 223 this morning which is up 1 pound from last week. But thinking about all the junk I ate yesterday on the way home I'm just happy it wasn't more. I'm thrilled to be home and back to my routine. Back with my exercise bike and my kitchen where I feel more in control. I'm not beating myself up about the mistakes of yesterday but instead am recommitting myself to this week's effort. I thankful for all of you who are following my progress and really appreciate your support.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Why I hate PCOS...
Well, from the title you probably guessed that this week did not go as well as last week. I did lose half a pound bringing my weight to 222, and my weight loss to 3 lbs. But it's definitely not the results I would have preferred. This is why I've had so many problems in the past with losing weight. It's so discouraging to eat well and exercise all week long and not see results on the scale.
PCOS can effect your metabolism and also make you insulin resistant. It can effect the way your body handles the sugar and fat you eat. Not much is known yet about this process and doctors don't have much advice yet on the best way to solve this problem. I've been doing a lot of research on the issue because I want to make sure my diet is as healthy as possible while still allowing me to lose weight. There's some evidence that a low-carb diet similar to a diabetic's diet will help women with PCOS. So I might be changing how I eat (again) in the near future.
This is the point where I try to remember that a healthy lifestyle is about more than losing weight. The exercise and healthy food is still helping me even if the scale didn't budge. That's my mantra for this week.
Special challenge for this week: I'm in Utah on vacation which usually means eating out a lot. So my goal is to eat at home as much as possible. (Special thanks to Celeste who will be cooking dinners for us this week). And when I do eat out to make healthy choices and control my portion sizes. I'm 3 lbs lighter then I was when I started! That's something to celebrate!
PCOS can effect your metabolism and also make you insulin resistant. It can effect the way your body handles the sugar and fat you eat. Not much is known yet about this process and doctors don't have much advice yet on the best way to solve this problem. I've been doing a lot of research on the issue because I want to make sure my diet is as healthy as possible while still allowing me to lose weight. There's some evidence that a low-carb diet similar to a diabetic's diet will help women with PCOS. So I might be changing how I eat (again) in the near future.
This is the point where I try to remember that a healthy lifestyle is about more than losing weight. The exercise and healthy food is still helping me even if the scale didn't budge. That's my mantra for this week.
Special challenge for this week: I'm in Utah on vacation which usually means eating out a lot. So my goal is to eat at home as much as possible. (Special thanks to Celeste who will be cooking dinners for us this week). And when I do eat out to make healthy choices and control my portion sizes. I'm 3 lbs lighter then I was when I started! That's something to celebrate!
Monday, April 21, 2008
The First Lap!
Well I have made it around the track. One week of exercise and healthy eating and I'm happy to report success! I lost 2.5 lbs this week which puts me at 222.5 lbs. I had a panic attack last night thinking about what would happen if I hadn't lost weight, or worse gained some! When I came up with this idea I didn't think about the public humiliation that would follow a bad week! I guess that's just the motivation I need to keep me working hard.
Weight loss is silly. I swear it was pretty easy to put on the weight, so why is it so hard to take it off? Did you know it takes 3500 calories to gain a pound? So in reverse it takes 3500 calories not eaten or burned to lose a pound. That's a lot of calories. I decided I want to burn 3500 calories a week in exercise which is 700 calories a day (Mon-Fri). I didn't think it would be a big deal until I jumped on my exercise bike and started pedaling away. 45 mins later I had only burned 350! Sheesh! So now I'm doing 2 stints a day on my bike...one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Together these burn the 700 calories I need. I've already shaved 5 minutes off my time.
I know I said I'd post a picture each week but honestly it was kind of depressing studying this week's photo and last weeks and deciding that those two pounds apparently came off my feet! So we'll do pictures every 2 weeks or so.
My food of the week is dill pickles! They are 0 points on Weight Watchers, and they satisfy my salty food craving. Thanks to everyone for the support! I love you all. One lap down...23 to go!
Weight loss is silly. I swear it was pretty easy to put on the weight, so why is it so hard to take it off? Did you know it takes 3500 calories to gain a pound? So in reverse it takes 3500 calories not eaten or burned to lose a pound. That's a lot of calories. I decided I want to burn 3500 calories a week in exercise which is 700 calories a day (Mon-Fri). I didn't think it would be a big deal until I jumped on my exercise bike and started pedaling away. 45 mins later I had only burned 350! Sheesh! So now I'm doing 2 stints a day on my bike...one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Together these burn the 700 calories I need. I've already shaved 5 minutes off my time.
I know I said I'd post a picture each week but honestly it was kind of depressing studying this week's photo and last weeks and deciding that those two pounds apparently came off my feet! So we'll do pictures every 2 weeks or so.
My food of the week is dill pickles! They are 0 points on Weight Watchers, and they satisfy my salty food craving. Thanks to everyone for the support! I love you all. One lap down...23 to go!
Monday, April 14, 2008
The Starting Line
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The race is on. My starting weight is 225 and my goal weight is 150. 75 lbs to lose. For the first time starting a weight loss plan I feel hope along with my enthusiasm. I feel humbled by the outpouring of love and support from my family and friends. Not wanting to disappoint all of you is the best motivation I can think of. Thank you to everyone who has pledged and those who've sent me encouragement and advice. Please keep it coming! I'll need all the help I can get over the next few months. Anyone who is still interested in pledging please feel free to email me or post here. Here are my very first pictures! They will also be my "before" pictures at the end of the journey.
My weight loss plan is three-fold: Nutrition, Exercise, & Sleep. As far as nutrition goes I will be following the Weight Watchers Food Plan, I will also be carefully controlling my portion sizes, eating less processed foods, and taking a daily multivitamin. Exercise will involve my brand new exercise bike (I love craigslist!) and my free weights. With a little sliding, swinging, and pretending to be a tiger with my kids. And finally I've always had a problem sleeping which has led to a lot of late eating, so I will be working on keeping a nightly bedtime and shooting for 8 hours of sleep.
Well, what do you think? Opinions, advice, and encouragement is very much welcomed!
Monday, April 7, 2008
Welcome to my journey!
Hello Everyone! Thank you for taking the time to visit. I am about to set off on a journey and I need everyone's help. Many of you will know that in July of last year David and I miscarried our daughter Daisy Grace at 17 weeks. Many of you don't know that following that I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism. Then after trying to get pregnant for several months I was diagnosed with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). Because of these 2 conditions we have been unable to conceive again. I've been put on medication to help but it does not seem to be working yet. My doctor tells me that the best thing I can do to get pregnant again is to lose weight.
Unfortunately both of these disorders make it very difficult to lose weight. Many attempts in the past have failed. But this time the stakes are much higher and so I'm reaching out to all of you to help. I know that with the support, advice, and love of all my friends and family that I can reach my goal.
I'm going to try a new weight loss method called "Sponsor my weight loss" in which family members and friends come together to encourage, motivate, and yes even use bribes to help with weight loss. I will be starting on Monday, April 14. I will weigh myself every monday morning and post my weight loss and a picture for everyone to see.
How can you help? By being a sponsor. There are several ways to do this.
1. You can pick a set dollar amount per pound...for example you can pledge $1 for every pound lost and at the end of 4 weeks I will let you know what the total is. Any amount is welcome whether it is ten dollars or 10 cents.
2. Or you can pick a 5 lb block (lost 5,10,15 lbs) and pledge a reward for reaching that weight. This can be anything you want it to be (as long as it is not food!) like a new outfit, a movie, an exercise DVD or equipment, pedicures, ect. Anything you can think of.
3. You can pledge a service, for example, cleaning, babysitting, cooking, ect.
4. Finally you can give me your love and encouragement, your ideas and recipes, your support and your prayers. Cheer me on. Check my blog often and let me know you are supporting me in this effort.
If you have an idea that is not posted above that's great! Let me know how you want to help. I'm excited about sharing this goal with all of you and know that our combined strength can move mountains. Or even help me lose 80 lbs.
Check back Monday April 14th for my starting weight!
Amy
Unfortunately both of these disorders make it very difficult to lose weight. Many attempts in the past have failed. But this time the stakes are much higher and so I'm reaching out to all of you to help. I know that with the support, advice, and love of all my friends and family that I can reach my goal.
I'm going to try a new weight loss method called "Sponsor my weight loss" in which family members and friends come together to encourage, motivate, and yes even use bribes to help with weight loss. I will be starting on Monday, April 14. I will weigh myself every monday morning and post my weight loss and a picture for everyone to see.
How can you help? By being a sponsor. There are several ways to do this.
1. You can pick a set dollar amount per pound...for example you can pledge $1 for every pound lost and at the end of 4 weeks I will let you know what the total is. Any amount is welcome whether it is ten dollars or 10 cents.
2. Or you can pick a 5 lb block (lost 5,10,15 lbs) and pledge a reward for reaching that weight. This can be anything you want it to be (as long as it is not food!) like a new outfit, a movie, an exercise DVD or equipment, pedicures, ect. Anything you can think of.
3. You can pledge a service, for example, cleaning, babysitting, cooking, ect.
4. Finally you can give me your love and encouragement, your ideas and recipes, your support and your prayers. Cheer me on. Check my blog often and let me know you are supporting me in this effort.
If you have an idea that is not posted above that's great! Let me know how you want to help. I'm excited about sharing this goal with all of you and know that our combined strength can move mountains. Or even help me lose 80 lbs.
Check back Monday April 14th for my starting weight!
Amy
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