Week 9: I CAN'T BREATHE!

Until the day we moved out, our friends and family jokingly told us we need to get out of our house because for one reason or another we all thought it was making us sick or worsening our allergies. We noticed a huge difference when we removed the carpet in the main living areas, but we still had issues. (That is not the reason we sold it btw). Now that we've been out of our house for a couple of weeks, my sinuses have never been worse. There goes that theory... Honestly, I think it's just a coincidence due to timing as my parents' house is super clean. My mom does have a bazillion plants in her garden, but I doubt they would make me this miserable. I'm pretty sure there is something aweful in the air.  I have been streaming non-stop and coughing/breathing as if I had asthma. I remember getting this bad only once shortly after we got married. I went to my doctor at the time who tested me for asthma and the tests came back negative. I even went to a specialist because I swore he was wrong and they said I was completely fine. Ugh!

To remedy this, I have been doubling up on my allergy medicine (which is probably destroying my liver), taking 12-hour cough syrup every night, using my sinus spray, stuffing Kleenex up my nose at night, eating Skittles and lots of food (the chewing helps my sinus pressure), drinking lots of water, and making sure I have plenty of Kleenex at hand. My poor family and co-workers have to suffer through my suffering. I truly am sorry. I think I need to go back to my allergist, but all he can do is prescribe me a different nasal spray or something since I'm technically not allergic to anything. (I still think that can't be right, but 60+ pricks in my skin showed otherwise). I had sinus surgery last November to help alleviate sinus pressure and swelling. It really has helped and I've noticed a huge difference. However permanent nose corks sounds like a great invention. :)

Anyway, all of this to say that I didn't exercise at all. I can't breathe and I'm way too tired in the mornings to get up early. I actually set my alarm to get up early yesterday and cancelled it out because I woke up at 2:00 AM coughing and hacking up a lung. I'M SO TIRED!!!! I've also been stuffing my face with food, which hasn't helped my case either. However, to my surprise when I weighed myself yesterday, I didn't gain or lose a thing and all of my numbers stayed exactly the same! Woo hoo!!!

I'm hoping whatever is causing this mess will die off soon and I'll be able to get back to normal just in time for us to rip out carpet and knock down cabinets. I don't think I'll have any more sinus issues any time soon...........Ha!

Week 8: We're Homeless

Good afternoon!

I just ate the most delicious sandwich from my favorite sub shop, The Great Outdoors! It's their #20 which is Muenster and avocado on wheat bread. YUM! I thought I'd just rub that in. Mmmmmm.

Anyway, this week we closed on our house and moved 90% of our junk into storage. The rest is crammed into my parents house along with all of THEIR new furniture that they are moving to their new house next weekend. Needless to say, it's a bit tight right now. However, they have totally made us feel at home. We couldn't be more blessed to be able to stay with them while we are waiting to move into our new home. Thanks to all of our friends and family for helping us move! You guys rock!!

This week, we have seen God's hand in SO many ways. A couple hours after we signed away our home, our AC broke. Really??? REALLY?!?! Could that have happened at a worse or more awkward time? We had so many questions. What do we do? Is it still our house? Do we fix it? Does the home warranty cover it now? Will the home warranty company even believe us? How are the buyers going to react? The next morning, we had the AC guy come look at it and it was just the fan motor that broke. We went ahead and paid for it to make sure that we took care of ALL of our problems before we handed the house over. The buyers were very understanding and were great to work with during this whole fiasco. It was a good lesson for us that God is in control of ALL things - good and bad. The night the AC broke, the weather was nice and I even slept with the comforter on me. Thank you, God, for your provision.

The night we were officially out of our house, Brad had to run Rhys to the ER because he had a 105+ fever! Can I tell you how frightening that was??? God's timing was perfect in this, too, because had it happened one day earlier, we wouldn't have been able to leave him at our in-laws while we finished moving. Our nephew who lives in their house is having surgery on Wednesday and couldn't chance getting sick. (So far, it seems has hasn't gotten the virus - yay!!) We also would have been completely exhausted and had no energy to move our stuff. Thank you, God, for your timing.

Some of our friends who were missionaries in Ethiopia came back home on Sunday. The kids and I stayed home since Rhys was sick, but Brad took our van in case they needed help with their baggage. They ended up not needing his help, but the airlines lost the car seat for their daughter. Fortunately Brad had Rhys' in the van so they were able to use it! Thank you, God, for taking care of the details.

God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good. Can I get an AMEN?? : )

So, not much on my eating and exercising, but hopefully my numbers will show how I did. :D

Week 8 Results:
Weight: 178.4 lbs
Body Fat: 44.3%
Water: 40.6%
BMI: 30.6 (Obese)

Difference from Week 7:
Weight: - 1.6 lbs
Body Fat: + 0.6%
Water: - 0.4%
BMI: - 0.3

Week 7: Exercise... it does the body good!

Hey guys! What a crazy week it has been! I'm sorry I'm just now posting this. I did NOT forget to weigh myself on Tuesday, but I haven't been able to find the time to update my blog. (I did manage to find time to play Candy Crush though... priorities people!!)

Well, the title of this post is slightly misleading as it wasn't until Tuesday night that I actually really "exercised" aka packed. BUT I did weigh myself the next morning and I'm hoping my results next week are even better based on that little sneak peek I got. I know I'm jumping ahead and had I posted this on time none of this information would be applicable to week 7's post, but alas, it is my blog and I can do what I want. Including run-on sentences! Even just packing our junk in boxes was good exercise. I broke a sweat, I walked a lot, I lifted "weights", and I drank a lot of water. Don't laugh! It's hard work. I also made sure to keep my boxes in my living room so I had to walk to them no matter what room I was packing up.

I packed some more today and helped Brad move stuff to our storage unit. And I sweated a lot more. Ew. However, I feel great! Last week I didn't exercise and I didn't eat great, but I made sure to make some healthier choices when I went out to eat. At Buffalo Wild Wings, I wanted to get a burger topped with a brat, topped with cheese, topped with bacon, but I got a garden party instead which was celery, carrots, flatbread, hummus, and ranch dressing; at Gloria's, I got there a little later than some of my co-workers, so I didn't have as long of a time to snack on chips and black bean dip (YUM!!!), and I ordered a chicken tostada instead of nachos or an enchilada like I normally do; and at Charlie's Grilled Sandwiches, I ordered the chicken teriyaki salad, which was DELICIOUS!! Normally I would get the Philly Cheesesteak sandwich with fries. Eating out is still not great, but at least I'm not eating heart attacks.

In a couple of days we will be moving in with my parents who are also exercising and eating healthier, so it will be good accountability and encouragement to be around them.

Here are the results from last week:

Week 7 Results:
Weight: 180.0 lbs
Body Fat: 43.7%
Water: 41.0%
BMI: 30.9 (Obese)

Difference from Week 6:
Weight: - 0.4 lbs
Body Fat: - 0.1%
Water:  0.0%
BMI: - 0.1

Week 6: Stress Eating (Part III)

I'm really hoping next week's title changes. I've been avoiding all of you because I'm embarrassed to post today's (yesterday's) updates. I have hit my "ignore" button on my weekly reminder for this blog numerous times. I even had a coworker get onto me about eating a couple of fun-size chocolate bars yesterday to which I responded, "I'm stress eating, I don't care." Yup. That's me. I don't care. But... I do. If I didn't care, then why am I writing this post? If I didn't care, why do I still want to keep trying? What is it that is causing me to give in so easily???

I did HORRIBLE last week!! Yes, I'm stressed, but I don't have to eat this way. I'm having a really hard time NOT giving into my woes, my stress, my immediate gratification needs (at least at the time I think it's is a "need"), and my lack of self-control. I'm a walking pity party. I also think I have a bit of depression going on right now. I can't begin tell you how much I've been sleeping, how much junk I've been eating, and how much crying I've done in the last week alone. Yes, Brad and I are going through a roller coaster right now with selling our house so quickly, having another house fall through and not being able to find another permanent place to live. However, I'm trying to find comfort in food and self-wallowing. HELLO!! There is my problem. I need to turn my focus away from myself and up to God. He is in control of all things! Philippians 4:6-7 says, "4:6 Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. 4:7 And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." 

Brad and I have family around us that we are able to stay with. Lots of people don't have that luxury. We have a roof over our heads, food in our bellies (a little too much actually :) ), two healthy beautiful children, each other, and most importantly God in our hearts. 

This week I'm going to work on my self-control. I need to put my big-girl pants on and learn to say "no!" I need to start going to bed earlier to start walking again. We're not doing stuff around the house at the moment, so I haven't been getting in much exercise. 

Pray for me. Please!


Week 6 Results:
Weight: 180.4 lbs
Body Fat: 43.8%
Water: 41.0%
BMI: 31.0 (Obese)

Difference from Week 5:
Weight: + 1.6 lbs
Body Fat: + 0.2%
Water: - 0.1 %
BMI: + 0.3

Week 5: Stress Eating (Part II)

Stress.... it does a body good. NOT! But.... kind of. So our house is mostly all packed up. This weekend I was stressing about not having time to do everything and it turns out I plowed through packing up all of our junk pretty good. If I pack any more, the boys won't have toys, we won't have clothes, and we'll be eating off of paper and plastic for a while. I think that is the only reason I lost weight. I was shocked when I saw that I lost. I thought for sure I was going to gain. When I stress, I eat. When I stress-eat, I eat BAD. We had chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream in the house... need I say more? Anyway, here are my results. I hope the next weeks to come will be even better!

Week 5 Results:
Weight: 178.8 lbs
Body Fat: 43.6%
Water: 41.1%
BMI: 30.7 (Obese)

Difference from Week 4:
Weight: - 0.4 lbs
Body Fat: - 0.5%
Water: + 0.3 %
BMI: - 0.1

Week 4: Stress Eating

Slowly but surely the pounds are coming off. This week I did a lot of stress eating with selling our house in one day and not being able to find another one - eek! I need to keep some carrots or snow peas or something healthy on hand to munch on instead of ice cream or cookies. I didn't exercise this week and need to get back to doing that. Once we start packing and moving, it will be different, but I was pretty stagnant this week.

To add to the stress, I may have Jury Duty today.... joy. It always seems to happen right something big happens. I've never been able to serve, though, and I want to for the experience. Two times now, I've been asked to serve right before we move. The first time, we were moving into a different county by the appearance date, so I wouldn't have been able to serve. This time I'm on stand-by, so I won't know until 11:00 if I'm serving or not. Then, when I was 9 months pregnant with Rhys I was asked to serve, so I asked to postpone my service. The following week I received a request to come in a week AFTER Rhys was due. HELLO! After my second request to reschedule, I didn't hear back from them until now.

Anyway.... we're praying we find a new home soon. The nicer apartments near us are booked, house rentals are more than a mortgage, and staying with family is very temporary. We know God is in control and has a perfect plan for us. I wish His clock was in synch with mine, but know His timing is perfect. :D


Week 4 Results:
Weight: 179.2 lbs
Body Fat: 44.1%
Water: 40.8%
BMI: 30.8 (Obese)

Difference from Week 3:
Weight: - 1 lbs
Body Fat: + 1.0%
Water: - 0.7 %
BMI: - 0.1

I'm not sure why my body fat and water complete flip flopped the last two weeks - my scale isn't 100% accurate either.

PS - totally random, but I LOVE CAKE WRECKS!! Great Post!

Week 3: Back on Track

Good morning, folks! Last week wasn't the best, especially considering it was only my second week! However, this week I got back on track. I didn't do any "traditional" exercise as I was working hard around the house all week. Our house is FINALLY on the market! Yay! I ate a few more calories than normal, but I wanted to make sure I had enough energy to do things around the house. Overall I did really good! I did have some pizza, banana cream pie, and even some donuts (gulp), but I ate really well otherwise. It's a short post this week, so here are my results:

Week 3 Results:
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 180.2 lbs
Body Fat: 43.1%
Water: 41.5%
BMI: 30.9 (Obese)

Difference from Week 2:
Weight: - 2 lbs
Body Fat: - 1.0%
Water: + 0.7 %
BMI: - 0.4

All of my numbers are going in the right direction! It's encouraging to see my body fat percentage go down. I'm REALLY close to getting out of the obese category with my BMI; I just need to lose a little over 6 more pounds.

Thank you for all of your support and encouragement. I read all of your comments and listen to what you tell me in person and I get butterflies in my tummy. I can't say enough that you guys rock!

Week 2: Train Wreck

Greetings! I hope you all had a wonderful week. My husband and I have been working our butts off (quite literally) around our house. We're getting ready to sell it and have been doing last-minute updates like crazy. This has been my main source of exercise this week, actually. I did yoga on Wednesday and walked on Thursday, but that's all of the traditional exercise I did.

Ready for a train wreck?! My eating this week was atrocious! This week was the first week in several months where I ate out several times. (The definition of eating out in this instance are sit-down restaurants as we tend to get fast-food a lot [at least we used to].) I went to Gloria's with my sister-in-law on Tuesday and ate two of my three beef enchiladas that were smothered in cheese. The chips and bean dip they serve are irresistible, too. I also partook in a mojito. I completely paid the price the next day when my stomach was totally off - ugh. (You're welcome for that memento.) On Thursday, I went to Taco Diner with a co-worker, again pigging out on chips and salsa. They had a new roasted tomato salsa that I couldn't stop eating. Then, of course, I had to try their new fried avocado tacos and tagged on some black bean and corn tacos. Why only order two tacos when you can have four? The waiter told me to do it. On Friday, I went to Kenny's Italian Restaurante for a co-worker's birthday celebration and ate veal with a white wine caper sauce, one prosciutto wrapped fried mozzarella cheese stick and quite a few pieces of fresh bread dipped in oil and balsamic vinegar. Our church had a women's event on Saturday which featured a dessert spread. I made Devil's food cake cupcakes topped with salted caramel icing. Now, the icing had to be sampled several times while making it to ensure the entire batch was consistent. That was mandatory. I was tempted to take a picture of my plate when I filled it up with all of the desserts, but was too ashamed. So instead I'm plastering my shame on my blog... I'm just considerate like that. I didn't eat every single thing on my plate, and I announced my intentions to my table as I was sitting down. But I still ate more than enough. To top it all off, we ordered pizza on Sunday night as all four of us were out in the yard all day and Brad and I didn't have any energy to make dinner. We also didn't have any food in the house. We wanted something fast and easy, so we ordered pizza. I had two big slices of Papa John's cheese pizza and two slices of their cinnamon dessert pizza. All in all, I had a pretty balanced diet, don't you think?

My biggest struggle was my mindset when going out to eat. "If I'm going to eat out, I can't just get a salad. I need to get something that the restaurant specializes in. Why would I choose to eat here if all I'm planning on eating is some lettuce." (I know there are other healthy things than a salad, but you get my point.) At each restaurant this ran through my head and the Devil won each time. I was fighting with myself to make a wise, healthy decision. Each time, I felt so guilty for what I chose, especially since I gave into temptation. A friend of mine reminded me of a verse, 1 Corinthians 6: 19-20: Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 6:20 For you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body. I CHOSE to eat poorly. I CHOSE to ignore eating healthily. I CHOSE to consume all of the fat and horrible calories. I CHOSE to not glorify God with my body.

Yesterday when I weighed myself, I couldn't help but think where my numbers could have been had I not made all of those bad choices. I can't even tell you how shocked I was when I saw what the numbers were. The only reason why my numbers are where they are is because what I mentioned at the top: I'm literally working my butt off around the house. I waited to post this because I needed to test myself yesterday to make sure I could eat better and get back on track and I did. I didn't do it so I could post better numbers today (the number below are as of Monday morning ... my true weigh-in). I did it to slap myself in the face that I CAN do this, it's totally possible, and every single decision matters. This morning, all of my numbers went the right direction and I made progress. I'm going to stay on track. I'm going to make good decisions. I'm going to glorify God with my body. So all of this to say... my weight didn't change at all last week, which is truly by God's grace.

Week 2 Results:
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 182.2 lbs
Body Fat: 44.1%
Water: 40.8%
BMI: 31.3 (Obese)

Difference:
Weight: 0 lbs
Body Fat: -0.3%
Water: +0.3%
BMI: 0

Week 1: Not too shabby!

As I've mentioned, I'm going really slow this time around. This week, I woke up before 7:00 every morning. Monday - Thursday I either walked or did yoga for 30+ minutes. Friday, I didn't do a specific exercise. However, all day Friday, Saturday afternoon, and most of Sunday, I was going non-stop with cleaning the house and yard work as we're getting ready to sell our house. As far as eating, I did pretty good, but not great. I definitely did WAY better than I usually eat, but pizza, calzones, and Hot Tamales don't exactly fit in the "healthy" category. I'm not going to beat myself up for those items like I used to do. I told myself that I'm going slow and I'm ok with it. One step at a time. I will say, though, I had a small victory last night. I really wanted some Reese's Pieces and was getting up to get a handful, but instead found myself in the bathroom?? So, I weighed myself and am SO glad I did. I looked at the scale and said to myself, "You know what? Those Reese's Pieces are NOT worth messing up my numbers." Then, when I woke up this morning, they were even better!

Week 1 Results:
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 182.2 lbs
Body Fat: 44.4%
Water: 40.5%
BMI: 31.3 (Obese)

Difference:
Weight: 2.8 lbs 3.4 lbs
Body Fat: +0.4%
Water: -.03%
BMI: -0.6

I need to see my body fat and water percentages go the opposite way than they are going, but otherwise, pretty good, huh?? :D Thanks again for all of your support and encouragement! You guys are the best!

Gotta Keep Trying!

If you fall, pick yourself up and keep trying. This is my motto right now. I know I keep trying to get healthy, then shortly fall on my face. Each time I proclaim, "This is it! I'm really going to do it!" Then a week or so later, I'm done. However, I have hope. I know I can do this! I HAVE to keep trying - I cannot completely give up. Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." I know I cannot do this on my own - I need Christ's strength to overcome my weaknesses: poor food choices, getting up early, exercising, etc.

I didn't want to post this yesterday as I didn't want people to think, rightly so, that it was an April Fool's joke. :) I'm back on the horse and am going to do this!! A co-worker of mine told me to write a list of the things I like about being healthy to give me some motivation. Here are my top three things:

1) My relationship with God gets stronger: every night and morning I pray to God asking for His strength to say "yes" to the things I need to do and "no" to the things I should stay away from; I ask Him for help to roll out of bed when what I want to do is sleep; I depend so much more on Him throughout the day than I usually do, which is a reminder to me that I have things SO backwards right now; and I hope to be His light through this by giving Him glory.
2) I like the way I feel: the energy I get, not feeling gross after stuffing my face with food, and the confidence I have from choosing healthy foods.
3) I like the way I look: it's nice when I don't have to push my stomach fat into my gut when I bend over so I can reach my toes; my full-size spare tire starts to go flat; I can confidently wear my cute clothes and not hide behind sweaters, jackets and baggy shirts; and I can FEEL pretty!!

So, per my measurements yesterday, here are my starting numbers:

Height: 5'4"
Weight: 185 lbs 185.6 lbs
Body Fat: 44%
Water: 40.8%
BMI: 31.9 (Obese)

My accomplishments so far:
- Yesterday and today, I woke up at 6:00ish and took a 30 min walk. I averaged a 17 minute mile. (I'm not sure if that's good or not for walking).
- I passed up 1/2 price Easter candy even though they had my FAVORITE available, and threw out 1/2 a bottle of Dr. Pepper when I wanted it the most. Those were definitely by the strength of God.
- I've eaten relatively well the last two days.
- I've gone to bed over an hour earlier than usual so I can get enough sleep and wake up more easily in the mornings.

The Return: Week 1...ish

As I mentioned, my sister just got married this last weekend and I'm still trying to recover. We had family in town, last-minute prep for the wedding, catching up from taking a couple days off work, and now Aidan has strep throat. AH! My sister's wedding was great - she looked fantastic, the ceremony was beautiful, and the reception was fun. We all love her husband, Grant, and are excited to welcome him into the family!

Wow, so many things have changed since last June! Aidan is 4 and is finishing his first year in preschool. Rhys, whom I have dubbed "my little monster", will be 2 in August. Brad is still staying at home with our kiddos and is doing a great job teaching and keeping up with them. I was promoted at work and am now the manager of the EDI department! My brother and his family moved up from Houston in November and now live 5 minutes away from us. My sister-in-law moved here from CA in October, then had her son, Nathanael, in February.

I had a physical and had my height measured, and I somehow gained and inch. It's quite possible I've had it wrong this whole time, idk. But, I'm officially 5'4".... what do you know! Like I said in my last post, I gained every ounce back that I lost my first attempt and started back at my exact same weight. Here are my starting numbers and my numbers as of today!

Beginning Numbers:
Height: 5'3"
Weight: 185 lbs
Body Fat: 47%
Water: 37.9%
BMI: 32.77 (Obese)

New Numbers:
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 163.8 lbs
Body Fat: 40.4%
Water: 43.5%
BMI: 28.11 (Overweight)

Difference:
Height: +1" - ha!
Weight: -21.2 lbs
Body Fat: -6.6%
Water: +5.6%
BMI: -4.66 (Went from Obese to Overweight!!!!) 

Well Hello There!

Well hello there! It has been a while since I've posted anything: almost a year actually. It's a little embarrassing when a few posts ago I stated I was back on the weight-loss horse again. As some of my friends saw first-hand not only did I get bucked off, but I gained back every ounce I had lost. I only wish I was kidding. However, last fall, a good friend of mine won a gift certificate to Dallas Med Spa for their weight-loss program. She gave it to me because she knew I was trying to lose weight. I'm so blessed!!

I started the 12-week program on November 4 and guess what - my starting weight was exactly the same as it was when I started this blog! Hmmm

As part of the program, I was given a bodybugg to measure my steps and calorie burn, blood work, an EKG, and a brief physical. I met with a nurse each week at which time we went over my progress of the previous week, got my new weight, then she would give me a B-12 shot in my booty and a weekly supply of appetite suppressants and vitamins.

I was supposed to eat 1100 calories and log my food intake, and I had to burn 2100 calories a day. I didn't meet that goal every day, but I definitely cut back on what I ate and started doing some brief exercise. It was shocking how much junk I had been consuming prior to this program! Had I met that goal every day, they estimated that I would have been down to my goal weight by March. ... That didn't happen... HOWEVER, I lost 20 17 pounds on the program!!

The 12 weeks ended at the end of January and I maintained my weight for a couple of months. Brad and I started Jillian Michael's 30 Day Challenge and I lost another 5 3 pounds! Over the last week I've gotten a bit off track due to lots of baking and my little sister's wedding on Sunday! AH!! I'll have to weigh in on Wednesday to see if I can recoup my loses or not.

I can't tell you how much better I feel and how much more comfortable I am in my clothes! For those of you who know me, I rarely wear dresses. The last full-length dress I wore was for my wedding over 7 years ago. However, last week alone, I busted out a skirt twice and a full-length summer dress twice! WHAT?!

I still have 35 more pounds to lose, but I've definitely made progress. Thanks for all of your support, encouragement and compliments! More to come....

Week 13 Results

This week I did Yoga and walked around Collin Creek Mall again. I think we did about a mile and a half plus 12 sets of stairs: walking down and running up. I also went swimming on Saturday for a couple of hours. Yesterday I spent 4 hours outside cleaning my dad's saddle leather seats in his truck as a Father's Day present. I'm not sure I'll be offering that as a gift again as my right shoulder is killing me. With all of that I still managed to gain weight - grrrr. This week I have scheduled three Yoga classes and still plan on walking at the mall on Saturday. I brought my lunch today, too, so hopefully I'll stay on track this week. Better results HAVE to come soon! The good news is my body fat went down and my water went up - that has to be good, right???

Height: 5'3"
Weight: 180.6 lbs
Body Fat: 45.0%
Water: 40.1%
BMI: 31.99 (Obese)

Week 12 Results

Well, it's not exactly week 12 consecutively, but it's what I'm going to use. I didn't weigh myself the last several weeks nor did I eat well or exercise, so I'm pleasantly surprised at my results.

Last week, I started Yoga which is a lot harder than I thought it would be. I don't remember the last time I sweat that much. I had another class tonight and feel fantastic! I also went walking at Collin Creek Mall on Saturday morning with some friends. They open their doors early for walkers and it's FABULOUS since we're able to walk in the AC. We also did several sets of stairs while we were there.

I brought carrots, apples and other healthy snacks to work with me last week and was doing great until.... dun dun dun.... the weekend. I ALWAYS fail on the weekends and I don't know what to do. I know I need to just say "no," but I'm still learning that word apparently. I made this awesome dessert for Father's Day and part of it was this mouth-watering brownie - the best one I've ever had/made. I can't even tell you how many brownies I consumed, not to mention the pizza and ice cream we had on Saturday, either. Ahhh! I could have had a salad instead of the pizza. I could have thrown the leftover brownies away. I could have done so many things differently.

Anyway, here are my "re-starting" numbers. They'll get better from here.

Height: 5'3"
Weight: 179.8
Body Fat: 45.5%
Water: 39.8%
BMI: 31.85 (Obese)

I'm baaaaaack!

For those of you who have been wondering, no, I didn't give up. I just needed to refocus and get my old knees looked at. It's funny how easily you forget about your ailments when you sit on your butt for years. It's not like I mysteriously healed by any means, I just wasn't active so my symptoms disappeared. However, as soon as I started working out, they came back full-force and then some to the point I wanted to cry when I was doing my squats, lunges, and even when I had to pull myself up out of my car (my butt is lower than my knees when I get out of the car). No, it's nothing serious, just some good ol' tendinitis. The doc gave me some anti inflammatory pills and said that I need to strengthen my quads. So basically, I have to keep doing the exercises that kill me knees in order to make my knees feel better. It's really a lose-lose situation.

Anyway, next Monday I'll jump back on the wagon with my posts. So far this week (yesterday and today), I've had some relatively healthy meals and did some light exercising. Thursday I'm going to a Yoga class with a co-worker at lunch, so wish me luck. I've never done Yoga but am really looking forward to it. I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks for all of your support and encouragement! I really appreciate those who have asked me why I haven't posted - I appreciate your concern and to know that you're still rooting for me. Here's to a healthy lifestyle - cheers! (Holding up my water bottle to the monitor ... really.... I really did it :) )

Week 11 Results

Ah! I keep forgetting to post my results. My weight is going in the right direction, but my body fat isn't - weird. I haven't been working out like I need to. As most of you have probably figured out, I failed my 30 day challenge. I made it half way then had to stop. It's amazing what ailments you forget you have when you're not active. I have bad tendonitis in my knees and, of course, when I'm not active, they don't bother me. Going from couch potato to doing lunges, squats, jumping lunges, etc. takes a toll on you. I think I need to start with something simpler. If that doesn't work, then a trip to the doctor to get a knee brace might be in order. I better do it soon before my deductible resets. :) Until next week...


Height: 5'3"
Weight: 178.6 lbs
Body Fat: 44.2%
Water: 40.7%
BMI: 31.63 (Obese)

Week 10 Results

I weighed myself this morning and (if you saw my post on FB) Brad and I were both wrong. I only gained .8 pounds and not 2-3 like we were guessing - phew! I guess that's what happens when you bake like a mad woman... (see other post on FB regarding materials used and what I baked).

I have failed miserably this week and REALLY need to get back on track. My diet is way off, I'm stopped up (yes, wayyyyy TMI... which is probably adding to my weight - grrr), and I haven't been exercising like I need to. I walked several miles last week and did some stairs, but that only does so much when you're eating burgers, cake, cookies, cake, and cake pops. :) I will say, though, that if I keep baking and using fondant, I'm going to have some pretty sexy arms and a flat belly. I can't even tell you how sore I was yesterday morning after kneeding and rolling out fondant for several hours - phew!

Bathing suit season is just around the corner, and I'm not nearly ready :(

New Numbers:
Weight: 179.8 lbs
Body Fat: 43.8%
Water: 41.0%
BMI: 31.85 (Obese)

Beginning Numbers: New Numbers:
Height: 5'3
Weight: 185 lbs
Body Fat: 47%
Water: 37.9%
BMI: 32.77 (Obese)

Week 9 Results

Ah! I totally forgot to post this yesterday. Sorry about last week and only posting my stats. The last two weeks have been really stressful. This week is going a lot better so far. I started walking and doing the stairs with my coworker again, which has been nice - even refreshing. It's starting to get warm outside, so I don't know how much longer we're going to be doing it. We're (at least I'm) starting to get a little stinky... silly Texas weather.

Anyway, I'm definitely not making as much process as I was hoping I would, but little by little it's coming off. I'm up to $120 in my clothing jar and hope to see the full $1,000 soon enough.

Thank you for your response to the poll I posted last week (or was that two weeks ago now?) I'm trying to get in contact with a specific foundation that just started so we can do a fundraiser bake sale, but I haven't heard back from them yet. :( God's timing is perfect, though. I keep trying to remind myself of that.

Well, here are my results from this week. Not great, but they're at least in the right direction:

Height: 5'3"
Weight: 179.0 lbs
Body Fat: 44.6%
Water: 40.4%
BMI: 31.7 (Obese)

I need to get down to 169 before my BMI changes from Obese to Overweight. OH I CAN'T WAIT!! Obese is just so depressing!

Week 8 Results

Height: 5'3"
Weight: 179.2 lbs
Body Fat: 44.7%
Water: 40.3%
BMI: 31.74 (Obese)

Week 7 Results

Last week wasn't great, but not too bad. I knew I wasn't going to be able to keep all of the weight off after my bad Chinese food incident last week, but my results today were better than I hoped. I was expecting to be in the 180s, so I was surprised to see a 7 in my number. :) I also overcame a huge temptation which I'm proud of. I made goodies for a baby shower this week and didn't lick the bowl ONCE. I have NEVER done that, especially when it's brownies! The only thing I did was taste the frosting to make sure it was ok since it was left over from the week before. I also made sure not to pig out at the shower and I didn't bring ANY leftovers home with me. WOW! Progress...

On the down side, I only exercised once last week. I haven't been getting great sleep and the last thing I want to do is exercise when I'm tired. However, I know I need to do it and will feel better for it. Well, here's what you've been waiting for:

Height: 5'3"
Weight: 179.2 lbs
Body Fat: 45.1%
Water: 40.0%
BMI: 31.74 (Obese)

Here's to better numbers next week! Thanks for checking in. I love hearing from you!!