Week 55: February 1, 2013

Today marks the beginning of a brand new month which means new measurements and new photos.

Weight: 205.2 lb.
BMI: 32.6

HUGE Milestone... more than 30lb. lost!

As my last post said, my motivation level has been in the negatives this last month. Sunday, I decided with help from a friend to get my @$$ out of the slump and get back to the gym. Each day since I've done at least 30 minutes of cardio, then last night I did 45 mins of weight lifting circuit as well. So when I got up this morning, got on the scale and it read 205.6 lb. I had to get off and get back on again to make sure I read it right. As I stated in my first blog, I began this journey at 235.8 lb. and now I'm 205.6 lb... that's not only 30 lb. gone, that's MORE than 30 lb. gone! So needless to say I was excited. I took a photo of the scale and sent it to all my friends who have been encouraging me along the way. No, I did not care that it was kinda early (0815) in the morning, LOL. I sent it to them anyway.

So I'm here to say that if you lose that motivation, keep going it pays off and the motivation will come back. It has for me. My next mini mile stone is to hit "ONEderland" just as they say on "The Biggest Loser" when you hit under 200lb. My mini goal is to lose 6 lb. by February 15th, this will put me at 199.6 lb. and in "ONEderland"! I'm currently decided on what to reward myself with for when I hit "ONEderland"...
-- a little black dress from Ross (if they have any, I don't wanna spend too much on it bc I'll be working on being even smaller)
-- a really nice pair of jeans from "The Buckle" (which made my @$$ look amazing and can be taken in when I get smaller)

It's two weeks away maybe I'll know by then. haha.

Happy work out!

Motivation can be a tricky little thing

I don't know about you all but I have not been having the best start to the new year. It's been a rough go with family losses and stressful because of finances but that's no reason to not get to the gym and workout. However I've let it be for the last few weeks. Sunday I spoke to a dear friend of mine and told him about the loss of motivation and that I need some friends to help hold me accountable... but he says the only person who needs to keep yourself motivated is YOU! Stop waiting on someone else and making excuses get your butt to the gym if thats what you want.  So that's what I did!

I got my @$$ up and to the gym. I've got a short term goal for the 16th of February and I am determined to not only meet that goal but to beat it and continue on to the next goal.

If you are like myself, lost for motivation let me tell you something. The only motivation you need is: YOU, YOUR FUTURE. That word "future" holds onto so many possibilities, do not let weight be the reason you can't run with your children, play a game of basketball with your guys, or even bungee jump off a cliff.

GET UP GET OUT AND GET INTO SHAPE FOR YOUR FUTURE! 

ok I'm off to the gym. Maybe I'll see one of you there! 

Body Wraps are very relaxing...

Who knew an hour in plastic wrap could be so relaxing and rewarding? NOT ME! One thing I'm claustrophobic and can not stand any tight clothing except for the undergarments, but really what's so fascinating about laying in plastic wrap with heat blankets on you? Well let me tell you... when you find a good deal on something you should try it. Back in October I found a body wrap with scalp massage for $35 dollars so I decided I'd see what all the fuss was about. Just one body wrap helped several inches melt away, and now I'm hooked. I did one on Thursday and measured this evening here are my results.

Before the wrap (1/10/2013):

Right Arm: 15"

Left Arm: 16"

Under Chest: 39"

Waist: 38.5"

Hips: 43.5"

Left Leg: 22"

Right Leg: 23"

After the wrap (1/12/2013):

Right Arm: 13.25"

Left Arm: 13"

Under Chest: 36.75"

Waist: 31"

Hips: 42"

Left Leg: 21"

Right Leg: 20"

Total:

Right Arm: -2.75"

Left Arm: -3

Under Chest: 2.25"

Waist: 7.5"

Hips: 1.5"

Left Leg: -1"

Right Leg: -3"

I think it paid off and would recommend you try one as well. I especially like the melting of arm fat, those are the hardest places for me to loose any inches. Muscle only pushes out the fat until you lose the fat around the muscle and you can't pin point where the fat will come off from first. Just don't forget to hit the gym 4-5 times a week and eat a well balanced healthy diet to keep those inches off and more melting off. Alright ladies and gents, I'm off to start the day.

Craving brownies but don't want to waist the diet... try this.

Sweet, yummy chocolate. Eewy Gewy brownies are not the most appropriate dessert for someone on a diet but we all know that diets don't stick unless you have all the time in the world to pay attention to every little detail. However, for those people who work full time, raise kids, student, or all of the above, any little change that can stick might be easier to deal with. So here's what I do to make my brownies a little bit healthier.

Instead of the oils, eggs, and water that the mix calls for i use 1.5 cups of complete all natural applesauce. The best thing about this change is that the brownies stay moist for a couple of days... if they last that long. ;-)  So go to the store pick up a box of brownies and applesauce tonight and enjoy some yummy brownies!

In the beginning... or January 9, 2012

On January 1, 2012, I committed to a journey of becoming a healthier me. Not skinnier, not smaller, not sexier... but healthier. My vital signs and blood work were all in great shape, but my weight and BMI were showing overly obese. I wanted to change that, I needed to change that so I came up with a plan, an action, and started it on January 9, 2012. Why January 9, 2012 you may wonder, because that's when the spring semester started and that's when my real schedule would come into play.

The plan- eat healthy, exercise, and keep a record of it all.

The action- First, I'd start off by walking every day for at least 30 minutes then eat healthy foods that I prepared at home. Second, I'd track my weight and measurements with photos weekly and put the first photos side by side with the new ones. So I did:

At this time I weighed in at 228.6 pounds, but I got to my heaviest weight of 235 pounds before anything began shedding in the pounds area. However, with walking daily the inches began to shed off and in week three I had already lost several inches:

By the end of 2012 I was down over 40 inches and over 25 pounds. My final 2012 photos are from January 9, 2013 the exact day for my first full year of this commitment to a healthier self. My first year saw a lot of ups and downs but I kept with it and ended the year with a result of a weight of 208.4 pounds (-27 pounds) and a total loss of -30.25 inches.

It's time to start into my second year of this commitment. If you are on the same path I wish you luck and hope that my blog helps you see that reality is healthy not skinny. It's knowing what matters most in your life (not a pant size of zero or two). 

YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL! LIVE A BEAUTIFUL HEALTHY LIFE!