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29 days ago

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32 days ago: I walked into SNAP Fitness near my house.
29 days ago: I met with a personal trainer for the 1st time.
29 days ago: I almost cried right there in the middle of the gym.
29 days ago: I weighed just 3 pounds shy of my maximum pregnancy weight with Lauren.
29 days ago: I made a promise to myself that this was going to change.

On Monday, September 16th, I walked into the gym and asked about their Jumpstart program.   For only $75, I could get 3 30-minutes sessions with a trainer where they would find out my abilities, find out my goals, show me some exercises and in the end, I’d get my own personal plan.  Exactly what I needed!

The following Thursday, I met with Mike for the first time.  He asked about my lifestyle and activity level, he took some measurements of my body and then made me stand on the scale.

171.  (Wow, I said that out loud.)

When I saw that number I almost cried.  When I was pregnant with Lauren, my maximum weight before I gave birth was 174lbs.

It was that moment that I knew everything needed to change. Everything.  Mike was supportive and encouraging and reminded me that by being there that day, I was already on the right track.

Each session we’d talk about what I was eating, and he’d show me more exercises and teach me how to do each one of them properly with the focus on the right muscles. In between my session with him, I’d be going to the gym to do cardio and practice the exercises he had shown me.

Tuesday, October 8th, I had my last session with Mike.  He had a plan all set out.  I was pumped!  We walked through the plan with me identifying each piece of equipment so he knew that I wasn’t going to be lost.

Then I stood on the scale again.  I felt good.  I had been eating better. I had been exercising regularly.

165!  I had lost 6 lbs!

My life is all about the numbers right now!

I’m counting calories using myfitnesspal.com (trainer recommended). I need to see what I’m eating and how much I’m eating. I’m cutting back on the bad carbs and eating more vegetables and fruits.

I track my exercise too.  I go to the gym 3 days a week to do weights and cardio.  On the other days, I do cardio at home.

Things are changing!

Since I made a promise to myself, I have scheduled time to go to the gym.  I told myself that if I could schedule time to do things for other people, then I could make time for myself.  And having super supportive husband and children makes it all that much better!

I’m feeling so much better about myself.  There is a long road ahead, but I have a map (a fitness map) and I’m going in the right direction.

29 days ago: I said goodbye to the old me.

motivated monday: the lay of the land

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You’re reading this, thinking “Wow! A Motivated Monday post. She hasn’t done one of those in a while.”   I know.  I’m struggling.  I keep falling back into the old habits.  And if I don’t blog, they don’t exist, right??

But…….

I went to the doctor today.

No, I’m not sick.    I went for a physical.

The last time I went was after my daughter was born….she will be 6 next month.  I know…I know…

I think that if I didn’t go to the doctor, I didn’t have to admit that I needed to change.  Avoidance coping.

I decided that since I’m on the road to a better mind, body and spirit, I needed to know where I stand.

All in all, it was pretty good!  My blood pressure is great, my ears, nose, throat are good, lungs are good and other various things that he checked are good.

Then he weighed me and asked me my height.  Ugh.  And when he punched those number into his computer it confirmed what I already knew.  I’m overweight.
(However, I do like his scale better than mine…I’m one pound lighter on his!)
We talked about my eating habits and my exercise habits.  I explained that I’m working on new habits because the old habits are bad.  He said eat good foods, eat smaller portions and walk 30-40 minutes everyday.  That’s pretty reasonable.  Stuff I already knew.  Stuff I need to be doing.
But as we know, breaking those bad habits are hard.  Though I should really stop saying that because it just reinforces the wrong message.
Big deep breath ….
My new habits are going to make me healthy!
Next step is to get my blood work done, but he wants me to fast first. I’ll get that done in the next few days.
Have you gone for an assessment with your doctor to see how you’re doing?? Share your posts about improving your mind, body and spirit!!

motivated monday: getting better

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Thanks to Sober Julie for starting
Motivated Monday!

The beginning of week 3!!

I can say things are definitely better than 2 weeks ago.  My ticker says I’ve lost 7 lbs…and 3 of those were last week!!

I have cut back on the junk food and increased my exercise.  My water consumption is up; not consistent yet, but I’m getting there.

My biggest hurdle right now is eating enough fruits and vegetables.  I think that goes back to my issue with needing to learn to plan my meals.

MyFitnessPal.com  is definitely helping me.  Seeing how many calories different foods are is a huge deterrent for wanting to eat too much of a bad thing.  Plus I can keep track of all the water I’ve been drinking and the exercise I’ve been doing.  And I love that I have some friends on there now; supporting me as I go.

If you’re not using a tracker of some sort, I highly recommend finding one that you like.  Join me on MyFitnessPal.com and we can support each other!!

I promise to eat 2 veggies and 1 fruit a day.
(I know it’s not enough…but it’s a start.)
What promises are you making for yourself this week??

If you’re taking the steps to improve your life in some way, please link up your post!

motivated monday: huge learning curve

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Wow! One week down already!

 Some really good things have happened! And I’ve learned a lot about myself. (I could have said that some really bad things happened, but I’m trying to stay positive).

The good things:

  • I’ve started tracking what I eat and how much water I drink (click the button on the right and join me on my journey)
  • I’ve started exercising
  • I haven’t lost any weight but I haven’t gained any either
  • I’ve found a group of people who are focused on a healthier life too;  I need all the support I can get!

What I’ve learned:
  • Weekends are hard
  • I need to drink more water
  • Exercise is tough
  • Finding motivation is hard sometimes
  • I have way too many excuses for way too many things

Monday and Tuesday were awesome! I had motivation, watched what I ate, and exercised 2 days in a row.  Wednesday: eating was okay, exercise was non-existant.  Thursday was the same.  Friday was bad…pizza and no exercise, followed by no sleep (all-nighter with the Youth Group)

And that note up there about “weekends are bad”… ya.  Saturday I slept all day after getting no sleep the night before…no breakfast, no lunch…and then dinner was take out.  Sunday was busy too….no breakfast, peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch and left-over take out for dinner.

Today is a new day.  I will kick “Blue Monday” in the butt and get back on track!

Please tell me I’m not the only one struggling to get this health thing sorted out?!?!

Join Motivated Monday and link up your post!

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motivated monday: what is your apple??

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There are 2 topics that I have trouble blogging about.   

The first topic is something that I don’t want to admit to; something I don’t want to hear. The second topic is something that some other people may not want to hear.  Like a ripping of a bandaid, I will just throw them together in one post.

I’m fat. 
I’m Christian.

Please don’t run away!  This blog isn’t going to turn in to place where I try to convert you or anything like that.  This is just a statement of who I am.

That is one of reasons why I have been so hesitant to share this fact about myself. Blogging about religion is hard. I don’t want to alienate anyone from wanting to read my blog but at the same time, I can’t keep avoiding the things that have become a more important part of who I am.

Blogging about weight loss isn’t uncommon and I’m hoping I can find a lot of support through other bloggers.  Admitting to myself that I’m fat is very hard.  When I looked at my BMI number I had mixed feelings: part of me wasn’t surprised and another part of me was sad.  I always told myself that I’d never let myself get this way.  Never say never.  

Why put these two things in this post? What does being Christian have to do with me being fat?

They aren’t directly related.  Over the last 6 months or so, I have had a few people come into my life who have given me the confidence to be more comfortable as a Christan woman and there have been more that a few occasions where I knew that He was helping be more aware that there is a plan.  And more and more I’m starting to open my eyes to see how all the pieces are fitting together.

Julie’s post today is about the temptations we are faced with when starting out on quest for a healthier lifestyle and how she is going to refocus her energy. She states that she’s “…choosing to pay attention to my goals and allow this focus to overwhelm the feeling of temptation.”

And with the word “temptation” I was faced with another piece of the plan.  Yesterday at Teen Talk (I’m leading Sunday Teen Talk at church now), we talked about temptations and learning about yourself so that you can be a better person.  I had asked the kids “What is your Apple?” and showed them this video.

Some may call it coincidence, and that is fine, but when things happen back to back like that, I think there has to be a reason.

What is my Apple when it comes to being healthy and weight loss?

I don’t know the full answer to this yet. My journey now will start with me figuring the best path and how to avoid the temptations….procrastination, excuses, laziness, just to name a few.

What is your Apple??

Are there things in your life that take you away from truly being happy?  Are there parts of your life that you don’t want to admit to?

Please link up your posts if you’re writing about a resolution/improvement in your life.

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Than you to for hosting this blog hop!