Healthy Holidays Update #5

Well, this week went better than the last.  The scale isn't down, but I'm figuring some things out and I'm pretty sure I know what the problem is.  I've also decided I can't complain about my weight if I'm not doing what's necessary to change it.  

For the official Healthy Holidays Update Record: 

1. I will exercise at least 30 minutes at least 4 times a week.  This will be done!  Woot!  I have a post brewing about how adjusting to working out at home has been a HUGE challenge for me, but it's getting done.
2. I will eat "weight-loss" portions and healthier options, tracking my food on My Fitness Pal, so I will see a loss of at least 10 pounds.  Weight is the same 192.5, so boo on that, but I did track most days.  It's been eye opening in a different way.  
3. I will drink at least 32 oz. of pure water a day.  Again, I hit this about 75%.  I did not buy any diet soda for the house, so I only allow it if I'm eating out.  It's forcing me to drink more water, as in with meals, and this is good.
4. I will bake and enjoy holiday treats within reason, making sure to track what I eat no matter how high the calorie count.  I have not eaten till stuffed and I have tracked the majority of days even if the calorie count was high, but still not 100%. 
5. I will strive for a balance between challenging myself to stick to a healthier plan and allowing myself to mess up.  I'm almost afraid I'm allowing myself to "fail" too often.  Hhhmmm.... It's what I'm working on.  Things have been harder this time around and my darned lazy self just want to keep being lazy, or act like I'm in maintenance when I really need to be acting like I need to lose weight.  

So, there we are.  I still haven't had my "stellar" week, but I am figuring out some things.  When I get vexed I want to do something strict and drastic, but I keep reminding myself I need to make changes that can last.  

I hope you all have a good weekend!  I hoping for lots of trick-or-treaters -- I have candy for bunches of them.  Otherwise, it's all going into goodie bags to give the kids at church or for my own kids' lunches for the next six months.  :) 

Thanks for checking in!  

Healthy Holidays Update #4

**My internet router was blown in a major thunder storm last Friday morning, so I'm just getting to this post now. **

I'd like to write off this week and try again.  The gain from the state fair weekend never did come off.  Geez.  So, I'll do an update and move on with my challenge.  

1. I will exercise at least 30 minutes at least 4 times a week.  Originally this was a fail, but after being so vexed with the gain I decided to get a third day of exercise done on Friday and then actually did make myself get my 4th day done on Saturday.  So...this turned out to be success after all.  :)  
2. I will eat "weight-loss" portions and healthier options, tracking my food on My Fitness Pal, so I will see a loss of at least 10 pounds.  I'm up and +1.0.  Sigh.  192.5  What the heck.  Whatever.  -1.0/10 lost. 
3. I will drink at least 32 oz. of pure water a day.  This was about 75%, but needs to be better.
4. I will bake and enjoy holiday treats within reason, making sure to track what I eat no matter how high the calorie count.  I did not track most of the week.  There was no eating till stuffed, but I didn't track all my treats either.
5. I will strive for a balance between challenging myself to stick to a healthier plan and allowing myself to mess up.  Fail.  That's all I can say. I didn't try to stick to a healthier plan and I had a hard time allowing myself to mess up, especially when the scale jumped by more than I thought was realistic.  

Was it The State Fair?

My scale is up... 3 pounds!! And it's not budging.  

Yes, I had treats at the state fair this past Saturday.  No, my water intake hasn't been all that great.  And no, I haven't eaten really strict since Saturday to make up for the fried snickers I tried or the other treats I sampled with my family.

But 3 pounds??  Good grief.  

One of the biggest things about this move that has changed for me is the lack of access to a gym.  Since I began losing weight I always had access to a  gym on base.  With two kids graduating high school this coming spring and trying to pay off some things before moving them both away to college in the summer we decided a gym membership is going to have to wait.  

And sometimes I really lament not having access to the one-hour body bump or spin classes I used to take.  Yes, I could run a lot again and burn lots of calories, but honestly I don't lose weight well when running.  That's another lesson for another time. 

For now, I'm learning for the umpteenth time that the food choices really do matter most.  I am exercising 4 days a week for at least 30 minutes and quite honestly I'm not always as motivated as when I would go to a gym.  I love my walks, I love my HIIT workouts and I've had a good run, but it's not the same as counting on those 1-hour workouts 4 days a week.  

sigh...

Then to only gain half a pound when I'm on my monthly (and only exercised like 2 or 3 times and easy walks at that) and then see a 3-pound gain over the weekend  that won't budge since.... Such a vex.  

Anyway, I just had to vent.  I'm pretty sure I know what needs to change and I will change it.  Now I'm reminded why I only set a holidays challenge goal of losing ten pounds in the last 100 days of the year.  I don't do strict diets well and getting back on track is tough.  

That's all.  I'll be fine.  I won't quit.  

[end tantrum]

Choose YOUR Healthy

The Healthy Holidays Challenge is going well.  There is a range of success happening;  some are nailing all their goals and some continue to check in whether they are reaching their goals or not.

The participants are being honest and each is doing what is working for them right now.  This pleases me because, in my opinion, that's one of the main keys of weight loss.  

There are so many plans out there and a lot of them work, but each person has to decide what will work best for them.  When I started losing weight for the last time I was so scared of failure I decided my goal was to simply lose some weight and the only "plan" I was going to follow was to make two changes. 

1. Start walking 30 minutes, three times a week.
2. No more regular soda outside of mealtimes. 

It was that simple, but it wasn't long before other healthier habits started to form.  

As time went on I tried various strict eating plans, which worked but left me feeling like they weren't a lifestyle I wanted to live forever.  I decided making healthier choices in general and allowing all things in moderation worked best for me.  

I also began to love exercise, but outside of the two half marathons I trained for I've never spent more than an hour a day exercising.  During busier seasons of life I've been happy to get 30 minutes in regularly. 

Put those together and it meant my healthy body looked a little fuller than some, but I was okay with that.  I am okay with that. 

I'm 5' 4" and when I was at my lowest weight of 160 pounds I wasn't "skinny", but I felt strong and in control;  and I confess I also felt pretty amazing in my clothing.  I was active and I ate all things in moderation; cutting back in some places so I could indulge in others.  It was my healthy and it's what I'm working towards again. 

What does your healthy look like?  

Today I encourage you to figure that out and work on coming to peace with it.  Set goals that are both attainable and sustainable for you.   

If strict diet and exercise are what you love, then go for it!  If you are content staying moderately active and enjoying all foods in moderation like myself, that's okay too.

In my opinion, when you are at peace with what your healthy lifestyle looks like you have the best chance at success.  

Healthy Holidays Update #3

Good morning!  Well, my Sooners completely disappointed me last weekend... It was depressing since we didn't expect to lose at all.  Even a few locals said they expected Texas to lose.  Oh well.  

On with more important things... 

It hasn't been the best week for me on the Healthy Holidays Challenge, but there's always one week of the month that is a bit off from the others.  *wink* There was only a 0.5 pound gain on the scale and I'm okay with that.  

So, to update my goals for this week:  

1. I will exercise at least 30 minutes at least 4 times a week.  Nope.  I got two done.  I had one morning I was exhausted and one morning I was achy and just glad I stayed up to get other things done.  We had something going every night this week and it made my days "shorter" and busier. 
2. I will eat "weight-loss" portions and healthier options, tracking my food on My Fitness Pal, so I will see a loss of at least 10 pounds.  My weight today is 188.5.  I'm up 0.5 lb, but considering the time of the month I'm fine with it.  2.0/10 lost - 8 to go.  
3. I will drink at least 32 oz. of pure water a day.  This was okay.  Not 100%, but not horrible either.  
4. I will bake and enjoy holiday treats within reason, making sure to track what I eat no matter how high the calorie count.  I don't feel bad for the small bowls of chocolate peanut butter ice cream I had nightly since it was a craving and I enjoyed every bite;  however, I didn't track hardly at all this week.  
5. I will strive for a balance between challenging myself to stick to a healthier plan and allowing myself to mess up.  This would be my "good thing" this week.  I knew I was allowing that ice cream and it wasn't the best choice, but it satisfied my monthly cravings and I was okay with that.  

So, that's that.  Looking at numbers it doesn't look so good that my scale was up, but I'm kind of proud of the fact it was not up the whole 2.5 pounds I've lost so far.  :) 

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you have a good weekend!  If I don't get an extra post in by Monday I'll see you then.  

Healthy Holidays Challenge Update #2

Good morning!  The challenge is going well.  Most of the participants are on Instagram and last week we had a good turnout checking in.  Everyone is off to a decent start and we even had two ladies whose weeks were "AWESOME".  :)

I'm enjoying motivating others and in turn being motivated to get back into weight-loss mode.  Quite honestly I still get vexed when I look in the mirror and see how the weight gain has affected me, but...the scale is trending down and the overeating has all but stopped.  So, things are going well. 

And now for my update:  

1. I will exercise at least 30 minutes at least 4 times a week.  Done! I even got a run in one day.  The weather is cooling and it was beautiful out!
2. I will eat "weight-loss" portions and healthier options, tracking my food on My Fitness Pal, so I will see a loss of at least 10 pounds.  My weight today is 188.0.  Down 1.5 from last week and 2.5 total so far.  I'm good with it.  :)
3. I will drink at least 32 oz. of pure water a day.  Not 100% yet, but so close.  It's funny how simply having water with a meal really helps me reach this goal.  Since I've had days where I left a couple ounces in my water bottle I'm going with a yellow light on this one.   
4. I will bake and enjoy holiday treats within reason, making sure to track what I eat no matter how high the calorie count.  The only holiday baking this week was "Pumpkin Oats" for breakfast and I measured and tracked everything.  They are yummy!!  I'll try and post the recipe later. 
5. I will strive for a balance between challenging myself to stick to a healthier plan and allowing myself to mess up.   I am doing well with this.  Hosting this challenge has inspired me to set a good example by keeping my head in the game.  But I'm not beating myself up if I my calories are over-budget one day, because the eating till stuffed has pretty much completely stopped and I'm so happy with that. 

So, there is room for improvement, but I am pleased with how things have started for re-losing this weight. 

Thanks for stopping by and have a nice weekend! 

We are looking forward to THE GAME of the year (for us) tomorrow -- University of Oklahoma versus University of Texas tomorrow.  

We are going to a friend's house who also attended the University of Oklahoma with my husband and we will cheer our Sooners on as they kick some Texas butt.  

We *should* win, but we'll see...sometimes Texas surprises us and pulls out some great playing at the Red River Rivalry.  It's bound to be a fun game with lots of yelling and cheering.  :)  

 

After Love Comes Honesty

In working on losing the 30 pounds I've gained in the last year and a half I've really been thinking about what was it that lead me to start losing weight this one last time;  what began my new ending in life.    

Last week I shared how learning to love myself "even if I never lost another pound" played a key part in my weight loss journey, but today let me tell you how even love has to be honest for it to be truly effective.  

It was April 2009 and my friend and her husband had come over to drop off their son because she was going to be induced to have his little sister the next morning and I said, "You should weigh yourself!! See how much you weigh at your heaviest, in case you forget to check tomorrow."  

You know, because that's the kind of weird things us moms do.   Then we can add into our story, "I gained __ pounds!!!"

Then, for whatever reason that I still can't explain today, I weighed myself too.  Go figure.  I wasn't nine months pregnant and it was at night right before bedtime;  everyone knows you don't weigh yourself at night if you want to be kind to yourself. 

But apparently I was caught up in the moment and thought it would be fun.  

Until I saw 232.5 staring back at me and realized I weighed more than my friend who was about to deliver a baby.  She wasn't huge, but she wasn't a small pregnant lady either, which I think is why we were both surprised I weighed more.

I was mortified.  I felt so stupid for doing that.  And my friend was so kind to tell me, "Wow!  You look so good!  I never would've thought you weighed 230."  

I'm 5' 4".  It was obvious to anyone that I was overweight, but it was sweet of her to try and comfort me.  

The awkward moment didn't last long and they went on their merry way to rest up before the big day ahead.  I was babysitting two other little boys for a couple days and after everyone was in pjs I got an idea to do a group picture of my husband and I and our mixed-matched bunch, so we gathered together and smiled as the self timer went off on the camera.

I raced over to the stand, telling everyone to stay still, looked at the picture and quickly informed them we needed to take another picture.  My husband wanted to see and when he looked he said, "Oh!" I told him I looked awful and his slight gasp and 'oh!' confirmed what I felt.  I guess seeing me in person didn't have the same impact seeing me on film did.  Since I was just as shocked I wasn't upset and he never said another word about it.  

I made a mental note to hide behind the children for the next shot and tried to brush off the embarrassment at how big I'd gotten.

We took that next shot and I was happier with the kids kind of covering up what was the biggest version I'd seen of myself without being pregnant.

The "sleep over" was a success, but I couldn't forget that night. 

A few days passed and I couldn't quit thinking about that night.  Not only had I seen such a high number on the scale (and in front of a friend!!), but I also hid behind someone for the first time in my life in a photograph because I felt so large and wanted to cover up. 

I also took note this higher weight was 20 pounds heavier than I'd been the previous summer when I had decided to love myself as I was.  

I think that's when it hit.  I was continuing to "love myself" and eating whatever and however much I wanted and my health was taking a hit for it.

You see, besides seeing 232 pounds and hiding behind kids for photos I had been experiencing knee pain when standing for long periods or going up and down stairs. 

At 32 years old the only reason for the knee pain was my weight and I knew it.  

It wasn't easy, but it was probably the second best decision I ever made with regards to my health.  

I was honest with myself.  

Faced the truth and was honest about where my choices were leading me.  Honest about the fact that real love doesn't always mean getting what you want, but often getting what you need.  

So, I pondered what I would do to change and one baby step at a time I began to turn my life around. 

Looking back I smile, because it seems in the end love and honesty will often bring what you wanted in the first place.  It did for me.  

Healthy Holidays Challenge - Update #1

Good morning!  Well, nine days of our challenge is in the books.  It hasn't been the best week for me, but I'm happy to report progress in my goals.  Before I go any further, here's my update.

My goals for the 2015 Healthy Holidays Challenge are: 

1. I will exercise at least 30 minutes at least 4 times a week.  Done!  I've switched from walking to using HIIT 30-minute DVDs and I'm sore.  It's a good thing.  
2. I will eat "weight-loss" portions and healthier options, tracking my food on My Fitness Pal, so I will see a loss of at least 10 pounds.  While my weight is down a pound this week (189.5 - woot!) I didn't make healthier choices a lot of the time.  I do know that my overeating is getting in way better control than it had been for a while, so that is good as well.  So, while not a complete fail this week, I don't feel a complete victory either.  
3. I will drink at least 32 oz. of pure water a day.  Also a yellow, because I did not get this done every day.  Darn that Coke Zero.  
4. I will bake and enjoy holiday treats within reason, making sure to track what I eat no matter how high the calorie count.  I did make an apple pie and I have been careful about how much of it I've eaten, but I've had other sweets and didn't track them all.  
5. I will strive for a balance between challenging myself to stick to a healthier plan and allowing myself to mess up.  Even though my first week wasn't the best I could've done I did do well enough to lose a pound.  Green for go and for victory!  (Did you know I like to color code my progress? [grin])

How was your first week?  Whether you had an amazing start to our challenge or, like me, you only reached a couple of goals let us know how it went.  Remember you can check-in here or on my Instagram.

Note:  I've decided to leave the checking in open until midnight Sunday so that gives you three days to get it done.  You can either update in a comment about how you're doing or comment that you've done an update on your own blog or Instagram account.  

And since a majority of our challenge participants are solely on Instagram I think I'll come back here after updates are in and give a quick update on how everyone is doing.  

Have a great weekend!  I plan to...our temperatures are dropping ever so slightly, so I think I'll put my fall decor out.  :)