Taking the Challenge (Losing It Series)

It's been a while since I last spoke about my weight loss and healthy lifestyle efforts.  I have to admit that I hit a little bit of a slump.  I was doing so great with my morning workouts, but then winter hit.  Actually I don't even think it is winter yet, but it has sure felt like it these past few weeks.  The motivation I once had to get up and exercise is just not there. 

I have continued to go to Zumba at least twice a week, but my goals have hit a plateau and so has my weight.  So my workout buddy and I found out that the Y in our area is having two holiday fitness challenges. 

Group Exercise 12 Class Challenge
My friend and I have been meeting once or twice a week for Zumba classes.  I have loved the accountability and it makes me work even harder to not miss a class since I know she will be looking for me.  Anyways, the Y has a challenge that started the week before Thanksgiving and ends the week of New Years.  They want us to try to get in 12 group exercise classes during that 6 week time period.  With the $5 fee, I just need to have each instructor sign my card at the end of class.  If I reach my goal I get a really cool T-shirt.  You can never have too many T-shirts.  It seems like that is all I wear these days.

Battle of the Bulge
So I had to pay $5 to enter into this challenge too.  What I have to do is maintain my current weight, or lose between now and the first week of January.  So that meant getting back on the scale.  I can't tell you when was the last time I weighed myself.  I used to do it once a week, but got really discouraged when I didn't see results from week to week.  So now I think I may be trying it a little less often than once a week, but not as long as three months, and with this new challenge, I have to weigh myself at least that first week of January.  So I have at least a month to maintain what I've already done or lose it.  If I meet the goal, will get another T-shirt.  Wish me luck!!!


On a side note, my friend and I have decided to try weight lifting.  It has been hard to find a routine that works for both of our schedules.  With her owning her own business, and me with two little ones - enough said right?  We talked to a girl after Zumba one night and she introduced us to a program called A Workout Routine:  The Muscle Building Workout.  You can find a link to it here.  We have been doing it on a somewhat steady basis for about a month now.   I recently started to try for 4 days a week with some cardio before lifting.  But we both set a goal to try to do that for 3 times a week and to make it to Zumba (which is great cardio - like burning 500+ calories) at least 3 times a week.  I haven't quite made my goal every time, but I'm getting better and hopefully these challenges will encourage me to get up and go.

I'll be checking in with you later on about how my progress is going.  But what I most want anyone who reads this to know is that losing weight and trying to live a healthier lifestyle is hard and takes courage, determination, and perseverance.  While I'm not perfect at it right now, the fact that I'm working on building better habits is what matters.  Most importantly I'm finding out that taking these matters to God first and praying for discipline and strength when I'm weak has helped me see how much God loves me regardless of how I feel I look.  I'm His child and He thinks that I'm great the way He made me.  I have to first accept myself in that way and see myself the way God sees me in order to believe that He has an awesome plan for all of my efforts that align with His will for my life.  Once I get out of my own way, God can then do the work in me He has always wanted to do.  That is worth more than any number on the scale.

Losing It - Progress

About 3 weeks ago, I shared the beginning of my journey to losing weight and gaining a healthier lifestyle.  This is not an easy journey to go through and it is quite humbling to put out my struggles with weight, emotional eating, and feeling content with myself the way God sees me and not the way I see myself. 

Seeing myself the way God sees me is a lifelong battle.  I have a hard time with that.  Most of the time I compare myself with others without taking into account what I've specifically been through and that God made my body shape this way for a reason.  I'm not saying that I have to be completely ok with an unhealthy weight, but I am saying that losing weight has to be more about seeing myself through God's eyes and not about what the number on the scale says. 

I’ve had a lot of distractions and temptations these past few weeks.  Miles going into the hospital was hard for me.  After coming home, he was super clingy, even more so than he already was and refused to let me leave him when I went anywhere.  Tom and Jaycee started school.  This changed my flexible schedule into a routine, which is ultimately good, but was a hard transition for us all.  Needless to say, making time for exercise and trying to maintain my goals were really challenging.  But, I was determined to stay on top of my goals even with the challenges life produced. 

Here’s what I’ve been working on:

·         I’m exercising 4 times a week on average.  My favorite workout right now is Zumba!!!  If you haven’t tried it yet, you should really just take at least one class.  I know a lot of people tell me that they aren’t coordinated, but with Zumba, it doesn’t matter, as long as you’re moving.  Oh, and another plug for Zumba, the music is great, time flies by, and before you know it you’re doing the cool down and stretching. 

·         I’ve lost a total of 13 pounds since late May / early June.  That’s not quite 1 pound a week, but it is something and as long as it doesn’t go in the other direction, I’m pleased.

·         I’ve cut back on my pop intake.  I wish I could say that I’ve completely given it up, but that is still a HUGE temptation for me.  It doesn’t help that I live close to a Sonic and QT.  But it is just one more way for God to show me I need him more than I need the caffeine in the pop.

·         I’ve limited the amount of bread and pasta I’m eating.  I’ve found that those foods work against me and my weight loss efforts.  I’ve instead tried to include more fresh veggies such as lettuce wraps instead of a traditional sandwich or just not eating the noodles.  This doesn’t happen all the time, but it’s a start.

·         I finally signed up for a Bootcamp.  In September, I’m getting up at 5:00 am and heading to the Y for this class once a week.  I actually really liked it and it might be my new favorite, but I still love the music that Zumba offers.

Well, those are my updates.  I have more goals for this next month, but right now I’m pleased.  I still don’t like my body and wish certain things were not there, but my clothes are fitting me better, old clothes are actually fitting again, my legs are toned, I have more energy to keep up with my kids, I feel good about being active and healthy, and I am excited to be sharing my journey with my 4 year old daughter.  She asks me if I’m going to exercise and when can she come with me.  Her and I have also started doing some very simple Yoga moves before she goes to bed.  It’s a kind of special time for the two of us.

October

I have plans for what to do this next month.  Mainly I want to keep up with what I’ve already been doing, but maybe kick it up a notch.  Starting in October, they are offering another Bootcamp class 3 times a week for the next 3 months.  I really want to do this!!!  Also, I took a schedule from the Y close to my house and saw that they offer a class at 5:30 am every morning, so I want to take those classes on the days that I don’t do Bootcamp.  Otherwise, I plan to hopefully lose about a pound a week, tone, and firm up my body a bit.  I also plan to do a better job of tracking what I eat and being more organized so that I choose fresh fruits and veggies instead of other things that are probably not as good for me.
If you ever want to join me for an early morning class, you can find the North Y’s schedule here.  I keep track of what I eat here.  I will leave you with some motivation that has helped me.

 

Losing It

 This summer Tom and I decided that we needed to make some healthier choices in our lives.  I can’t tell you exactly what prompted this decision, but I do know that it was about time.  As we were thinking about how we could make that work, we decided to make a few small changes for the summer and build a healthy habit that we could continue throughout the school year.  Here are a few of the small changes that we decided were doable financially and would fit into our lifestyle without a drastic change to where we wouldn’t currently meet our goals.

I love finding Bible verses to help me meet my goals.  I've scattered a few throughout this post for encouragement.  I really need to blow them up and scatter them around my house when temptation hits.

Small Changes:
1.  The first thing we decided to do was to join the YMCA.  Living where we do, we have so many different options for the Y, that this was one of the easier decisions we had to make.  We made a pro and con list (which we rarely do), prayed about it, and decided that it would benefit our whole family and not just Tom and me.  So, one change done.

2.  We added more fruits and veggies into our diet.  I recently discovered My Fitness Pal, and began tracking my calories.  This was an eye opener.  At first I just started by tracking everything I ate.  To my surprise, I was taking in a whole lot more calories than I was burning off.  So I found new ways to cook veggies and add them to our meals instead of the more starchy variety of veggies like potatoes.  I also found ways to use fruit as a dessert or special treat for the day.

3.  Get Moving.  We both set goals for ourselves to exercise at least 3 times per week.  I have been loving Zumba, and try to attend at least 1 class every week, if not more.  The other days, I have been working out on several different cardio machines that the Y has to offer.  We have also been trying to do more active things after dinner than we used to.  After dinner is mainly a time for us to hang out with the kids and unwind.  We’ve been trying to be creative about things we can do now that it’s so HOT to be active after dinner.  Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

4.  Sugar.  I have this love/ hate relationship with sugar.  I love that it adds to my food, but I hate what it does to my body, and how hyper it tends to make my daughter.  So Tom and I tried to take a sugar break.  Now when I say that I don’t mean that we excluded it completely.  Remember, we are not into extremes, since they only make us feel powerless when we fail.  We decided that we would do good to exclude pop from our diets.  That is one area where there are a lot of calories and sugar that just isn’t needed at all.  So we set a goal to avoid it for a week, and we made lots of tea with natural sweetener like honey or agave nectar.  I know it is still sugar, but not nearly as much and not the refined sugar.  I must say that we have done very well with this until the last couple of weeks.  I guess we need to set a goal again. 

5.  Books and Goals:  The last thing or should I say the first thing I did was found a very encouraging book that shares a lot about the struggles with losing weight and getting healthy in this fast food world of ours.  The book that I’ve been reading is called Reshaping It All by Candace Cameron Bure.  She shares very honestly her struggles with her weight while she was in front of the world on TV, and where she gets her strength and motivation to stick with things.  She also shares her plan for healthy eating.  I really appreciate her Bible verses she shares to help in staying motivated while on this journey.  She share very practical plans and tips for losing weight.  Losing weight isn’t easy, and it requires small changes gradually over time.  I have to keep telling myself that.

 

So there you have it.  My start to getting healthier and making better choices.  I want to be a mom to my kids who has the energy to keep up with them and to be able to do active things with them.  I already feel so old with the two of them most of the time, but I’m determined to not let it get me down.
Goals:

·         Lose 50 lbs. by the end of May 2015

·         Exercise at least 3 times a week

·         Avoid pop

·         Limit breads and pastas

·         Take a bootcamp class before the end of the year

·         Train and run a 5K by May 2015

Results So Far:  (Since considering a healthy lifestyle change at the end of May and joining the Y in June)

v  Pounds  lost = 1

v  Waist = loss of 6 inches

v  Hips = loss of 2 inches

v  Exercise = 3 times or more each week except for the week Miles was in the hospital

v  Limit bread from lunch and added lettuce wraps

I guess I’m well on my way.  I’m a little embarrassed to share any pictures and to even say that I struggle in their area of my life, but I need the accountability when I feel like giving up.  My weight issues stem from several things that have happened in my life in the past few years where I turned to food for comfort without even realizing it, but I know that I struggle and I need to start somewhere.  I will post updates and maybe even a picture if I get brave.

 

Mira