Week 4 round-up and week 5 goals and Po

I have hit a wall.

The weather effects me this time of year, lack of sunshine, gloomy days and the cold. It makes me want to do 2 things...lay on the couch under a big blanket and sleep or lay in my bed and sleep. The thing is that eating healthy and even exercise do not improve this, only sunshine. I have been regimental about my vitamin D everyday and trying to get whatever light I can but it is what it is.

This week I stuck to my eating guns and threw in exercise when I could, mostly running, and abs everyday. There was one morning when I was ravenous and literally only had time for a doughnut (of which I was getting my oldest for his last junk hoorah) it tasted awful and felt even worse in my mouth haha. The thought of a doughnut now makes me want to hurl. Otherwise it was all paleo with some random cheeses and grainfoods (not gluten)

All in all I wasn't too disappointed, I am still losing inches. I have even received a couple of compliments this week which you know is always inspiring.

This week's stats

• weight -1
• waist -.5
• bust - .75 (they just keep shrinking!)
• hips -.5

So I only lost a pound but the inches keep going down. I am more concerned with that than anything. Which leads me to what I've learned this week.

• Inches really to mean more than pounds
• Gluten is evil & I am a cavewoman
• Feeling good about yourself feels good
• It is time to step things up...

So for starters...Inches really do mean more than pounds. My scale is...inching. I get on it barely moves, it would be really easy to get frustrated if I wasn't taking weekly pictures and my jeans weren't literally falling off of me. I get why people say ditch the scale, and it is a great idea...but I am a numbers girl and while it is silly because these numbers aren't really meaning much I still want to see them. 

I love being Paleo. I feel better, I have more energy and I swear my fibroid is shrinking. I also have almost no congestion, as in that swamp thick crud in the back of your throat. I did however get a harsh dash of it after eating the doughnut and I know it was either the dairy element or the gluten. Either way I won't be turning to either any time soon for nourishment. I am also going to veer my kids toward a more paleo life. They won't be 100% because of school snacks and such but at home we will be all about it. Did I mention Mr. Minus keeps losing weight...frustrating. I have also started to crave protein over carbs when hungry. It used to be if I was starving I would go straight for sugar, now I am like man do I have some chicken or leftover beef! I am a cavewoman haha. But, as I have said before, do what works for you. I may sound like a Paleo advocate (ok I am) but if you found a way of eating that works for you stick with it and own it. I have become a cavewoman you become what you need to suceed. 

I feel good about myself, I took that journey last year but it doesn't mean there aren't times when I am getting dressed and I have to run through 10 outfits until I convince myself people can't see my excess weight. Last night however I had a plan for what to wear on my date night with Mr. Minus...and I wore it. I actually had out 2 outfits and an alternative in mind, just in case. I didn't need any backups...first one on was the one a wore. It was dress I got for my birthday that I was wearing a lot but every time I wore it someone commented on me being pregnant...ugh. This time there was none of that not only did it look great but I felt amazing & better yet our date didn't start out stressful from my being unhappy with my ensemble and we were early to our reservations because I wasn't changing every 5 minutes. So feeling good about yourself in a different way is amazing!

Last Learned thing...It is time to amp things up. I have lost 7 pounds and a pants size. I have tone muscles, I feel them and I feel stronger but I still have a lot of fat covering them. I could continue this way eeking my way to 46 lbs lost but I am not an eeking type person. I like to think I am like a juggernaut get me started and I just gain momentum. So without further adieu here are next week's goals. 

Week 5 goals

• amp up couch to 5k training
• go strict paleo watching portion sizes hidden carbs, drink water!
• finish my very much neglected Jillian Michaels program
• Get sunshine...

So my plan is this. For starters I have been training for a 5k but a friend of mine is doing the Derby miniMarathon and I have signed on to be part of her team (ironically it is YUM...seller of junk foods). They have a great program which really impressed me. I really want to start running our spring miniMarathon again so bad but didn't commit it to my 2012 goals because it is hard to find 30 min to run much less 2 hours. Things are typically easier with a friend so I might just make it happen captain. We may walk more than run but it will still be a fun and I think I talked her into wearing funky running knee socks with me :D 

I am already pretty paleo, but there are still some foods I am eating mainly for convenience that fall along the nonpaleo and more clean options. They are gluten free but not grain free. I am 86ing these from this point on. Things like corn tortillas, polenta etc. I also plan to start adding more high antioxidant foods into my paleo plan. Berries and greens, lots of greens are in my future. This is awesome though because I love greens. Morning, noon, and night...bring it on. I also need to drink more water. Over the years I have dropped my water habit, you could say I am a recovering wateraholic. I just find that even when I am thirsty I tend to ignore it because I am busy or in the middle of something, then like a food craving, it passes. To make sure I get at least a good gallon of water in a day I am filling a pitcher and placing in my fridge every night before I go to bed so I will have ice cold water all day and a way to measure it, I always lose count even when marking it in my journal. I also want to add that this was my first date night since going paleo. It was easy. They had a bacon wrapped shrimp appetizer and I got a steak with asparagus & brussels sprouts. I did have wine but one glass and drank lots of water. Finished with coffee instead of dessert...eating out paleo...nailed it!

I have got to finish my 30 day shred. I have been exploring other options for strength training like p90x, crossfit and even kick boxing but none of these will happen until I finish what I started. I really want to take kick boxing where my son takes Tae kwan do so if I finish my last 2 weeks of shred I should be good to start that. I have my athletic itch again and I need to scratch it. The 30 day shred has helped me gain back a lot of strength I lost being inactive for the last 5 years. I want to finish so I am at a good starting point to get crazy haha. 

Getting sunshine will be easy if the sun is out. I do plan on going outside and standing in the sun for a good 20 min at least on the day there is sun. I have also made a point to open all windows in the house when the sun is out. I typically leave them closed because it keeps the house warmer but I would rather have the light and have to put on a sweater then keep these winter blahs. I almost went to the tanning bed the other day just trying to get rid of this crappy feeling. 

So here is this week's picture. Not much change honestly and my lack of big belly is started to make me see the other areas needing attention...like fat! I don't want to be a skinny fat person, I want to be a skinny fit person. Muscles are sexy. 

Before I end this post I have to talk about my new friend Po. Po is the panda from Kung fu panda. My kids loved the movie and love the show. I like Po. He is a great character (played by the ever awesome Jack Black) but he is also a loyal friend and fierce fighter on the show. He also uses my new favorite word...awesomeness!! He is a bit lazy and eats too much but he also shows that no matter how hard the situation is you have to do the work, there are no short cuts and if you want to be the dragon warrior you have to work at it. We all should strive to be the dragon warrior...

Week 3 Goals & some stuff

What are you waiting for?

So I am simplifying my weekly goals. I have high expectations for myself but setting 100 goals and only achieving one or two is not helping me out. So I have decided to keep my goals short and sweet. I am limiting myself to 3 goals this week. 2 pertaining to my weight loss one pertaining to my life. So here goes...

• Jillian Michaels Level 2 alternating with couch to 5k (3 days running, 4 days strength)
• Go 100% gluten free
• Clean, purge and organize Master Bedroom

I am really itching to start running again. I know I said I was going to wait until after I finished 30 day shred but I think I can alternate them. I am however going to be rubber band about this and change it if it isn't working or is too much too soon. Don't get me wrong I will not use this as a get out of jail free card or an excuse to not strive for my goals. I do know that pushing to hard to fast can result in an injury from my own past experience. 

So some things I have been thinking about. First off things feel so much easier since I changed my mind. 

I love this because I feel like this is what is different this time. I feel like I was really ready to change, I had run out of excuses. I wasn't going to have anymore kids, my hubby wasn't in school anymore, I wasn't breast feeding, I actually had time and my hubby was on board for diet changes (the kids don't have a choice lol) Will, free time and support...wow triple threat. I also think that my willingness to change brought about the will power I currently have. 

So what is stopping you from making your tomorrow today? What obstacles are you facing. Write them down and then see what you can cross off of that list. See how many are truly valid obstacles and what you can do to hop over them. 

 What do you think her obstacle was? She is a triathlete. A triathlete!! One day when facing the biggest obstacle of her life she said Today is Today. 

Weight loss is hard. I get it, I have been trying to lose weight off and on for the last 5 years. It isn't just about eating right and exercising. It is emotional, it is challenging, it is about change. It is about taking everything you currently do and throwing it out the window. It involves pulling yourself out of this warm and toasty comfort zone and throwing yourself in the the unknown abyss. It is scary. You have to want it. You have to be willing to focus on the person you are going to become not the person you are. You don't have to eat perfectly and workout for an hour at the gym the first day. You have to get up and take the first step. There is a tee shirt I saw on Pinterest that says "The toughest lift is your a** off of the couch" Amen isn't that the truth? It is much easier to sit and watch reruns of my favorite shows or some geek flick on syfy. It is easier to eat whatever, God knows the planning is a pain in the butt...in the beginning. So that first step is a doosey. 

They say it takes 21 days for something to become a habit...so day 22 is a breeze, your new life is committed in your mind and it all falls into place right? HA then why are there relapses in life? Because we never forget the habits of old. I used to tell myself that 3 weeks was all I needed. 3 weeks...I can to it. But really I have found that day by day is where it needs to be.  Of course I visualize myself in the future, but I stay focused on today. Try this, try to do something just today. Try to fit in 20 minutes. I actually said I was going to "try" 30 day shred. I loved it, it was quick and I felt amazing afterward...I am on my 3rd week. yay. Same with milk, any one who knows me knows I can chug a gallon of milk in a couple of days. I have been wanting to break that habit for a while now because of my fibroid and the high estrogen content in milk but the thought of not drinking milk, milk in my coffee or hot cocoa yikes! but one day I put almond milk in my coffee, then in my smoothies and bam before I knew it I was milk free. While I thought about the end result I focused on baby steps. So for dinner tonight, add a salad. Take away those rolls...small changes. Get up and march or do crunches during commercials I mean for an hour show that is going to be at least 15 minutes of exercise. 

I also suggest when you decide to take that first step you take pictures of yourself every week. Because you really aren't going to see those small changes but look at my first and second week pics. I was shocked at the changes. I didn't think I looked very different even though my jeans felt different and since the scale hadn't really moved I thought for sure there wasn't much change. This was incredibly motivating and what do you think this week's pictures did for me. This is only in 3 weeks. My clothes aren't huge, my scale has barely moved but the pictures (which add 10 lbs I might ad haha) speak for themselves. Give it a try...what is the worst thing that can happen. 

The last thing I want to talk about this post is PMS (any guy readers out there this is where you can make a safe exit lol) I touched base on it last post about my fatigue. I do want to say however that I have no cravings for crappy foods like salt, sweet, chocolate (okay maybe some low sugar extra dark chocolate) or fatty foods. I think it is because I am getting everything I need by eating smart. It is also proven that exercise lessens pms symptoms so I will factor that in as well. I do still feel tired but not like I usually do (now that my kids have slept for the last two nights) I have more energy and more vigor. I have yet to have a headache so we will see if that happens and if I am bloated I don't know because my clothes are still fitting fine and are a bit loose (3 inches off of my waist anyone) I will say that I am very interested to see what my weight is post period. I always gain 5-7 lbs pre period which disappears post. Since I haven't gained any I wonder if I will lose any. I will update you on that later. 

So there is my two cents for now! 

Week 2 Goals and Humility

I realized when I thought about this blog post I didn't do this for week 1. My thoughts are more organized about what this blog will be about and what posts will best benefit me and you. One thing I decided to do,  that I hadn't previously, was make smaller weekly goals in lieu of my larger yearly goals. Saying I will cut out sweets and do JM shred everyday is more currently attainable than lose 46 lbs ( which will take about 6 months). I realize that I need some instant gratification as much as the next person. I also know it is because I am one person on the inside and there is another person on the outside. But Rome wasn't built in a day and one thing I focus on is how happy I am going to be to answer the "OMG how did you do it!" question. So without further adieu here are my goals for this week:

Week 2 goals

• Wake early & complete JM  level 1 workout each morning
• Add 3 days of 30 min walk on treadmill per week
• Stick with cooler 1 plan of clean eating this week
• Read 30 min each night

They are all really simple goals and I only have to do them for 7 days. Focusing on a goal that takes a week as opposed to 6 months is very motivating. For week one I had very similar goals, JM everyday, eat clean, read (this is my down time), so each week I will amp it up. This week I added 3 days a week on the treadmill since couch 2 5k training is out while getting my muscles in shape. I also went from basic clean eating to a stricter plan. 

So the second part of this post title is Humility. I honestly believe there is a difference between humility and being down on yourself. I doubt God thinks being down on yourself is a virtue. I have often asked myself what is true humility and what is true pride. If I am proud of something am I being prideful in a bad way? As I said before I have a different person on the inside than you see outside. I am athletic, I love motion and fitness and all things nutrition. I love running and dream of things like ultramarathons. I am also much...much thinner on the inside. My brain translate a different person when I look in the mirror so it isn't until I see picture that I get loud massive wake up calls. 

I had decided I wouldn't post photos of myself until I got much thinner, I post my links to facebook where I have lots of people on my friends list I don't want to truly see me at my worst. I realized however that the pictures I am about to show will be motivating (or they were to me) and that I needed to be humble. This is who I currently am, this I what I look like. I have come to this point on my own and it is prideful to try to hide or pretend this is not what I currently look like.  I can be ashamed, lay blame or make excuses but only my own actions have led me to where I am. I have to eat my own bowl of stink. 

That being said, I want to talk a bit about the pictures posted below. Back in April I was at my highest weight and going to the beach. I was so stressed and upset. I bought a bathing suit that was shorts and a tankini thinking I might fool beachgoers. I also bought a coverup to try to hide even more. I remember thinking it worked really well when I looked in the mirror. HA. When I went back to looking at our pictures I was humiliated, this wasn't me. I immediately came back from vacation and started my weight loss challenge. I started eating clean, running regularly and being as active as I had time for. I felt amazing and after one month lost 15 lbs. Starting strong into my second month I suffered salmonella poising which actually put me in the hospital for 3 days and came close to claiming my life. It was intense. Afterward I felt awful most of the time. Tired, puny, sad. I had to work on bringing my hemoglobin back up as well as my iron levels. Slowly I started feeling better but not complete. After reading online that it can take 1 to 3 years to fully recover I got mad. I don't like to be sick or weak. I relish being that girl who never gets sick and being strong and independent. Hence my current motivation ;) 

So long story short :) NYE I was going through pictures with my mom and came to the beached whale photo, I was instantly embarrassed and skipped to the next photo. Then I came to the second picture which was shortly after my hospital stay...I was 15lbs lighter. (I did lose an additional 13lbs while sick but it was all water and blood so it came back) I was completely amazed at the difference 15 lbs make. When you have 50 lbs to lose 15 doesn't seem like much but it sure makes a difference. I remember putting on the capris in picture two and they were big, I cold barely fit in them in picture one. 

186 vs 171

Moral of the story is...be humble accept that you are responsible for your current state. Be proud of small accomplishments because on a large scale 15 pounds isn't much in your mind...but to your body it is a big deal. Make small goals that you can attain in a week or so you you are constantly motivated. It takes baby steps, this is cliche because it is true. However, you get to the top of a mountain one step at a time but you have to take that first step. 

Last picture...Week 1 & week 2

171 vs 170

Last note...I swear my saggy butt has moved up an inch!! 

next post - protein shakes...how I love thee, let me count the ways!