Today I did my work out and finally completed an entire video. Since I've started I've managed to get through 30 minutes of it, but can't seem to get through the last 10 minutes. Today, I finally did it. I did have to take breaks throughout the video (again, I don't feel so bad because so do the incredibly fit people in the video), but I made it through to the end. My knees hurt and my ankle hurts, but I always feel better after a work out, even if I'm in pain. I'm proud of myself and can tell that I'm improving. My stamina anyway.
I got on the scale this morning and had gained one pound. I know that one pound could be just water weight. I'm actually telling myself that I gained muscle and muscle weighs more than fat. It's still a bummer though to get on that scale and see the number go up instead of down. So I've decided not to do that anymore.
I have decided not to measure my success by how much I weigh. I've seen a picture of girl who gained 10lbs and looked thinner because she gained 10lbs of muscle. As tempting as it is to get on the scale and see it going down, it is too much of a let down if it doesn't. So, from now on, I want to measure my success by how feel, look, and how my clothes fit. If my clothes are looser than I will know that I am heading in the right direction.
That being said, I did not eat the way I should have this week. For most of the day I would. I'd eat a bowl of healthy cereal for breakfast and then apples or Greek yogurt for snack and a Lean Cuisine for lunch. Then we would have tacos and chips with cheese dip for dinner. This coming week and following weeks, it's going to get real though. Matt is going to be traveling for a long while, so during the week I'm going to be eating a lot of grilled chicken. Salads, vegetables, and all sorts of healthy stuff. One small problem I have with Matt home is that he does not really like chicken. He would rather have beef. But now he'll be gone and I'm going to eat good. When he does come home, well, he's just going to have to suffer through some chicken for a few nights until he leaves again. I wish that I could do fish as well, but I live in middle Georgia. There isn't exactly fresh fish in the supermarkets here. I'm going to have to explore other options though, because I know I'll get sick of chicken too.
Exercise wise, I have done great. Since Sunday I have worked out everyday except yesterday. Today should have been my off day, but I took yesterday. Tomorrow I won't be doing a video, but Matt and I are taking the kids to Tallulah Gorge and hiking to the falls. It's about a mile to a mile and half walk, so we should get a couple miles in tomorrow.
I'm really going to work harder on the eating next week. Since the exercise is coming so easily, I really hope that I can put more of my will towards eating the right food.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
My Other Motivation...Money
In my first post I talked about what my motivation is for losing weight and getting in shape. I completely forgot about a major motivation this year and that is money. Why would I get money for getting in shape? Let me explain.
I work at an orthopedic clinic. Most doctors are health conscious and usually eat right and work out. The doctors I work for are no different. Except that they also want their employees to eat right and work out. It's as if they care. They started out by paying for the entire office to have a gym membership at the Omni in Athens. The membership was optional, of course, but who wouldn't take them up on that? Some people, I'm sure, did take them up on it and then never went to the gym. Last year they paid for Corey Little (a nutritionist, also mentioned in my first post) to come in and try and help us change the way we eat. I think that it did help some people, but I was not one of them. This year they are trying something different. Every employee has what is called an HSA or Health Savings Account. Our company puts a certain amount of money in it each year, and we can use it to pay for medical related things, like doctor visits and prescriptions. This year they have decided that they don't want to just give it to us, they want us to work for it. By becoming healthier and living better. At the start of the year, they put about a third of what we normally receive in the account. In order to earn more, we will have to meet certain goals.
No one has specific goals that they have to meet. They didn't say, you need to lose 10lbs to get to the next level. We are in a program called Virgin Health Miles. This program has a points system. Everyone will receive a pedometer, that we can download directly to this website. It will keep track of how many steps we take each day and can earn points that way. We can also enter when we exercise and earn points that way. We will also earn points by having our blood pressure, weight and body fat measured. Every time they improve, points are earned. So many points gets you to the next level and more money in your HSA.
I'm hoping that having all of these different motivations for getting healthier and in shape will really push me to work hard for it. I have worked out four days this week and plan on working out tomorrow as well. I did eat much better today. Tomorrow I'm starting my millionth try at giving up coke and caffeine. I have a headache just thinking about it, but it has to be done. I'm trying to imagine what it will be like to post before and after pictures and be truly proud of the after pictures. My friend Jenny is also on a mission to get in better shape, so maybe a reward for us can be a trip to the beach where we lay around in bikinis all day, once we meet our goals. I'm looking forward to that day!
I work at an orthopedic clinic. Most doctors are health conscious and usually eat right and work out. The doctors I work for are no different. Except that they also want their employees to eat right and work out. It's as if they care. They started out by paying for the entire office to have a gym membership at the Omni in Athens. The membership was optional, of course, but who wouldn't take them up on that? Some people, I'm sure, did take them up on it and then never went to the gym. Last year they paid for Corey Little (a nutritionist, also mentioned in my first post) to come in and try and help us change the way we eat. I think that it did help some people, but I was not one of them. This year they are trying something different. Every employee has what is called an HSA or Health Savings Account. Our company puts a certain amount of money in it each year, and we can use it to pay for medical related things, like doctor visits and prescriptions. This year they have decided that they don't want to just give it to us, they want us to work for it. By becoming healthier and living better. At the start of the year, they put about a third of what we normally receive in the account. In order to earn more, we will have to meet certain goals.
No one has specific goals that they have to meet. They didn't say, you need to lose 10lbs to get to the next level. We are in a program called Virgin Health Miles. This program has a points system. Everyone will receive a pedometer, that we can download directly to this website. It will keep track of how many steps we take each day and can earn points that way. We can also enter when we exercise and earn points that way. We will also earn points by having our blood pressure, weight and body fat measured. Every time they improve, points are earned. So many points gets you to the next level and more money in your HSA.
I'm hoping that having all of these different motivations for getting healthier and in shape will really push me to work hard for it. I have worked out four days this week and plan on working out tomorrow as well. I did eat much better today. Tomorrow I'm starting my millionth try at giving up coke and caffeine. I have a headache just thinking about it, but it has to be done. I'm trying to imagine what it will be like to post before and after pictures and be truly proud of the after pictures. My friend Jenny is also on a mission to get in better shape, so maybe a reward for us can be a trip to the beach where we lay around in bikinis all day, once we meet our goals. I'm looking forward to that day!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Day 2...
Yesterday was the start of the new year. I did manage to work out and I ate OK. Not great, but not that bad either. Today for breakfast I had a Greek yogurt and then ate horrible for lunch because I was starving. Taquitos and cheese dip. Now I feel bad for eating it. I'm not going to beat myself up, but I need to learn not to do that. I do plan on working out this afternoon and have a healthy dinner planned, so hopefully that will even things out.
I love before and after photos and stories like these. To me they are really inspiring and motivational. Plus, I look at these people who have lost over 100lbs and I think, "If they can do that, I should be able to lose 20-30lbs". They've worked so hard and stayed with it, for a much longer period of time than I'm going to need. Some of them took over a year to lose the weight, but they stuck with it and continue to keep it off. That is incredible to me. I've seen a few people on facebook recently talking about certain diets and I've seen commercials for pills that will take the weight off and that is not the route that I want to take. I want to do this the right way and make a complete lifestyle change. Something that I will stick with and maintain for the rest of my life. I don't want to do another fad diet (like Atkins) that may take the weight off quickly, but the food plan is really impossible to stick with for the rest of your life. And I don't want to take pills either. I've done that as well. One pill I did take earlier this year, helped me lose some weight, but it had more caffeine than a pot of coffee. I had heart palpitations when I took it. I'd rather not die of a heart attack, just to lose some weight.
This is going to be a hard change with food. Surprisingly, exercise is coming easy and I actually look forward to it. But food is an addiction for me. I think about food all the time, which is silly. I think about what I'm going to eat for breakfast when I wake up, what I'm going to eat for lunch when I'm done with breakfast and what I'm going to make for dinner once lunch is over. It's ridiculous. Sometimes I really want to eat healthy, and I know that I'll feel better if I do, but I still go for the bad food. Like I'm going to miss something if I don't have it. And then I feel like a fatass afterward for eating it. It's really a terrible cycle that needs to stop. I have to start planning ahead and being prepared for breakfast and lunch. And I need to eat what I've got instead of going out and choosing something bad.
I'm going to be searching for easy and healthy recipes and I will share them on here. The good ones anyway. I'll try steer you away from anything that is gross or terrible. My hardest thing will be avoiding cheese and sweets. If I didn't want those two things all the time, I'd probably be tiny. My friend, Jen, doesn't even like cheese. I've told her she's a freak of nature and I'm not sure I could actually be friends with someone who doesn't like cheese. Honestly, I'm a little jealous. It would be nice to not even want it. I'm a picky eater, but it seems to be healthy foods I don't like, like onions or tomatoes (by themselves, give me salsa or spaghetti sauce anytime). Sweets too. I have another friend who's boyfriend doesn't really like sweets. He could have one chocolate chip cookie and that would be enough chocolate for him for a month. I could eat an entire sleeve of Chips Ahoy and still want more. I don't plan on denying myself sweets or cheese, but I need to learn moderation.
I've got a long road ahead as far as food is concerned. I don't think that I should try and change every single habit all at once, I'm more likely to fail that way. If any of you know of any good, healthy recipes please send me a link.
I love before and after photos and stories like these. To me they are really inspiring and motivational. Plus, I look at these people who have lost over 100lbs and I think, "If they can do that, I should be able to lose 20-30lbs". They've worked so hard and stayed with it, for a much longer period of time than I'm going to need. Some of them took over a year to lose the weight, but they stuck with it and continue to keep it off. That is incredible to me. I've seen a few people on facebook recently talking about certain diets and I've seen commercials for pills that will take the weight off and that is not the route that I want to take. I want to do this the right way and make a complete lifestyle change. Something that I will stick with and maintain for the rest of my life. I don't want to do another fad diet (like Atkins) that may take the weight off quickly, but the food plan is really impossible to stick with for the rest of your life. And I don't want to take pills either. I've done that as well. One pill I did take earlier this year, helped me lose some weight, but it had more caffeine than a pot of coffee. I had heart palpitations when I took it. I'd rather not die of a heart attack, just to lose some weight.
Me with Thomas
Me with Morgan
This is going to be a hard change with food. Surprisingly, exercise is coming easy and I actually look forward to it. But food is an addiction for me. I think about food all the time, which is silly. I think about what I'm going to eat for breakfast when I wake up, what I'm going to eat for lunch when I'm done with breakfast and what I'm going to make for dinner once lunch is over. It's ridiculous. Sometimes I really want to eat healthy, and I know that I'll feel better if I do, but I still go for the bad food. Like I'm going to miss something if I don't have it. And then I feel like a fatass afterward for eating it. It's really a terrible cycle that needs to stop. I have to start planning ahead and being prepared for breakfast and lunch. And I need to eat what I've got instead of going out and choosing something bad.
I'm going to be searching for easy and healthy recipes and I will share them on here. The good ones anyway. I'll try steer you away from anything that is gross or terrible. My hardest thing will be avoiding cheese and sweets. If I didn't want those two things all the time, I'd probably be tiny. My friend, Jen, doesn't even like cheese. I've told her she's a freak of nature and I'm not sure I could actually be friends with someone who doesn't like cheese. Honestly, I'm a little jealous. It would be nice to not even want it. I'm a picky eater, but it seems to be healthy foods I don't like, like onions or tomatoes (by themselves, give me salsa or spaghetti sauce anytime). Sweets too. I have another friend who's boyfriend doesn't really like sweets. He could have one chocolate chip cookie and that would be enough chocolate for him for a month. I could eat an entire sleeve of Chips Ahoy and still want more. I don't plan on denying myself sweets or cheese, but I need to learn moderation.
I've got a long road ahead as far as food is concerned. I don't think that I should try and change every single habit all at once, I'm more likely to fail that way. If any of you know of any good, healthy recipes please send me a link.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Why I'm doing this
Today is December 31st, 2011. The last day of the year and physically, I am not where I want to be. I've been saying for the past year that I want to lose weight and get healthy. Actually, if I'm going to be honest I've been saying it for about 5 years.
About 6 1/2 years ago I had my daughter, Morgan. After I had her I did lose about 20lbs on the Atkins diet. I kept it off for about 1 year. Then it all came creeping back and then some. In September 2008 I had my son, Thomas. After I had him I was at my heaviest for about 7-8 months. A size 14. I'm 5ft 8", so that isn't gigantic, but I wasn't happy. My weight has fluctuated since then. I lost about 15lbs, eating better and exercising. Then I lost my job at an insurance agency and started a new one at an orthopedic clinic. After starting at the orthopedic clinic, I gained back about 10lbs. This would be due to pharmacy reps and insurance reps bringing free lunch, the girls I work with having fiesta Fridays and all bringing in food. And me, not watching what I was putting in my mouth and not doing any sort of exercise. I gained that 10lbs back in about a three month period. Awesome.
Once I realized I was gaining back all the weight I started caring again. It also helped that my wonderful work had decided to bring in a nutritionist for the office to try and teach everyone to eat better. This guy, Corey Little, is a former competition body builder. He has this six month plan to transform the way you eat. It's actually a great plan, but was not right for me. I tried and did implement some of his ideas, but some were just not fit for my family and our lifestyle. But I did manage to start working out again with the gym membership my work provided and eat a little better. This year I did manage to again lose about 10lbs. That's where it always stops. And that is where this starts.
I'm starting this blog to try and hold myself accountable. I need something to keep me going and to help keep me motivated. And I have plenty of motivation now. In 2012, my sister is getting married! I am the matron of honor and am honored to be. I just don't want to be the fattest girl in the pictures. I'm already not photogenic. I could at least be thin, even if my face will look distorted in all the pictures (I wish I could say that I'm being modest, but ask my friends and family, they will tell you I'm not).
That is my I-need-to-lose-weight-before-this-date motivation. My other motivation is just to feel better about myself. For too long I have been self conscious about how I look. Don't get me wrong. I'm not morbidly obese and I don't want anyone to think that's what I think. Right now I'm between a size 10 and a size 12. At my height, that's not huge. What I mean is the fat that I have around my stomach and constantly pulling at my jeans to try and hide it. Not wanting to wear things that show my arms, because they just seem flabby and flappy to me. The way my face looks in pictures and I seem to have a double chin. Ugh. When I was younger I used to have the problem that I couldn't find jeans to fit right because my thighs were bigger, proportionally, to my waist. My jeans always had a gap in the waist and the legs would be tight. Now it's the opposite. I have to buy a bigger size pant to fit my waist (because there is NO way I'm having a muffin top) and the pants stretch out and are super baggy around my legs. So I would like to feel confident again. To buy a pair of jeans because of the way they look and fit, not because of what they can hide.
So here I am. Writing this blog to keep up with this journey into becoming a healthier, happier person. Not just skinnier, but physically healthier and emotionally happier with who I am. Tomorrow starts the new year and the beginning of my new outlook on exercise and food. I want to no longer view food as something to enjoy and get pleasure from, but as fuel for my body. As something I need, not something I want. I also want to view exercise as something I need, not something I dread doing. It's necessary, not only to lose weight, but also to build and keep muscles and to have a healthy heart and lungs. Vital things to keep me living. :)
My plan is to do the Insanity 60 day challenge. I have already started doing some of the work outs over about the past two weeks and really enjoy them. They are high energy and fast paced, which really works for me. I sweat buckets when I do these work outs and I am not normally much of a sweater. For me, it's awesome and I feel like I've really done a good work out when I'm done. They are also not too long. They all seem to be about 40 minutes. I've tried P90X before, but those videos are just too long. Who really has an entire hour (or longer) to work out? Plus they aren't all that fast. It's a lot of slow movement and you have to have extra equipment. Which is something else I like about Insanity, it's all body weight. No weights or bands or pull up bars.
I'm also planning on eating much better. I went grocery shopping today and bought veggies and chicken, fruit and greek yogurt. The greek yogurt is really an aquired taste. The ones with fruit are much better than plain or honey flavors. It's not nearly as sweet as regular yogurt and has a good amount of protein. I plan on eating 4-5 times a day. I've done that before without changing my exercise and lost 2lbs in a week. If just increasing the number times you eat and eating healthier things can do that, then adding a great work out should really take the pounds off. That what I'm praying for anyway.
At the end of this I want to have some of those amazing before and after pictures. I already have the before pictures and I plan on taking a new picture every two weeks until I reach my goal. I hope that you will follow along with me on this journey and provide encouragement along the way. I also hope that I may provide motivation in your life to get healthy and be happy.
Everyone have a Happy New Year and stay safe tonight!!!
My sweet family
About 6 1/2 years ago I had my daughter, Morgan. After I had her I did lose about 20lbs on the Atkins diet. I kept it off for about 1 year. Then it all came creeping back and then some. In September 2008 I had my son, Thomas. After I had him I was at my heaviest for about 7-8 months. A size 14. I'm 5ft 8", so that isn't gigantic, but I wasn't happy. My weight has fluctuated since then. I lost about 15lbs, eating better and exercising. Then I lost my job at an insurance agency and started a new one at an orthopedic clinic. After starting at the orthopedic clinic, I gained back about 10lbs. This would be due to pharmacy reps and insurance reps bringing free lunch, the girls I work with having fiesta Fridays and all bringing in food. And me, not watching what I was putting in my mouth and not doing any sort of exercise. I gained that 10lbs back in about a three month period. Awesome.
Once I realized I was gaining back all the weight I started caring again. It also helped that my wonderful work had decided to bring in a nutritionist for the office to try and teach everyone to eat better. This guy, Corey Little, is a former competition body builder. He has this six month plan to transform the way you eat. It's actually a great plan, but was not right for me. I tried and did implement some of his ideas, but some were just not fit for my family and our lifestyle. But I did manage to start working out again with the gym membership my work provided and eat a little better. This year I did manage to again lose about 10lbs. That's where it always stops. And that is where this starts.
I'm starting this blog to try and hold myself accountable. I need something to keep me going and to help keep me motivated. And I have plenty of motivation now. In 2012, my sister is getting married! I am the matron of honor and am honored to be. I just don't want to be the fattest girl in the pictures. I'm already not photogenic. I could at least be thin, even if my face will look distorted in all the pictures (I wish I could say that I'm being modest, but ask my friends and family, they will tell you I'm not).
That is my I-need-to-lose-weight-before-this-date motivation. My other motivation is just to feel better about myself. For too long I have been self conscious about how I look. Don't get me wrong. I'm not morbidly obese and I don't want anyone to think that's what I think. Right now I'm between a size 10 and a size 12. At my height, that's not huge. What I mean is the fat that I have around my stomach and constantly pulling at my jeans to try and hide it. Not wanting to wear things that show my arms, because they just seem flabby and flappy to me. The way my face looks in pictures and I seem to have a double chin. Ugh. When I was younger I used to have the problem that I couldn't find jeans to fit right because my thighs were bigger, proportionally, to my waist. My jeans always had a gap in the waist and the legs would be tight. Now it's the opposite. I have to buy a bigger size pant to fit my waist (because there is NO way I'm having a muffin top) and the pants stretch out and are super baggy around my legs. So I would like to feel confident again. To buy a pair of jeans because of the way they look and fit, not because of what they can hide.
So here I am. Writing this blog to keep up with this journey into becoming a healthier, happier person. Not just skinnier, but physically healthier and emotionally happier with who I am. Tomorrow starts the new year and the beginning of my new outlook on exercise and food. I want to no longer view food as something to enjoy and get pleasure from, but as fuel for my body. As something I need, not something I want. I also want to view exercise as something I need, not something I dread doing. It's necessary, not only to lose weight, but also to build and keep muscles and to have a healthy heart and lungs. Vital things to keep me living. :)
My plan is to do the Insanity 60 day challenge. I have already started doing some of the work outs over about the past two weeks and really enjoy them. They are high energy and fast paced, which really works for me. I sweat buckets when I do these work outs and I am not normally much of a sweater. For me, it's awesome and I feel like I've really done a good work out when I'm done. They are also not too long. They all seem to be about 40 minutes. I've tried P90X before, but those videos are just too long. Who really has an entire hour (or longer) to work out? Plus they aren't all that fast. It's a lot of slow movement and you have to have extra equipment. Which is something else I like about Insanity, it's all body weight. No weights or bands or pull up bars.
I'm also planning on eating much better. I went grocery shopping today and bought veggies and chicken, fruit and greek yogurt. The greek yogurt is really an aquired taste. The ones with fruit are much better than plain or honey flavors. It's not nearly as sweet as regular yogurt and has a good amount of protein. I plan on eating 4-5 times a day. I've done that before without changing my exercise and lost 2lbs in a week. If just increasing the number times you eat and eating healthier things can do that, then adding a great work out should really take the pounds off. That what I'm praying for anyway.
At the end of this I want to have some of those amazing before and after pictures. I already have the before pictures and I plan on taking a new picture every two weeks until I reach my goal. I hope that you will follow along with me on this journey and provide encouragement along the way. I also hope that I may provide motivation in your life to get healthy and be happy.
Everyone have a Happy New Year and stay safe tonight!!!
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