7 Month Check in

Its crazy that it has been 7 months since I started making consistent steps to a better me.  So much has changed.

I'm much stronger!  Today marks 135 days of sweat inducing work outs.  I feel muscle...and I see it!

I'm much happier!  Everything that experts say about increasing endorphins (those happy little hormones) with exercise is so true!  The world is a little brighter. 😁

I'm smaller!  36.4 pounds to be exact!  I've dropped a size.  I've cleaned out my closet.  It's nice...very nice. 

I am thinking that about 25 more pounds off would be a good "next goal" for me...so here I go!

This picture is to show where I started last fall.  The left side is from out family photo shoot in October.  The right side is now.  Crazy, eh?!

Transformation Tuesday!

It's been a while since I posted.  Mostly because I post daily on Instagram so I get my fix that way.

So - to catch up on a few things....

Last week I won my first Diet Bet!!  I lost 10 pounds exactly!  My starting weight was 227.2 and I ended at 217.2.  I was pretty excited!  And I won $53 - so 23 bucks more than what I put in!!!
Yay!!!

....and then came the next week.  I had been consistently losing 2 to 3 pounds a week during the diet bet but then it just stopped.  Maybe I had a few more undocumented foods in my food journal.  I did all the work outs for the week.  But this morning I stepped on the scale and I was actually up .4 of a pound.

I was frustrated.  I started to get those old familiar thoughts of

"this isn't working"  

"why not just embrace who I am"

"learn to love my curves"

"lets go eat icecream"

But I didn't give into those stupid thoughts.  Instead I decided to take a picture.  

I needed to SEE the difference making good choices has made.

So I did - and I compared it to a picture from exactly 6 weeks ago.  

After 

   - 42 workouts

   - counting every single carb

   - turning down cheesecake, french fries and fresh bread

   - using food as fuel and not a pacifier

This...

Things are changing.  

I feel so much healthier.  

I have more energy.  

I am happy.

"THIS is who I am... I am STRONG!"

"I embrace the fact that I don't have to settle"

"I love my curves, and I will alway have them - just not so many of them!"

"Let's go eat smart"

Snapchat pictures don't lie.... well - not this one!

I had an epiphany today. 

I was looking over my photo gallery on my phone, deleting pictures and videos to free up space in the memory when I came across a picture that I had taken in December with one of the fun Snapchat filters. 

When I saw it I thought... hmmm I wonder if my face shape has changed since starting back then.

So... I took another picture. 

...jaw drop moment...

The difference from Reindeer to Bunny was pretty great.  I will continue to add more to the face change pictures each season.  Here is 3 months apart - almost to the day!

Counting down to SUCCESS!!

Well, as of this week, I have completed the first 21 days of my personal work-out challenge.  Only 4 more sets to go!! 

We went away for the weekend to Great Falls, Montana.  I found a hotel that has a really good pool and fitness centre so that my workouts could still happen, even though I wouldn't be following Autumn on the videos.

On Friday night we hit the pool and I swam many laps and then spent about 20 minutes treading water and doing water  aerobics.  It made me wish that I had a pool in my house!  What a great way to exercise.  Although while I was in the water it felt relatively easy - my legs were like jello getting out.

On Saturday morning my beloved and I hit the gym where I rode the bike for 20 minutes and then did weights for 10 more minutes.  I took a boomerang video in the mirror where my dear hubby was doin the "fat burn" on the eliptical.  Hilarious!

I know that these last 21 days have made a big difference.  I am so much stronger than the day that I started.   I have lost 7 pounds...  7 pounds!!!  The size of a new born baby!!  That is incredible!  I'm pretty excited about those kind of results! 

21 days more.... here I come!!

Wanna Bet?

DietBet

If you have never heard of this new social media dieting craze - it is an online app that requires you to bet a set amount of money that you will lose 4% of your starting weight in 4 weeks.  There are all kinds of rules involved that keep you from cheating including sending in pictures etc.  If you are successful, then you win your money back as well as a cut of everyone that didn't hit the 4% loss in the 4 weeks.

After seeing a few friends and family members participate in DietBets, I decided to jump in.  My DietBet starts tomorrow, but it allows you to weigh in 2 days early... which I did.  

227.2 pounds

I was actually not happy with this weight.  It basically means that I haven't lost anything since returning from Colombia in February.   

But - that is the past and today I start fresh.  My goal has been set for 9.1 pounds.  So on April 16 I need to weigh 218.1 pounds.  I have set my personal goal for an even 10 pound... so 217.2  

I'm going to get there by:

   - continuing my daily workouts

   - increase the intensity of my workouts

   - add an extra 3 days of something - walking, elliptical, aerobics, etc

   - cut my carbs to 15 net carbs per day

   - stop eating after supper

   - increase my water consumption

   - track and record every morsel of food into MyFitnessPal

I'm excited about the extra motivation this will give me.  I understand that it has the potential of adding stress and obsessive behavior to my life but I will try to keep in a positive space.  

Today I finished the second week of my first 3 week personal challenge.  As I was do my final stretches I noticed the word on my workout mat....

IGNITE

transitive verb

     1.  to subject to fire or intense heat, especially to render luminous by heat

     2.  to set afire;  to cause (a fuel) to burn

     3.  to heat up;  excite

     4.  to set in motion;  spark

What a perfect word.  That is what I am trying to do.  IGNITE - SPARK - FIRE  

So here's to lighting it up!

Excuses... excuses

I did NOT feel like working out today.. not one bit.  I had a million excuses to not do it...

* horrible / non existent sleep
* headache
* grumpy
* tummy ache
* hatred for Pilates because I suck at it...especially those freaking planks!!
etc...etc

BUT I had ONE reason TO do it..
* the cycle of quitting must STOP

So I got up, got dressed, filled my water bottle, tied up my sneakers and turned on the DVD.
and....  I HELD PLANK FOR 40 SECONDS!!!

Last week I got to 12...   Seriously!!!

If I would have excused my way out of doing my workout, I most likely would have regressed back to 12 seconds.  But NO, I got my head out of the way of my heart and body and took charge of my life. 

Some people think that it is a one time decision to get fit.  I am finding that it is every day...every meal... every temptation.... every cookie calling my name from the freezer.  It is choice after choice after choice. 

Today I chose well.

Gravitational Pull

Today is Weigh-In-Wednesday.

I was expecting a big loss - like 5 pounds since this is day 10 of my 21 Day Fix exercise plan.  In the past I have been able to drop 5 pounds in a couple of days... however, my 56 - almost 57 year old metabolism is not what it used to be.

So when the number 224.4 showed up on the scale I was somewhat disappointed.

I was disappointed with a 3 pound weight loss.

Ok - let that sink in just a moment....  

I lost 3 lbs

Why I don't feel that this is enough is just crazy.  I have this idea that I'm in a race.  I look at the calendar and set up these "goals" that I believe I should be achieving but honestly what are they based on?  For the most part its other people's success.

I am part of a Facebook group for Atkins and Low Carb lifestyle eating.  On there people post before and after pictures that boast of great losses.  I read them and do a mental calculation of how I measure up.  

BUT, I am not like any one else in the world.

My success is MY success and shouldn't be patterned after the success of any other human.  

So I continue forward.  I think that goals are good - but I think that only basing success on the gravitational force of my body on the earth is rather limiting.

I will also celebrate

   * clothes fitting better or falling off  

   * better posture

   *  more stamina

   *  muscle development

   * a more positive outlook on life

   * holding plank longer

   * doing an extra push up that I couldn't do last week

But today I will also celebrate 3 POUNDS GONE!!