Loving Progress!

So here I am a little over 2 months into health living and instead of gaining weight I am now losing.  8 POUNDS OF FAT LOST!!!! WOOHOO!!!Have to say scale watching can be a little addictive.  I question if I truly have lost since I didn't in the beginning and then notice....oh it is even lower.  No more scale watching.  I will check it once maybe twice a week but over that is obsessive.  The most important thing is starting to being able to do this I haven't done in years.  Today...I ran.  That is right....modified suicides but instead of walking I ran them.  It was an option I was given....I didn't think I would run the whole thing and I did.  Impressive....well for me it was.  I do basically interval training and had to repeat the "suicides" and also ran them.  I am tired but am so excited to think I will probably be able to run my first race hopefully soon.  Probably next year but that is sooner than it was 2 months ago.  I think one thing that has helped me was the gift of new shoes.  Family bought Chris and I new shoes.  I found out I pronate when I walk, run, stand.  I have not been wearing shoes that have the stability needed for a person with this problem.  Basically I need something with more stability for the inside of the feet.  These made a huge difference.  Still having knee problem but I feel so much more stable.  Interesting enough there is a chance I pronate due to old ankle injury.  I could see because as soon as tried on the shoes my left ankle started hurting slightly.  This is the ankle I have been trying to get to heal for months now and the only answer is weight loss.  Now maybe my ankle will heal properly and I can get even a better workout.

I don’t drink water, because if water can erode rock, think what it can do to flesh. -Jarod Kintz

I find the above quote to be hilarious; especially since I wonder what soda is doing to the body!  Such a great excuse not to drink water.  I knew someone who hated water so badly she made Kool Aid with double the sugar and with an extra flavor packet.  It was so sweet and gross I just cannot fathom how she could drink it.  I realized I haven't talked about water consumption and how important it really is.  The human body is approximately 60% water, the brain is nearly 70% water, the lungs are 90% water, blood is 83% of water....etc.  In other words the body needs water to survive.  I have been drinking a lot more than usual.  I think the key is to find a bottle or cup that you like to drink from.  I know it sounds weird.  My favorite bottle would be the "Bobble-Water Bottle" this handy little water bottle filters water as it is squeezed.  I can drink tap water with it tasting so much better than before.  I do not like buying the already water bottles in the store.  They are so wasteful.  So many plastic bottles used all for a better tasting water.  This allows me to be Eco-friendly and hydrated.  Water is such a big key to losing weight.  As we grow older we lose the ability to be able to tell the difference between a hunger pain and dehydrated pain.  The positive: at least food can also hydrate you some.  So many times I may have eaten thinking I was hungry when in fact all I wanted was some water.

Water can get a little boring but there are so many ways to flavor it.
Crystal Lite (artificial sweetener not so healthy)- I use these occasionally
Cucumber slices-the freshest tasting drink I have had
Lemon (pretty standard in restaurants)
Lime
Basil leaves (basil and mint are related)

Here's a website I found for more ideas....must try some:

http://smarterfitter.com/2008/06/09/32-natural-ways-to-flavor-water/


I am posting this because I am getting to better health.  This includes hydration!


On a side note I have lost 5 pounds thus far.  I can get a little discouraged that I am not in the double digits of weight loss like my husband  BUT I am not holding on to what I haven't accomplished.  I am holding on to what I HAVE accomplished.  Total mind change has occurred.  I do know what weight I want to be but I am not looking at that; it's in the back of my mind.  I do know I am healthier today than I was a couple of months ago.  I have slightly more energy and slightly more motivation.  Things are continuing to improve.

Finish the Race

So I have never actually participated in a race.  Never totally have had a desire to until seeing scriptures comparing our spiritual journey to a race.  Here are some examples:

Acts 20:24 (Paul is talking to the Ephesians) - However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me —the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

1 Corinthians 9:24-25 (titled "The Need for Self Discipline"- something I am trying to learn)-  Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.  Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

Galatians 2:2 - I went in response to a revelation and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain.

Galatians 5:7 - You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth?

2 Timothy 4:7-8 - I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day —and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing

Hebrews 12:1-3 -  Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.



I made a goal a few years ago to run in a race at some point in my life.  My goal was in a year and that sickness happened.  My stomach issues caused me to stop working out the ironic thing is that now that I have incorporated working out back into my life the stomach issues are getting better.  It may be because I am trying to eat natural foods.  After the reading the above scriptures several times later I still cannot relate to running a race.  Right now I am in the training phase.  Not that I am ready to run I am building myself up to this point.  I hope to walk a 3k in September to start getting me used to being in the atmosphere.  My knee isn't in any condition to start running.  I hope to change this but in the mean time I am excited about at least having the opportunity to sign up for the event.  It's a start and maybe it will become something I will enjoy.  I hope not to only physically train myself for this but to obtain some spiritual insight in the importance of persevering, self discipline, and training in my spiritual walk with God.  I am excited!

Lifetime of Changing Needed

So in the past 6 weeks I have been trying to unlearn habits that I have grown accustomed to.  Now my parents did try to instill some healthy habits in my life; eating only until satisfied, eating a full range of food and to be somewhat active.  Honestly these habits went down the tube when we became caregivers to my grandmother.  As we have not been caregivers for over 10 years we still have what is called "Caregiver Syndrome."  Basically it is when a person still does not care for him or herself because they are in a habit of caring for someone else.  I would not trade the opportunity for caring for my grandmother but I really don't know how to take care of myself, health-wise.   This is where meeting and marrying Chris has been so good foe me because he reminds me when I need to stop and take care of myself.  I somehow got in the habit of cleaning my plate; I think because I didn't want the food to go to waste.  Learning to eat until I am satisfied, drinking more water and making healthier decisions in what I put in my mouth are things we are trying to practice.  I know I am told not to deprive myself of any food but I have not yet learned self control.  You know only having a couple of potato chips and not hand fulls; 5 M&Ms and not the full bag (even the individual size is too much to eat).  We are trying to eat organic foods; hoping to incorporate organic meats into this too.  As I am doing research on healthy eating it really scares me with the things that are being added to meats, fruits and veggies.  These things cause a lot health problems and could be the cause of a lot of intestinal problems. Here are just a couple of articles I have read recently:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/05/29/genetically-modified-crops-insects-emerged.aspx 



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/12/chicken-bladder-infection-superbug-uti_n_1668255.html


Here is a company in Charlotte, NC that sells the organic meat; on their site they include the benefits:

http://www.salemhillsfarm.com/healthbenefits.html


So our family has extended our training sessions and we are going from 2 times a week to 3 times a week.  I have still not shown any progress according to the scale but am still noticing a difference.  I look forward to the scale showing a difference; mainly because I need weight off in order for my knee to heal.  I am told I still need to be patient and now that I am going to go 3 times a week and am figuring out things I can do at home; I should be making more progress.  I am hoping to buy a cork board sometime soon to post my goals and some pics of me in High School.  Of course my overall goal is to be healthier than I was in High School. 

I also plan to start writing letters to corporations voicing the need for Plus size workout gear in their stores.  I hope my one voice can change many corporations.  I wish I have a talent in fashion design then I can send some ideas.  I have to work with what I have and that is a passion to get healthier and help others get healthier.   Seeing those who are overweight and obese starting to make a step forward to getting healthy is such a great sight!

The Blah Phase

This past week I have been...well...blah towards everything.  Impartial towards getting healthy.  This doesn't mean I want to give up I just need to regain my drive.  I think it is with the added stress that occurred in our lives. Chris's car has already had some problems and it decided it no longer wanted to go into reverse.  We have a fairly steep driveway so the thought of it being stuck down there was not very calming.  I figured they could get it out but when I donated my Saturn to Habitat for Humanity after the stick shift died (it was stuck in 3rd gear) the tow truck driver said he was glad it wasn't parked down my driveway because he wouldn't be able to get it out (probably with the type of truck he had).  Luckily AAA was able to get it out of the driveway and they took it to a mechanic in Durham that we trust.  Well no surprises the car's transmission is dead.  Because I drive manual and my husband does not I have been the transportation for the both of us.  Let's just say...a tank of gas usually lasts me almost 2 weeks, and I used a half a tank in a days time.  Needless to say this has been an exhausting week since I am doing a lot more driving than I do.  We get the car back next week with the new transmission and I think soon my mind will be back on track.  I also found out my family members that are helping us with the trainers are willing for us to train 3 times a week instead of 2.  Honestly I am getting excited.  The only issue I am having is left knee pain.  I tried to buy a knee brace at Dick's Sporting Goods and lo and behold they do not carry them in my size.  I thought surely since it is unisex I could find one.  Let's just say I wish I can open my own shop for plus sized people, this would include for men, women, and children.  There are many overweight, obese people who want to get healthy and it would be nice to have the support of clothing and workout materials made for them.  I really wish I am business savvy and could just do this.  It hurts that it is this hard to find these things that can help me get healthy.  People make comments and scoff at those needing to lose weight but there is no support.  I know that it can be easy to give up just because of this reason.  When you need a knee brace, sports bra, workout underwear, etc. it needs to be easier to find than the internet.  When  you want to get healthy you want to start NOW not 5-10 business days for delivery.  If someone knows how I can start this business or wants to help, heck even if you do it without me, let me know.  It is needed.

Oh Yeah! (In Peggy Hill's voice)

Due to not having cable but having Netflix and my love for cartoons I have been watching a lot of "King of the Hill" for whatever reason I am hooked.  All of the characters get on my nerves but I can't stop watching. Some of the episodes have great messages and that what may be what has made me hooked.  Peggy is my least favorite character but watching an episode where she had to fight through recovering a sky diving accident; learn to walk and other daily activities made me like her a lot more.  Anything that has someone fighting to get healthy or in shape whether fictional or not is encouraging to me.  Now that I am done with my tangent of a lame cartoon I will share with everyone what has been going on.

Chris and I went to Planet Fitness on Monday night and I did at least 10 minutes elliptical and 10 minutes on the bike.  Tuesday I went walking with a friend for 45 minutes around her apartment complex.  Yesterday was a big day for me it was exactly 4 weeks from starting my training (I believe my 7th session) and thus got remeasured.  Well I weighed myself earlier in the day; scale states I am 1.8 pounds heavier than when I began.  As discouraging as that may seem; my measurements showed loss of 2 inches from the chest, 3 inches from the waist, 1 inch from my thigh and 1/4 inch from my arm.  Scale can say whatever it wants I am making a lot of progress.  I have gained muscle and lost fat this is the true goal.  Some people say I should completely ignore that I gained almost 2 pounds.  I share this not to discourage me or belittle my progress.  I share this because shows like "Biggest Loser" and some other weight loss shows do not show that this can happen.  In fact if it does it usually results with the trainers yelling at the person.  Here's the thing: those on "Biggest Loser" are not average people.  They are on a show where it is extremely competitive, low caloric intake and they work out 6 hours a day.  It is neither realistic nor healthy.  I want people to know gaining may not be a bad thing.  I do know eventually I will lose the pounds but until then I take pride in knowing that I am getting healthier.  I also walked again today with my friend....so this means so far I have exercised 4 days this week and tomorrow I have a training session; looking forward to exercising becoming part of a routine.

I am so grateful for all of you who are supporting me through this change in life that I am making.  I feel like Moses in Exodus 17:12.  Of course it is metaphorically speaking.  I am battling being unhealthy and when I get discouraged and start letting go all of you have been there to help lift my spirits and encourage me. 

I Will Not Give Up!

So I know that I have been on here in over a week and a half.  This was because I had a small setback in my progress.  Last Tuesday afternoon I got nauseated and sick.  It was believed to be hormonal and a virus; I didn't start feeling somewhat human until yesterday afternoon.  Here again is an example of something that will improve as I continue to grow in health.  I went to a training session on Friday and almost got sick a couple of times but pushed through because I was there and wanted some sort of workout for the week.  I was supposed to go to one Saturday morning and being up sick did not allow that to happen.  The positive thing is that our friends want to start walking with us.  I am having fun making healthier decisions when it comes to food.  I still haven't deprived myself from any particular food unless I just really don't want it.  For example there were danishes, bagels, cream cheese and fruit at work today.  I opted only for the fruit.  Today at lunch there was pizza....I ate 2 small slices and fruit. 

I heard a story today of a young woman, 29 years-old, who had to have her baby early due to preeclampsia she ended up having a stroke and dying a couple of weeks later.  This is a woman who seemed to not have any weight problems (not sure about health) that developed preeclampsia.  This is all the more reason I need to get healthy, my heart breaks for this family and I need to do everything in my power to not have this happen.  If I were to get pregnant I can still develop preeclampsia when I am healthy (anyone has this chance) but the risk is higher with where my health is currently at (of course it is better than a couple of months ago). 

A scripture that is stuck in my head is: James  4:17: "If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them."  I know that getting healthy is the good I need to do; this will help me be able to look out for others and serve as I am intended as a Christian; being able to live out Phil 2:3-5.  If I don't get healthy I am in sin.  God created me and cares for me thus I need to care for myself.  I am also called to "Love my neighbor as myself."  I must care and love myself in order to understand truly what it means to love my neighbor.  If I am lazy in caring for myself I'll be lazy in caring for others.

Not meaning to get preachy but my beliefs are a big part of who I am.  Without using scriptures and God I will not be able to achieve my goals. Without support from all of you I cannot achieve my goals.  We are supposed to be there for each other and I appreciate all of you who are there for me.  Those I have known from Middle School, High School and now.  It is so great to be getting healthy with social media.  Makes your support team so much larger.

Now I need to get ready to go to the gym. :-)