Weigh in Wednesday

Hey there friends!

Well I hope your holidays were filled with lots of love and fun!

Mine sure were! (and we also had a white Christmas!)

Well its weigh in time again and my current weight today is...

249

So over the crazy week of traveling and Christmas sweets I gained a pound.

I know that my plan was to do yoga while I was out of town but to be honest I didn't do any. I really enjoyed spending time with my family and just getting to cuddle with my nephews and just relaxing was reakky nice.

But now im back on track.

And ready to start back up on working out.

This upcoming new year is going to be a successful year!

I just know it!

Weigh-in Tuesday and my rockin Christmas plans!

Merry Christmas, friends!

And my current weight is….248!!!

That’s right! You did read that number correctly! I have officially lost 10% of my goal weight!!! And I must say that it feels soo great!! So now I'm even more motivated to keep it off with this up coming week of Christmas!!

I love the Christmas season! I love  everything about it it!! I love getting to spend so much time with my family and getting to go to a Christmas Eve service,!

But I also love the Christmas season for the food.

In the past I have completely given myself to the desserts and the hearty food.

This Christmas is going to be different for me.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I will still enjoy the foods of the season- just in moderation this time.

If (or more like when) desserts present themselves to me I will pick one and have a small piece.

I will continue to count my calories and write in my food journal.

So what else do I have in store for Christmas, you ask?? Well, I shall tell you!

I am going to do some P90X yoga while I am away from our gym. I have been doing it lately and my body has been really sore, which tells me I am doing something right J (BTW- the longer workout on one cardio machine has really worked for me this past week!)

I have been pretty nervous about this upcoming Christmas season just because I know all the sweets and the delicious food that will be presented to me.  This is one of the hardest times for me because there are things to eat everywhere!!! In the past I have fallen into the temptations of pecan turtles, chocolate fudge, cheesecake, cookies and basically anything sweet. But, with the right mindset and lots and lots of people rooting for me (and watching me!) I will not give into the same temptations that I have in the past.

I am stronger than that.

I refuse to eat all the weight I have lost and be stuck back at square one again!

I am asking for prayers for strength and perseverance. I am so thankful for all of you and your encouragement.

I hope you all have a blessed Christmas!

Weigh in Wenesday!

Hello friends.

Well…..

It is Weigh-in Wednesday and my current weight is….

252 lbs.

 So, in the last 4 days I have lost a pound (since I weighed in on Saturday of last week).

Iwas a little discouraged when I stepped on the scale this morning and saw that number.

Don’t get me wrong- I still lost weight (which is a victory!) but I can’t help but feel like I should be losing more than this each week.

So after brainstorming about things I can do differently, here are a couple of plans I have moving forward:

1. Continue using my food journal. I really like being able to look back during the day and see what I ate and what I need to change. I am hoping to notice patterns that can help me plan for better success. Good thing I have a husband who likes to evaluate data!! J

2. Continue counting calories. This “Lose It” app is awesome, and I only went a little over my daily calories once this week – which is another victory for me!

3. I am going to push myself more when working out. I am going to do yoga every morning (it is P90X yoga, so it is more intense than you could imagine). When at the gym, I am going to do one type of cardio for longer periods of time. This last week I have been doing 20 minutes on the treadmill and then switching between the bike and the elliptical. My new plan is to work at least 45 minutes on one machine. <-------advice from my sweet husband.

4. I am going to choose foods that will fill me up. I am realizing how important it is to use my calories wisely-I only get so many of them, you know??

So…

Another week, another pound lighter---this is a success!

On a side note: Aaron and I were told by the men who work at the Rec that we are their most loyal gym goers!!  I thought this was a huge success!!

Thanks for reading, friends!

Do you have any other helpful tips for me???

Losing it by logging it

Hey Friends!

Recently I have decided that I am going to start keeping a food journal and counting my calories. Keeping up with what I eat has been a struggle for me in the past because when I ate something unhealthy I didn’t want to write it down!! This meant that I never had an accurate record of what I was eating. Also, I am not the most disciplined person you will ever meet (surprise, surprise), so I have trouble making a new habit stick.

With that said, after considering my progress last week, I thought it would be beneficial to start tracking my food again.

There are lots of different studies about the benefits of food journaling. In fact, I read that one study found that adult dieters who kept food journals six days a week lost almost twice as much weight as other dieters who only kept records one day a week or less (http://bit.ly/8pi8CJ).

Here is another article that gives really helpful/practical advice about your food journal. I will summarize for you and discuss how I am applying this info. If you want to check out the full article, you can find it here (http://bit.ly/df818Z ).

8 Steps for Food Diary Success (according to Elaine Magee)

1. Know your reasons.

*Stated previously-I have to lose weight. This method seems to result in more success, so I am giving it my all.

2. Choose your format.

*I have two different things I am doing to track my eating. One: I have an actual journal that I carry with me in my purse. When I am out and about I will use it to keep track of everything. So here is a photo of my own food journal (please don’t pay attention to my spelling…I have trouble without a spell-checkJ). 

*Two: I have started using this App called “Lose It!” It tracks my calories and what I am allotted everyday based on my height and weight and how many pounds I would like to lose. It also has a database of restaurants and it has a barcode scanner so if I am eating an energy bar I can just scan the barcode and it will come up and input how many calories it is. This app is awesome! Aaron has also been using it and that has been so encouraging to me because having him do it with me makes it a lot easier for me to keep up with it. This is a screen shot of the Lose It! app.

3. Decide how often to update.

*I will update my journal after I eat each meal (or snack)-this way I will not “forget” to add something later.

4. Decide how detailed you want to be.

*I will write everything down. I have to write everything down. I can’t be a casual food journalist!!

5. Be accurate about portion sizes.  

*I will measure stuff. I will do math to figure this out (blah!). I will pay attention to serving size when keeping my journal.

6. Include the “extras” that add up.

*Sigh. I will write down that handful of candy, or that butter I put on something. I will realize that it all counts.

7. Beware of common obstacles.

*I will write everything down, even when I am embarrassed. I will believe that it is possible for me to lose this weight. I will do it, even if it is inconvenient. I will keep going.

8. Review what you wrote. 

*I will be looking for patterns that have resulted in success or failure. I will celebrate my victories and refocus after my mistakes.

Ok. This is my plan.

Thank you all so much for reading my blog, for encouraging me, and for praying for me through this tough journey!

It means so much to me to know that people are pulling for me to succeed!

Weigh-in Wednesday (even though its saturday)

Hi Friends!

Well its Weigh in Wednesday (yes i know I am posting this on Saturday sorry!)

Weight: 253

Yes you read that right! I have lost 3 pounds this week!

I feel good.

I know that I have a long way to go but its a starting place!

YAY! Victory for me!

What have been your victories this week??

Obstacle #1

Hello all! Well I have entered into my first big obstacle on my journey. After getting back from Illinois I was fine but the next day my back started hurting very badly. Aaron and I took a day off from working out at the gym and I tried some yoga to work out my muscles.

It still hurt.

The next day it was worse. I basically laid on the floor all day taking meds. When Aaron got home we decided to power through and go to the gym and see if working out might make it feel better.

It didn’t.

That night it got worse and I ended up sleeping on the floor because the bed hurt my back too much. The next morning it still hurt, so Aaron and I went to Kroger to get a heating pad and some back medication. I had my back on the heating pad for about 3 hours; it started feeling a little better. But when I woke up the next morning it still hurt.

And it still hurts tonight.

I know that this is Satan trying to stop me and discourage me from losing this weight. Honestly, after those really painful nights (when it was almost unbearable,) I started questioning what I was doing and if I even had enough faith to continue.

Once again, I started believing all the lies that got me into this situation.

After many prayers (and back-pain medication!) I have decided that this is just something I am going to power through. I am not going to give up just because of back pain and because I’m tired. I have worked very hard during the last month and I am not going to throw it out the window.

I am discouraged….but the Lord has big plans for me..

So I press on.

Back pain and all.

I will be stronger because of this.

Thank you for listening.