Why not me?

Recently, I decided I wanted to put up an inspirational quote on my refrigerator to remind me to stay on track on my weight loss journey. The only quote I could think of was Einstein's definition of insanity..."doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results".  Ahhh, I love that quote but I wanted something more upbeat. So I did what any normal American would do, I googled it.  Do you know there are a multitude of cites specifically dedicated to weight loss inspiration.  One site offered 400 quotes.  I randomly read through them and discovered that many are applicable to far more than weight loss or getting healthy.  After reading for some time, I have narrowed it down to three and then added one of my own at the end.

Julius Erving: If you don't do what's best for your body, you're the one who comes up on the short end.

I love this one.  A friend and I were recently talking and we shared how we have "snuck" food at some point in our life. We both laughed because it is not about "getting caught"...your body knows.  Just because I hide the fact that I ate 1/2 a pizza to you does not equate with the scale being kind to me on Tuesday mornings.  You can't lie to yourself.  So this quote is very fitting.  If I chose not to get healthy the only one I am hurting is ME.  "'If you don't do what's best for your body, you're the one who comes up on the short end."

Unknown Author: You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.

Again, this quote really hit home.  So often I here people say...well this happened and then that happened and that is why I made bad choices.  You know what, bad things happen.  We make mistakes.  We make bad choices.  But when I make a bad choice or I go a week without working out, I face a fork in the road.  Do I stay there, stuck doing nothing or do I say, ok I'm done with that and move forward.  "You don't drown in falling water.  You drown by staying there"

Philippians 4:13: I can do all things through HIM who strengthens me.

God has blessed me so abundantly. I need to treat the life he gave me with respect. And I know I can do anything I put my mind too...I have Christ in my corner. How joyous is that!
    
Marybeth Doud:  Why not me?

Notice this is not "why me?". When people ask "why me" they are negating any responsibility for their life.  They are assuming they have no control.  They are feeling bad that something happened to them.  "Why NOT me?" is positive and affirming.  Basically asking, "if they can do it, why can't I?"  I CAN achieve the same success that others have.  There are people everyday who have great health and wellness achievements.  We read stories of people who've lost 100 lbs.  We see them on the Biggest Loser and on Dr Oz. There are success stories all around us. At some point every one of those people were just starting their journey--just like I did nearly 3 months ago. We all see their end result and cannot imagine what it would be like to have the same success.  What we need to see is how they started. They are no different then you or I.  That had a goal.  A life changing goal.  Too often feelings of doubt creep in our minds and the task seems monumental. They faced the same challenge...but they overcame. They persevered. So I ask, Why not me?

uh oh...i have caught the supplement bug...

YAHOO!  i lost another 3.5 lbs at weigh in.  That makes 27.5 total in 9 weeks.  I still have a long road ahead but making progress.  Small steps can often lead to big changes. I have to admit it has been pretty easy thus far. Have I craved food of course, but not too frequently.  I do not think I am or was really addicted to food...I just ate poorly. Still do; but smaller portions ha ha ha.  Now I read labels and make choices as to what are better options.  I still fill most of my diet with carbs--and I always will--but the pounds have been coming off fairly easily. I did start taking two recommended dietary supplements Dr. Oz suggested. I think if you took everything he suggested you would a) be broke and b) have to take a pill about every minute.  But a few intrigued me.  I did verify that neither was synthetic or bad (like speed causing jitters and such) One is called green coffee bean extract, apparently comes from a coffee bean in its purest form (a little caffeine but not much...less than coffee) and l-carnitine. L-carnitine is an amino acid we already have in our bodies naturally--this just give us more. Both are supposed to help with metabolism.  The second says it helps not only metabolically but also could curb your appetite. Supposed to take it twice a day...I of course can never follow instructions and decided that is too much...so I take it just once in the morning.  If you say "stop" I go.  If you say "don't walk on the grass"I have to touch it.  If the Principal says "do not look at the solar eclipse directly" I will stare at it the entire way home.  Why? because I think I know better or curiosity kills me. HA. So if you say take it twice...I will take it once.  I have never tried supplements as I feared they would be bad for my heart (I have prolonged q.t.--condition I was born with and CANNOT take any weight loss pills or drugs that increase your heart rate...most do)  I also do not like taking meds.  I fight taking my heart medicine and I do not even own aspirin or pain relievers.  I just do not like taking medication. In this case, I was bamboozled by the promises of Dr. Oz.   I researched them in medical journals and felt good about them.  The challenge is knowing if they are working. I would say the weight is coming off easily (not super fast but steadily) and I am not that hungry. However, I cannot say with any certainty the pills have helped.  Simultaneously I have increased my activity level and cut my calories.  My gut tells me I would be losing about the same amount of weight without the supplements.   But I think the pills may help curb my appetite which is why it seems easy AND I am curious if in an odd way they have helped my cholesterol.  I dropped 36 points but did not start changing my eating habits until 6 weeks prior.  Can it improve that quickly just by a diet change?  maybe it can. I am not a medical expert. But, I do know this-- I am not stopping the supplements as whatever I am doing is working...so I will stay the course.  for now...     I appreciate all of your support on my journey.  I have received feedback on facebook and knowing you are in my corner rooting me on gives me the strength to keep focusing on my health.  THANK YOU!  God Bless you all...

The numbers don't lie...do they?

I am coming off a women's weekend get-away with my family and I am not thrilled at the prospect of weighing in tomorrow.  I am almost certain I will gain a few pounds. I did walk everyday in the hills, so even if I was not eating great...I made some healthy choices.  With that said, there was some good news today! We had wellness checks at work today.  Last year, my cholesterol was about 215.  I followed up with my doctor and was told while it is elevated...there was not need for extreme worry or meds.  They only consider medicating above 240.  For most of the year I just paid little attention to cholesterol.  However, as you know, I have been quite serious about getting healthy since the end of August and I am happy to report my cholesterol today was 180.  HUGE improvement!  I guess the experts are right...exercise and better eating can make a difference. Woohoo.  I actually asked the nurse..."are ya sure you used my blood?" She laughed.  The goal is to remain under 200 so I was pleased to be well under.  Blood sugars were 85 and blood pressure was 116/78.  So aside from being morbidly obese, I am in relative good health.  Ha ha ha.   I would have to say I am quite lucky as many people my weight and age could suffer from diabetes, sores knees, sleep apnea, etc.  I have been blessed that to my knowledge, this weight has not caused me any major damage. I think this has more to do with genetics than anything.  I also think it may have to do with the fact that obese or not, I have always been very active.  So this high cholesterol thing has been weighing in the back of my mind and I was thrilled when I saw I dropped 36 points.  As far as my health, I have a lot of weight to lose but I definitely feel today's wellness numbers were a strong indication that I am on the right track.  Whew....i feel like i have dodged a bullet.  Thank you Lord for letting me see the error of my ways before it was too late. I promise to treat my body with honor and respect. It is a wonderful gift you gave me and how selfish of me to abuse it for so long. I may never be perfect but I will try to make better choices and better decisions.

Please don't tell me "i look good..."

This week's weigh in 4.5 lbs.  I'm happy with that after only 1 last week.  I still need to work out more but I am HAPPY with the progress. Now on to more pressing issues. I have a question for all of may followers (yes, all 1 of you lol)  Is it rude when people say "you look good" when you are losing weight?  It is an interesting concept to me.  Ok I am losing weight to be healthier--don't want knee or hip issues or diabetes as I age.  And I would like to get married and I think men like thinner women...so it is a marriage strategy (as I am serious when I say that). Some women and men obviously lose to "look better" or feel better about themselves.  I am a rare breed who feels good about myself no matter what my weight and I still look in the mirror and think I'm cute (yes, apparently I am vain and/or blind lol).   So when I hear people say "I can tell you've lost weight and you look good" I get a little offended. Granted I have not really lost much in the scheme of things...but I hear people say this to others all the time. And I see it on tv on the talk shows....wow you look great.  Maybe the person looked great before.  I think it is rude. For those of us with high self-esteem who want to lose just to be healthier maybe a compliment like..."good for you I know its hard work"  or  "way to be healthier" would be a more fitting compliment. Just a thought.  The other day someone said to me "i can tell you lost weight you're looking good" wanna know how I replied..."thanks, but I always looked good!"  And yes...I understand that may have sounded rude too--but I meant it and said it nicely and then explained why I said it.  I do not believe fat is beautiful.  And I do not believe in those groups that promote fat as "ok".  Listen. Fat is unhealthy.  Being too thin is unhealthy.  Being the perfect weight does not equate with beauty either.  Beauty is who you are on the inside.  Beauty is how you treat people. Beauty is all around us--even in life's imperfections beauty can be found.  Yes, I agree being fat is not ok as far as your health is concerned--like anything in excess..it is bad for you.  But at the same time, weight does not define you and you can practice unhealthy behaviors and still be and feel beautiful.  So in the future, when I lose more weight please do not tell me "i look good". I appreciate you noticing that my hard work is paying off and that I look healthier...so tell me that instead.

i'm back...

Well it has been many many months since my last post.  Over the summer I gained 15 pounds and when I weighed in the last week of August, I weighed the most I ever have.  I was starting to panic...thinking this is how people get to weigh 700 pounds...they just creep up a little every year. While, of course, I am no where near 700 lbs the panic actually did me some good.  For some reason I snapped back into gear and I am happy to report I have lost 18 lbs in the last 4 weeks.   So I am back on track.  I am not sure why but I have a determination this time that is quite different.  I have changed my eating habits...even ate two salads when I was home vacationing this past week. I still need to work out more but I am glad I am refocused and I took off the weight I gained.  It was actually very easy...  It will get harder but I am up for the challenge.  I am counting all my calories.  This works for me...its like a game.  I have also been adding healthier foods into my diet.  I made a goal to lose 75 lbs before my nieces wedding in June.  My brother told me the 15 i lost does not count as that was weight I had gained.  Very funny.  But I will accept that.  So, I will only count 3 of my 18 pounds lost...so I have 72 to go.  I weigh in on Tuesdays.  I will post Tuesdays to let everyone know how I am progressing. I need to average about 8 lbs a month.   While I could be mad at myself for gaining this summer...I decided I need to be happy that I took it off.  I could have been depressed and gained more but instead I took back control.  Yeah for me!

Today's weigh in.  Lost 2.8 lbs.  Good.

It's a miracle...I am working out!!!!

I am HAPPY to report I am finally at the gym and burning some calories.  Woot Woot.  I set a goal with someone at work to lose 25lbs by June 1.   So I need to get my tushy in gear.  Worked out 3 times last week and about the same this week.  Was easier then I thought.  Goal is 5 times a week starting Sunday.  I think people must think I am mentally challenged or insane as when I jump on the treadmill, after the elliptical, I turn up my tunes and literally dance on the tread.  Hey if they think I am nuts, so be it.  I enjoy myself and make working out fun!  Today I did 115 minutes of cardio.  So that was great.  I am shooting for 400-500 calories burned each time.  Wish me luck. I am officially on the road to success.  

Ok now I am really finally feeling better.  I am going to start he gym this week FOR SURE!  I am thinking about switching to the University gym as would save $260 a year, but the hours are not as conducive to my needs.  So I guess maybe spending more is better if I will actually go!!!!!  I am ready to get on track with workouts. I have lost a few pounds so at least i did not gain while laying around for weeks sick.  I am ready to go go go.   hopefully, on my next blog you will read, "i went to the gym"  lol.  Goal this week is 2 lbs lost.  Let's make it happen!  Good news, it is 100% in my control!  Things in my life are really good right now so I just need to get healthy so I can make sure I enjoy it for years to come!  Lord knows, do not want to be riding down the walmart aisles in a hover scooter LOL

mb

After about 2 weeks of feeling quite ill I am closer to getting rid of this cough/cold situation.  While I could not go to the gym I was able to still lose 2 lbs.  Today a group of us at work joined a get healthy challenge at work  It runs through May 5th.  So hopefully with that challenge to motivate me and my starting to feel better I will start going to the gym soon.  I would like to lose about 2-3 lbs a week.  Let the fun begin!


mb

Is 2012 the year to make it happen???

I was perusing facebook and came across a blog of one of my high school classmates (shout out to jennifer wesbrock evers) and I thought....hmmmm....maybe I need a blog.  This is not a case of "keeping up with the jones" rather i want one as I am partaking on a weight loss journey and decided I need to be held accountable.  Also, I would like the support of others out there starting a similar journey, whether it be weight loss, eating healthier, getting more exercise or even financial health.   This is a blog for anyone who wants some aspect of their life to shape up in 2012. Feel free to post and let's support each other!   Keep checking on my journey.  Hopefully together, we can have a successful 2012.

   ok so i decided I needed a "before" shot like they do on tv.  This is actually quite a ghastly picture of me, but ya know, the camera never lies.  I have friends who always look great in pictures.  Sadly I do not.  I also have friends who stand a certain way or hold the camera at a certain angle as it makes them look thinner.  I thought about doing that here, but let's get real.  This is a weight loss blog and I need to be honest with myself and everyone reading this.  No matter what angle I take a picture from or how I stand, the truth is I AM FAT.  Now, that does not make me a bad person and I am not offended by saying it or hearing you say it.  It's the truth. Sometimes I reference that I am fat and people say, "oh you should not say that".  I never understood why.  Yes, I get it can impact some people's self-esteem and it sounds mean as being fat in our society is taboo.  But I call it like it is. Hold the presses, in case you did not notice, I am a fatty.  I am also loving, very intelligent, compassionate, and very funny.  The good far outweighs (no pun intended) the bad so my self esteem is solid.  So if you are offended by the word fat, I apologize. I mean no harm.  It is a mere description. So this is the beauteous before shot. Woot woot America's Next Top Model, here I come...lol.  Please do not expect a miraculous after shot in a few months.  It will take me a long time to get this weight off--hopefully before I am dead. But I am hoping that when I post my next pic you will say: 

                       

 "hey, she's not as fat." 

My next pic will be posted around May 15th.