Reevaluating Goal Weight

Last week in my First Place Bible Study book we were asked to look back at the goals we set during one of the early weeks. We were at a halfway point and it was time to reevaluate.(These are goals to be reached in a 12 week period) There were 4 labels from which to pick for each goal:

1. Right on track, I'm going to make it!
2. Can do it, but I'll have to work harder.
3. Met my goal and I need a new one!
4. Adjust my goal to something more doable for me right now.

Well, I did that with all of my short term goals and it was very helpful. I highly recommend doing it. But then I turned to my long term goal. THE goal. I couldn't exactly use the 1-4 from above because I had not put a time limit on my goal but it was just good to really think about how my goal originated, the purpose of it and how it fits into the picture now.

In case you didn't know, my goal is to lose 100 pounds. I weighed 229lbs. when I began. The healthy weight range is from 115-145 ish. Losing 100 pounds would put me right in the middle of that range at 129. Which would be fabulous. But when I really thought hard about how I set that goal I remembered that it wasn't the first goal I wrote down.

The first goal I wrote down was 140. I chose 140 because it was several pounds under the top of the range--enough wiggle room to stay healthy even after a rough weekend ;) . I knew that when I had weighed 140 before I looked and felt great. I wore about a size 6 which seems like a dream now. It was the perfect goal weight.

Why did I change it? Well. This little blog is more than just a journal for me. It is an artistic outlet. Whether people realize it or not, much thought goes into each and every little item that I put on here. I like everything to work together, to be appealing, and to be nifty. So when I typed that I wanted to lose 89 lbs, something seemed off. I wrestled with it for a few days. Eighty-nine pounds? That just didn't fit. But 100 pounds! Yes, that fit. That sounded nifty. It also sounded awesome that one day I would be able to say I lost 100 lbs. So, I changed it to 100 lbs.

Now here I am, 64.6 pounds down and I'm starting to think eighty-nine lbs sounds a little more nifty than it used to! I think I had solid reasons for choosing that goal in the beginning and so I've been thinking about changing my goal back to 140 lbs. Actually, it's pretty much a done deal. Yes, I admit I am changing it because I am ready to reach THE goal. That's not to say I can't reevaluate again when I get to 140...heck, maybe I'll decide to go for 115! Who knows?

But as of today I am 24.4 lbs away from my GOAL WEIGHT. Doesn't that have a nice ring to it? I recently set a kind of short term/long term goal of losing one pound every week. If I stay on top of this (lofty, in my opinion) goal I will reach my goal weight before the end of 2011. I will be at my goal weight when I take my trip to NYC (which we booked today, by the way!) I will have lost 89 pounds.
Eighty nine might not be as "ideal" as the one hundred, but in the end what I've concluded is that 100 pounds is so NOT the goal that fits with this blog and who I am. I mean, if at some point I have lost exactly 100 pounds that will be fine, but I am not going to go for the "perfect" number just because it has a nice ring to it and sounds more impressive. Could anything be more superficial?

Yippee for goal reevaluation! Try it.

Someday. . .

Someday I want my calves to look like this.

Oh wait. This IS my calf.

Pretty in Purple

I was excited to have recently run across this old school pic of me on Facebook. This is what I'm going for people! I distinctly remember stepping on the scale the day of my junior prom and seeing the number 127. I had worked so hard to see that number. When I put my dress on I felt like a million bucks.

I suspect I will feel the same way in a few months when I slip it on for the second time--on the day I reach my goal of 129!

What a photo session THAT will be!

A Happy Mistake

One of my new favorite things to do is try on clothes at stores like Ross, Marshalls, TJ Maxx, etc. Today I tried on a pair of 14 skinny jeans at Old Navy. Skinny jeans aren't my favorite but the 14 DID fit. :) I also tried on a dress that I really liked--they only had a medium. I thought, what the heck? I'll give it a shot. And guess what...the dress FIT too!

When we were in TJ Maxx I saw some Seven7 jeans that looked really cute. I had found a pair of 20s in that brand earlier this year that actually looked decent on me so I bought them. I decided to try on a 14 today. I got in the dressing room and began to pull them up. They went all the way up easily, buttoned and zipped. They felt pretty good but they were a little snug--my mini muffin was visiting.

I was disappointed because I thought if a 14 from two different brands fit well then I could officially say I was a "Size 14." Bummer :( I was taking them off when I happened to look down and catch a glimpse of the tag. Turns out the hanger was mislabeled. They weren't a size 14.

They were a size 12!



A few months ago I was sucking it in to get these on:

Here are my new jeans (of course I bought them!) on top of my old jeans.

These pics of me in my 20s aren't quite as dramatic as I would like them to be...

At first I tried to fit both of my legs into one side but I think I was getting a bit ahead of myself. On the bright side, I did get a nice workout in while trying to get both my legs unstuck.

Reward Outfit(s) Revealed

This is a summery top from Old Navy (late addition to reward) that I paired with a brown corduroy jacket. I (re)discovered the jacket in my closet this week and was thrilled to find I could actually button it! Clinton of What Not to Wear says that you can not buy a jacket unless it will button. I would argue that you can not buy a jacket unless you are committed to future buttoning!

Meet my photographer for the afternoon. I bribed him with fruit snacks. I hope he doesn't have some kind of long lasting psychological issues because his mother made him take pictures of her. Surely not. He didn't seem to mind.

This is my reward top that required the purchase of a strapless bra. I love the back! It feels so good to be outside with temperatures in the upper-60's. Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy.... Loved it when my well-trained, 4 year old photographer asked, "Mommy, is it okay if I get your bottom?" My reply, "Yes! By all means Son, get my bottom!"

Hope you can enjoy some sunshine today!

The Scale Has Spoken!

Milestones

Milestones I look forward to reaching over the next few months:

199 lbs.
Finally back in the 100's. I never want to leave! *Not there yet...

193 lbs.
I will weigh the lowest I have in about 7 years. Just before I got pregnant with my youngest child, I had lost about 30 pounds and weighed 194. Weighing 193 will be a huge milestone for me as it will feel like I am finally picking up where I left off.

189 lbs.
Being in the 180's will be AWESOME! At some point in this decade I will weigh less than my husband. Whoohoo!

179 lbs.
I will no longer be OBESE. 'Nuff said.

Did I just run 5K?

Why yes, I did. Thanks for asking.

Okay. Let me tell you how this went down. I have been sick for about a week. Been trying not to whine about it, but I have been wiped out. I have been dragging my butt to the gym through all of this, but my heart's not been in it. My heart's been in a tissue and a hot shower.

However, I have a goal that I am working toward this week--trying to get to Onederland folks. I know it's a bit of a stretch, but is it really a goal if your not stretching? I think not. So I decided to go for 2 miles at the gym today to make up for the past week of slacking off. Note: Technically I am not scheduled to be at 2 miles for another 5 weeks or so.

I didn't want the treadmill to cut off after 20 min like it does on the manual setting. When this happens I have to stop running, reset it, I lose my "calories burned" screen, etc. So I decided to choose the 5K mode and just stop after 2 miles.

What happened next is nothing short of a miracle. I set the speed to 4.3 and began. I was watching Bill and Giuliana on The View (who I love) and feeling virtually no pain. After about 1 mile I thought, Could I possibly? Nah... But I kept going. The numbers kept clicking away and I kept going. I kept going until I had burned 400 calories. I kept going for 41 minutes and 30 seconds. I kept going until I had run an entire 5K without stopping.

This is one of the greatest accomplishments for me ever. Seriously. Less because of what my body did but more because of what my mind did.

My memory verse from last week was: "I can do anything though Christ who gives me strength." Phillipians 4:13

Isn't THAT the truth!?

Workout Update

I am super excited about what exercise is doing for my body. It really is quite helpful. Imagine that...those health nuts were right all along.

I began going to my gym about 2 months ago. I was experiencing some major anxiety/depression. For some strange reason I felt drawn to workout. The only way I could make myself feel better was to do something physical.

Although I did begin a medication for the anxiety (which has helped tremendously) I have to believe that the regular exercise is doing its part as well. There is a bunch of scientific stuff to prove that, but I'll leave it to you to go searching for it.

The important thing is that I feel great! And even though I am still in Twoville, my body is changing and you can see that in these pics:

about a month ago

tonight

By the way, I never wear my shirt tied in a knot like that, just for this blog.

In crunching news: After much deliberation and with the help of all your thoughtful input, I decided to go ahead with crunches but not spend too much time on my abs. I took the advice of someone to really focus on all core muscle groups. However, I am spending the majority of my activity time on cardio at the moment.

Today I ran 1.5 miles (ahead of my schedule) at a 4.7 pace. I think by next week I will be up to 2 miles and that is going to put me at my goal 6 weeks early! I will have to come up with another goal.

It feels so weird to type that. I am not a "goal-setter." Especially when it comes to exercise. We are talking about a girl whose idea of upping her activity level was to scrub a little harder in the shower that day. That was me two months ago. Looking like this:

Fat. Sad. Miserable.

But today...

I know it doesn't have to be like that. Life is not SUPPOSED to be like that. Praise the Lord Almighty for pulling me out of the pit I was in!

Here's to staying out of the pit...

Goal No.1 Reached

My reward for reaching Goal #1 of 209lbs!!!

• workout shirt (which I am wearing)
• The Biggest Loser Weight Loss Yoga
• socks with a pink line so "no one" can steal them
• Yoga mat

As previously stated, I have attempted to lose weight many times in the past and so this is not the first time I have rewarded myself for goals reached. However, the old me would have rewarded herself with food. This is what an old reward list might have looked like:

10 lbs lost--Hot Fudge Sundae!!

20 lbs lost--a week of eating whatever I want!!

great weigh-in--drive through Taco Bueno!!

Hmm. Do we understand the problem with this behavior pattern? Totally fuels the fire we are trying to put out. Thankfully, God has graced me with some clarity in this matter and I realize now that the reward has to be a springboard for more success. This is my current reward list (permanently posted on the sidebar):

209 lbs -- new workout clothes

199 lbs -- new outfit

189 lbs -- haircut, mani & pedi

179 lbs -- massage

169 lbs -- new outfit

159 lbs -- girls weekend

149 lbs -- family portrait

140 lbs -- tropical vacay w/ Hubs

All of these things will make me feel better about myself and encourage me to keep going. Yes, they might be a little costly but becoming healthy will save lots of money in the long run (ie. fewer medications, surgeries, etc.) At least that's what I'm telling the hubs. Quite a bit of truth to it, no?

I will leave you with a glimpse of my yoga "buddies." They make it impossible such a blast to work out in the comfort of my own home!

I really, really did not want to include this one since the gut is taking center stage, but I have to stay true to my "keepin' it real" theme. No guts--no glory, right?! AND I found out my deep lunge isn't so deep...need to work on that. Thank you, disgusting photograph.

And while I am being real, I might as well tell you that I ate several crackers with high-fat cheese last night. And a few Doritos with bean dip. Oh, and some peanut butter crackers. (I waited too long to eat dinner and went bonkers) Back on track today though. Yay me.

Okay--so what rewards are you planning for yourself? I want to know.

Weigh In: 2.5 lb. Loss

208.5 lbs.




NSVs (Non Scale Victories)

• Met goal of running 1.2 miles each time I went to the gym
• Fit into two pairs of jeans that I hadn't been able to wear for a LONG time
• Went an entire week without going off food plan
• Rolls are shrinking
• Hit my first goal of 209 lbs. and get to buy new workout clothes

Hollaaaaaa!

Weigh In: 3 lb. Loss

211 lbs.

Getting better at the picture taking, no?

Note to self: Clean bathroom mirror.

My Stomach: A Bottomless Pit?

Surely not.

Sometimes it seems that way though. It has never been easy for me to know when I am "full."

I have noticed that my one year old has a pretty good indicator of when she's full. Her little tummy gets just big enough that her belly button pops out! Kind of like a Thanksgiving turkey with one of those red things that pops out to let you know it's done.

Since I haven't seen the sunny-side of my belly button in about 30 years that little trick isn't going to work for me, unfortunately.

Here are 3 things I am going to try to implement to help in this area.

1. Stop eating before I think I am full.
The rule of thumb in knowing when the right time is to stop eating is just before you begin to feel full. You will still feel just a little bit hungry. If you wait until you are completely full then it's too late. Why is this so important? Because when you eat until you are full, you are adding more calories and fat to your body. Your brain takes 15 - 20 minutes to read the signals from your stomach that you are full. This is why you should always take your time when eating. Read entire acrticle...

2. Drink a glass of water before, during and after each meal.
This will help me get full faster and it will also ensure that I get my recommended 8 glasses of water a day.

3. Pray before each meal.
This is something that I neglect to do many (most) times I eat. Not only do I need to give thanks, but also ask for God's help to recognize my body's cues to stop eating. I know He will help me.

I'll let you know how this works out.

Excercise is my Frienemy

I'm not sure what a "frienemy" really is, but in this case I thought it would apply to exercising since I hate it (enemy part) even though apparently it is really good for me (friend part).

I have been working out on a somewhat regular basis for about 3 weeks now. I have a membership at a local gym. The main thing I do is walk/jog on the treadmill and some resistance weight training.

This was kind of a big week for me in the physical activity department. I had set a 12 week goal for myself to be able to jog a mile without stopping. I did it this week! Week 2! I completely surprised myself. I don't think I have done that since high school.

So now I have to set a new 12 week goal. I am going to make it 2 miles jogging without stopping. We'll see. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to do it. I also want to be able to do 100 crunches. (It actually hurt me to type that.)