Day 1-2.

So even though I posted yesterday, I realized I didn't update my blog with the results. I'll do better from here on out. Today's blog will sum up yesterday AND today!

Yesterday I did great. I stayed with in my recommended calorie intake (per Sparkpeople app), I didn't indulge in anything despite being hungry all day, and I did my 100 push-ups....on the wall. Yes. I was using my incredibly sore hip as an excuse for not getting down. And my arms were kinda fuzzy feeling, and I thought I did great. I didn't use my app, because truthfully, my push-ups kinda got lost in translation and I had to get back out of bed to do them, in attempt to stick with the program. Probably not my best effort. But, I did them.

Today....I didn't do great. I didn't eat breakfast because I was so concerned with getting Caryn to her first day of Kindergarten. I'm fairly certain I had more butterflies in my tummy than she did. Then, I got hungry and I needed a bag to put her sleep mat that I forgot to bring in, so I stopped at the gas station. I got a small fountain Pepsi and pink snowballs. Yup, breakfast of champions. Then I went to get my oil changed. Then I needed to get lunch since I was going to be late for work, I wouldn't be taking a lunch. So, with only $3 to my name, I got the cheapest thing I could for the least amount...a double cheeseburger and a coke....and it was SOOOOO good. Then, I got to work. Then I was hungry about 2:00 so I had a bag of pecan sandies from the machine. Then I was hungry at 4, so I got a bag of bugles and a diet dr. pepper. Then I got home and had a mini chocolate mint moonpie before dinner. Then I had a healthy dinner (not that it mattered after the preceding menu items). And then....I did 100 push-ups.....on the floor. And wow. My arms are, ehem, yah. no words to describe. There are hand indentations on the floor and it is a little difficult to type. But, I did them. For real today. And my hip wasn't bothered. Yeh for that part at least.

The moral of today is that sometimes days suck. But that should not derail the program. I am not going "Start-over" tomorrow, I'm going to continue on and do better. I will start my three day marathon at Curves. I couldn't go yesterday or today because of other obligations. But I will through Friday. It will be a challenge and I'll probably be limping sluggishly around work for the rest of the day, but I am going to go work my butt off and stay with the program. Then I will come home and cry through another 100 push-ups and remember why I am doing this. Perhaps I will put a picture of a really awesome dress under my chin as motivation. Whatever it takes, right? Anyway, enough rambling for tonight. Tomorrow is another day. The best thing is, God gives us a new day everyday and really doesn't care what happened yesterday. I am forever thankful for that, and the blessing of good health and the ability to make myself healthy!

Don't forget to check out Kama's progress! http://writeofweigh.blogspot.com/

Goodnight!

Challenge+Buddy=success

I did it! I completed the 5K. It's great, I know. I finished, that's what everyone is telling me. Yes, it's awesome. However, for me it's a little more complicated than that. You see, for the past three years, I have been challenging myself to do this thing. I really want to run it. In fact, I want to run in a half-marathon. At least I still have time for that challenge, since my goal was to do it by the time I am forty. The point of my ramblings is that I am moving backwards instead of forward. This year, I was fortunate enough to tie my chip time with last year. At least I didn't get slower again, I guess. But the biggest issue here is how I felt afterwards. Last year, I did this 5K seven months after have surgery on my knee. That was my excuse for a lackluster performance. The truth is, I didn't prepare. This year, I let my excuse for not preparing be time and weather. And I'm paying for it. I'm sore all over. This is the first year finishing actually hurt. That's not cool. So while I motivated others to do it for the first time which totally rocks, I didn't do myself any service. Somethings gotta change!

With that, I realized a friend and I have similar goals. We both have kids, both have husbands and both have over 100 excess pounds that are slowing us down. And we have both decided we can't do it alone. So, we have challenged ourselves to stop making excuses and do something about it. We are going to work together to lose weight and get healthy. And we have a team of mama's behind us for support along with our husbands. We are not going to cut each other any slack. We have challenges, goals, consequences and rewards. We are going to share pictures of our journey along the way. And, if you are reading this, we need your help too! Here is how it is going to go:

1) We must complete our challenges everyday. (The first challenge is 100 push-ups a day, tracked by a phone app)
2) We must blog about it everyday.

So that means you are going to be hearing a lot more from us! Root us on, push us harder, motivate us, challenge us, love us, hate us, join us! Whatever it takes.

Please join me in welcoming my buddy Kama and follow her blog http://writeofweigh.blogspot.com/ Together, we will make weight loss history and prove that two busy moms, one who works outside of the home and one that works at home, both with a common goal, have what it takes to lose the weight, and that it's better when your not alone!

And it's on!

I'm doomed!

The ever so famous Woodstock 5K that I vowed to be uber prepared for this year is in just a few days. I swore up and down that I would walk before dinner with the kids. Guess how many times that has happened? Indulge me as I whine a bit. Being a working mom is hard. Not to say it is harder than a stay at home mom, which is difficult in it's own way, but it is hard! There isn't enough time. I've adjusted the time I wake up and attempted to adjust the time I go to bed. (you see how well that is working out, right?) But it just never works. My schedule looks something like this.

4:30 AM alarm goes off for hubby
5:00 AM I roll out of bed and shower
5:30 AM Hubby leaves and I attempt to take 30 minutes of quiet time before the kids wake up.
6:00 AM Kids are up and getting ready
6:30 AM Kids are off to Mom-mom's and I'm off to work.
7:30-11:00AM- work like a dawg
11:00-12:00PM- 30 minutes at curves (when there is someone there to open the doors) and a quick lunch.
12:00-4:30PM- Working again.
4:30-5:15PM- Driving home from work
5:15-5:45PM- Picking up kids, getting organized (HA!) for the rest of the night. Usually this means zombie mode in front of the laptop for 40 minutes til I or the hubby muster up the motivation to feed the hungry kids who have usually fed themselves with snacks (at last I can say the snacks are healthy) by then.
6:30-7:15PM- Dinner
7:15-8:00PM- Kid time usually reserved for snuggling, reading, bathing, arguing, snuggling, you know....
8:00-9:00PM- A desperate attempt at getting school work done so I don't have to cram it all into the weekend. Usually spent by alt-tabbing back and forth between facebook, news stories and discussion boards.
Target bedtime is 9:00, but it usually is more like 10-12, depending on the workload and my focusability. (yes, this word will be a new induction to the Lori Dictionary)
*Disclaimer: This schedule does not include any church meetings, dance class, school orientations, altered work schedules, etc.

So, you see, when on earth am I supposed to fit a walk in? I know, really poor excuse. The other really poor excuse is that is horribly hot. And after working on my feet all day in between a sales counter and a hot warehouse, the outside hot beating sun of 6:00 PM is not very appealing. And there are not alternatives for walking in this bo-dunk town unless I'm a member of a massive Baptist Church which is pretty much not ever going to happen.

Thanks for letting me whine. I'm so unprepared for this 5K. I'm gonna hit the exercise bike and curves (assuming someone is there to open the door, unlike today) and stretch like crazy. I'm so proud of my church family for braving the storm with us this year, and I can't let them down. I will finish, even if they have to wheel me off of the course. I need to do it for myself, my kids, my friends and anyone who thinks this is a big deal. It's really amazing and I never regret it. I just dread it. Especially this year.

And with that, I'm going to have sweet dreams, I hope you will do the same!

Success!

I have been a member of Curves (again) since May, 2011. Yesterday was my second weigh in and I am officially down 10 lbs and almost 5 inches (total). My BMI and whatever other body fat measurement they amuse me with have gone down. That never happened the first time around! I know I have a long way to go, BUT, this is huge. Not only because it's a nice, real number but because I am under 300 lbs. And I VOW to never see that number again, unless it is the amount I am depositing in my bank account, or the amount I am spending on my new wardrobe. I have a long way to go, but suddenly, it doesn't seem so far away. I know I can do it. And I'm super pumped up now! And I love going to Curves in the middle of my work day at least four days a week. I feel amazing and soon will look that way too.

That's all, it's been a long week and weekend. Until the next success update......May you be blessed and pay it forward.

~Lori

Missing me?

Today, as I am preparing a retreat for the Children's ministry at church taking place tomorrow, I have clicked on the shortcut to my blog five times, yes five. Is this an accident? Hmm, who knows. Truth is, my fingers are probably trying to tell me something. I have not been very good. Not entirely my fault, but mostly.

Since I last blogged, I started doing pretty good. I started going to one of those weight loss clinics. You know, the kind that give you shots...yah. Those. And I joined curves which I started going to every day during lunch. It was going well, I lost weight and inches and started feeling good, for the most part. The shots were pretty awful, made me feel awful and I don't believe they helped. I think it was the eating choices and exercise that was making the difference. Then, I went on vacation. I danced my heart out with some of the coolest women on the planet...in wedge heals....and toured Washington D.C. and came home with a fractured foot. I tried to go to curves in my big ol' hot boot, but it didn't work. So, I ate like crap again, I didn't exercise and fell off the wagon....again.

This past week, I had the amazing opportunity to go to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) General Assembly in Nashville, TN. There I was in worship with over 5000 brothers and sisters in Christ. All shapes, sizes, colors, sexual orientations, races, immigration statuses....you name it. It was nothing short of amazing. I absolutely did not eat well, but my foot is better and I got a good bit of walking and swimming in. And the best part is, though it was 6 nights and 5 days packed full of information, learning, prayer, fellowship and worship, I came home last night feeling refreshed and renewed! My soul was fed, my body was rested spiritually and moved physically and spiritually. And I realized (again) that My body is not mine. It is a gift from God. And regardless of what I do to it, he will love me none the less. But, he has given me this gift to take care of. He has cleared the path many  times for me to do so, and I have failed, yet he forgives me. Every single day. And it's time I give him a rest. Rather than forgiveness for my weaknesses, I want to give him (and every single one of you reading this thing) a reason to rejoice with me! Rejoice because I have finally followed the path he has paved for me and am ready to go back around but only to take people with me! I cannot do that until I get around it by myself.

So here I go again, back on this road. My spirit is refreshed, my foot is healed, and my motivation is re sparked! I start going back to Curves on Monday and will experiment with Zumba on the Xbox as well as walking outside when the weather permits. I am still going to walk in the 5K on August 6th, albeit slower than I had originally hoped, but that doesn't matter. God does not clock our time. He just wants us to follow him gracefully and faithfully.

I look forward to developing my fabulousness, from my head down to my toes. Will you join me?

Ha- I'm back....

You know, I hate trying to lose weight. I wish obesity was the norm sometimes. But, I realize that it isn't. I wouldn't call myself lazy....all of the time. I think I just have too much on my plate. A full-time job, a full-time course load, two kids five and under, a working husband and an active church life. Where does eatting healthy and working out fit in? Strangely, the two (supposedly) would help the others get easier, or so I hear......




So, in the last two years I've tried it all. Weight watchers, sparkpeople, beach body, the biggest loser, calotren etc. I've also contemplated medical weight loss (pills and shots) and even surgery. I don't want to do something so drastic, because I know I can do this! But, how. When. Where. Why? What is my problem? Why is it so hard? Just ugh!



But, as I look back at the ups and downs one thing remains consistent. My desire to lose weight is strong. My motivation is in my head, but it stops there most of the time. And the need is non-negotiable. I have two small children. I have a husband. I have an abundantly blessed life that God has given me. And I need to do something (yesterday) to sustain it. What I am doing now is NOT working.



So here I am again. I have a new exercise bike in my dining room. The weather has turned. My kids have spring fever. And it is time the excuses stop. I need to do this so that I can be happy and healthy and live the life God planned for me. But how?



I'm going to try Weight Watchers again. I'm hoping to meet some online accountability buddies so I'm not going at this alone. I want to lose weight so desperately. I am 30 now (FABULOUS AT THIRTY OF COURSE) and I am really starting to feel it. There has never been a better or more important time to take action. I owe it to GOD, myself, my kids, my hubby, my employer, and everyone else whose life I may touch in the process. So, as I begin (tomorrow since it's bedtime) I am going to strive for greatness and do this, once and for all.



Many Blessings,



FAT_Lori



To my facebook friends who read this....no, I'm not on facebook until Easter! I can follow through with at least one thing in my life :) I just thought I'd post this...for motivation, accountability and to let you know I'm still alive, since I don't talk to most of you anywhere but there! See ya on Easter! Be Blessed!

Regress

Well, I am back. Happy New Year! Unfortunatley, I do not come bearing good news. Progress was apparently not in my vocabulary last year. Regress, a relatively new word to me, well, that I am using anyway, is. Instead of losing weight, I gained it back! And now, though I said it would never happen, I am back over the 300 mark. As I go back through some of my older posts, I realized something. Man, does it look good on paper (or a computer screen in this case) I am great at setting goals, great at telling stories, great at dreaming; I am not great at following through.....with anything. I do not know what to do about this, except pray for direction. But I'm not really good at that either. So, I am declaring this year, 2011 a year of new beginnings. And truly it is.

On the very first day of this year, we moved our family into a house. It is not ours, but we will be here for as long as the landlords will keep us. I am beginning a different direction in my job. I am an established student. I am taking on more responsibility in church. Or on more commities, which usually amounts to more responsibilty. And with all of this I have a renound sense of peace and faith. While I did not accomplish my weight loss goals last year, I would not say it was a total loss. I learned a lot about my faith, my church family and how God works. I think that is where the peace part comes in. So I think I will leverage some of that in my weight loss journey.

This year, weight loss is not just something I want to do. It is something I HAVE to do. I went to the doctor late last year fearing the worse. My blood pressure symptoms were all over the place, I looked up every symptom I thought I had on webMB and convinced myself I have it all. Everything an obese person should have. But, much to my surprise (and relief) with the exception of my BP (which was not even high when I went, after two days without meds) I am perfectly healthy. I do not feel that way though. I have a laundry list of things I want to accomplish, things I want to do. There is this heavy weight holding back this reality though. No, really, HEAVY WEIGHT. When I was 25, it didn't bother me. But today it does. I feel it. It hurts to move, to breathe, to walk. It's hard to get up from chairs, it's hard to hold my kids. I can't get comfortable in bed, I have heartburn. All of these things are because of my HEAVY WEIGHT! It's true! Because I'm perfectly healthy except for that. I am not, however, naive enough to think that I will stay that way if I continue on the path I am on.

So what to do with this newly found intellegence? Heck if I know. I am going to put it back on the top of the list though. It has to take a priortiy, right up there after my prayer life. I have to take control. I need to feel good and remain healthy if I am to follow the path God has led me on. While I don't know what this is completely, I know I can't do it like this.

Here we go again. A new beginning. A fresh start. A rekindled flame. A necessity. I'm not setting goals, because I suck at them. I am going to take babysteps. So much in my life is in sync right now. I finally feel like I have control over our home, our finances, our relationships. Actually, I don't have control....I've relingquished control. I'm just a manager. God's really in control. But the one thing that is poorly managed is back on the top of the list. I'm know I'm F.A.T......fabulous at thirty that is. But, I no longer want to be the other meaning of that three letter F word. So, as I pray, I hope you will too. Not sure what this will look like yet, but I know I'm not alone on my journey, and I look forward to seeing what lies ahead.