Sunday

I went to the gym today a little later in the day than I like to. I decided that I wouldnt go at that time anymore, 10:45am Sun., but I still had an amazing workout. I did 1 hr 15 min on the treadmill for a total of 637 calories burned!!! I did not like how I felt afterward though, so I will not push myself that much anymore. I will stick with the 1 hr, 500 calorie plan. Tomarrow is Monday which means time to weigh in! I am anxious to see how I did this week. I will post how it goes.

Saturday was the banquet at Joe's firehouse. I was very careful all day of what I was eating because I wanted to be able to have more freedom at dinner. I skipped the rolls at dinner, which was very hard for me because I LOVE rolls and butter!! I ate 1 smaller slice of roast beef, 1 slice of pork, red roasted potatoes and green beans. I did have desert and it was DELICIOUS!!! I was proud of myself that I was able to plan for it :)

I have several books that I get inspiration from everyday and one of them is the Dieters Prayer Book. I would like to share a page with you:

You are what you pray:
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

There's some truth to the old saying "you are what you eat". But you are also what you pray.

Any change on the outside begins on the inside. "As he thinketh in his heart, so is he" (Prov. 23:7, KJV). Because the spirit and physical body are inseparably linked, the role of prayer in transformation can't be over emphasized.

And neither can the role of faith. The apostle James tells us that if we doubt when we pray, we are like a ship tossed about on the sea. And how easy it is to doubt or become frustrated when you've been trying extra hard to eat right and exercise but aren't seeing the results you hoped for.

Today and everyday God is calling you to a life of faith - and to commitment to prayers that ring with certainty. No matter what YOU see happening, God is at work. "So do not throw away your confidence," wrote the author of Hebrews, "it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised" (Heb. 10:35-36).

I believe very much in God's plan for me and for everyone. I also know that prayer is so important in my life and I am happy to incorporate it into my weight loss journey. :)

Wednesday Dinner

I had a good workout this morning, yeah!!! Did good eating yesterday and today, then WHAM!!! I had Taco Bell for dinner, which is fine. I planned ahead, knew that a regular taco was 170 calories then I decided to get Nachos BellGrande when I was there. I hadnt checked them ahead of time, but I now know that I will NEVER order them again!! 770 calories!!! OMG!!! I feel fat just reading that!! Its definately a mistake that I will only make ONCE!!! I'm not going to beat myself up over it, now I know better and as long as a lesson was learned then its worth it :) I will have to do some sort of working out tonight to get rid of it ;). Oh and I did NOT eat the whole thing, I figure I ate about 1/2 of it. The kids ate the rest.

Hip loss

Ok, it is finally happening!! My hips are keeping up with the rest of me and they are shrinking!! I have lost an inch in my hips!!! YEAH!!!!!

Went to the gym this morning, but didnt have a great workout. ONly did 30 min on the treadmill, then 20 min of weight machines. I went at an odd time, 7:15am and I didnt like that time, I felt out of my element. I need to go at 6:30am or 9am. Tomorrow will be 9am. I helped out at MOPS today at the church at 9:30 so I couldnt go at 9am.

On a personal note, my sister Jenn is at St. Mary's. She has been throwing up and in such stomach pain since last night. PLease pray that it is nothing serious, I love her so much.

"Nothing tastes as good as losing weight feels".

The title states my new mantra! It says it all about losing weight. Today we weighed in and I lost 1.8 lbs!! I am so happy! My goal is 2 lbs a week, but I will take 1.8! I have also lost 2 inches in my waist over 1/2 in in each arm and 1 in in each leg! I find myself wanting to go to the gym twice a day, so far I havent but I probably will soon.

I am now approaching the danger zone for me! I have been 144 lbs before, but havent been able to go under that because it is my sabatoge zone. I would get there and get comfortable and allow myself to eat what I shouldnt. I dont feel that way this time! I actually am very excited that 1 week from now I will be LESS than 144 for the first time in YEARS!!!!! I guess that is my first short term goal, allowing myself to get below 144. I did get alittle below 144 when I was on Jenny Craig a couple years back, I just thought about that. But, to me that doesnt really count. I am doing it the RIGHT way this time. I am in control, I am in charge, I have to answer to myself for my decisions. No one to tell me what to eat, set up a meal plan for me, nothing! I am so proud of myself, who knew I had it in me!! LOL

I am up to a level 7 on the treadmill in the weight loss catagory. I love it!! The speed varies and the incline varies. When the speed is up I run, which I am doing more and more. A few months ago I couldnt have done it. Now I am able to do it AND talk while I do it!!

I am also now realizing how much, for me, this isnt about weight loss. It is about all of the other things in my life that have kept me from being who God wants me to be and who I want to be. I do not believe that it was just a "ahha" moment that made Carole decide that we should try this "biggest loser challange". I believe that it was God planting that idea. And atleast for me, He is along for my ride :) He is giving me strength, when I ask, not just in my struggle for what to eat, but in giving me the physical strength to work out everyday, the mental clarity to know when my food choices are bad and going to hurt me, and the mental strength to push myself when I get down, because I do. I have hormonal days just like everyone else when an icecream sundae and a blanket on the couch would make me very happy, but I don't give into it. I will one day, but just not this day :) I am so thankful that God has planted His desire in me and that I am seeing it through, with His help, of course. All the Glory to Him!

I am also getting some really awesome quality girl time in at the gym. I love to workout with Carole, but that doesnt happen as often as I would like. I got to workout with a neighbor, Karen and my really good friend Maria today. Talking while on the treadmill is great therapy!! LOL

Haven't posted in a while

Ok,ok, I know I have been really slacking off on my blog, not a good idea :( So yesterday, Tuesday, was weigh in day for this week. We changed it because the kids were off on Monday and it was easier to do it after we all took the kids to school on Tues. I gained .8 of a lb. this week. Not that bad considering what I ate. I will always be honest about what goes into my mouth, no excuses. We went to Great Wolf Lodge and I bought fudge. Now one might say, "Stupid idea when your trying to change the way you eat". However, I will not deprive myself of the little things in life. I LOVE fudge and only get to have it, usually, from the shore in the summer. I was not passing it up! and boy, was it good!! LOL I also ate way to many carbs, all week, I was really craving them. On a GOOD note, I measured myself today and I have lost 1 1/2 inches in my waist and that makes me SO HAPPY!!!! I also lost 1/2 in. in each arm. Legs and hips stayed the same, but they will have no choice but to shrink in time :)

I set a goal for myself this week to up my work out and add 15 min. of weights everyday. Today was the first day and I kicked it big!!!! I did over 1 hr on the treadmill and then did about 20 min of weights, today was legs.....I was quite proud :) I still love going to the gym everyday. I used to envy people that were like that especially my son Joey, he "needs" the gym, I think I am actually there and I am LOVING IT!!!!

I am making barbeque chicken for dinner, Oh NO!@! I just realized as I am writing this that we dont HAVE any barbeque sauce....I will be back. Going to the store!!!

I'm back. I bought a new bbq sauce, "Stubbs" it didnt have any high fructose corn syrup and only 30 calories in 2 tbsps. I will let you know how it tastes.

The family is also having some garlic, cheesy potatoes for dinner, but I will be having black beans, I really like them so it is a good swap for me and we will all be having broccoli.

Anyway, the reason I started talking about the chicken was because when I took the chicken out of the freezer there were 3 lg breasts and 1/2 of one and I thought that wouldnt be enough. Then it hit me, the 1/2 of one is MINE! It is the size of my closed fist, which is what a portion is suppossed to be, but because I have always been used to eating such large pieces of chicken, I forgot what a portion SHOULD look like :) I am so greatful to God that I am finally getting it!!!!

I will post more regularly so that my devoted followers will have something to read!! LOL
Love you all!!!!

Sore Wednesday

It is 5:50pm and I feel like I was hit by a truck!! It all started when I decided that I needed to do some other kind of physical exercise. I volunteered to help my dad stack firewood. I went to the gym at 9am and was helping him by 11:30! I do have to say that I was so very proud of myself. My stamina has increased so much and I know that is from all the working out I have been doing. I helped for 2 1/2 hrs and only left because I had to come home and get a roast in the oven. I felt like I could have stayed for a few more hours!! Well, it has hit me now!!LOL I am exhausted and so sore!! Joey and Krystin are coming over for dinner tonight, they are leaving for Texas tomorrow for her brothers' graduation from Air Force Basic Training. We are very proud of Airman Joseph Chrobak! Tomorrow I will have to go to the gym early because I have to get the oil changed in my truck in the morning and then take them to the airport. If I am feeling overly exhausted in the morning then I may not go to the gym, I will play it by ear and see.

GYM

Well, I wasn't going to go to the gym this morning, as I posted yesterday, because 5am is just too early. But, God wanted me to go and he did it again! Yesterday a very good friend of mine, Maria, said that she would meet me this morning so I figured I had to go, I said I would and had to stick to my word. I got there worked out for 50 min, had to cut short to get home before Bree left for school, and Maria never came!! LOL Each time I think that I won't work out someone says they will meet me, but everytime no one shows up! This doesnt make me angry, but makes me realize what is really going on. God is keeping me on my journey and supporting me to stick with it :) I have to go to the church at 9:30 to work in the nursery for MOPS and I may need a nap after that:)

Monday weigh in

Well today was our first weigh in and I accomplished my goal, I lost 2.2 lbs!! I am so EXCITED about that. 2 lbs/wk is a very realistic goal and one that I can keep off! I havent posted in a few days, I just forgot about the blog! I have been going to the gym EVERY day, even the days I don't really want to God puts things in place that get me there and I am so greatful to Him!! Today was a good workout. I realized that the eliptical take alot more work than the treadmill, so that only lasted about 15 min! Back to the treadmill and that was for an hour. Tomorrow I don't think I am going to go to the gym, I will have to go at 5am and I have realized that when I do that I don't have a very productive day because I am exausted early. Valentine hearts (one of my favorite candies) are out now. Sat. I bought a bag and seperated it into 1 serving bags and gave them to Joe. He is to give me one serving each day, 60 calories, so that counts as a snack for me. I am going to do what Amanda said and not deprive myself. I want to be able to eat right even after the challange is over, but not give up what I love! We went to Olive Garden last night for dinner, I made a very healthy choice for my dinner. When I got home and went online to check the calories I found out the salad was really high in calories, its the oil/vinegar dressing they put on before they serve it that is really bad! You could eat 2 breadsticks for less calories than one serving of their salad!! I LOVE the salad that I eat for lunch sometimes, it has 3 cups of iceberg lettuce, 1/2 cup of southwest style corn and 2 oz of canned chicken. I make a dressing of 1 tbsp lowfat ranch dressing and 1 1/2 tbsp of salsa. It is sooo yummy and the whole thing (with ALL of the dressing) is only 211 calories, 5gms fat,22 carbs and 19 gms of PROTEIN!!!! Tonight is a crazy running night, kids get home at 4pm from school, Kimmy has dance from 5-6 and a basketball game at 6pm!! So dinner will be hotdogs, baked beans and a veggy as soon as they get home!! I bought myself some fatfree dogs and I will eat some beans and LOTS of veggies!!

I would be remiss if I didn't say Thank you to my husband and my kids for all of their love, help and support as I take this journey!! Joe does whatever he can to make sure I have time to workout, the food I need and the love to know how important I am:) I don't think my kids even realize how much they help me by just "being". They make me want to be here for them, to set a good example of how important it is to take care of your body, mind and soul. I love having alittle more energy to tickle them or to take them where they need to be or awake in the evening to "snuggle" with them :)

Thursday workout!

Great day at the gym!!! Did 60 min on treadmill 5% incline total of 459 calories!!! I am so psyched!!!! After that I went to Debbies house and all my girls were there doing some crazy workout video!! They were rocking! You girls are AMAZING!! I have such an amazing group of women that I am so fortunate to call my "friends" and I don't say that lightly. Carole, Debbie, Maria and Kimmie are each terrific people, great moms and FABULOUS friends! I love them all so much and just can't imagine doing this journey without them. Ok, enough, now its time to get a shower and do some housework :) Thank you God for all the gifts in my life and for helping me to see them :)

Wednesday evening

Well, today I just couldnt control my chocolate craving any longer. It seems that, atleast right now, 2 days is my control limit! I had some Ashers Chocolates that my Aunt Nancy gave us for Christmas. I took the rest of the box and put it in the trashcan in the garage! I did 20 min. of "Just Dance" afterward because I was so mad and disappointed in myself when I entered the chocolate into my daily nutrition counter! I am going to do another 20 min with the kids now. Some would call that exercise bulimia, but I call it, paying for what I ate! I will pray for God to give me the strength to resist my cravings and keep me busy so I don't think about them. Tomorrow is another day and I will do my best to stay on track so I am not playing catch up. On a GOOD note, I did go to the gym this morning with Carole. I was only able to do 45 min on the treadmill because I was late getting to the gym and I had to meet Joe at Reedmans at 7:30 to drop my truck off. I had the treadmill at a 4-5% incline for the 45 min at 4 miles/hr, so that was GOOD!! I would like to give a HUGE THANK YOU to my awesome husband Joe!! The battery died in my truck and before he went to work this evening he went and got me a new one! He didn't want me to not be able to go to the gym in the morning!! I love him so much and appreciate everything he does for all of us :)

Tuesday Night

I am watching the Biggest Loser and thinking how they have so much more weight to lose than I do, but when I look in the mirror I see someone that looks like a smaller one of those people. When I see how hard those people work it makes me realize that my loss is possible, I just have to give it my all like those people do :) On a better note, I found Swiss Miss Sensible Sweets 25 calorie cocoa today! It tastes just like regular cocoa and satisfies a huge craving of mine ;) I am having a hard time getting all the calories I am suppossed to have. I am eating good and worry about going over by the end of the day so I end up with not enough. Tomorrow I will start trying to have 6 smaller meals a day and see how that works. Going to bed, have to be up at 5:30 am to get to the gym.

Tuesday

I went to the gym this morning. Outdid myself on the treadmill 4%incline for 60 min! So exciting to see how many calories are going bye-bye!! Carole joined me to workout today, that is also great, having someone to talk to makes the time go so fast. I have already eatin less calories than I did this time yesterday and I have NOT cheated at all!!!! Going to go do a workout to Just Dance on WII now :)

Monday Morning

It is Monday morning 6:20am and I am getting ready to hit the gym! Going to drink a glass of juice first and eat some almonds as I read this is a good combo to have before a workout to burn optimal calories and burning calories is most important right now :)

The journey begins

Today is Sunday, January 3, 2010 and my weight loss journey is beginning. I am nervous and very excited to make these changes. I will definately pray for God to help me as I don't have alot of will power when it comes to sweets! The thought of being in great physical shape and knowing that I am doing everything I can to lead a long, healthy life is very exciting! I will post everyday, sometimes maybe more than once a day about how I am feeling and how the journey is going. My first goal is to lose 25 lbs by April 1, 2010. I am doing a "Biggest Loser" type program with 4 of my girlfriends and I really want to win! After that I will take my goals in small steps in order to keep the weight off and my health in top shape. I like to go to the gym, so atleast for now, that is easy to do everyday. I have to get the eating part down better. Sometimes I actually don't eat enough, but even when I'm not eating enough calories, I am eating to much bad fat, so that is a problem.