I am NOT Bigger than a Baby Elephant Again

I've got 54 days (give or take) until this baby comes out of me, and although I've gained nearly 50 lbs, I can still say I weigh less than a baby elephant - (which is what started this blog all those years ago!)

I look forward to being able to work out again to my fullest, to be able to jog again without worrying about bouncing my baby. 

It's been a great year and a very difficult year all at once.  My dad was diagnosed with primary liver cancer and has gone through two rounds of intensive chemo.  One round worked in obliterating a tumor, the other did not.  In addition two new tumors grew while he was getting the chemo.  So they are making no progress and he has been given 6-12 months to live depending on  whether he continues some sort of treatment or not.  We've told him he needs to do what he wants...If he gets 12 months, but 6 of them are in a hospital in pain because of doing chemo, then there's no point.  Of course I want time, but I want my dad to die with dignity and grace.  I really want him to be able to meet his granddaughter as well.

So I am giving myself a pass for gaining this much weight.  Because if there is a time in life when I needed a pick me up it is while I am getting ready to give new life and at the same time watching the person who raised me head towards the end of his.  My dad is not a perfect man...but was given a lot of his own burdens early in life, and did what he could.  He was my only parent for most of my life and he is far too young IMO to leave this earth.  But that is what drinking does to your liver.  Or smoking does to your lungs.  And sometimes I worry what eating does to my body in the long term.  Does it make my body more vulnerable to cancer?  I don't know.  But I think about it!

So the countdown is on to Baby Girl's entrance to the world.  I can't wait!

It's a Girl!!

Sorry that I haven't posted for a while!  Thanks to those of you who have emailed wondering about me.

So we found out last month that I am having a girl!  I'm very excited to add another little girl to our family!  She is doing well.

I am doing well, but have struggled with eating the last few months.  I am still having a difficult time with my expanding belly and spend a lot of time being sad about it.  I know I will be able to get back into a normal routine and lose again once the baby is born, but still...it's hard.

I had my gestational diabetes test today where I had to drink this disgustingly sweet glucose drink.  I should find out tomorrow or Monday whether I'm at risk.  Since I haven't had a great month of eating, I wonder how my levels will come back, but the last few days I have been watching sugar intake and I did not eat from last night until the test.  The doctor says that all types of women get it, not just overweight women, so that gave me a bit of comfort.

I had my first baby shower last weekend in Missouri with hubby's family.  It was great and everyone was so generous.  It's a completely different experience this time because my other two girls were adopted and even though they were with us from birth, the adoption wasn't finalized until they were almost 2, so there was never any shower.

I have 3 more showers scheduled.  It is overwhelming!  I have a hard time with people being nice to me...that's called life long damage....but I feel incredibly blessed.

 I hope all of you are well!!!

Getting fat is no fun....even when you are pregnant...

Hello!! 

Things are going well, just another month or so until I find out whether this sprout is a boy or a girl....can't wait...we are thinking boy.

It has been hard to see my belly expanding.  Some of it has to do with the not great eating I've had because of stress from my father's battle with cancer, but now it is definitely starting to be baby.  Most people don't understand that after spending over a year losing weight (a lot of weight) to watch your body change in a different direction is ridiculously hard.


All is well however.  I'm still going to the gym and now that i am home I can focus more on eating well.  

Second Trimester and Stress

Hi all...I am doing well.  I am officially in my second trimester and the baby is progressing very well.  I still can't feel any movement and probably won't until 20 weeks,

I've gained weight, and it isn't all from the baby.  This month has been incredibly stressful.

My dad was diagnosed with inoperable, incurable liver cancer.  He will start radiation in a couple of weeks.  I decided to come out and spend some time with him before that and it's a good thing that I did.

When he arrived it was apparent that he hadn't been feeling well at all.  It turns out he was bleeding internally (a complication from liver disease) and he would have died if he hadn't gone into the hospital for a transfusion!  I am thankful I was here to push him to go into the doctor.

It has been super stressful of course, and it is hard to focus on new life when my dad's life is probably coming to an end in the next year or so.

I've exercised a few times on our trip, but I miss my gym terribly and the wonderful people that are there. (not to mention my husband and my other friends that don't go to my gym)

Hope you all are well!

Jodie

Mom and Baby are still doing well!

Yesterday I had my 9 week ultrasound and got to see the baby move on the screen!  It was the most amazing experience!  I love this baby so much already!!

I am doing well.  Not eating as well as I should be...the baby seems to like icecream a LOT!

But my pants all still fit, so that makes me happy!  I'm still working out almost every day so I'm taking good care of us!

My brain is busy researching all sorts of things about birth, medication, breastfeeding, etc...so that's what is keeping me busy.  Just one more week of school for my princesses and then SUMMER!!

woohoo!

Never thought I'd be having a baby...

When I was 20 years old I went to my first gynecologist appointment.  I started my period at 15 or 16 but only had cycles once every 4-6 months.  I remember then asking her about being able to get pregnant someday, and she told me it would be difficult.  I remember leaving that appointment in tears, thinking I would never be able to have a family.   I was about 230 lbs then and ate all sorts of sugary crap all day long.

9 years later I got married.  I still only had cycles every 4-6 months.  I weighed 260 lbs and at all sorts of sugary crap.  We visited an ob/gyn who had me do a few cycles of clomid.  I did manage to ovulate with the clomid but still never became pregnant.  We decided to adopt in stead of pursue any more fertility treatments.  I got up to over 300 lbs.

8 years later.  I lost 100 lbs.  My cycles became regular - 28 day cycles.  I wasn't eating sugary crap.  I exercised, I was healthy.  I still wasn't getting pregnant, so we decided to visit a specialist, because I didn't want to have regrets 5 years from now when I can't have kids.  It turned out there was more to our issues than my lack of ovulation...we had low sperm count with low motility and I have a tilted cervix, which the doctor things may have made it difficult for sperm to travel.

After a bunch of invasive procedures to make sure my parts were indeed working correctly, we chose to do insemination.  For a long while, I wasn't sure how much assistance I was comfortable with, and each person needs to decide that for themselves.  We decided since it was still all my hubby and all me, we were okay with a little help.  It is pretty much "the turkey baster" method.

Now I'm pregnant. :)  I know for sure I wouldn't be in this condition if I hadn't lost all that weight and stopped eating all that crap.  I know my body is in the best shape for carrying a baby.  I'm not thrilled that I'll gain back some of the weight, but it's an exciting time and a testimony to all the hard work that I have done and for which I am proud.

So that's my story...and I'm sticking to it!

Our little sprout

So he/she isn't much yet, but is there where he/she is supposed to be!!!  Super excited!!  :)
YAY

Good News

Can you tell what it is??

Missing in Action

Hello all -


I confess, I haven't been reading blogs too much this past month.  I have gained a few pounds this month due to a few factors but I am still exercising every day.

The biggest reason for not posting is because my thoughts are focused on growing our family.  We've been working with a fertility clinic and this last month was full of dr. visits, blood draws and shots of drugs to try to get me pregnant.  I was bloated and stressed so I ate accordingly.  I haven't gained that much back and I have no intention to forever drowning my failure to conceive in donuts..but it has given me a little bit of comfort this very stressful month.

Secondly, the hospital found a mass on my dad;s liver.  Not entirely unexpected, but because he is with the VA hospital, everything is SOO Slow...  They want to do an MRI but not until the end of May!!  This drives me crazy!!  A month and a half just to determine if it's malignant or benign!  It's crazy.  I hope it's not fast growing whatever it is.

So that's the short of it.  I hope you all are well!!

Writing off the month

This month was just bad where weight was concerned.  I did make my exercise goal for the quarter, but the scale went backwards.  It's okay.  Not wholly unexpected.  Everytime I make a major goal, I have trouble moving forward.

There's also the stress of life right now, which has caused me to overeat.  I won't get into all of that, but there's pretty big stuff going on.

So I'm writing March 2012 off.  For one year, I have not had to write an entire month off, but this year I will.  I have worked hard, and I will continue to work hard.  Maybe I just needed a breather.

Have a great day!

The first HUGE bump in the road.

I've not had too many bumps in this last year.  Little hiccups here and there, but not huge bumps.  The last couple of weeks have been like driving off road!  I'm still moving (exercising) but the daily day to day stuff is bumpy and I'm all over the place with my eating.

Why?  Gosh, emotions, hormones, stress....I have excuses, but there's really no great excuse.

I'm at least ON the road.  I will not be running the 8k I'm supposed to on Sunday.  I've been super duper lazy about training and there's no way I could run 5 miles without having a lot of pain. 

I will make it through.  It's just rough going.

Back to the Beginning...

"When the job went wrong you went back to the beginning" - The princess bride.

Sometimes in success, I think we start to analyze how we can be MORE successful.  I think that's what I've been doing since January -  adding Bootcamp, and then with going non-processed.  But neither thing has made me any more successful than I was.

I did go 18 out of 19 days being non-processed and I am committed to eating a healthy diet, but what I started doing is eating nuts.  Lots and lots of nuts.  And homemade bread.  Lots of homemade bread.  It's not working for me. 

So I am going back to the beginning.  Back to what I've been doing for so long that has been working.   Drinking my gallon of water per day.  Eating the basic things that I was eating.  It's okay that it's going slower.  I don't need to change.  I just need to keep doing what works.

Super Bad Blogger Award goes to ME!

I haven't really had much to write lately.  I'm still non-processed. 15 days now.  I had one day where I gave in to temptation and have hostess donuts and a hostess cupcake. But went right back on.

The thing is, I felt awful after eating that and the next day.  Like hungover awful.   I used to feel that way when I would binge an awful lot of food.  But I wouldn't say this eating was a binge like that.  I think my body is just getting very used to not having the sugar. 

So, I'm still plugging away.  I hate how long it takes to lose a measly pound these days, but I keep on keeping on!!!

Non-Processed Day 9!! YUMMY bread!

Oh bread, how I have missed you.

I couldn't stand not having bread anymore, so I went and made my own, from 100% whole wheat flour.  All the ingredients were non processed, and today I was so happy to eat a turkey sandwich with my own bread!!  WOOOHOOO!!    It's actually quite dense and filling in a way that store bought bread never is. 

I have now been 9 days without any processed food.   I can't say that for sure I'm feeling any "better" or worse.  One of the goals is to see if it has any affect on stomach fat, as I have read in numerous places that complex carbs have a tendency to make you hold weight in your stomach area.   We shall see.

:)  Have a happy day!

I have lost 100 lbs!!!

Shocking.  Awesome.  Amazing.  Unbelievable!! 
As of 5:31 today, Sunday, February 26, 2012, I have lost 100 lbs.  100 lbs of fat gone, gone gone. 

For those of you who have been on this journey with me from the beginning...THANK YOU for every kind word of encouragement.  I cannot believe I would have come this far without that kindness.

I'm still going..I've got about 50 left to go, but that's the gravy, as they say.  I've done the biggest part.  The hardest part.   I'm not saying that the next 50 will be easy, but I've done the hardest thing of retraining my habits.  Exercising daily!  The rest of it will come as it comes.

But I've done it.  What I thought impossible.  What I thought improbable.   I have done.  I have finished this part of the race.  Now I keep moving, keep going!

Nothing's going to stop me!

Unprocessed Day 3

I am on the 3rd day of eating only unprocessed foods.   After reading a lot on the web, there are lots of variants to what people consider "unprocessed."  Some consider eating things only in their natural state.  Like Milk.  Sure I could get raw milk, but I'm not really interested in it.  I don't drink a lot of milk anyhow, but I am considering milk from the grocery store as natural.  Others consider processed as anything that alters the original state of the food.  Consider, butter.  It has cream from milk and sometimes salt.  But to change milk into butter there is a process.  Because it is still natural ingredients, I consider it fine.   So in the mornings, instead of spraying non-stick cooking spray ( it contains lecithin, which is an emulsifier, dimethyl silicone, which is an anti-foaming agent, and a propellant such as butane or propane) I use ever so slight amount of butter, just to coat the pan so my eggs won't stick. 

I will say I miss my lavash bread.  I think it is the feeling of fullness (bloating?) after eating those carbs that I miss.  I've been using lettuce as my bread this week.  I still put turkey breast (that I cooked - not from the deli) on top of the lettuce, with sprouts, tomatoes and mustard, roll it a little and eat it like that.

As always i'm eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.  For snacks (the hardest thing to go unprocessed) I'm eating air popped pop corn and raw almonds.   I've also found an organic peanut butter which is okay, so I'll put that on celery or apples.   I find that the organic peanut butter is heavier and less creamy than JIF, which is a good thing so I won't take a spoon and just go crazy like I can with the JIF creamy jar!

Restaurants are a little tough but I made it through last night.  I ended up with steak and eggs with a side of a baked potato (instead of hashbrowns or toast).  I am actually considering making my own bread with wheat berries to see if a) I can do it and b) because I think 40 days without a piece of bread will be super ridiculously hard!!!

Carry on today my friends!!

40 Days of Unprocessed Food

Last year for lent I gave up Diet Coke as part of the 40 Day Challenge for the Blood Water Mission. Our family donated $175 which was the sum of all the beverages we drink in a 40 day period!  Startling, isn't it?  Well, I never looked back after giving up the Diet Coke, I just kept going and I'm almost 12 months free! 

This year, I wanted an equally difficult challenge for lent.  Now, giving up something for lent is kind of like a new years resolution for me, and it really isn't that spiritual.   The lenten season IS Spiritual for me, just not the giving up something.  However,  I was so blown away last year that I could give up Diet Coke, that I wanted to try something this year. 

I've decided to give up processed foods.  I have already eliminated a lot of this through just general well eating for the last year, but I still eat processed things every day -  The Lavash Flat Bread I love, An English Muffin, Pretzels, Apple Straws, Crackers...   I want to see if my body is better without them....If I notice a change in the next month than I will reevaluate what I should keep and not keep in my diet.

Unprocessed means different things to different people.   I mean anything that has additives that are not naturally occurring in the world.  I pretty much need to know what everything is in the ingredients list.   And High Fructose Corn syrup does not occur naturally in the world  or sucralose...or poly dextra whatevers....

So wish me luck..I'll keep you posted!

I love you Eddie Bauer

So I was shopping at Eddie Bauer the other day (Yes!) and I was trying on pants and I had to buy a size 14!!  Now I know that their sizes run big and I am still normally a 16, but how exhilarating to have to get the smaller size in a normal store!  Woohoo!

Back to Running

I haven't been running much, but since I have the 8k coming up in March and I'm hoping to do a 5k before then, I've got to get cracking.  I started today just doing a half mile so I don't get too sore.  Often when I get back to running, I'll go right out and run 2-3 miles and then the next day I hurt like heck!!

:)  All is good...still holding on to these 2 lbs...I think I'm like a bear, ready to hibernate for the winter...holding onto fat!  Seriously!

Too much fruit

I eat way too much fruit.  I know it.  I need to fix it.  I probably eat 5 to 6 servings a fruit per day.    While it may not be high in calories, it's probably higher in sugar than I should have.  Yes, it is better than a bag of oreos, but I've known for a while that my fruit "addiction" is probably not a great thing!

So I'm going to try to cut back to the 2-3 servings per day that was recommended by the dietician I saw a year or so ago.  It'll be tough for sure because I LOVE my fruit!  But I'm going to do it!

Blogging Rut

It's a good thing when I'm in a blogging rut...I think..  It means that things are going along just normally.   I'm still fighting to get those 2 lbs off to reach the 100 lbs...stealing dealing with constipation....but nothing new and amazing to report.

I'll begin running this week to start training for my 8k.

It's nice being in a peaceful place about weight loss.  

Boot camp is over!  WOOHOO!  I won't be doing that again.  It made really no difference in my weight or my size.  At least I tried it!

I've discovered Downton Abbey and I am now caught up on all the episodes.  I love me some period drama!!

Exercise is not a Spectator Sport

Yesterday at Boot Camp there were some kids waiting to use the basketball court we use and just watching us as we were working out.  One kid gave me a thumbs up and I nearly went over and decked him.  I'm not sure why it bothered me so much.  Maybe because it reminded me of high school when people made fun of me when I couldn't do certain exercises.  I just don't like to be watched (unless it's an instructor who is helping me to correct my form.

2 lbs to the 100 lb mark...so close!!!

I'm not blogging as much lately.  It mostly has to do with keeping busy with other things, but I'm obviously still doing very well.  I do update my tickers daily even if I don't blog. 

Keep on moving!!

I love what this teaches my children

I don't always think about this along the journey but there have been times lately that my kids say or do something that reminds me that changing my life is helping to put them on a better path.  Here are some examples.

Water:  My kids are more likely to grab a water bottle when thirsty than before.  They know they are only allowed 1 juice a day so they don't even ask.  But they don't complain about the water.  They see me carrying around my big cup of water all the time.  They even  will experiment putting lemon juice or lime juice in their water.

Serving Sizes.  We talk a lot about serving sizes here.  Enough so that when the kids come home from school they look in the snack cupboard and ask "How many cookies is a serving?" and then take that many and are satisfied.   They are also learning that sometimes you get a lot more if you choose a lower calorie snack.  Hmmm..  a big bowl of grapes or 2 cookies.....

What food does -  My kids can tell you whether different foods are carbs, proteins and what they do for your body.  (sometimes).  I really like that they know why we can't eat a whole package of cookies...and why eggs are good for them.

Exercise:  I am proud that I am teaching my children a daily habit of movement.  Now, my dad played team sports (for the local bar) while I was growing up, but he didn't take care of his body outside of that.  I am thrilled to be able to teach my children all the pieces that go together to make up a healthy body and mind.

Trying New Activities

One of the benefits of having lost a lot of weight is the confidence to try new things.  In the fall I climbed *half* of a rock wall (which I never would have done at 290 lbs).  Last Saturday I tried Cross Country Skiing.

Now I've tried downhill skiing once and I HATED it.  I don't like to go fast down hill on anything (including my bicycle).  I don't like waterslides and I have difficulty explaining to my children why mommy won't go with them.  I just HATE it.  I'm afraid.  I've always been this way.  But I thought, how bad could cross country be?  Well it's fine, if you aren't having to go up and down  any hills, which usually at most trails there is a little bit of rolling.  My thighs did get a good work out though.  I won't be doing it again.  I did get a pair of snowshoes from my husband for Christmas though, so I'll be doing that when it snows again.

I'm glad I am trying new things though.  I think it's important as I gain confidence to put myself out there.   I think next month a friend and I are going to take a cooking class at a French restaurant. This particular one is on chicken and after you cook, you get to sit down and eat a 4 course meal with wine pairings.  I would have never done that before because I would have been worried that everyone was looking at me and judging me and thinking "That girl shouldn't be EATING, never mind cooking".  But I'm comfortable enough with myself now to do it. And THAT is exciting.

Brought to Tears...

in a good way.  I'm close to having lost 100 lbs and I have been thinking a lot about whether anyone would mark that occasion for me in a special way when it happened.  I often think I should just throw myself a party....I can't figure out how narcissistic that is... but really, it's the hardest thing I've ever done in my life...harder than any of my jobs, harder than my degree work...and I feel I should celebrate the accomplishment.

Today is Tuesday, the most awesome workout day of the week.  I do 45 minute spin and then an hour BodyPump class with awesome awesome ladies.  Kiersten is the instructor (and I've written about her before) and there are quite a few of us who do back to back classes.  Well today one of my friends sits me down and says - "You are on mile 20 of a 26 mile marathon and we want to be here to help push you on to the finish."  She called over my other 3 "besties" from the gym.  The presented me with a gift card to the fitness center and a card with encouraging notes from them.  She said they didn't need to wait till I got to 100 lbs lost to tell me all that.  I couldn't stop crying.  Moments like that are like a dream moments for me.  Moments that I wish would happen, but usually don't. 

I'm amazed at kindness like that, because I really haven't had a huge supporter of me before like this.  Most folks are pretty disinterested in me...it's just been that way. This is my response to them...and really to you bloggers who are regular readers and commenters:

I wish everyone could have such an encouraging group of people in their corner. Thank you, my friends for pushing me beyond what I think I can do, for helping to pick me up when I'm emotionally drained and reminding me of how far I've come. I could not have hoped for a better group in all the world.

Do you fast?

I fasted yesterday for the first time in a really long time.  Completely fasting from everything except water.  I even had an approximately 3 mile walk.  My husband was pestering me why I was fasting.  In part it was because I'd made some poor choices food wise on Saturday, but in the end really it was about getting my head back in the game.  I've been floundering a bit these last few weeks....2 good days, 1 so so day, 1 bad day, 2 good days....etc...  so I wanted to spend a day and not eat.

The results:  I did not feel particularly hungry until about 5PM or so, when I went for a walk...then a little more around 7PM and that's it.  I think I am going to try to fast one day per week (on Sunday) because that seems to be one of the hardest days for me to stay on track. (usually because we are all home most of the day and its easy to snack - easy to say "lets get pizza").  I actually felt great all day and even this morning

There's mixed advice on the web about fasting.  Some sites say that it doesn't do any good unless you do it more than 24 hours.  Others say don't do more than 24 hours.  Regardless, I do believe it is good to rest our digestive tracts for a bit.  And I would like to explore the spiritual side of it more.  The Bible talks a lot about fasting and praying going together.

So Do you fast?  How often?  What are the results?

Back to Basics

After a while, and some success, it has been easy to let little bad habits creep back in unknowingly.  For instance, I used to always drink 32 oz of water BEFORE I ate breakfast.  Somewhere along the line I stopped doing that.   I used to allow myself one fruit for lunch...now I have 2-3 most days.  Clearly these are not the worst things in the world to be doing, but it just went to show how easy it is to "allow" ourselves breaks that just keep going. 

Well, I got out the measuring cup to measure 1 cup of grapes for breakfast.  And I drank about 15 oz of water before breakfast...not my whole cup but it's on the way to getting back to that habit!

I worked out yesterday for 2 hours and 45 minutes.  I did Boot Camp, walked 3 miles on the treadmill and then did Sh*Bam!  I am so sore right now....SInce I added Boot Camp I haven't really wanted to take out any of my other classes, so I've been doing a ton of double days of exercise.  I've already worked out over 20 hours this month and that's with taking 4 days off!  I know, it's crazy!!   I will be glad when Boot camp is done.  (at the end of January).  It does work my butt off, but I don't love it. 

I did wake up to this Facebook post this morning from a gym friend:

Good morning sunshine!! I know you are worn out from your intense work out(S) but I wanted to let you know you are an amazing person, role model and friend. Those of us that are priviledged to spend time with you are constantly amazed by your drive and accomplishments. We love you and hope you have a restful day! xo

Isn't that awesome?!!

Under Pressure

Yesterdays facebook post:  Success is Great - The pressure to remain successful and not become a failure, not so much!

I don't know why I put so much pressure on myself.  I know there's a lot of things going on:
First:  I'm close to that 100 lbs lost mark and we all know numbers can be a hurdle
Second:  I am now the weight that I said I wanted to be in order to try to have a baby...
Third:  I was on the back cover of our Health Club newsletter this month that was mailed out to thousands of people....


I wonder if my fear of failure is really a fear of people not talking to me anymore if I don't continue on this path.  Now, I know I am losing weight for me and me only....but still.   I grew up with very little affirmation or direction in life.  For the first time in my life, I'm getting accolades right and left.  People are talking to me, taking an interest in me.  So I wonder if really the pressure I feel is really the fear of rejection and abandonment that has plagued me my whole life....

Terribly bad eating weekend.  Terrible. 

63% is the number

An interesting statistic.

As of today I have lost 63% of the weight I want to lose.   I have lost 95 of the 150 lbs I wanted to lose when I began

Also today I have raised 63% of the support I need to walk in this years Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.  (the ticker says 60%, but I have a check I just received today that will bring it up to the 63%)

I'm excited about both things!  I'm thankful to those of you who  are committed to the Avon Cause.  I look forward to watching that percentage of support increase as friends who were waiting for the new year to make their donation follow through on that pledge.  If you choose to donate, you can do so by clicking right on the ticker on this blog, or going to my personal page at http://www.avonwalk.org/goto/jodiefletcher

Boot camp is still kicking my butt, and I don't really enjoy it, but I will finish out January, then it's on to training for the 8K I am doing at the end of March and for the Avon Walk. (39 Miles!)

Uncontrollable Cravings

Even after almost a year, I still get them - those uncontrollable cravings.  I'm just like you see on TV.  I start breathing heavy, I literally grip something tight to try and avoid the giving in to the insanity, but alas, often it doesn't work.

I'm far enough in this journey that a slight derailment does not completely throw me off the path.  2 Twinkies and a swiss roll will not put on the weight that I've lost this year.   However, I start playing the body game when these crazy cravings happen.  I circle 14 days out on the calendar.  Because I'm pretty convinced that my cravings coincide with hormonal changes at ovulation and then again at menstruation.   We shall see if it still holds true.  But I do know something is going on in my body to have these ridiculous, "I might kill someone if I don't have something sweet and chewy," feelings!

Boot camp is still going well, although, it's a little frustrating to be pitted up against these healthy people who have been doing boot camp for a while.  I often come in last in a lot of the cardio stuff.  It's kind of sad for me.  Usually I feel so empowered.   We played basketball, and that was quite fun.  Best comment of the night though...another girl says to me:  "You've lost 94 lbs?  I think that's a Snookie!  You've lost a Snookie!"

Boot Camp Kicks My Butt!

Today was the second day of Boot Camp.   It's MWF and I'm doing it for the month of January.  We do a mixture of strength training and cardio.  Today we used resistance bands and the treadmill.  Here's some things we did:

Walk Backwards on the treadmill, hop on the treadmill, skip on the treadmill. 
Put our hands on the floor with our feet behind us on the treadmill and walk.  Put our feet on the floor and our hands on the treadmill and walk with our hands.  3 minute sprint drills

Then with the resistance bands we had to pull our partner around the track forwards and backwards while they tried to keep us by pulling on the bands. 

I like Boot camp because it works muscles that I don't always work and it's kind of fun doing it with a small group of people.  I like large group classes as well, but it's a nice change.

It's a butt kicker for sure though!!

I now weigh less than 200 lbs!!

I am officially now 199 lbs.  I don't ever remember a time when I weighed less than 200.  We are talking pre-high school here.  It's just a weird thought to think  I weigh less now than I did when I was a teenager. 

 I don't always have the most inspiring words on this blog.  There are so many who write so much better and use words to motivate.  I don't do that.  I suppose I could, but really it's the actions that make a change.  When I say that anyone can do this, I mean it.  I was 36 years old before I took control of my life.  30 plus years of eating crap and a lot of it!  30 plus years of limited exercise.   But it can be done.  Only if you act well.   I hope I inspire by my actions, because while words are great, they won't help me lose a pound.  I once wrote that one of the things I did differently this time was to stop reading and thinking and start doing.    So I did, and here I am - 91.5 lbs less. 

I love my readers and I hope i inspire you to Do! 

Um...these are a size LARGE!

You all know I get excited when a clothing issue happens!  Well, right at this moment I am wearing a size LARGE (12-14) pair of workout pants!  That's a Large with NO X in front of it!!  Yes, they are stretchy, and I'm no where near a 12 in regular pants yet, I'm just thrilled to the moon that I fit in something that is not even considered plus.  I still bought the XL shirt because I'm not super comfortable with super snug shirts (even though I am ANTI Baggy clothes now).

Happy 2012 so far!!

Happiness

I love today.  Hubby's home from work, kid's are playing nicely, house is pretty clean.  Nowhere to go, nothing to do really!  LOVE IT!!

I'm very thankful my gym in not running a zero enrollment  this year.  My classes were a little crowded this morning.  I hated it when they did zero enrollment 2 years ago - it was crazy!  I'm all for people getting healthy of course, and saving money, but I like my space!

Happy New Year!