Up and Down

The last week I've been up and down emotionally and physically.  Nothing serious or life altering just life in general taking me for a ride.  I added 30 Day Shredd to my exercise plan and ran on a poorer quality treadmill and somewhere in there managed to make both my knees and my left ankle hurt.  That scared me.  What if I get hurt and have to stop exercising?! 

I was so excited to hit 199 and couldn't hardly wait to nail the next few pounds taking me to my next goal.  Then on Sat. and Sunday we ate out.  It was a great weekend, Rebecca was baptised!  Tim's parents took all of us out to eat to a chinese buffet.  I never want to eat at a buffet again.  I feel like I'm wasting money if I don't eat until I'm stuffed.  What a bunch of rot!  It tasted fine but wasn't worth it. 

Monday I walked through most of my cardio and that made me freel frustrated.  When I did run, it hurt. :( So Tuesday I decided to stick with the elliptical.  That didn't hurt!  I was able to do 2+miles without pain.  I left the gym feeling excited. 

Since Tuesdays are Weigh In days I stepped on the scale.  It hadn't budged.  199  What made me so excited last week had me completely bummed and frustrated.  I wanted to blow a raspberry at the scale and punch the wall.  I didn't do either.  So I measured.  Every other time measuring has come through and encouraged me.  I've lost an inch somewhere or other and felt like it was okay, my body was just shifting.  Well, yesterday, not so much.  :(  If I pulled in I could make a half inch difference but that's hardly countable.  So in essence my 5 extra workouts, my dilligence in my food except Sunday (Sat. meal was fine) equalled nothing. 

I am thankful for Sparkpeople.com and for the sparkpeople on there who have friended me.  There were so many kind and encouraging words yesterday.  I knew I was throwing a tantrum but my feelings of disappointment and frustration were real.  I had and have no intention of quitting but I needed to vent.  So I did, and so they encouraged me.  I took a nap, took some time and by evening was in a better state of mind. 

Tim and I talked too.  I can't explain why I didn't lose, but I know that I am still doing the best I can.  He is proud of me.  It's amazing how much that means to me.  My husband and my parents, encouraging words from them just shoot me over the moon. 

I have been taking pictures to chronicle my changes.  I can see slight differences.  I wish I could see major.  I'm a little concerned that while other people see it so clearly, I have to look close.  At least I do see it!!   Also, the size 16s I bought at Goodwill last week that I love, they are baggy by the end of the day.  I'm just so impatient. 

This is week 8 of consecutive exercise.  It feels like forever but when I look at it I can see it both ways.  It's so short a time, and yet such a long time.  Where will I be 8 weeks from now?  I want to see it, I want to know already.  I want to be there. 

I'm hanging on and going to keep going. Perseverance has not been a strong suit of mine in the long term but this is a battle I intend to win, with God's help. 

I'm thankful for today.  Thankful for sunshine and a furnace that works to keep our home warm.  Thankful for Tim's good job that he enjoys.  Thankful for healthy food and the ability to buy it.  Thankful for a workout buddy that keeps coming to get me.  Thankful for lots. 

Six Weeks In

I am six weeks in to the Biggest Loser At Home challenge.  I am 11lbs lighter and 15.5 inches smaller.  I can run over a mile.  I've lifted over 100,000 lbs.  My jeans are too big.  My shirts fit. I had to buy a belt.  I'm getting up at 5 in the morning most weekdays and exercising about an hour each time. 

All of those things I count as successes and I am happy to have conquered them.

Now here's the flipside.  It feels like it is taking forever.   I want more off, faster.  I want to not only participate in this BLAH challenge I want to WIN!  With lots of things I feel no need for competition.  But this is one of those things I most certainly do and to deny it would be to lie.  ($400-600!!!!!)

So what else will it take to help me not only keep going but win?  That I'm not sure.  I'm researching Interval training.  I've already added Strength Training.  ST won't help me drop lbs quickly but will help over the long run and improve the way I look taking me from round and squishy to smaller and tighter.  I am contemplating adding in more exercise.  More workouts.  I've done well up to now with what I'm doing.  I'm really not knocking it! I am just ready for more.  Ready to kick it up a notch.  This is the middle stretch and I have a choice, keep going as I am and possibly plateau or kick it up a notch and pray that it works. 

My diet has been pretty good.  I did have a normal week of blah, you can probably guess which week that would be!  But I'm back on track, Lord willing, to stay.  What can I do there to make it better?  Perhaps reduce carbs and up protein.  My veggie intake is good.  My fat is even ok.  Could be lower, but I'm getting it from healthy sources for the most part.  My water intake is good. 

In a dream world I could have a personal trainer, and a cook, possibly a nutritionist too. But I am not a celebrity, nor do I really want to share the credit for my hard work.  I am doing this, with support from many people but it won't be because someone else took care of the tiny details for me.  Oh, and before you think I'm getting really cocky, I am 100% aware that it is GOD changing me and working in me that has got me this far.  Me, getting up at 5:15 in the morning. . . you don't really think I take credit for that, do you?! lol

November 2009

Feb. 2010

Sara

Week 4 Weigh In for BLAH

This morning was the week 4 weigh in for the BLAH challenge I'm participating in.  I weighed in and an hour later, when I stepped on the scale before going in the shower it had dropped almost another pound!!!  I just laughed.  My week 4 total stands as reported.  202.4  I'm soooo close to 200!! I can hardly wait to break it.

I also measured again this morning.  I'm finding that to be VERY encouraging.  My total inches lost in 4 weeks is 13 inches.  THIRTEEN!!! Three are off my waist, two off my chest, not bust, area.  Tim will be happy it's not melting off my bust the way it usually does.  Although I'm sure it will at some point.  My thigh dropped a couple of inches too, and I know there is more, stronger muscle there than there was 4 weeks ago. 

This morning I decided to get on the treadmill and stick with it for my entire 30 minutes.  I made it to 2 miles in 30 minutes and just a few seconds!! Then I walked to cool down for another five minutes and went .25 of a mile.  I'm excited to have made it jogging/running for 2 miles without stopping! That is exciting. 

I'm reading the book The ABS Diet.  My friend Tiffany recommended it.  The copy I'm reading is so written for men it's not even funny.  There is one out for women now.  I want to check that out as the references to increasing testosterone, etc. just doesn't appeal to me! LOL

I am thankful that today is not my marker for the Pedicure.  Even with the extra near pound before my shower I would've missed by .4 of a pound.  THAT is just not happening. lol  I am going to earn that pedicure and hopefully get to the SPA pedicure too.  I need to go to just under 201 to earn the Spa pedicure.  I have two workout days to make it.  I think I can do it! 

Another positive result for today was that one of the new bras I picked up a few weeks ago while shopping with Tim now fits!! I bought a couple with smaller band or cup sizes while they were $8.  This new one is a pretty one.  :)  So now I have two decent ones to wear!!

On a weird note, I can not find one of my sports bras and I'm also missing a pair of jeans.  Where on earth could they be?  The laundry is caught up. They aren't on the floor under the bed or on the floor of the closet.   That makes 2 pairs of jeans missing.  No one else wears close to my size so where could they be? Odd.  I'm hoping they show up.

That's it for now.