This is the final 3 days for me for the YankTON challenge. My final weigh in is on Wednesday (not Friday as I will be in Chicago!) I am excited but nervous for the end. It has been a long and difficult journey working hard as a team! It will not be then end of my fitness journey though! I hope to continue the good habits I have picked up and continue to reach my fitness goals.
One goal that I have not yet met is to learn more about fitness. I have been reading and learning more about healthier eating but not so much about physical fitness. I am hoping to reach that goal through a "gift to self" of Women's Health magazine. Matt and I got a dual subscription through junior class magazine sales.
Speaking of my husband, I have to compliment him on his own journey toward fitness. He has some crazy workouts that make me giggle a little but I am enjoying watching him work so hard toward his goals. He is doing wonderful and I am very proud of him!
I went shopping again today for pants as I seem to have them dropping off me every time I need to grab a pair for anything so I headed to the store and did pretty well. I was able to get three pairs of nice dress pants for $20 each! I am hoping that I can wear them a bit longer than some of my other pants that I bought only this summer. While it is fun to drop sizes, my wallet would appreciate a break! I had to turn down a perfectly fitting pair of jeans because I just couldn't convince myself to pay $40 for them.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Yeah...I know...it has been FOREVER!
Life has gotten in the way of my blogging but I figured it was time to come back and give a little update! While I have been crazy busy with life, kids, family, work and a little more work-I have not given up on my fitness goals. I am still working toward them every week and I am happy to say that I continue to make progress. I have continued to take part in the YankTON Challenge. We are really doing well as a group at the high school and I have confidence that we will continue to do well in these last few weeks. I no longer bike every day. The mornings have been pretty chilly-below freezing now and then-which makes me opt to go for a workout inside. I am learning to enjoy using our elliptical and I am enjoying a little bonus quiet TV time to myself. I have discover that I will workout twice as long when I have a good show to watch! I usually go for a mile or so...sometimes longer depending on how far away weigh-in day is. The last time I blogged I was at 180.8 pounds and excited to get into the 170s. I am happy to say that I made it and I am now on my way to the 160s!! I am currently at 171.8 as of my YankTON weigh-in. I am feeling really great. Since I started this blog, I have lost a total of 20.8 pounds! I am very proud of myself and the progress I have made. If I go back about 15 months to where I really started at 218.8 pounds I have lost 47 pounds! While the numbers were never my ultimate goal (other than getting to a healthy BMI) I have to say...looking at those number inspires me to keep going and not give up! I want to develop healthy habits and choices that will be with me for a lifetime.
This weight loss has really given me the shopping bug! As I drop from one size to the next I am forced to spend money on clothes so that I have something that fits! I have dropped from a 16/18 in pants to, most recently, a 12! I am now also able to buy medium sized shirts! I feel great!
This weight loss has really given me the shopping bug! As I drop from one size to the next I am forced to spend money on clothes so that I have something that fits! I have dropped from a 16/18 in pants to, most recently, a 12! I am now also able to buy medium sized shirts! I feel great!
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Awesome weekend update!
I feel like things are really going well. For my YankTON weigh in at work I was down 1.8 pounds! I have lost a total of 6 pounds so far. My goal this week is to step things up and see if I can't get the biggest loss as I am pretty sure the men have taken the first two weeks! I am enjoying it and I think it is really great what we are doing as a team. I like that we are all working to be healthier!
I feel like I have had a good food week overall-tonight wasn't the best but I did avoid the alcoholic drinks that are my usual pitfalls! I enjoyed a nice steak and was full before finishing. Normally I would finish it anyway but not tonight! The two downfalls of the evening were the fried onions on top of the steak and my indulgence in a root beer. Both things were totally some extra point consumption!
I had a great long ride this morning which was a nice change. I did my full ride Friday morning but was feeling wiped out by the time I got home-sinus infection is still lingering but seems to be getting better today! I took my super long combo ride and told myself (again) that I could just walk the hills...I rode up them and was able to push through!
I basically had a double workout today because it was Cohan's first soccer game! I warmed up with the kids for a bit kicking the ball around and then I coached on field for the second half of the game. It was fun and I was pretty sweaty by the time we were done.
I really need to stay on top of my game this week the week after will be crazy!
I feel like I have had a good food week overall-tonight wasn't the best but I did avoid the alcoholic drinks that are my usual pitfalls! I enjoyed a nice steak and was full before finishing. Normally I would finish it anyway but not tonight! The two downfalls of the evening were the fried onions on top of the steak and my indulgence in a root beer. Both things were totally some extra point consumption!
I had a great long ride this morning which was a nice change. I did my full ride Friday morning but was feeling wiped out by the time I got home-sinus infection is still lingering but seems to be getting better today! I took my super long combo ride and told myself (again) that I could just walk the hills...I rode up them and was able to push through!
I basically had a double workout today because it was Cohan's first soccer game! I warmed up with the kids for a bit kicking the ball around and then I coached on field for the second half of the game. It was fun and I was pretty sweaty by the time we were done.
I really need to stay on top of my game this week the week after will be crazy!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Empowered Tuesday!
Last week I saw no change on the scale but I didn't let it bother me-as Dori says, "Just keep swimming!" :o) Boy am I happy that I don't let the scale break my positivity...because this week showed GREAT results! I weighed in this morning (because it is like Monday for me) at 180.8! WOWZER! That is a loss of 3.8 pounds! I have lost a total of 11.8 pounds and it feels AMAZING! Yes, this post is annoyingly positive and filled with exclamation points but I am so excited! My immediate goal has been to get out of the 180s and I am only a pound away! The last time I was in the 170s was when I got pregnant with Cam and lost close to 20 pounds during the first trimester (and possibly right away out of the hospital but that never lasts). Once I hit the 170s I am roughly 20-30 pounds away from a HEALTHY weight!
While I am completely amazed and blown away by the progress I have made in the past week, I really want to say-this is the payoff-this feels better than any slice of cake or fudge brownie! I am feeling great and I plan to keep this up so that I can feel even better! I have started things and quit before but I have never (and this is going to sound pathetic and lazy...but it is TRUE) worked physical fitness into my weight loss plans. I have spent time running around with my kids but never exercising just for me. I really think that this is the thing that is getting me hooked even more than the healthier eating. This is something that feels like a realistic permanent change in my life. All of this glopped together is so empowering!
On a side note to all of this, I am finally going to go to the doctor about my "cold" because I am now certain that it is a sinus infection and it is starting to wear me out a bit...I would like to be able to lean down to pick something up without feeling like my face is going to fall off! Antibiotics here I come! That will hopefully get me feeling even more energized when I am back to a 100% healthy state.
While I am completely amazed and blown away by the progress I have made in the past week, I really want to say-this is the payoff-this feels better than any slice of cake or fudge brownie! I am feeling great and I plan to keep this up so that I can feel even better! I have started things and quit before but I have never (and this is going to sound pathetic and lazy...but it is TRUE) worked physical fitness into my weight loss plans. I have spent time running around with my kids but never exercising just for me. I really think that this is the thing that is getting me hooked even more than the healthier eating. This is something that feels like a realistic permanent change in my life. All of this glopped together is so empowering!
On a side note to all of this, I am finally going to go to the doctor about my "cold" because I am now certain that it is a sinus infection and it is starting to wear me out a bit...I would like to be able to lean down to pick something up without feeling like my face is going to fall off! Antibiotics here I come! That will hopefully get me feeling even more energized when I am back to a 100% healthy state.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Feeling Great and Steppin Things Up!
I have really been feeling good and working hard. There is plenty to get caught up on :o)
Friday was a good day. I didn't get my morning ride that day because of morning rain but I am starting to get used to the fact that I just won't be able to go EVERY morning. I enjoyed the bit of extra sleep which I think was just as good for me as my ride. Friday was also our weigh-in day at school for YankTON and I was down 4.2 pounds! It seems as if our entire team is doing very well. The only down side-the teacher's lunch room was filled with junk food-cookies, bars, and brownies! Normally, left overs like these just don't last long-they rarely make it to the first lunch but not this time! There were still many treats left even after the last lunch-way to go! I would normally eat a sampling of all the different treats but this time I opted to share a cookie with Sheana. I felt satisfied with the little treat and I was happy that I was able to avoid having more than that. I love all these little willpower boosters!
This morning I was looking forward to a 6:30 ride as a treat to myself. I told hubby that I was going on my ride even if the kiddos were awake :o) 6:30 came and everyone was asleep so I was all set. I headed out on my ride and as I approached the park I thought it might be nice to go on a longer ride if I could. I decided that I would combine my 2 different bike routes and see how that went. It was GREAT! It was about a 50 minute ride in all. I wanted to walk my bike up my 2 big hills but I told myself that I could make it and I did. I really felt great after that nice long ride. I even went for a short ride later with my oldest son which also made me feel good even if it was short. I love getting in a little extra calorie burning!
Friday was a good day. I didn't get my morning ride that day because of morning rain but I am starting to get used to the fact that I just won't be able to go EVERY morning. I enjoyed the bit of extra sleep which I think was just as good for me as my ride. Friday was also our weigh-in day at school for YankTON and I was down 4.2 pounds! It seems as if our entire team is doing very well. The only down side-the teacher's lunch room was filled with junk food-cookies, bars, and brownies! Normally, left overs like these just don't last long-they rarely make it to the first lunch but not this time! There were still many treats left even after the last lunch-way to go! I would normally eat a sampling of all the different treats but this time I opted to share a cookie with Sheana. I felt satisfied with the little treat and I was happy that I was able to avoid having more than that. I love all these little willpower boosters!
This morning I was looking forward to a 6:30 ride as a treat to myself. I told hubby that I was going on my ride even if the kiddos were awake :o) 6:30 came and everyone was asleep so I was all set. I headed out on my ride and as I approached the park I thought it might be nice to go on a longer ride if I could. I decided that I would combine my 2 different bike routes and see how that went. It was GREAT! It was about a 50 minute ride in all. I wanted to walk my bike up my 2 big hills but I told myself that I could make it and I did. I really felt great after that nice long ride. I even went for a short ride later with my oldest son which also made me feel good even if it was short. I love getting in a little extra calorie burning!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Midweek Effort and Good News!
I really hate how much my blogging has had to slow now that I am back at work but I am happy that it hasn't had a negative impact on my dedication to fitness! I have been riding everyday except Sunday. We have been having bouts of thunderstorms which makes things difficult!
My Monday weigh-in showed no difference which I take as a positive-no loss but also no gain. I am hoping that I can really step things up a notch! I have been working very hard to have a better food week this week and I feel like I am being successful! I turned down the gooey butter cake that my wonderful homeroom student brought-just FYI, I know from past experience that it is as incredibly delicious as it sounds! I have been eating my low point lunches and trying to stay away from big indulgences even if I have the extra points to spare.
I think the thing that makes it so hard is that it really is work. I wish that eating better and making smarter decisions were simpler! Shopping is difficult because I have to read label after label trying to find the best options. Meal planning is also difficult because low point side dishes are hard to come by. I can always find a nice main course-usually lean meat, and there are plenty of veggies around but it seems like I rely on the same side dishes over and over because they have the most reasonable point values. While I do like the points plus system, I also REALLY miss my experimental cooking because it takes a lot of effort to figure out all the points for the final product. Cooking has always been a passion of mine and this effort to eat better seems to take some of the fun out of it :o(
All in all, I really want to step up my workouts and get to doing two a day at least a couple days a week working myself up to five days a week. I want to take my motivation and use it to drive me even closer to my fitness goals!
On an entirely positive note, my newly calculated BMI is 29.8 putting me in the category of...overweight! NOT obese! YAY! Yeah...I know it is still pretty close but I am working to get it down even further! Happy Dance!
My Monday weigh-in showed no difference which I take as a positive-no loss but also no gain. I am hoping that I can really step things up a notch! I have been working very hard to have a better food week this week and I feel like I am being successful! I turned down the gooey butter cake that my wonderful homeroom student brought-just FYI, I know from past experience that it is as incredibly delicious as it sounds! I have been eating my low point lunches and trying to stay away from big indulgences even if I have the extra points to spare.
I think the thing that makes it so hard is that it really is work. I wish that eating better and making smarter decisions were simpler! Shopping is difficult because I have to read label after label trying to find the best options. Meal planning is also difficult because low point side dishes are hard to come by. I can always find a nice main course-usually lean meat, and there are plenty of veggies around but it seems like I rely on the same side dishes over and over because they have the most reasonable point values. While I do like the points plus system, I also REALLY miss my experimental cooking because it takes a lot of effort to figure out all the points for the final product. Cooking has always been a passion of mine and this effort to eat better seems to take some of the fun out of it :o(
All in all, I really want to step up my workouts and get to doing two a day at least a couple days a week working myself up to five days a week. I want to take my motivation and use it to drive me even closer to my fitness goals!
On an entirely positive note, my newly calculated BMI is 29.8 putting me in the category of...overweight! NOT obese! YAY! Yeah...I know it is still pretty close but I am working to get it down even further! Happy Dance!
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Saturday Update
It is MUCH harder to blog during the week now that I am back at work. It is especially difficult when I have had a meeting or something going on EVERY night! Thankfully I have been keeping up with exercising which is good. I am still battling my cold which makes it hard.
Friday I has a very strong desire to stay in bed! I shut off my alarm and said to myself-I can take just this one morning off...then I thought about the prospects of me having time for a bike ride later in the day and they were not good so I rolled out of bed against my will. I got all ready to go-checked to see that it wasn't raining and saw that the ground was wet. I grabbed my lights and headed out. I was pulling my bike away from the house when I saw a flash of light-I turned around thinking maybe it was headlights going around a corner but saw nothing. I stopped and looked up at the sky to see if it was lightning and there they were...several more flashes. So much for my bike ride! I decided that I might as well stay up so I went down stairs and got on the elliptical as I didn't have time to come up with a more enjoyable plan B. It was even harder because of my cold but at least I got to catch up on some news...hurricanes and earthquakes...I have been living in a bubble the past week.
Friday was also our YankTON weigh in at work. My starting weight for that is 187.6 (if I remember correctly) not bad for being fully clothed with shoes on. For every pound we lose we are supposed to donate a food item. I plan to use this as an opportunity to get rid of some of the unhealthy stuff in my pantry-like hamburger helper and fruit in syrup. Looks like a win win situation. I am really excited for out team effort! I am hoping that it can be the extra motivation to get me to fit in a second work out.
I had planned on getting up at 6:30 to go for a ride this morning but my youngest planned to get up at the same time. Rather than riding we snuggled in bed together for an extra half an hour. Then it was off to my soccer coaching clinic...so I can at least fake coaching a little better HA! We got done early so I had the babysitter stay an extra half hour so that I could ride my bike. It was kind of nice to be out in the daylight as the water levels from the flood have drastically dropped! It is so nice to see that the water is really going down but it isn't so pretty to see the yucky land that is being uncovered!
Friday I has a very strong desire to stay in bed! I shut off my alarm and said to myself-I can take just this one morning off...then I thought about the prospects of me having time for a bike ride later in the day and they were not good so I rolled out of bed against my will. I got all ready to go-checked to see that it wasn't raining and saw that the ground was wet. I grabbed my lights and headed out. I was pulling my bike away from the house when I saw a flash of light-I turned around thinking maybe it was headlights going around a corner but saw nothing. I stopped and looked up at the sky to see if it was lightning and there they were...several more flashes. So much for my bike ride! I decided that I might as well stay up so I went down stairs and got on the elliptical as I didn't have time to come up with a more enjoyable plan B. It was even harder because of my cold but at least I got to catch up on some news...hurricanes and earthquakes...I have been living in a bubble the past week.
Friday was also our YankTON weigh in at work. My starting weight for that is 187.6 (if I remember correctly) not bad for being fully clothed with shoes on. For every pound we lose we are supposed to donate a food item. I plan to use this as an opportunity to get rid of some of the unhealthy stuff in my pantry-like hamburger helper and fruit in syrup. Looks like a win win situation. I am really excited for out team effort! I am hoping that it can be the extra motivation to get me to fit in a second work out.
I had planned on getting up at 6:30 to go for a ride this morning but my youngest planned to get up at the same time. Rather than riding we snuggled in bed together for an extra half an hour. Then it was off to my soccer coaching clinic...so I can at least fake coaching a little better HA! We got done early so I had the babysitter stay an extra half hour so that I could ride my bike. It was kind of nice to be out in the daylight as the water levels from the flood have drastically dropped! It is so nice to see that the water is really going down but it isn't so pretty to see the yucky land that is being uncovered!
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