Accomplishing more than ever thought...

As you know, I have been on this weight loss journey for almost 5 months.  While on this journey, I started going to the gym daily to help boost my weight loss and to make my body stronger.  When I first started working out it was mostly the elliptical machine and I could only remain on it for about 15-20 minutes.  

While at the gym, I learned that a friend of mine from a former church was also a member of the gym and in turn she introduced to to another lady.  Both of these ladies were running on the treadmill several days a week.  I was super jealous of their fitness and ability to run for so long.  Don't get me wrong, I love both of these ladies dearly, but I just was frustrated that they could do something that I couldn't.  

Almost 8 weeks ago, after the encouragement of these same fine ladies, I began training for a 5K.  I started to use a C25K (Couch to 5K) app on my phone.  Essentially this program breaks it down so that in 8 total weeks you are able to run a 5K.  I must say, I found this to be unreasonable considering when I started this program I was still well over 230lbs and not physically fit at all.  

Week by week I would do the requirements of the program.  It starts relatively simple with you jogging for 60 seconds and then walking for 90 seconds, for a total of 21 minutes.  And then you build up each week, adding additional jogging time and shortening up your walking time.  And in the end, you are jogging for the full 3.2 miles and walking 5 minutes on either side.  I honestly thought going into this training program that I would end up repeating some weeks and lengthening the total amount of weeks that it took to complete it.  Well I couldn't be more wrong!

On Sunday, April 1, 2012, one week earlier than expected, I jogged my first 5K.  I completed the 3.2 miles on the treadmill at the gym, with my daughter and her friend there to witness it.  It took me just under 43 minutes to complete the 5K and I must say that I felt wonderful during and after.  I didn't set out to complete the 3.2 miles, but once I started to run that day, I knew that there was no stopping me.  And in the end, there wasn't.  

So I have accomplished something that I couldn't possibly imagine myself doing.  Running/jogging isn't something that a person who is 274lbs thinks that they will be doing.  Even with completing a cardio workout each day at the gym, I didn't think that my body would allow for me to complete a 5K.  But I couldn't be more wrong.  I have to say that being able to achieve what I did is because I challenged myself and wouldn't allow myself to give up.  Pushing myself to the max is something that I have always done and now it translated into completing a 5K.

Well now that is done I plan on continuing to run the 5K on the treadmill and I will attempt to shave time off of the jog by gradually increasing my speed.  It will be fun to see how much time I can trim off of the bottom line of the 5K.  I have also considered beginning a C210K program now.  Holy cow... a 10K!  What in the world am I thinking?!  Well actually I am thinking that I can accomplish anything that I set my mind too!  

Curve balls in every direction

Being and overweight woman (and this isn't a generalization about all overweight woman but just an observation about me), I am in the habit of eating my troubles and stresses away.  Have a bad day at work... nothing a few brownies or a gigantic ice cream sundae can't fix.  Having some difficulty with a teenager who is pushing every one of your buttons and then some... certainly a big bag of salty potato chips and a 2 liter of regular soda can't fix.  Did you just get some bad news and you aren't sure what it will mean for you... oh the perfect compliment to this is a big juicy cheeseburger large value meal.  


So as life has thrown curve balls my way I have learned over my lifetime that food was the comfort to run too.  This comfort has caused me to be in the situation that I am currently (that and just plan overeating).  It is definitely hard to change a behavior that has been ingrained in your head for 30+ years.  A behavior that has always "made you feel better".  A behavior that "takes away the pain".  


In the past 2 weeks I have had many curve balls thrown my way.  First it was hearing news at work that wasn't very appeasing to me and went completely against what I was told about 1 month ago.  Then it was the untimely death of my husband's younger cousin who lives 400 miles away from us.  There was the surgery of a dear elderly family member.  My daughter telling us that she needs x, y and z for volleyball and then in the same breathe telling us that she needs $139 for her class field trip.  Stress, these past 2 weeks, has been my middle name.  


This time however, I did not turn to food.  I turned instead to exercise.  The first bout came with the work stress.  After leaving work I called my husband in tears on the phone.  I was angry and i needed to vent.  By the time I got home from work, I was not only angry, but I was starving.  I cooked dinner and eat the portion that I would have eaten if I wasn't in the foul mood I was in.  I then asked my 13 year old if she wanted to go to the gym and, with her by my side, off we went.  1 hour and 45 minutes later we returned home and I felt WONDERFUL!  It was amazing to not stuff my face but instead work off the frustrations that I had.  It was great to burn off over 850 calories.  It was great to feel good after taking out my frustrations instead of feeling guilty that I had just eaten a large combo meal.  


The next few stressors allowed me to have the same reaction and thus confirm that I could eliminate the comfort foods and instead find a new way to deal with life's stresses.  I worked out and felt better.  Even while in Michigan for the family member's funeral, I took to the hotels fitness center and workout the stresses of being there.  Honestly... I don't miss the food.  I don't miss the guilt.  I don't miss watching the scale increase after a night of binge eating.  


I a certain that there will come a time in my weight loss journey that will cause me to binge eat due to stress.  I am not perfect and know that thinking any other way would be foolish.  As I am 9 weeks into this journey, what I do know is that I have found other ways to manage the stress.  Other avenues to vent my frustration.  The things that I learn are important to allow me, and others, life long success.  


Thank you again to everyone that has shown their support to my journey.  The outpouring of support for me through all of this has been amazing.  I am truly blessed to know so many wonderful people who genuinely care about my success.  Thank you does not quite express my feelings for each of you.  

New Year's Resolutions... can you keep them?

Every year, thousands and thousands of people make New Year's Resolutions to begin a fresh beginning to the year.  And every year, thousands upon thousands of people break their resolutions. I must include myself in those numbers because every year I seem to break what I resolve to change.  Last year for example, I set a New Year's resolution to stop texting while driving (I know that's bad... I don't need any lectures).  The first few days of the year went well and then I just fell of the wagon.  I will say though, that I do not text and drive nearly as much as I use too and I will only do it when I am alone in the car.  When the girls are with me, I have them answer my texts (with my responses of course).

I guess this is why I didn't start my weight loss journey on January 1st.  Instead, I chose to start it on an obscure Sunday in November 2 weeks before Thanksgiving (also not a good idea!).  But the point to this is, I was not resolving just to lose weight for the New Year... thus setting myself up to fail.  I wanted to make lasting changes to my lifestyle, including watching what I eat and exercising.  Now I am not saying that all New Year's resolutions fail, but by far more people fail than are successful.

So this year, because weight loss is at the forefront of my mind, a few of my resolutions are in place to help me along with this weight loss journey.  For one, I am striving to eliminate diet soda from my diet.  I am and probably always will be a diet soda junkie (I can drink about 5 20oz bottles a day).  I can drink it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  I prefer Diet Decaf Pepsi, but honestly I will drink Diet Coke if it is the only thing around.  Drinking diet soda, according to some recent studies, can actually increase your appetite and also has been linked to craving more sugary foods.  OUCH!  That's not what I want from anything that I put into my body, especially when I am working so hard to eliminate the overeating and the sweets that I sometimes crave.  So diet soda is out for me and it will be interesting to see how long this one lasts.  It is now 3 days into the New Year and yes I want a soda!  But I know that these little changes can mean bigger rewards down the road.

The next resolution that I set is that I want to work out at least 3 days per week.  Now that doesn't sound like much, but I am a person who never worked out.  And this is the minimum.  If I get 4 or 5 days in... that's a bonus.  Again, I didn't want to set myself up for failure and say work out 5 days and then disappointment myself when I only made it 4.  It is all about making the necessary life changes to take the weight off and keep it off.  Working out 3 days a week will definitely help to make this happen.  So far this year... I have worked out 3 days already.  Does that mean I am done for the week; absolutely NOT!  I am planning on working out at least 2 more days this week.  This means that I will be over for the week, but that's certainly not a bad thing.  One more note about this topic of working out.  I decided to join the local YMCA so that I could use a variety of equipment.  This variety will allow me to work different muscle groups and strengthen my whole body and not just one specific area.  I have used thus far the elliptical (one of my favorites), the stationary bike and today's adventure was with the stair climber machine (which I must report that I hate because my thighs and butt are killing me!!!!).  I do enjoy going to the gym, especially since my almost 13 year old daughter has been working out with me.  This healthy adventure has become contagious in my house :)

My next 2 resolutions were personal things that I want to accomplish this year, and not related to weight loss at all.  I have been inspired by a friend of mine who last year set a goal to read and review 200 books last year.  Tiffany actually was able to reach her goal and to me that is such a wonderful accomplishment.  I love to read, but did not think that I could undertake such a lofty goal.  Instead, I have set the goal of reading 50 books this year.  I know that isn't many, but when I normally take my time reading and often will put a book down for weeks in between each reading, this is incentive for me to keep plugging along until the end of the year.  Who knows, I may even add in reviewing the books that I pick up on Amazon as well... Thank you Tiffany for your inspiration!

Finally, I must admit that I am a terrible mom.  Yes I love my kids with every ounce of my being.  Yes I would do anything to protect my kids.  Yes I want to provide my girls with everything in the world so that they can be even more successful than their father and I.  But... I have boxes and boxes and boxes of pictures just sitting around my house.  I use to scrapbook, oh like 10 years ago (before Abbygail).  I have 2 beautiful scrapbooks of Makaela as a little girl.  I have NOTHING done of Abbygail.  To be quite honest, I am not sure if I even have that many pictures of Abbygail

So that's it... Sam's 2012 New Year's Resolutions.  I pray for the strength from God to continue to persevere through this weight loss journey.  I pray for continued strength as I press on to work out and build my physical strength.  I pray for understanding that I may not accomplish each of these resolutions but that I will do my best to uphold what I want to accomplish in this new year.  Finally, I pray for the ability to accept that I may break a resolution (like the no diet soda) but not beat myself up and just get back on board with the changes that I need to make to provide positive changes for my future.

Happy 2012 Everyone!