Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Journey

This is from my journals during my weight loss journey.

I began my weight loss journey on January 12, 2009. I had reached a point where a size 16 was getting too small for me and I looked like I was six months pregnant. My heaviest weight was 178 and I began in January at 174. I didn’t even weigh that much when I was pregnant with any of my children. It was horrible to look in the mirror and see what I had become. When I shopped for clothes I just wanted to cry because nothing fit and I looked horrible.

I think what really motivated me was our Wii. Ed and I played the Wii games with our kids and I was so sore from playing. I hadn’t done anything as far as exercise since the summer. After getting the Wii a friend of mine Holly said she had bought the Wii Fit and loved it. Then I purchased the Wii Fit, I played some of the games and I bought the Jillian Michaels Boot Camp game. Ed and I would compete against each other playing the boot camp game and we decided to start working out together. I committed on January 12, 2009 I would get down to my goal weight of 135 before summer. I purchased the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred and began working out 6 days a week. Wow! This was so hard for me to do since I hadn’t worked out in so long. The video has three levels and I started with number one, just 20 minutes a day and I was exhausted. I also cut my calorie intake to 1500 calories a day. I purchased only healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products and I really stay clear of the middle isles of the grocery store since it’s the foods with more calories and the longest shelf dates.

By February, 12, 2009 I was down to 162 pounds and I had lost 12 pounds in four weeks. It’s an awesome feeling to know I could lose that weight. I think one of the most motivating things for me is stepping on my Wii Fit and weighing in and seeing the graph showing where I started and where I am. This has made me push myself even more. The Wii Fit asks where I have been if I haven’t checked in for a couple of days. I have begun to get my self-confidence back and I decided I wanted to try kickboxing. I have always wanted to do kickboxing but just haven’t had the opportunity. I started kickboxing on February 28th and I love it. Its fun and it’s a great work out. I leave the place soaking wet and feeling really good. Kickboxing has also helped me come out of my shell along with exercising. I couldn’t stand to walk in front of people at work, at the mall, at a restaurant or anyplace because I felt like people were staring at me. Now I don’t even find myself thinking about it anymore. I don’t mind going out of the house with my hair pulled up and workout clothes on. I feel good because I know I have accomplished something that day.

My favorite thing about working out is when Ed and I work out together. I enjoy doing activities with Ed and it makes me proud to see him accomplish his goals too. We have cut back on our calories and stopped eating out at unhealthy places. We’ve focused more on eating meals as a family and teaching our kids what foods are good for them and what foods are bad. Our kids eat a lot more fruits and vegetables and we eat meals together. It’s a great feeling when my kids join in to exercise. Dylan walked on the treadmill while I rode a bike and Jordan runs with me too. I feel good that my kids want to work out. I think it’s funny when Avi and Kaden try to do a work out with me and try to use the hand weights. They love working out with me and Kaden just loves to show off. I think people don’t understand what the mental ramifications are on children when they are told they’re fat or lazy. I think they are now being lead by example and are more open to exercise since they are seeing their parent’s example.

Our office started a Biggest Loser Challenge on February 16, 2009 for 8 weeks. Three weeks into the challenge and three weeks from our goal date of April 13, 2009 I had lost another 11.4 pounds.

I am happy and feel like Ed is proud of me for what I have accomplished so far. He’s given me encouraging words and told me how good I look and he pushes me every now and then when he sees me giving up on my workout.

I was asked not to long ago, “How do you stay motivated to eat right and work out 6-days a week?” For me I have made a commitment to write down my goals, break them down into sections and stick with them. Having my goals in writing and checking in once a week to see where I am motivates me more to keep working towards my goals. I don’t cheat on my food and I don’t like to go out anymore because restaurants do not cater to healthy eaters they want you to eat more than the normal portion size and they want you to eat bad foods. Another big reason I am motivated to do this is for my health and for my kids. Both of my grandfathers were diabetic and I know that this is something I might have to deal with in the future. I want to make my exercise and eating habits part of our daily lives so that I can teach my kids the right foods to eat and what foods are not good for them because they will be at risk for diabetes and heart disease when they get older. If they are taught now hopefully they will use what they’ve learned throughout their lives and teach it to their children.

I guess you have to make a decision in your life to keep getting fat or to stop and do something about it. I decided to stop and do something about it and I don’t want to go back to the person I was. I love being slimmer and really like the way I feel about myself. All I can hope for his my family keeps working out with me and enjoys being healthy and active throughout their lives.



May 13, 2009

I am now exactly four months into my weight loss journey and I am down to 140 pounds. This is 34 pounds less then my starting weight of 174! I am five pounds from my weight loss goal. These last ten pounds have been very difficult to lose but I am sticking to my guns and keeping up with my 6 days of workouts. I have changed my workouts now to Jillian Michaels Banish Fat Boost Metabolism workout along with my Muay Thai kickboxing class.

I can’t even begin to tell you how good I feel not only about my new appearance on the outside but the way I feel on the inside. I’m no longer self-conscious when I leave my house. I don’t feel like people are staring at me because I am fat. I feel stronger mentally and I’m no longer depressed about my life.

I run into people at the store or out and they don’t even recognize me anymore because of my weight loss. It makes me happy and sad and I wonder what was I thinking and why did it take me so long to do something. It also saddens me to see people who are overweight and knowing they too probably wish they could lose the weight but for some reason their brain has just given up and their self-esteem is so bad they can’t even find the motivation to change their habits. I want to help any of my friends and family by motivating them to make the change and give them words of encouragement when I see changes or see their effort to make a change in their life. It’s all about educating yourself about portion sizes and stop drinking sugary and fat drinks. Use all the willpower you are currently using in unhealthy ways and focus on using it in healthy ways.

Also I won our Biggest Loser 2nd Round Challenge. My beginning weight at the 2nd challenge start was 146 and my final weigh in I was down to 139. I lost 7 pounds on the second challenge but a total of 24 throughout both challenges. Having support at work has helped a lot and with everyone here working on their weight loss goals it’s made things much easier.


June 25, 2009

I’ve reached my goal!!! Actually I made it to 133 pounds and a total weight loss of 45 pounds! I’m still working out 4 days a week, kickboxing 2 days and watching my calorie intake. No pop, no caffeine, no junk foods. I do cheat every now and then and my weakness is Mexican food. I am currently reading Jillian Michaels book Master Your Metabolism. This book is fantastic and I have learned so much about harmful additives in foods, sodium, hormones, and much more. I also purchased the Eat This Not That newest book. I love, love, love this book! Even Jordan my oldest daughter likes to read this book and she’s learned a lot. My family rocks! I have had a lot of great support and encouragement throughout the last 6 months. There was a little doubt in the beginning but as they saw my persistence they jumped on the wagon and began believing this can be done. There is no magic cure, not DIET in the world that can help you lose weight its all mind over matter and discipline. If you are fed up with how you feel or the way you look, get off the couch and start busting butt. It’s fun once you get started and start seeing a difference.

THANK YOU ALL MY FRIENDS & FAMILY FOR BEING SUCH GREAT SUPPORTERS!!!! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

2 comments:

  1. Just a month or so ago...this was my day:

    Mornings would be fine...granola cereal and milk or oatmeal. Lunch might even be ok. But the afternoon sweet craving would start and last the rest of the day, usually being appeased with cookies, candy, or whatever. The day would usually end with a late night binge of cookies or brownie batter...and I'm talking a binge...three bowls after the kids went to bed.

    The addiction was strong, but I had so little motivation to change it. I love my brownie batter and the alone time binging. But I hate what it does to me. I think about food all the time. What sweets can I eat next? Maybe I'll stop for a donut...milkshake...cookie. When will Tod leave for work and the kids go to bed so that I can have my alone time and eat.

    Sometimes there is a hole in us caused by past hurts that we try to fill with food or some other addiction. God is the only one that can truly fill the hole...and heal it. But with all the healing I've been through with Him in recent years, I wondered...why all the overeating.

    I've realized that I only want to eat healthy or excerise if I'm motivated to do it. But sometimes the motivation isn't there, but the brownie batter is. When the brownie batter is sitting there, I just don't care if I look bad or if I lose weight.

    I realized that I'm sort of like a spoiled brat...i want what i want when I want it. No wisdom, no self-restraint.

    Being "healthy" always translated to being boring, but in recent years I've started seeing the appeal and the high of being healthy in my mind, body, and soul. So....I've started trying to have self-control, exercise a little wisdom.

    As I grow older, the pounds will be harder to lose and will come with other health risks. But honestly, looking good and losing weight is a secondary goal. I like not being controlled by food. To go to a restaurant and not get dessert. To pass by the bakery and not buy a donut.

    Sometimes, when I'm hungry, I might even just feel it for a few minutes before acting. The empty feeling used to be so scary...have rush to fill it. But I can actually sit there and just experience it without falling apart.

    I still slip up sometimes, but most of the time, I either don't eat dessert, or can actually be satisfied with a few bites. I used to not even want a bite unless I knew I could binge on it.

    I typed most of this stuff the other night and then lost it somehow before it posted, so sorry if the wording is not as put-together as it was the first time.

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  2. For a while when I first started the Skinny Mom Challenge, no one really seemed to post, and I don't really find it motivating (for some reason) to communicate with strangers.

    So I started emailing my sister, a girl from church, Amanda Goff (my sis-in-law), and later included a friend of hers. I would email them almost every day. We were all trying to eat better and exercise. We'd report on how much water we drank, how we were doing on personal eating goals, and how much exercise we did.

    We'd encourage each other and give tips. But I emailed more than the rest, which was fine...kept me motivated. Then a friend came into town, threw me off my schedule, stopped walking, and have only emailed a few times since. I have been doing well on my walking, eating, and mostly on my water-intake. I need to start the emails up again. They seemed to help...me and them, even if I was the only one emailing most of the time, it seemed to encourage them.

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