Reaching Mini Goal #1

It has been a while, but I have finally reached my first mini goal weight: 194. I reached it a while ago, but never went under it... which is what I was waiting for. Yes, my scale read 194 BUT I wanted to reach it and be under it before stating, I am finally here. This past Sunday, I weighed in at 193.6. I weighed myself again this morning and am still at 193.6! So I have made it. Now, I am on to my next goal weight of 189. This is usually where I start to freak out... and gain back weight like my brain doesn't want me to be at that weight but it wants to be healthy. I don't get it, but I am determined to get there this time and I am not going to let anything stop me. If takes me a month, it takes me a month. Slow and stead wins the race.

How did I finally get to goal? I honestly couldn't tell you other than I just stopped weighing myself and doing my own thing. For 2 weeks I didn't weigh myself, 2 weeks! That is crazy. I normally weight EVERY SINGLE DAY so that is a big difference.

I had started a running program. I got to Day 2 and than my life got in the way. As much as people rant about "you need to make time" when you need money and have to work 3 jobs for a little while, I am sorry but I can't find the time. I barely had time to sleep as is was and that is the only thing that I could have given up in order to workout. And no, that wasn't even an option for me.

So needless to say, by not weighing myself and getting discouraged about what I weighed helped me stay on track as much as I could. No I didn't eat all that great but I was better than I normally was when I was weighing myself and even though I was doing everything right, I didn't lose. When that happened, I would just go out and get fast food because what was the point? Well that mindset is going out the window!

I have made a vow to only weigh myself once a week on Sunday... if I forgot, than I have to wait until the following Sunday. If I forget each Sunday... than I will have to just wait until I have to weigh in at Thanksgiving. My goal is to get to 189 on or by Thanksgiving. Which gives me a little over 3 weeks. I am sure I can lose 5 pounds in 3 weeks... especially since I am going to be eating "take out" once this whole month! And, I am only eating out because it is a special day (my 3 year anniversary) and I don't want to have to cook. I would rather spend the time with my husband and have someone else cook. We are also going to go to a sit down place, so it is like home cooked food, just not at home.

How are we planning on only eating at home? Well, I meal planned... the whole month of November. And than on 11/1, we shopped... for the whole month. About $400.00 for 2 people to be able to eat breakfast, lunch, dinner and some snacks. And that is rounded up to include milk and bread that will need to be bought throughout the month. AND that does not include coupons as I slacked a little bit in my rush to get to the store that I didn't sit down and clip or save any :( but I still don't think it is to bad... that is only $100 a week, $50 a person and we normally would spend that on just 2 fast food meals PLUS spending the money on the food every week.

Now comes the hard part, remembering to take the meat out for it to thaw and than coming home and cooking it even though I am super tired and don't want to do anything. This is the goal for November... to get in the habit of cooking at home. And we will be doing it 28/30 days. I talked about 1 of those days and I am sure you can guess about the other one... it will still be a home cooked meal BUT I physically won't be cooking it, my mom will be. So technically it would be 29/30.

Getting to a goal weight is such a relief and gives you such a good feeling that I cannot wait to continue and get to that next one!

194 - 11/2/2014 weighed in at 193.6, reward Sims 4
189 -
184 -
179 -
174 -
169 -
164 -
159 -
154 -
149 -
144 -
139 -
134 -
129 -
124 -
119 -
Happy Place (115-118) -

The Mini Goals

For me, looking at the BIG PICTURE is something that is not going well. So instead of saying, "I need to lose 80 pounds", I am going to say "I need to lose 5 pounds." I have given myself smaller goals. With that, I have given myself even smaller goals of just 1.5 pounds and tracked what weight I "should" be at by a certain day (mostly holidays).

My mini goal weights are numbers ending is 4 and 9. I started at 197-198, so my first goal is 194. Once I make it to 194, my goal will than become 189. And so on until I get down to 115-118 (or until I feel comfortable enough to stop). I say this second part because even though 115-118 is right in the middle of "where I should be" for my height which is 5'2", I fear that I will be to "skinny" once muscle weight is factored in. Yes, even though I am "obese" I worry about being to skinny. I want to be healthy and fit, not skinny and sick.

For my future use and a little more detail, here is my "mini goal" list. Each time I make it to my goal, I was list that date.
194 -
189 -
184 -
179 -
174 -
169 -
164 -
159 -
154 -
149 -
144 -
139 -
134 -
129 -
124 -
119 -
Happy Place (115-118) -

If you follow the rewards program, meaning that you reward yourself with something when you make it to a goal, you can list what reward you have given yourself. I follow it, and when I make it to 194, I will be giving myself my Kindle Fire that I was given by my bank. I opened it, got it all set up but than packed it away until I "deserve" it. Some other rewards of mine are clothing items, make-up, new workout items, accessories (shoes, purses), etc. Anything that I would like but don't think I should be buying until I get rid of some weight.

The other set of goals... more like guidelines... are the weights that I would like to be at by a certain day/holiday.

Halloween - 187
Thanksgiving - 181
Christmas -175
New Years - 174
Valentine's Day - 165
Easter - 154
Memorial Day - 144
4th of July - 135
My Birthday (August 3rd) - 129
Alaskan Vacation (August 19th) 124

How did I get these weight? I took my current weight 196.5 on Wednesday, September 17th and subtracted 1.5 pounds. I then wrote down all the dates for the holiday's and looked at the Wednesday before it. So the Wednesday before Halloween if I was to lose the 1.5 pounds each week, I should be at 187.5 pounds. Just to make life easier for me, I rounded down if it wasn't a solid number.

Now, of course not everything goes according plan. It took me a couple weeks to get the ball moving and to actually realize, hey you really need to stick to this plan or else nothing is going to happen... so I am behind a little. But, hey, so what? As of right now, I am 2 pounds lighter than I was a week ago even though I am only at the goal weight I should have been at on the 24th. I may lost 5 pounds this week and make up for it. Or that 5 pounds will come off in a month and I will be off for a month... what matters is that the number on the scale goes down SOMETHING each week. Or more so, that is doesn't go up anymore. It is more so how my clothes fit and how I feel more so than the number but having that number gives you something to go by and track.

Morning Yoga

Every morning I wake up hardly being able to move. Whether that is because I have a crappy bed, I am getting old or I am to big for my body... who knows. Regardless of the reason as to why it is happening, something needed to be done. I came to the conclusion that yoga would be a good place to start. The results... amazing. After I do the following 20 minute routine (in any order) I am able to move around more freely. I try to do this every day; morning, mid morning or afternoon, depending on the kind of day that I am having.

The Routine

• Plank - 1 minute (I do this on my knees)
• Hero Pose - 1 minute
• Seated Twist - 1 minute on each side
• Seated Forward Bend - 1 minute
• Side Bend - 1 minute on each side
• Bridge Pose - 2 minutes
• Mountain Pose - 1 minute
• Tree Pose - 2 minutes on each side (great for balance!)
• Warrior - 1 minute on each side
• Triangle Pose - 1 minute on each side (I hate this one)
• Downward Dog - 1 minute
• Cobra - 1 minute
• Child's Pose (not included in time, just for resting)

I don't do this in a certain order, sometimes I do all the floor work first, than the standing. And sometimes I just do which ever one I feeling like doing next. I mainly started doing this because I just wanted to get better at doing the poses and to tone up my muscles. These are all easy moves except the triangle pose which for some reason is super hard for me... I'm working on it though! 

My Morning Strength Training Routine

Bare with me. It looks like a lot but I promise you, it is not all that bad. Yes, your legs will be killing you but in the end, you will love me for it. Trust me.

It takes about 40-45 minutes for me to get through it when I do everything. By this I mean, if I am able to do all of the burpees, push-ups and how long you can hold your plank/wall sit. The longest it has taken me is 1 hour (but I believe I was goofy off).

All you need is you, and a mat if you'd like some cushion.

• 50 Jumping Jacks
• 10 Burpees
• Wall sit (for as long as you can)
• Plank (for as long as you can)
• 10 Crunches
• 10 Jackknife Instructions
• 10 Side Crunches (each side)
• 15 Candlestick dippers (each side) All about Candlestick Dippers
• Baseball Circles (for as long as you can) *small circles
• Volleyball Circles (for as long as you can) *large circles
• Chest Press (for as long as you can) How to do Chest Pulse
• 50 Squats
• 20 Leg Raises (each side) *I do side and front
• 20 Inner Thigh Leg Lift How to do Inner Thigh Lifts
• 10 Lunges
• 20 Bridges
• 50 Calf Raises
• 40 Sumo Squats
• 15 Push-ups
• 20 Straight Leg Pulses
• 20 Fire Hydrants
• 20 Fire Hydrant Kicks
• 20 Sexy Dancer Kicks
• 20 Hot Potatoes
• 40 T Stand Butt Lifts
• Waist Whittlers (as many as you can) How to do the Waist Whittler

I can't seem to find the video that shows you how to do the straight leg pulses, fire hydrants, fire hydrant kicks, sexy dancer kicks, hot potatoes and t stand butt lifts. Once I find that, I will update this post with the link. 

In the mean time, you can always make up your own routine. These are things that I like doing, need to work or know I should be doing because they are good strength training things. If some these are two easy for you, do more reps or replace them with something more challenging. 

As I said, it may take you longer than it took me. Don't feel bad, I haven't done this in a month or so (I slacked) so I probably won't be able to make it through the first couple of times I do it. Just hang in there, and keep working at it!

The Plan of all Plans

I keep saying tomorrow is going to be the day. Tomorrow comes, and I say it again because I am to lazy or to busy to actually get things together in order to start. No more. There is no excuse that after 2 years, I am still the same weight that I was even though I have been actively trying to lose weight.

The thing is, I believe that I am scared to lose the weight because I am using it as a shield. I know that I don't go out because I don't feel comfortable but is that really the reason? No, that is only part of the reason. The main reason is because I have no friends to go out with. I know this, but in the back of my mind I tell myself that it doesn't matter because even if I did, I wouldn't go out because I am fat and I feel uncomfortable.

No one actually knows the struggle that I through to get dressed every morning and it is time that I change that. The following is my plan (for now). Everything is always going to be a working progress.

Food
Breakfast: 7am - 3/4 cup Honey Nut Cheerios with 1/2 cup almond milk and 1 banana  (245 calories) OR 2 eggs with 1 piece of cheese and asparagus (266 calories)
Lunch: 12:30pm/1pm - 1/2 a bag of Fresh Express Ceaser Salad Kit with 1 hard boiled egg and 1/4 mozzarella cheese (292 calories) OR Left over from dinner the night before (calories vary)
Snacks: 9am, 11am, 2:30pm/3pm - Yoplait Light Yogurt, 1 cup Strawberries, AND 1 Cup baby Carrots with 2 tbsp Peanut Butter (381 calories) 1 snack at each time specified, in order. 
Dinner 5:30pm/6pm - Varies, will include a salad, some kind of protein, 2 veggies and a fruit. To keep the calorie count down, I will only eat the servings specified, meaning no more than 1 serving per item.

Exercise
The following is the list of things that I will be choosing from to do daily:

20 minutes of Yoga

40 minutes Body weight Strength Training (will make a post about this)

P90X OR Kettlebell Training 

30+ minutes of Walking

14 minutes of Stretching for Flexibility

30+ minutes of Zumba

I will be adding things as I come across them.

Tracking

I am going to try to track every little thing that I eat and drink, every day. I also will be tracking my workouts. I need to stay in my calorie range every day and I need to burn the amount of calories that they are telling me to burn. I am going to try my hardest to STAY with in the my given calorie range and not eat the calories that I burn. 

Motivation 

On my wall, I am going to post a photo of Alaska. In August of 2015 I will taken a once in a lifetime (probably) vacation to Alaska and I want to be able to feel comfortable doing things and getting pictures. I want to be able to remember it and have the best time of my life. In order do this, I need to lose the weight that is currently holding me back.


Support
This is a huge one for me because I personally do not have anyone who is supporting me in person. Thanks to SparkPeople.com I do have people who are supporting me, but the in person support is a lot different than online support. Online, the people are not here making sure that I am eating correctly OR working out like I should. So this is going to be a major thing that I am going to have to work on. I need to convince my husband that we both need to get healthy and we both need to work on it together, not just one or the other.

Finding Willpower
One thing that I believe is a key to losing weight is having the "willpower" to tell yourself no and to make yourself do things that you do not want to do. Check out this site to find some ways to help boost your willpower to lose weight. Most of them are pretty simple.

Overall, eating better and starting an exercise routine is going to help me out more than anything. But I need to find that willpower to do what I know needs to be done. I need the support and motivation in order to do that. And in the end, tracking EVERYTHING is going to be the key because if I don't track, how will I know how I am doing?

Taking the time out to plan is one of the best things that you can do when starting a new routine or diet. What is your plan? 

My Motivation Wall is going to be the Key to my Success

My main problem is that I get motivated to lose the weight and something happens, I lose that motivation and it takes me a while to find it again. By the time I find it, the pounds are back and I am starting all over again.

Things that make me lose motivation:

1. The scale doesn't move.
2. The scale goes up instead of down, even though I am staying in my calorie range & I am working out.
3. I miss a workout.
4. I go over my calorie range.
5. I get to overwhelmed.

All of those things happen to me, and to everyone else but the only way to lose the weight is not let any of those things stop you. If you mess up, shake it off and make today better than yesterday. I am telling myself this as well, and now that it is in writing I hope to be able to do it.

To help me stay motivated, I decided to do a motivational wall. I started by looking up different motivation walls for ideas. I ended up with a list of things that I would need to help me stay motivated.

1.  Starting Weight (197)
2. Countdown the pounds (196-116)
3. Happy Place (115) Now, this may change because I am going for healthy not "skinny" but I need a number to work with... and this is what weight I was when I felt good, comfortable.
4. Quotes - I looked up quotes and found some that spoke to me, I can't tell you what will speak to you, just google "weight loss quotes" and see what speaks to you.
5. "It takes 21 days to form a habit." 
6. Index cards with 1 - 21 & a habit that I would like to form. 
7. I also put the words BREATHE, STRETCH and WALK up there because those are three things that I need to do to help me with stress. 
8. Calendar - The current month with little reminders on each day (challenges, Calories In, Calories Out and weight). 
9. Index cards with Sunday - Saturday written on them and than next to them another set of index cards with the workouts that I need to do for that day.

I also looked through magazines and gathered some pictures to put up there.

I have it hanging up on the closet door which is literally right next to my bed. It is the first and last thing I will see each day. If the scale doesn't move, I will be able to see all of the pounds that I have already lost and hopefully that will keep me on point. It may not because I am not perfect, I know that I am going to mess up. I hope I don't but I am human and I need to accept that fact. I just need to make sure that if I mess up, I stop and fix it before moving on.

So what are you waiting for? Go start making your motivational wall!

Just Get Your Foot in the Door, the Rest of Your Body will Follow

To be brutally honest I have been struggling to start my journey for over 2 years now. I have not yet succeed but it isn't because I do not want it as most people say. But more so because I am trying to change to many things that I have become used to at the same time. For instance, I have got so used to just going to a fast joint, like Arby's or McDonald's, instead of cooking meals at home because it is easier. To this day, it is still easier but is it better? No. The easy things in life are not going to get you where you need to be. I am realizing this now and it is going to take a little bit of time to get where I need to be in order to start losing. It is not going to be easy, I need to keep telling myself that. It is also not going to happen over night. It is going to take time, hard work and will power; all of which if you stay focused will help you get to where you want to be.

Let me start by saying that I never been big, until now. I am 24 years old and I am at the biggest I have ever been and I do not wish to be this big ever again. It isn't that I find big people horrible, or disgusting. It is the fact that I do not recognize myself in the mirror. This is why I want to lose weight. Not to fit in, not because society is telling me that is how I am supposed to look or any other reason people will throw at me. I am doing it for me. I am doing it because I felt good when I was at a healthy weight.

Up until I was 18 years old I was skinny, healthy, athletic and toned. I then got into a serious relationship, started a job and was a full time college student. My time was spent doing homework, working or spending time with my amazing boyfriend. He quickly turned into my fiancee and I got... comfortable. Since I was working and getting home late, I started to just pick up food on my way home from work to avoid having to cook a meal at 10 o'clock in the evening. It was easy, and it became a habit. I slowly started to put on weight and having to buy bigger clothes. After a while, my family started telling me that they were sad to see me putting on so much weight. You would think that would have been a wake up call. But it wasn't. I didn't change. See, I was used to eating those kinds of foods and being able to keep the weight off because I was active. After high school, I stopped doing a lot of the activities that I did that was keeping the weight off but I didn't stop the eating.

Now, years later I am trying to change all of this. I am trying to add in all of the activities, stop the over eating, the eating out, drinking soda and so on and so on. You get the picture, I am trying to do a whole 180 all at once. And I keep failing. Failing adds to the pressure of people telling me that I am not able to do this. I know I can do it, I just need to take it slow. I'm not going anywhere.

Why do I keep failing? There are so many reasons. I keep failing because if I miss a workout, I beat myself up about it. When the scale doesn't move or it goes up even though I have been behaving, I get discouraged. Once I start beating myself up and I get discouraged, I throw in the towel and it is hard to pick it back up.

In September to October 2012, I lost 10 pounds and was down in the 170's. I was doing good. I got into the hang of things, I started seeing results but then I stopped because I didn't want to have to get my wedding dress refitted so close to my wedding. I vowed to start back up right after the wedding. I tried, but it didn't work and I ended up gaining back those 10 pounds; plus, it brought along some friends.

I no longer feel comfortable in my body no matter what kind of clothes I am wearing. I try to avoid dresses, shorts and bathing suits at all costs. Jeans are starting to be out of the question as well. I love being able to wear dresses out to dinner, shorts in the summer and I love to swim which means I love to wear bathing suits. And jeans, well they are on of my favorite things to wear. But with the added weight, I'd rather pull on a pair of sweat pants than them. This is not how I want to live my life. The other thing... heels. It is so much harder to walk in heels when you have extra weight to carry around. At this point, I have stopped wearing all of my heels because I feel like they are just going to SNAP in half because of my weight.

I am not an expert and by no means am I going to tell you what will work for you, but by writing this blog I am hoping that it will help you find what works for you and shows you that with a little bit of work, help and time you will get to where you want to be.

Together, let’s put one foot in the door and let our bodies follow. Let's take one day at a time and let them all add up.