Ahh, holidays...

Well, I survived another holiday weekend...barely. I ate WAY too much food and surprised myself by drinking a lot of soda...and not even diet soda. Bleh. BUT, I had a ton of fun visiting and playing cards with my family. Laughing, joking, sharing old memories, and making new ones. It was a complete joy coloring and hunting eggs with the munchkins. This long holiday weekend is now past me, with great memories and I'm back on plan starting yesterday!

So, my official weigh-in day is Friday. As you know, Friday before last I had an amazing whoosh. This past week...not so much. However, I did have a huge NSV so I'll talk about that first. I worked out 7 days last week! Once Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Twice Thursday and Friday! I even tried a new class Friday morning called H20 Fusion...it was a great water aerobics class that was fun and a nice change from the usual routine. I'm proud to have gotten those 7 workouts in. I planned ahead knowing that I would be out of town - and not working out. Yay me!

And now...back to the weight. When I weighed in last Friday, there was no change. Usually, this would have been a huge disappointment but not this time. It didn't bother me this time for several reasons.
1. I made it to the gym so often - one of my initial goals when starting this journey a month ago. How could I be disappointed when I know I made my health a priority??
2. Aunt Flow was due for her monthly visit, literally ANY second! Usually, I have all kinds of water weight gain just before so not having a gain was super exciting!

I jumped right back on plan Monday morning and plan to stay that way all week. I'm not confident I'll see a loss this coming Friday, since I ate so darn much over the holiday but I can live with that. I had a fabulous time and didn't go completely crazy so it's okay with me that I wasn't perfect. Life is all about balance and being perfect is boring!  ;)

After all...
"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, wine in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming 'WOO HOO! What a ride!'"  ~Author Unknown

Have a great week everyone!

Friends...

Friends are a funny thing.

So a group of women, that I would technically consider my mom's friends, have all become "gym rats." Though new to the gym rat species myself, this group of women have welcomed me into their circle. I attend different classes with them at least three times a week and then sporadically with some spontaneous class ideas other times. Last night, Nicoll, one of the group, decided to join me for my early morning class. This was great news!

The funny thing about "timing" and "everything happens for a reason" with all this is...

I could not sleep last night! I was up until about 11:30 which is late for me considering I usually go to be at 9pm when I know I have to get up early for the gym. So...I was exhausted when the alarm went off this morning and REALLY wanted to ignore it.

However, since my friend Nicoll was planning to meet me at the gym, I crawled, unwillingly, out of bed, got dressed, and got my behind to the gym.

So thanks Nicoll! If it weren't for you, I'm certain I could have convinced myself to stay home this morning!  ;)

"Friendship isn't a big thing - it's a million little things." ~Author Unknown

Funny thing...

So, I found myself sitting at the kitchen table in peaceful silence (both boys were staying with family). During this silence, I had some time to reflect on a surprising turn of events I noticed.


As it happens, my boys are with family just about every other weekend. We have lots of close by family so they're often staying with this cousin or those grandparents. Typically, on these weekends, I "reward" myself with much needed quiet time watching movies or reading books or even spending some quality time with my hubby. Basically, I spent the weekend doing nothing. Lazing around, relaxing...which isn't all bad except that I wasn't really accomplishing much either. I wasn't getting any activity or really taking care of myself. I was giving my mind a much needed break but I was hurting myself too. I figured, there's no way I can feel refreshed if I'm "busy" all weekend. I have to do nothing if I want to be refreshed for another week of work, right?


Funny thing is...


I had this past Friday off work, and I started the morning off going to the gym and then came home and cleaned the inside and outside of my car (first time since I was 18 I think!). I went inside and took care of some laundry and the next thing I knew it was time for a dinner date with my girlfriends. Saturday I had Zumba at 9:30, had breakfast with my mom, and went home to clean house and finish laundry. Next thing I knew it was time to go to my parents for dinner. Sunday I ran a bunch of errands for a charity project I volunteered for at work.


What I realized is that my weekend was filled with activity and simply accentuated with some quality downtime with friends and family. This realization combined with how I was feeling that Sunday morning...was nothing short of amazing! That morning I felt centered, energized, and refreshed. I didn't feel as though I'd been "running" around all weekend with no time to relax. I felt simply...wonderful!


It's encouraging to realize that by committing to workout regularly and spend less time in front of the T.V. that I wouldn't be giving up my sanity (which is sincerely what I thought would happen) but that I'm actually gaining it. Ironic - to find out that by focusing on my health, I would actually start to feel better! LOL. You'd that would have been obvious enough but no...it wasn't! 


So anyway, I now know that I don't have to miss my old life...there's nothing in the old life that I can't get in my new life and more!

Whoosh!!!

Whoosh is a term I learned on the website titled 3 fat chicks on a diet! or 3FC (http://www.3fatchicks.com/). It's a word they use to celebrate a big loss. Well, I had a big whoosh this week. Before I talk about the numbers though, I want to share how exciting this week has been with my non-scale victories.

First, I committed to work out 6 times this week. As of Thursday evening, I had already worked out five times. One time Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and two times Thursday. That in itself, is a huge non-scale victory, regardless of what the scale said this morning. I also snuck in a quick and dirty 30 minute workout this morning and will be attending Zumba Saturday. That a total of seven times!

I committed to stay within my calories each day this week...and did! Another huge non-scale victory!

A member of 3FC shared an excerpt from a book she was reading, which said that the behaviors associated with successful weight loss had already been observed and documented in a study by The National Weight Control Registry. In this study, the participants who had lost 30 lbs or more and kept it off for 5 years or more, had the following behaviors in common:

• 62% watch less than 10 hours of TV per week.
• 75% weigh themselves at least once per week.
• 78% eat breakfast every day.
• 90% exercise, on average, about 1 hour per day.
• 94% increased their physical activity, with the most frequently reported form of activity being walking.
• 98% modified their food intake in some way to lose weight.

I have kinda sorta but not really tried to lose weight before and probably managed to apply two of these six behaviors. However, I was pleasantly surprised to read this and realize that, during the last three weeks, I've managed to incorporate all six! In fact, as I think I mentioned in an early post, my husband and I made the decision to cancel our cable so that we could afford the gym membership - meaning...no TV for three weeks! (Although I do watch about an hour of a Disney movie each week night with my 2 year old as he settles down for bed.)

So anyway, back to the numbers. I weighed in last week at 281.6 lbs and this morning...

276 even!  That's a loss of 5.6 lbs!

I definitely don't expect this type of loss each week but it's a real kick start for my motivation to help me KNOW, that without a doubt, I am making the right changes this time....the last time. I am already a healthier person than I was three weeks ago.

I sleep better at night.

I wake up feeling...refreshed, each morning.

I have naturally been able to cut out fast food and soda completely!

I can feel my body talking to me in good ways with the gentle ache in my muscles.

I have more energy during the day and certainly more energy when I get home in the evenings.

I know I'll have ups and downs, days when I don't want to work out, days when I really want that not good for me snack. I may succumb to those and that's okay. I'll bounce right back and keep the end goal in mind.

And everyday, I'll work to make good choices. Each little decision is an opportunity for a success.

And I'll remember...

"Don't trade what you want most, for what you want now."  (author unknown)

Gym rat? Eh....

Urban Dictionary: One who spends entirely too much time partaking in muscle building, strength training, cardiovascular, or aerobic activity. Specifically, one who does so at a health club or gym. Often used derrogatorily by people who do not partake in or understand this lifestyle; some self-proclaimed gym rats use the term as a status symbol or for positive reinforcement.

Having recently become a member and exercised in one torturous form or another at my local gym, I was curious what the "urban" definition of gym rat was. I do not claim to be a gym rat nor would I wish to slam those who do but I am extremely interested in the lifestyle.

I have been a member for two weeks now and have managed to get my workout in five days each week and am feeling pretty good. I'm trying to new things, getting out of my comfort zone, and meeting new people - which are, in my book, always good things to do. I signed up at what's turning out to be a popular gym among folks that I work with and friends/acquaintances and it's actually been fun meeting friends to try out new classes, or talking with co-workers about the classes we've tried/instructors we like but my favorite subject is discussing the soreness of newly discovered muscles with friends.

Who knew that knew this new adventure would lead to joys other than weight loss. I like it!

Camping huh? This should be....interesting.

Well, I'm headed out for a family camping trip. I've got plenty of healthy snacking options packed away but I KNOW my parents are bringing loaded of goodies that I would just love to sink my teeth into.

BUT, in addition to my yummy snacks, my husband and I are also taking our bikes. The weather in sunny California is absolutely beautiful today and I know we'll get plenty of activity as well as R&R in this weekend. 

Oh yea, did I mention that we're going with no kids? REALLY looking forward to that!

I'm actually not too worried about the food. My parents did bring lot of yummy stuff but they're going the gym and eating right thing too so I think they bought more out of habit than anything. We're bring cards and I have my kindle and I know a good time will be had by all.

By the way, I will be having a Peppermint Patty and a few roasted marshmallows and YES! I'm going to enjoy every taste!  

Change of Scenery? Change in perspective.

Okay, so it’s been over six months since my last post. I have a knew found respect for those that blog consistently and still manage to keep things interesting. There are things in my life that I know work for me, like blogging and sharing difficulties and successes with my friends, and for some reason, I just stop doing them. What the heck is up with that already?!?!

So I started a journey in January of 2010, (no surprise that this began right around that pesky New Year’s resolution time) and didn’t really commit myself to my goals like I felt I would. This was a bit of a disappointment to me since I really felt like I was ready to make permanent lifestyle changes. However, as is my usual habit, I faltered and made excuses for myself – as if my life is really that much more complicated than those who manage to eat right and exercise regularly. Okay, I have kids. Okay, I have a job. Okay….what? That’s not much different than most folks and even if it was….SO WHAT?!? So what, Jami? That just means you have to try harder. I do it all the time to make my kids life safe, fun, exciting, and educational. I do it all the time at work when I take on new projects, prove myself to a new manager, or simply need to rock some big project out. So why should it be any different with my OWN life? The answer is pretty simple. It shouldn’t. You gotta do what you gotta do, right?

Well…I gotta. I gotta be healthier! I gotta live MY life to the fullest!

So, while I did end up slightly lighter on my feet at the end of 2010 than at the beginning, it was such a minor improvement I decided it’s worth acknowledging though not really worth celebrating. BUT, it was definitely worth learning from. As part of my learning, I tried to examine some of the external issues that dampened my motivation and found that most of them were just excuses but a few were valid and needed to be addressed.

1. Being still doesn’t really promote a healthy lifestyle. Even though I made these well intended health goals last year, I still wasn’t exercising. I go to work so early and get home so late (still needing to have dinner w/ my family and help with homework) that getting in even a three-mile walk was next to impossible. It’s usually too dark when I leave, too dark when I get home OR entirely too hot for both. Now, most people might say the heat shouldn’t be a factor but it is. I HATE being hot and am prone to headaches when I’m overheated. That’s just me and something I need to work around. REMEDY: I got a gym membership! I haven’t done this for a VERY long time because I found that it usually just ended up being a donation. Meaning I never used it but continued to pay that lovely monthly fee each month. So nice of me, right? Anyway, my husband and I started out with a 7-day free pass just to check things out and followed that up with a full on membership! Wow! I’ve gone every day since Monday and am feeling great! Good news: my hubby, mom, and dad are also going! The family that works out together, stays together!

2. To count points, or not count points? The Weight Watchers program, which I love by the way, just wasn’t working for me. I was (sometimes) managing to stay within my points but I was still eating crappy food. Definitely not a balanced diet and there are so many things wrong with that whether I’m losing weight or not. I began to realize that many of the issues I’d experienced (fatigue, insomnia, moodiness, etc.) are due in part (combined with lack of exercise) to the fact that my diet is lacking a significant amount of the necessary daily nutrients. I really needed to be able to keep track not only the “point” value of what I’m eating but also to be more aware of what I’m giving (or not giving) my body with that food. REMEDY: I started using http://caloriecount.about.com/. I’m still a big fan of Weight Watchers and would happily recommend the program to anyone of my friends or family but I’m really in LOVE with Calorie Count right now. Not only does it let me track my food (using calories instead of points) but I can also track the nutrients in that food giving me a greater picture of how my food is measuring up in providing protein, carbs, fats, iron, sodium, potassium, calcium, vitamins, etc. I LOVE this feature! Another VERY cool thing is that it helps you track your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), which is basically the calories you burn each day just by being alive (adjusted for activity level at work, weight, age, etc.). With that, you’re able to track your total calories burned each day (BMR + exercise) against your caloric intake day by day. I LOVE this! (Did I say that already?)

Anyway, we’re still early into my new plan but I’m feeling more motivated than ever and really feel as though my efforts have me focusing on better overall health and not just weight loss. The best thing again is that the entire family is involved, which makes things so much easier. We have frequent family dinners and others get togethers (like camping this weekend) that will be so much easier with everyone focused on having fun without slinking back to our old unhealthy habits.

So, here’s to a fresh perspective and renewed commitment to important goals. I’d ask you to wish me luck, but I’ve decided I don’t need it. ; )