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HEATHERM4444's Recent Blog Entries
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Saturday, May 18, 2013
I had a great week this week. It's the first time in quite a while that I made healthy eating choices and exercised consistently. It feels like I'm starting over, but it feels good. I weighed this morning, and lost 5 lbs this week!!! I knew I was eating A LOT of calories before I started over Sunday, and I'm sure that part of that is sodium/extra water weight. But still. It's the first time in probably going on two months that I've lost weight.
I'm going great drinking water, and keeping track of my calories. I really need to work on getting a solid 8 hours of sleep each night. I'm happy to say that I haven't eaten (grazed mindlessly) after supper/dinner. With my eating habits I've been working on spacing out my calories throughout the day, and especially having a late afternoon snack, so that I'll have energy for my workout after work and not "eat like I'm going to the chair" by the time I eat supper.
It is good to see progress, and not feel like I'm controlled by cravings or emotional eating. That feels good. I've been reading the Spark Solution too, and that's helping me to stay encouraged and motivated.
I have a list of goals and things I want to work on and achieve, but I'm trying not to look at all of those goals or try to do them all at once - I just don't want to burnout. Right now, my focus is on drinking water, tracking my calories, getting plenty of sleep, and exercise consistently. I need to sit down and plan my rewards for every goal and weight loss milestone I reach. That will most likely involve horseback riding.
I will say that I ran into an annoying/frustrating situation Thursday evening. I planned what to eat for supper, and basically the nutrition guide for the entrée I got was misleading, so I went over my calories that day. But I'm happy because I didn't intentionally go over my calories, and I didn't get all depressed and stuff and eat everything in the house because of it.
I have learned this week to keep taking small steps. Focus on a few goals and build your momentum from there. It really pays off to approach your healthy lifestyle change in such a manner. That's why I like SP so much.
Until next week folks - stay encouraged and happy. Don't give up or beat yourself up. We can do this. We are doing it. Keep sparking and shining.
   
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Today I weighed myself. I probably had not weighed in over a month. I have gained 31 lbs since my lowest weight in October! Ouch! But being scared of the scale won't help me get back on track. So after I weighed I took my measurements too and started all of my goals and tracking all over.
I think my struggles built up over time and sort-of "snowballed" by a few various factors. I have learned the hard way that there are things worse than plateaus. Looking back, I can see certain things I did and did not do that ended up blowing up in my face, so-to-speak. When problems arise, I try to find or figure out the root of the problem. For me, I think that the root of my weight-loss problems were two-fold. Somehow, somewhere along the way, I lost the joy of taking better care of myself. I lost the joy and the adventure of losing weight on the path to a healthier lifestyle. I want to get that joy back, but I don't want to keep looking to the past. I just want to start where I'm at and look forward and find new joy.
The other problem is that I felt like I gave up on myself and on my dreams/goals of losing weight. Being overweight most of my life, to lose most of that extra weight and then regain some of it has been hard. Perhaps I need to challenge the way I view or think of myself as the overweight one.
Furthermore, I had signed up for and was training for a full marathon, and about 4 months into my training I decided to not do the full and just do the half marathon instead. I felt like I was making the right decision. Indeed, I'm glad I just did the HM instead because the full marathon probably would've made my knees fall off (it had some challenging hilly parts in it, even for just the half marathon course). On the other hand, choosing to not do the full marathon really really got me down. I do not know if anyone except God knows how much that decision affected me and made me sad.
So now I feel like I am in a pit that I cannot dig myself out of - I feel like only God can get me out of it. I got the new SP book, and joined SparkCoach, and as I stated earlier, started over all of my goals. I am trusting in God to help me and take care of me in this.
There is a verse in the Bible that says, "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." I believe He has given me this desire to be healthy and lose weight, and that He will help me in it.
I would encourage anyone wanting to lose weight and live a healthy lifestyle to just take it one step at a time. No matter what happens, don't give up on yourself, and don't beat yourself up whenever you slip up or make a mistake. Whether you're struggling or doing well, stay connected.
Wednesday, November 09, 2011
Good morning everyone,
I have finally stumbled upon my first plateau, and I have to say this experience stinks. I have weighed the same (within a .6 lb range) for the last two weeks. It's really a bummer, but I am trying really hard to stay positive.
I found some great articles on this website (it's a series of three articles) about what to do when you hit a plateau. Taking to heart what I have read, I am working on changing up what I'm doing.
First of all, I am making sure that I am getting a good night's sleep every night this week.
Second, I am adhering to my nutrition tracker more carefully by remaining within my calorie ranges. It seems that I don't eat quite enough carbs, and push the limit on my fat grams. I would like to eat more protein as well.
With my diet, I really want to work on eating a better breakfast, and eating healthy snacks between meals. That way, I don't feel like a hungred by the time I get to dinner. I want to focus on eating more vegetables and fruits. And I think I need to work on distributing my calories more evenly between my meals also.
Third, I am going to mix up my exercise. I had no idea that I was supposed to mix up my routine every 6-8 weeks. I've been doing the same thing for the past three months! I have worked out 3 times a week doing cardio and strength training each time.
With that being said, now I'm going to still do cardio three times a week, but do my strength training in between those days. With my cardio I am going to try some different things. I want to incorporate the step-master, and also try swimming. These are both things I haven't done in awhile (I haven't swam in years!). I am also going to get the new Xbox 360/Kinect Game Yourshape: Fitness Evolved 2. I really liked the first one. I still like using the elliptical, so when I use that I want to push myself harder (in a good way) and have a more intense workout.
Fourth, I have started to read The Spark. I am figuring reading this book will be another great way to give my weight loss journey a boost.
I must stop weighing myself every single day!!! I've been doing that since Saturday, and I know good and well that leads to nothing good. I have to stick with just weighing myself once a week.
To end on a positive note, I will say that I'm on a Sparkstreak. I've drunk at least 8 cups of water per day for the last two weeks. In addition, my hip hasn't hurt for three whole days now, which makes me happy and is very exciting. I've also dropped off 4 points from my BMI since joining Sparkpeople.
I must break this plateau!!! I've made good progress but I still have a way to go, and I cannot remain where I'm at. Thank God for my encouraging, supportive husband as well as my great Sparkfriends!!!
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Good day to everyone!
I always do my weekly weigh-in when I get up on Saturday morning. The scale had the nerve to tell me that I had gained two tenths of a pound since last week! Ridiculous! I thought to myself, "Self, you are not going to beat yourself up about this! It's only .2 of a pound anyway! Besides, you've been stressed out lately and you need to just relax!"
So yesterday I got to go to the renaissance festival and I met my sister and niece there. It was so good to see them and hang out with them, because I hadn't seen them in quite awhile, maybe a year.
I had so much fun! I enjoyed myself. I even got a 10 minute chair massage. That was so awesome! It made me want to learn to become a massage therapist! I felt so much better, I started to smile involuntarily again.
I am becoming a happier person. I am learning to not beat myself up about stuff anymore, and I'm learning to enjoy life every day. Proverbs 17:22 says, "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones." I am really starting to embrace this, because I feel like it is so crucial to not just my weight loss journey, but to everything else as well. My weight loss is NOT the beginning of my happiness; it is the product of me loving myself for who I am and letting go of self-condemnation and stress.
So, no matter what stage of your weight loss journey you are in, and no matter what you are going through, I would encourage each of you who read this blog post to make sure you are happy and relaxed. Don't give yourself a hard time whenever you stumble or fall. Just pick yourself up and keep going. Stay positive. Compliment yourself. Do not listen to anything or anyone that condemns you because of your weight, or if you messed up, or anything. Give yourself a break!
By the way, I weighed myself again this morning, and I lost 0.6 lbs. I am not in the habit of weighing myself every day, but I did make me feel better.
Take care everyone, and have an awesome Sunday!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Good morning everyone!
Today I want to talk about a trouble goal. It's really more of thinking out loud. I have a few trouble areas that I want to tackle, but for my first trouble goal I want to deal with what I think is the root of most of my problems.
I feel like I have no time to get anything done. I thought that once I graduated from college and got married that my life would settle down. But I stay busy all the time! I feel like I don't have the time I need to keep my house clean. I feel like I don't have enough time to spend with my husband. And I haven't seen my family in a year or more.
All of this makes me really stressed out and very frustrated. I'm tired most of the time. I feel like all I want to do is rest. I've been waking up 2-3 times a night lately, and then my bum hip will hurt, which makes it even harder to go back to sleep. Some days I have to drag myself to the gym, and some days I am so pooped I just go straight home and try to relax.
I have a strategy to tackle this problem. My plan involves several steps. I complete/work on one step, and then incorporate the next one. The rough draft of my plan is as follows.
1. I need to cut myself a lot of slack. I need to bury the perfectionist in me-that perfectionism has to go. I will not beat myself up anymore (or think myself a failure) when I don't get everything I want or need to get done.
2. Prioritize time with my husband. (When my husband is at home, I can devote more time to him and do other errands/chores while he's at work.)
3. Make it a priority to spend time with my family at the holidays.
4. I am going to create a plan to budget my time better. I will make a list of everything I need to do (and how often to do it). I will cut down on any unnecessary activities that sap my time and energy.
5. I will start incorporating more foods into my diet that will help manage the arthritis in my hip. (I recently read a Spark article that talked about nutrients that help arthritis, like Omega-3's and beta carotene.) More sweet potatoes!!! I also want to keep walking during my breaks at work. That seems to help when I'm having a bad hip day.
6. As far as not sleeping well, I want to work on having consistent sleep hours. That means going to bed and getting up at the same time every day.
7. I am going to work on eating foods that will give me more energy, like complex carbohydrates.
8. I am going to plan my meals ahead of time and eat a more substantial breakfast and lunch. This will help me feel better throughout the day.
9. Plan on "me" time every single day. Even if it's just for 5-10 minutes.
10. Keep my exercise plan consistent on the same days during the week.
11. Compliment/talk positive to myself every single day.
12. If I mess up, fall short, or fail in any way, I will get back up and keep on going, no matter what. And I will not beat myself up about it.
I want to conquer this busy/stressed/feel like I have no time issue, and I feel confident that I can demolish it. I have to. I cannot let this lead my life anymore, know what I mean?
Thanks for reading my blog folks! Have an awesome day!
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Member Comments About This Blog Post:
ON YOUR DECISION TO START OVER. I HAVE HAD A LOT OF UPS AND DOWNS IN MY 15 1/2 MONTH JOURNEY. I HAVE TO HAVE LOST 100 POUNDS SO FAR BUT ONLY HAVE KEPT 13 POUNDS OF IT OFF SO FAR. I WILL NOT GIVE UP ON ME. I AM GOING TO BE LIGHTER AND HEALTHIER ONE DAY AT A TIME.'
