A Broken Record: StS Challenge Day 21

Well, this week has pretty much been, "second verse, same as the first."

Food and water were excellent, and exercise continues to be a work in progress.  I guess I sound like a broken record.

While walking continues to be my main activity, two days this week I also helped people we know pack/move. Both places were on the second floor so there were numerous trips up and down the stairs.  And lots of trips to and from the truck. 

Truth be told, this is my absolutely favorite kind of exercise.  Doing something productive.  Like riding our bikes to run an errand. Or walking to actually get somewhere. 

Some day I may be able to get into the groove of some kind of exercise routine.  I just haven't managed to pull that off yet, and I think it's because I really, really don't want to.  At least I don't want to badly enough or else I'd be doing it.

The honest to God truth is that I'll probably never become a gym girl.  I might as well admit it.  But what I am doing is that I'm out there living life.  I'm going and doing and keeping up. I totally held my own when we were moving our friends.  A year ago even the thought of that would have been overwhelming. I wouldn't have been able to do even a small fraction of what I did this weekend.

So I'm going to celebrate that along with another 3 lb. loss. And I am currently very close to weight territory that I haven't seen since I was in my 20s!!

Weight Loss Update June 26th:

This Week Loss:	3 lbs.
Challenge Loss:	9 lbs.
Total Loss:	113 lbs.

You can't beat that with a very large stick!!

Hope you all are getting closer to your goals, and that you're also out there living life!

Good night and God bless!

I'll Take It! StS Challenge Day 14

We are having a great weekend, and it's not over yet! My parents are coming in today from Arkansas so being able to spend part of Father's Day with my dad is a real treat. Pizza tonight with Mimi and Papa, along with many of the kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids. It's gonna be awesome! And a special Father's Day shout out to my husband, Bill...one of the very best dads I know!

Now for the challenge, I had a good week in some ways and a not-so-good week in others.

Calories and water were good. Exercise not so much. Someday I'm going to get really tired of saying that! I rode the recumbent bike but never made it outside. In my defense I was really busy at work...crazy busy getting ready for Father's Day weekend. But I know I've got to make it a priority. And toning exercises? Don't ask. So the exercise part of the challenge was pretty dismal. I'll just have to try to get better, even if it's just a little at a time.

Weight loss was great though. I'll take it!

Weight Loss Update June 19th:

This Week Loss:	3 lbs.
Challenge Loss:	6 lbs.
Total Loss:	110 lbs.

Praying for all you challengers as we continue to navigate the rough waters toward better health. It's not easy, but it's so worth it.

Now in honor of all the dads out there, here is a hysterical video remake of "Dad's Life" done by the pastors at my church, the place where I not only work, but also grow in my relationship with God.

Enjoy!!

Obsession Redux

The longer I do this blogging thing the more I find myself looking back at where I've been to see if my perspective has changed, or if it's been reinforced.

Today I was thinking about obsession for some reason and I remembered a post from early in my journey.  I looked it up and found that it was from day 63.

An intriguing thought occurred to me today.  A question, really. As I'm sitting here trying to put my thoughts into some kind of coherent written form, I had to ask myself if I've been substituting one obsession for another.

To end up so overweight and so thoroughly out of shape is clearly the result of a food obsession that takes many forms. Research tells us that people who fight this battle don't look at food as a means to fuel our bodies.  We look at food as a way to medicate and bury emotions that we don't want to deal with.  We use food as a reward. We use food as a punishment. We use food as a form of rebellion. And we use food as a way to soothe our pain. When we're food obsessed, we spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about when we're going to eat, what we're going to eat, and fantasizing about the pure joy of it all. But then comes the inevitable guilt, the remorse, the self-loathing, and then the whole cycle begins again.

I don't need the research to convince me about this head game. I know that it's true.

I have an obsessive personality or I wouldn't be in this place. I'm still obsessive.  Just about something different.  Now I'm obsessed with weight loss, and blogging, and approval, and control, and with some image of "normal" that I have in my head.

I'm not sure what any of this means, but it's where my thoughts went tonight. I guess if I'm going to be obsessed, it's certainly better to be doing what I'm doing now rather than what I was doing before.

But what I really desire is balance. I desire to understand moderation. I desire to learn how to deal with my emotions in a productive way. I desire to learn how to think about food in a healthy way.

I know that there is a lot of hard work ahead. I believe more than ever that the battle is with myself. But I don't want to trade one obsession for another. I want to demonstrate resolve and determination and discipline.  I know...it's a fine line, and I don't think I'm explaining myself well, but I think it's a line none the less.

I'm coming to the conclusion that yes...it's about eating less and exercising more...but more than that, it's about working on the things in my head and my heart that got me here in the first place.

So today, I did very well with food, exercise, and water.  And the head stuff is a real work in progress!

In the 9 months that have gone by since I wrote this I do feel less obsessed and more balanced. I do feel like I'm actually learning how moderation works.  It makes me feel good to look back and see that my progress has been more than a smaller number on the scale.  It makes me think that maybe, just maybe, this is the real deal.

Praying for us, friends...that we are able to be strong and resolute, and to really believe that we're worth it.

Good night and God bless...

Lessons Learned: StS Challenge Day 5

If anything, this challenge has helped get my head back in the game.  I've been treading water the last month or so, and I've learned a few lessons from that.

First, since the day I started on July 14th of last year, I have never had a melt-down or anything like that.  But for the last few weeks I've been more relaxed. I haven't been counting calories to the degree of precision that has been the case throughout this journey.  I've had a craving for trail mix and peanut butter of all things, and have indulged in those a bit. So nothing horrible...both of those are pretty healthy.

What I love about this is that I've stayed in check.  I've been weighing myself everyday and I actually settled into a pretty sweet groove.  When the scale showed a .5 lb. gain, I was more careful the next day and it was gone by the next weigh in.

So essentially I was maintaining for the last few weeks and I am feeling much more confident about the future.  Confident that once I'm finished, I'll be able to maintain this for life.  I'm usually not a big fan of using the scale everyday, but I think I'm beginning to like the idea. It will help keep things in check.

And now that I'm in this challenge and back on the losing track, I'm looking forward to kicking these last few pounds.  I love the idea that the day when I will wake up and not have to think about losing weight is right around the corner. I'll be thinking about exercise and healthy eating, but not about losing weight. I thank God for His patience with me and for giving me the strength to do this.

So by way of reporting, I've been doing very well with calories and water.  Still not stellar with exercise. Walked quite a bit this week and rode the bike on Monday but didn't get it done on Wednesday.  I'll ride today, but I still haven't done anything about getting a toning plan in place.  Exercise is much more of a struggle but it'll happen. I'm confident about that.

Since it seems pretty clear to me that I won't be posting every day, I'll just log my weight loss on here, along with any observations I'm having.  I've read some blogs and made some comments here and there, but I have to admit the sheer number of folks in this challenge is pretty overwhelming. For me, the fact that someone might be reading is enough accountability to spur me on.

Weight Loss Update June 10th:

Challenge Loss:	3 lbs.
Total Loss:	107 lbs.

At the end of the day, all we can do is the best we can do.  I've been reading some blogs and there's a little bit of sour grapes out there about this challenge or that challenge, about this plan or that plan, about losing fast or taking your time, etc.

I've lost 107 lbs. since July of last year so I guess you could say I've had a certain amount of success.  But I'd be the first to admit that I don't have this whole thing figured out...not for me or anyone else.

So fast or slow?  I don't really know, except to say that slow is better than not at all.  Slow is better than going gung-ho, die-hard serious and then crashing because you can't keep it up.

Slow is better if that's what it takes to learn how to keep the weight off once you're there. None of this means anything if you gain it all back, and statistics say you will if you've just been doing what it takes to lose but haven't learned how to deal with food along the way. 

So take it a day at a time and do the best you can. Do it for your health because I absolutely guarantee that you'll feel better. And do it for those you love. They'll thank you for it.

God bless you, folks!

Off to a Good Start!

I'm really happy I hooked up with this fine group of ladies.  I think this is going to be just what the doctor ordered to get rid of these last stubborn 25 lbs!

First, I'd like to thank everyone for your kind anniversary wishes!  Yesterday was pretty much a perfect day.  At church, it just so happened that we were finishing up a marriage series and at the end of the service, our pastor called up any married folks who wanted to renew their vows.  That turned out to be pretty cool for us, seeing as it was our actual anniversary! So after we reconfirmed the fact that we really meant it when we said "till death do us part," Bill surprised me with lunch in Greektown.  We haven't been down there in decades, but he remembered that we used to go there often when we were dating and he thought it would be special, which it totally was!  After that we went to see "The Tree of Life" in Lincoln Park.  A simply incredible movie. I think I'll need to see it again at least two or three more times to even begin to grasp all the nuances, but at its very core is a beautiful message of love, hope, and grace.

OK...on to the challenge lowdown for day 1.  I weighed myself this morning and am starting out at 104 lbs. lost.  That's my day 1 benchmark.  The goal is to add 25 numbers to that tally by the end of this thing, so here we go!!

I am soooooooo not big on pictures, and I totally stink at the whole "take your picture in the bathroom mirror" thing, but this is the best I could come up with. 

I'll have to get Bill to take the next one. :-) (I'm pretty happy with these size 14 jeans, though!  First time since I was a young lass!!)

StS Report for Monday, June 6th:

Calories:	1,241
Water:	80 oz.
Bike:	30 min.
Challenge Loss:	0
Total Loss:	104 lbs.

I so hope all the challengers are off to a good start, and that tomorrow brings us all closer to where we want to be.  I'm going to make the rounds now and see how everyone's doing.

Good night and God bless...

Slimmer this Summer Challenge

I'm really excited to join Deb's Slimmer this Summer Challenge.

I've been bopping around between 103 and 106 lbs. lost for the last few weeks and I'm ready to kick it in gear to lose the last of this extra weight!!

So here's how I'll be measuring success over the course of this challenge, which runs for the next 12 weeks.

LOG MY FOOD AND WATER: I've been very consistent doing this over the course of my journey and it's been a great help.  I've recently started using www.livestrong.com and I love it! Check it out if you need a great logging tool. I plan to hang around 1,200 calories a day.

BLOG REGULARLY:  I've really slacked off on my blogging so I plan to pick it up during this challenge...posting on my blog and keeping up with others!

RIDE MY RECUMBENT/MOUNTAIN BIKE (M-W-F): I will either ride with my daughter outside or else ride the recumbent inside consistently on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

RIDE MY MOUNTAIN BIKE WITH BILL (SAT OR SUN): I've been loving this!  We only have the weekends to ride together so we'll try to ride at least one of the days.

TAKE A HIKE:  I've grown to love walking so I'll keep that up over the summer...whenever I can...wherever I can!

TONING EXERCISES: I really need to get something going in this regard. This loose skin needs some serious attention! I just need to come up with a plan for this one.

LOSE 25 LBS: This comes out to around 2 lbs. a week, and that would be awesome!

So there it is!  In other news, Bill and I are celebrating 35 years of marriage today and I couldn't be happier!  Love that guy!!

Have a great Sunday, friends, and God bless...

Bike Riding, Graduation, and Blood Sugar on Day 305

What an outstanding week!

Food and water have been on track. Exercise continues to be a work in progress. I bought a bike so Bill and I can ride this summer.  We tried to go out last weekend but he got a flat tire and we had to walk back home.  Exercise either way!  Doesn't look good for this weekend, though...cold and rainy in Chicagoland.

Lost 1 lb. this week so the running total is 106 lbs.

So I have a friend who's dealing with some health issues.  He had a pretty big scare but has already made some amazing improvements and is now firmly planted on the right path. One of the issues he's dealing with is type 2 diabetes. I was sharing with him my apprehension with doctors, and the fact that before I started this journey I was really scared about some symptoms I was having.  My blood pressure was high, I had major headaches, heart palpitations, and I also had edema and numbness in my toes. I wondered at the time if I, too, was having issues with diabetes.

Since turning around my lifestyle with a commitment to healthy living and losing 106 lbs., all of the symptoms have gone away. But for some reason I'm still apprehensive about going to the doctor. I've promised I'll get there before the end of the year and I intend on following through.  But my friend asked if I wanted him to test my blood sugar so I could at least know where I'm at.  I was grateful for the opportunity.

I was so happy to learn that the 105 reading puts me in the normal range for adult women.  I'm so relieved, and for some reason this knowledge will make it just a little easier to make that doctor appointment.

In other news, our baby girl graduated from college yesterday! Sierra is now an alum of Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, having worked full-time while in college and graduating with High Honors.  We are so very proud of her!

I have said this before...we are so proud of all our kids and not because of the things they've done, but because they are all fine and honorable people with great big hearts!

Here's hoping you're all having a great weekend, and that the week ahead brings us all closer to our goals.  God bless...