Apparently since my last blog is dated June 17th, I've been slack-a-lackin' in the blogging department!
Things have been going fairly well though. Here's an update:
Summer has officially arrived in Wyoming! Well...kinda. It's really been more of a spring. We've had a few hot days in the higher 80's but mostly it's been mild days in the lower 70's & raining off & on, sometimes pouring & we're having more humidity than is legal in this area! I have a severe dislike for humidity so having it here where I can FEEL it, that just ain't right!
Due to the better-than-winter weather, when the opportunity presents itself Ryan & go walk on the track at Western Wyoming Community College. It's a mile long & we do at least two miles. The other night we went for four miles. I didn't feel to terrible right after but man did my legs hurt later that night & all day the next day. Kept feeling like they were trying to cramp up. We haven't been to the gym in a while but when the weather's nice who wants to be cooped up in a gym? Not us. So our "workouts" mostly consist of walking but Audrey wants us to get in a few strength training workouts & those mostly need the gym to work. So, we'll attempt a few but winter will force us indoors all to soon so we'd rather play outside!
Speaking of playing, we got a boat! Hey, if you're gonna play you gotta have toys! It's super nice, yellow & white & even though it's an '09 it's brand new & hadn't been in the water until Saturday July 16th when we took it out after Ryan got home from work. It was amazing fun!
Weight wise we're holding our own. Haven't really lost more but haven't gained either. I'm sticking in the 192-194 range & Ryan's still consistently in the 242-245 range. We've definitely had a few splurges & a good cold beer tastes oh-so-good sometimes. Hey, it's summer what do you expect? Cooking out & eating out & drinking a beer or a drink or two goes hand in hand with summertime, or this advanced spring we're having! We're not going too overboard & stick close to what we're supposed to have but don't deny ourselves from time to time with whatever sounds good. If the weight starts piling back on, we'll change that. I think we're pretty balanced right now though.
Last tidbit for this time: We've officially signed up for our first 5K! It's the Burn Your Lungs 5K (as well as other races) & is going to be on July 30th in Kemmerer, WY. I'm super nervous about it! I don't want to be the old, short, fat chick that rolls past the finish line in last place! I just want to finish in a respectable time & be glad I did one. That was one of my original goals when we started with Audrey way back in January.
Well, that's about it for now. My work week is officially over & I'm off for some play time! I hope ya'll are having a super summer & enjoying the heck out of every day. Have a good one!
Friday, July 15, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
Moving Forward
It's been 16 days since my last post & we've had a few things happen. First off we had a weigh/measure day on June 8th. Ryan was at 242 & I was at 195. As you could guess we weren't thrilled with the numbers but we dealt with it. This week on the 15th things took a turn, some good & some not so good.
Ryan was back up to 245. We can't figure it out but hashed around some ideas. One thing that we think could be blocking him is his obsession with coffee. He drinks POTS of it. Like 1 1/2 pots a day JUST at home. This doesn't include what he might drink at work & if it's a day off he might easily drink 2+ pots. Now this wouldn't be as big a deal IF he was drinking it black but typically only 1-2 cups a day are black. Most of it has the Fat Free version of Nestle Coffee-Mate French Vanilla creamer & sugar in it. So you start adding that all up & it could very well be a stumbling block for him. I told him that perhaps he should try to give it up for a week, either coffee as a whole or at least the cream & sugar, & he looked at me like I'd lost my mind & says, "I don't know if I can." Can you say ADDICTION?? So, we'll see if he decides to give it a try.
For me things were a bit better this week. I weighed 191. This is the first time I've gone below 195 & I was pretty happy about that! The 190's are seemingly taking forever to get out of & I thought the 200's were bad! We'll see how things go next week though. I tend to fluctuate up & down a lot so there's a good chance I'll be higher next week. I'm trying to be positive but that would be consistent with what I've done so far.
On the workout front things have changed a bit. We talked to Audrey about changing things up. We can't seem to get it together every evening to go workout. By the time we both get home from work we're tired, hungry & just want to relax a little. That doesn't include dealing with any kid drama/crisis or family drama/crisis that comes along & running errands. So a workout tends to get pushed to the bottom of the list. Now with the weather being nicer there's a lot we want to go do so that pushes the workout even further down that list. So, we asked Audrey to revamp our schedule to give us every other night off, mainly Mondays since the gym is so packed if we need to go there (with the nice weather we're doing more outside), & see if that would help. It's received mixed reviews. In some ways it's been easier but what we're finding is that the evenings are just not good timing for working out. We could do morning workouts on Ryan's days off because even if I have to work at 7am, like I have to sometimes, we could still go & not have it be too bad & we may try it. On Ryan's work days though the morning workout will NOT happen. He has to leave the house by 5am & I am NOT working out at 3am so he can leave that early. That just seems slightly insane to me. So, maybe during his 6 days off we'll workout in the a.m.'s & on his 8 days on we'll do the evening & see if that helps. I know we have to be frustrating Audrey & we want to keep her happy since she has the power to torture the hell out of us during our workouts with her! Speaking of, she created a track workout we do at the high school & it kicked my butt! I finished it but running bleachers, although I'm not sure if you could call what I do running, was not my ideal. Since we did that workout with her we've done it one other time on our own & I was happy that I finished it a second time. So at least I know I'm further along than I was back in January when I couldn't even walk half a mile without feeling like I was dying! Nothing like improvement & progress....
Ryan was back up to 245. We can't figure it out but hashed around some ideas. One thing that we think could be blocking him is his obsession with coffee. He drinks POTS of it. Like 1 1/2 pots a day JUST at home. This doesn't include what he might drink at work & if it's a day off he might easily drink 2+ pots. Now this wouldn't be as big a deal IF he was drinking it black but typically only 1-2 cups a day are black. Most of it has the Fat Free version of Nestle Coffee-Mate French Vanilla creamer & sugar in it. So you start adding that all up & it could very well be a stumbling block for him. I told him that perhaps he should try to give it up for a week, either coffee as a whole or at least the cream & sugar, & he looked at me like I'd lost my mind & says, "I don't know if I can." Can you say ADDICTION?? So, we'll see if he decides to give it a try.
For me things were a bit better this week. I weighed 191. This is the first time I've gone below 195 & I was pretty happy about that! The 190's are seemingly taking forever to get out of & I thought the 200's were bad! We'll see how things go next week though. I tend to fluctuate up & down a lot so there's a good chance I'll be higher next week. I'm trying to be positive but that would be consistent with what I've done so far.
On the workout front things have changed a bit. We talked to Audrey about changing things up. We can't seem to get it together every evening to go workout. By the time we both get home from work we're tired, hungry & just want to relax a little. That doesn't include dealing with any kid drama/crisis or family drama/crisis that comes along & running errands. So a workout tends to get pushed to the bottom of the list. Now with the weather being nicer there's a lot we want to go do so that pushes the workout even further down that list. So, we asked Audrey to revamp our schedule to give us every other night off, mainly Mondays since the gym is so packed if we need to go there (with the nice weather we're doing more outside), & see if that would help. It's received mixed reviews. In some ways it's been easier but what we're finding is that the evenings are just not good timing for working out. We could do morning workouts on Ryan's days off because even if I have to work at 7am, like I have to sometimes, we could still go & not have it be too bad & we may try it. On Ryan's work days though the morning workout will NOT happen. He has to leave the house by 5am & I am NOT working out at 3am so he can leave that early. That just seems slightly insane to me. So, maybe during his 6 days off we'll workout in the a.m.'s & on his 8 days on we'll do the evening & see if that helps. I know we have to be frustrating Audrey & we want to keep her happy since she has the power to torture the hell out of us during our workouts with her! Speaking of, she created a track workout we do at the high school & it kicked my butt! I finished it but running bleachers, although I'm not sure if you could call what I do running, was not my ideal. Since we did that workout with her we've done it one other time on our own & I was happy that I finished it a second time. So at least I know I'm further along than I was back in January when I couldn't even walk half a mile without feeling like I was dying! Nothing like improvement & progress....
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
My Motivation
I know it's been two weeks since my last post but I haven't felt very "post worthy" lately. Things have been okay, just not great. Today though, being the first day of June & our weekly weigh-in day, I figured it was as good a time as any to put up a new post.
Have you ever just seriously lacked motivation? I guess there are some people out there that are insanely motivated & never slack, but I think most people will understand what I'm saying. We know what we need to do. We know how to do what we need to do. We know it helps. We know that procrastinating, or skipping it completely, won't get it done & in the end make us feel worse for waiting so long or not doing it at all because then there's just more to do. So why? Why do we do that to ourselves? Could it be we like to wallow in our misery? Or could it be that we simply really don't care?
I know for myself that it isn't that I really don't care. If I didn't I wouldn't have come this far. Wallowing in misery? Perhaps, to a point.
What I think, & I've been doing a lot of thinking about it, is that it's about results. I'm not just talking about working out either. I'm talking about anything. When you live in a house with a two year old you wonder why bother picking up or cleaning because in less than an hour your house, or the room you just cleaned will look like a tornado just ripped through it. You do piles of laundry, just to end up with more piles starting the next day or in some cases even later that same day. You do dishes just to end up with more piled by the sink. You dust just to live to dust again. My kid's favorite, "Why make my bed? I'm just going to get back in it tonight!".
You eat right for whatever program you're on & workout just to have the scale go no where or seemingly move at a snail's pace. For me though it's more than the scale. I've been told over the years that, "When you workout it gives you more energy & you sleep better" & "When you workout you get a kind of high". Well, I want whatever the hell they're having because I ain't seeing it! I have no more energy, I'm still tired all the time & the only way I'm getting a "high" working out is if I smoke a lil' somethin' or pop a pill beforehand, which I'm not going to do.
So, my lack of motivation seems to derive from doing what I'm supposed to do & not seeing the results I'm hoping for, which miraculously, has nothing to do with the numbers. I'm going to keep pushing forward though & hopefully one day I can report that I slept like a baby, had energy like when I was 20 & was high as a kite after a workout. No one hold their breath though.
Sometimes you just have to tell yourself, "What the hell, I will feel better when the house/room is clean, laundry is done, dishes are done, dusting is done or my bed is made because it will look better" and then just do it. Same for dieting/eating right & exercising. If nothing else I do get a sense of accomplishment just for having done it, even if I don't reap the euphoric benefits I've heard about. So I'm going to just keep moving along & try to stay as motivated as I can. Meanwhile, I've got a personal trainer who lives to motivate. Girlfriend has her work cut out for her & I think she's finding that out the hard way, which I'm not proud of & I will try to make it easier on her.
Now for the numbers. On May 18th Ryan weighed in at 244, I weighed in at 195. On May 25th Ryan weighed in at 244, I weighed in at 198. The 25th was after a weekend in Colorado at our friend's cabin. We ate a few thing that were not on our healthy eating list. I was grateful it was only 3 lbs.
Today, June 1st, Ryan weighed 242, which means he finally broke his 3 week plateau & lost 2 lbs! Woo-hoo! I weighed 195, which means I lost the 3 lbs I gained in Colorado. Had we done all the workouts we were supposed to it might have been better. So, we'll just pick up & keep on & see what happens next week.
A few things that have happened that are great positives have been:
1. We walked 2 miles outdoors in Colorado, the weather was actually nice. 1st mile all downhill, 2nd mile all uphill. The 1st mile took us 11 minutes, the 2nd mile took 14 minutes & part of that was me having to stop twice to catch my breath. Ryan could've gone more & I told him he could but he didn't, he stayed with me.
2. We walked on an outdoor track here at home that's a mile long & we did it 3 times. Yes, that means we walked 3 miles. Ryan could've gone more, but once again wouldn't leave me. I was whipped. No way mile 4 was coming out of this body that day.
3. We walked 3 miles on a treadmill at the gym. Ryan in 55 min, me in 55:40. That included our warm up & cool down times.
So it would seem that 3 miles is quickly becoming our new 'norm'. Not sure how thrilled I am about that. One of our upcoming workouts is a 4 mile walk. We'll see. I'm sure Ryan will finish & still be smiling. Me, not so much. If I live through it I'll let ya know....
Have you ever just seriously lacked motivation? I guess there are some people out there that are insanely motivated & never slack, but I think most people will understand what I'm saying. We know what we need to do. We know how to do what we need to do. We know it helps. We know that procrastinating, or skipping it completely, won't get it done & in the end make us feel worse for waiting so long or not doing it at all because then there's just more to do. So why? Why do we do that to ourselves? Could it be we like to wallow in our misery? Or could it be that we simply really don't care?
I know for myself that it isn't that I really don't care. If I didn't I wouldn't have come this far. Wallowing in misery? Perhaps, to a point.
What I think, & I've been doing a lot of thinking about it, is that it's about results. I'm not just talking about working out either. I'm talking about anything. When you live in a house with a two year old you wonder why bother picking up or cleaning because in less than an hour your house, or the room you just cleaned will look like a tornado just ripped through it. You do piles of laundry, just to end up with more piles starting the next day or in some cases even later that same day. You do dishes just to end up with more piled by the sink. You dust just to live to dust again. My kid's favorite, "Why make my bed? I'm just going to get back in it tonight!".
You eat right for whatever program you're on & workout just to have the scale go no where or seemingly move at a snail's pace. For me though it's more than the scale. I've been told over the years that, "When you workout it gives you more energy & you sleep better" & "When you workout you get a kind of high". Well, I want whatever the hell they're having because I ain't seeing it! I have no more energy, I'm still tired all the time & the only way I'm getting a "high" working out is if I smoke a lil' somethin' or pop a pill beforehand, which I'm not going to do.
So, my lack of motivation seems to derive from doing what I'm supposed to do & not seeing the results I'm hoping for, which miraculously, has nothing to do with the numbers. I'm going to keep pushing forward though & hopefully one day I can report that I slept like a baby, had energy like when I was 20 & was high as a kite after a workout. No one hold their breath though.
Sometimes you just have to tell yourself, "What the hell, I will feel better when the house/room is clean, laundry is done, dishes are done, dusting is done or my bed is made because it will look better" and then just do it. Same for dieting/eating right & exercising. If nothing else I do get a sense of accomplishment just for having done it, even if I don't reap the euphoric benefits I've heard about. So I'm going to just keep moving along & try to stay as motivated as I can. Meanwhile, I've got a personal trainer who lives to motivate. Girlfriend has her work cut out for her & I think she's finding that out the hard way, which I'm not proud of & I will try to make it easier on her.
Now for the numbers. On May 18th Ryan weighed in at 244, I weighed in at 195. On May 25th Ryan weighed in at 244, I weighed in at 198. The 25th was after a weekend in Colorado at our friend's cabin. We ate a few thing that were not on our healthy eating list. I was grateful it was only 3 lbs.
Today, June 1st, Ryan weighed 242, which means he finally broke his 3 week plateau & lost 2 lbs! Woo-hoo! I weighed 195, which means I lost the 3 lbs I gained in Colorado. Had we done all the workouts we were supposed to it might have been better. So, we'll just pick up & keep on & see what happens next week.
A few things that have happened that are great positives have been:
1. We walked 2 miles outdoors in Colorado, the weather was actually nice. 1st mile all downhill, 2nd mile all uphill. The 1st mile took us 11 minutes, the 2nd mile took 14 minutes & part of that was me having to stop twice to catch my breath. Ryan could've gone more & I told him he could but he didn't, he stayed with me.
2. We walked on an outdoor track here at home that's a mile long & we did it 3 times. Yes, that means we walked 3 miles. Ryan could've gone more, but once again wouldn't leave me. I was whipped. No way mile 4 was coming out of this body that day.
3. We walked 3 miles on a treadmill at the gym. Ryan in 55 min, me in 55:40. That included our warm up & cool down times.
So it would seem that 3 miles is quickly becoming our new 'norm'. Not sure how thrilled I am about that. One of our upcoming workouts is a 4 mile walk. We'll see. I'm sure Ryan will finish & still be smiling. Me, not so much. If I live through it I'll let ya know....
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Weigh Day
So weigh day didn't go so great for the two of us. Ryan's still stuck at 244. I am still at 195.
I refuse to let this be a bad thing though because we still weigh less than we did when we started & it will go down more, eventually. Plus, we feel better than when we first started. I'm not going to say it's not a bit frustrating though. I guess it would be even more frustrating if we had been working out regularly during that "break time" we took & not having splurge night at the Mexican place. So it could be worse, we could've gained.
Have to keep telling myself, and Ryan, to look at the bright side. Otherwise those darn tacos that keep calling my name just may win a trip down my throat.
I refuse to let this be a bad thing though because we still weigh less than we did when we started & it will go down more, eventually. Plus, we feel better than when we first started. I'm not going to say it's not a bit frustrating though. I guess it would be even more frustrating if we had been working out regularly during that "break time" we took & not having splurge night at the Mexican place. So it could be worse, we could've gained.
Have to keep telling myself, and Ryan, to look at the bright side. Otherwise those darn tacos that keep calling my name just may win a trip down my throat.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
"No Excuses, No Limits"
It's been 11 days since my last post & here's a quick rundown on what's been going on:
1. Last weigh day, May 11th, I was at 195. That was from just watching my food since Ryan & I didn't workout from May 2nd till May 13th. Not only didn't I gain, I got to stay in ONE-derland! My fear was that I would gain & be back in the 2's due to lack of movement, but I actually lost another 2 lbs. I was super excited!
Ryan wasn't as lucky since he gained 2 lbs & was at 244. He was just as careful about his food but something somewhere added a little. I'm really hoping he'll see a smaller number on the 18th. I'm hoping that for me too!
2. We got started back at the gym. It was amazing how much I actually missed it! We went on the 15th & I did some treadmill, ab work & arm work. It was good to get back & be moving again. My sinus issues acted up a bit, a little residue left over from being sick, but I felt really great just for having gone & made it through more of a workout than I thought I'd be able to do. I learned a couple of things from this past few weeks:
A. Don't let fear of a previous injury stop you from trying to continue forward, within reason of course.
And 2. Just because you "take a break" from working out doesn't mean you have to give it up altogether for good & it doesn't mean you're going to automatically be back in the pitiful shape you were before you started the process.
The injury part was that I had done something to both my legs & kept getting severe pain & knots in my back upper thighs right above my knees with pain running down my calves & into my ankles. After talking more with Audrey I think it could have been pulled hamstrings. I was really afraid of working out, especially walking. I guess though that the break I took helped them repair because though I've had some residual pain this past three days during & after a workout, it doesn't hang around nor does it hurt anything near what it did. So I'm taking it slow so I don't overwork them too much until they can be completely healed.
The other reason for the break was due to getting sick & hectic work schedules for both Ryan & I. I wanted to go back three nights before we actually did but things kept getting in the way. Finally I told Ryan that all this time we've made it a priority & due to this "break" it has gone down on the list & we needed to get it back up near the top. It is a choice to go after all & a choice that only we can make.
I know for me fear was part of what stopped me. I was worried about hurting, which makes it miserable to workout, & I was worried that I had gone back in the same shape I was in when I first started this process. I quickly learned that wasn't true. In fact, I think that I'm in better shape & the break just made my body & brain want to go more. I almost over did it tonight as the matter of fact. Too much incline on the treadmill & I could feel that pain starting. So I stopped. Wanted 2 miles but only got 1.7. That's okay though, at least I got that. Plus, I did some arm work. I was pretty happy with that. It was less than I wanted but in someways more than I thought I could do.
3. The next to last thing that happened was actually a couple of things. First, Ryan & I had a "splurge" night. We went to the Mexican place I've been craving since starting this ordeal. I really wanted it & so did Ryan. What happened was amazing. I told Ryan that I was going to thoroughly enjoy it. That I'd probably feel guilty & miserable afterwards but I was going to enjoy it. But I didn't...feel guilty & miserable. I made up my mind to enjoy every second & every stinkin' bite of that food & I did. You know what happened? I walked out of that place feeling satisfied, craving gone & knowing that tomorrow I'd get right back on the "healthy lifestyle wagon". And I did. I learned that a splurge can happen & not be the blackhole of death to whatever plan you're on. For Ryan, it didn't taste as good for him. So his lesson learned was that even though you may crave it & it may look & sound amazing, the reality is that it may not live up to the expectations you have.
Even though we both got something different out of the experience they were both good lessons for us to learn & to learn from what the other experienced. I know now that even though I may decide it's okay to splurge it may not live up to my expectations. He knows he can splurge & not have it be healthy lifestyle death.
4. Of course I'd go for 4 because anyone who truly knows me knows I HATE odd numbers! The last part of all this came from one of the stories I read the other day in the Chicken Soup for the Soul book I mentioned in an earlier post. I haven't been able to get it out of my mind & I think it's quite appropriate for where Ryan & I are & anywhere we go from here as well. It was written by a wife whose husband had been working out with his friend. She wanted to see what got her husband so wrapped up in the workouts & drove him so hard & made him want to keep going. So she went along to workout & to meet the friend. Turns out he had lost a leg & listening to him & his story of overcoming & seeing what he could do with one leg, which was more than a lot of people do with two, she got just as inspired as her husband.
This really struck me & made me think about how often I complain & grumble & grouse when I'm doing regular old daily things, let alone when I'm working out. It made me realize how much worse off things could be & makes me more thankful & grateful to God for where I am & what I have.
His motto was, "No excuses, no limits". I've decided to use that as well. I don't think he'd mind.
1. Last weigh day, May 11th, I was at 195. That was from just watching my food since Ryan & I didn't workout from May 2nd till May 13th. Not only didn't I gain, I got to stay in ONE-derland! My fear was that I would gain & be back in the 2's due to lack of movement, but I actually lost another 2 lbs. I was super excited!
Ryan wasn't as lucky since he gained 2 lbs & was at 244. He was just as careful about his food but something somewhere added a little. I'm really hoping he'll see a smaller number on the 18th. I'm hoping that for me too!
2. We got started back at the gym. It was amazing how much I actually missed it! We went on the 15th & I did some treadmill, ab work & arm work. It was good to get back & be moving again. My sinus issues acted up a bit, a little residue left over from being sick, but I felt really great just for having gone & made it through more of a workout than I thought I'd be able to do. I learned a couple of things from this past few weeks:
A. Don't let fear of a previous injury stop you from trying to continue forward, within reason of course.
And 2. Just because you "take a break" from working out doesn't mean you have to give it up altogether for good & it doesn't mean you're going to automatically be back in the pitiful shape you were before you started the process.
The injury part was that I had done something to both my legs & kept getting severe pain & knots in my back upper thighs right above my knees with pain running down my calves & into my ankles. After talking more with Audrey I think it could have been pulled hamstrings. I was really afraid of working out, especially walking. I guess though that the break I took helped them repair because though I've had some residual pain this past three days during & after a workout, it doesn't hang around nor does it hurt anything near what it did. So I'm taking it slow so I don't overwork them too much until they can be completely healed.
The other reason for the break was due to getting sick & hectic work schedules for both Ryan & I. I wanted to go back three nights before we actually did but things kept getting in the way. Finally I told Ryan that all this time we've made it a priority & due to this "break" it has gone down on the list & we needed to get it back up near the top. It is a choice to go after all & a choice that only we can make.
I know for me fear was part of what stopped me. I was worried about hurting, which makes it miserable to workout, & I was worried that I had gone back in the same shape I was in when I first started this process. I quickly learned that wasn't true. In fact, I think that I'm in better shape & the break just made my body & brain want to go more. I almost over did it tonight as the matter of fact. Too much incline on the treadmill & I could feel that pain starting. So I stopped. Wanted 2 miles but only got 1.7. That's okay though, at least I got that. Plus, I did some arm work. I was pretty happy with that. It was less than I wanted but in someways more than I thought I could do.
3. The next to last thing that happened was actually a couple of things. First, Ryan & I had a "splurge" night. We went to the Mexican place I've been craving since starting this ordeal. I really wanted it & so did Ryan. What happened was amazing. I told Ryan that I was going to thoroughly enjoy it. That I'd probably feel guilty & miserable afterwards but I was going to enjoy it. But I didn't...feel guilty & miserable. I made up my mind to enjoy every second & every stinkin' bite of that food & I did. You know what happened? I walked out of that place feeling satisfied, craving gone & knowing that tomorrow I'd get right back on the "healthy lifestyle wagon". And I did. I learned that a splurge can happen & not be the blackhole of death to whatever plan you're on. For Ryan, it didn't taste as good for him. So his lesson learned was that even though you may crave it & it may look & sound amazing, the reality is that it may not live up to the expectations you have.
Even though we both got something different out of the experience they were both good lessons for us to learn & to learn from what the other experienced. I know now that even though I may decide it's okay to splurge it may not live up to my expectations. He knows he can splurge & not have it be healthy lifestyle death.
4. Of course I'd go for 4 because anyone who truly knows me knows I HATE odd numbers! The last part of all this came from one of the stories I read the other day in the Chicken Soup for the Soul book I mentioned in an earlier post. I haven't been able to get it out of my mind & I think it's quite appropriate for where Ryan & I are & anywhere we go from here as well. It was written by a wife whose husband had been working out with his friend. She wanted to see what got her husband so wrapped up in the workouts & drove him so hard & made him want to keep going. So she went along to workout & to meet the friend. Turns out he had lost a leg & listening to him & his story of overcoming & seeing what he could do with one leg, which was more than a lot of people do with two, she got just as inspired as her husband.
This really struck me & made me think about how often I complain & grumble & grouse when I'm doing regular old daily things, let alone when I'm working out. It made me realize how much worse off things could be & makes me more thankful & grateful to God for where I am & what I have.
His motto was, "No excuses, no limits". I've decided to use that as well. I don't think he'd mind.
Friday, May 6, 2011
C.R.A.P.
I'm sick. Much more ill than I thought. I now have either full blown head cold or serious sinus infection going on. Needless to say, but I will anyway, I did not make it to the gym tonight. This sucks & now who knows when I'll get back. I just hope I can get more sleep tonight than last night but not counting on that either.
No voice, fever, stuffy head, runny nose, cough, sore throat, watery eyes & completely exhausted. What a lovely combo to deal with. I just hope it goes about it's business soon. Fortunately, I have a round of antibiotics that the doctor gave me last time I didn't feel good. So if it's not gone soon you best believe those bad boys will find their way into my system ASAP.
Later ya'll.
No voice, fever, stuffy head, runny nose, cough, sore throat, watery eyes & completely exhausted. What a lovely combo to deal with. I just hope it goes about it's business soon. Fortunately, I have a round of antibiotics that the doctor gave me last time I didn't feel good. So if it's not gone soon you best believe those bad boys will find their way into my system ASAP.
Later ya'll.
First The Good News...
Yes, it has been a bit since my last post. No, it doesn't mean anything bad has happened. It's only due to my being, as my grandma used to say, "busier than a one legged man in a butt kickin' contest". Work has been long days for both of us & stressful days for me this past several weeks since we were going through an "accepting applications & taking all the phone calls that are a result of that, doing interviews, second interviews & ultimately hiring a new person to replace an employee that's leaving us in June" phase. All of that craziness is on top of the normal everyday craziness. Couple that with not feeling so swift several times for different reasons & it boils down to not really wanting to be on the computer or do, well, much of anything. So that's about what I've done, not much of anything.
Our weigh & measure day on April 27th had both of us celebrating! Ryan had lost two more pounds. I had lost three. Ryan was glad he finally broke the plateau he'd been on & I, well I, FINALLY, got under 200. I was in, to quote another blogger I follow,
ONE-derland!! 197. It just sounds better than 2something. Measurements were a bit lower but nothing to go insane over. The celebration was short lived.
This past weigh day (no measuring) on May 4th, it went in the toilet. Ryan had gained back his previously lost two pounds & I had reacquired my three. Not so great. Audrey says there are possibly several reasons this happened but I'm thinking it was mainly not always doing what we should be doing. We have both had late work nights. His have been much later than mine. These late nights have killed a few workouts. Plus, he had several nights where he just didn't feel good. Bad stomachache, headache & such. I just wasn't feeling the few workouts we did go do. I started having a bad pain in the back of my lower thigh right above my knee a while back. First it happened in the right leg. It hurt so bad I thought I'd pulled something but, since I wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary, like pretending to be a Rockette, I knew I couldn't have pulled it. Then a few days later the left one started up. Audrey has told me what it is & how to try to help it. I did just some of what she said & it seemed to help, no more pain. Until I got back on the treadmill after a couple days off. There it was just glaring at me & gloating. So I worked through it that day but the next day it just wasn't happening. I did a workout that consisted of several different exercises & even using some weights & all was good. Then I got on the treadmill where all I had to do was walk 35 minutes. Sounds easy right? No, it was not. After about 12 minutes my legs hurt so bad it was all I could do to stand. So what does my smart self do?? I get on the Cybex machine. For those who may not know, the Cybex is very similar to an elliptical. You look like you're doing a funny walk but your feet are on large pedals & moving similar to an elliptical. I did 5 minutes & almost could not step off of the stupid thing. I've done 20-25 minutes on it before so I KNOW I can do more than 5! I was so angry & disappointed in myself. I went slinking over to the mat, did my stretches (almost in tears because of pain AND embarrassment) & then waited for Ryan to finish his workout which he not only finished but did extra. Overachiever! I'm really proud of him so I'm only kidding about the "overachiever" comment. Kinda.
He was irritated with me because I was being so down on myself for not doing well & since I was "injured" I shouldn't be, but it's hard to not be disappointed when you know you can do so much better. After that it was all downhill. My eating this past 6 days, due to work, stress & just plain ol' bad choices, was either very low calorie (not good), or more than I should have & not always the best food choices (also not good). We haven't worked out almost all this past week. We were going to try to go to the gym tonight, technically last night (Thursday) since it's after 2:00a.m. on Friday now, but that didn't happen. Hopefully tonight (Friday) it will. Ryan told me that he's actually glad for the break we've had because he was feeling kind of burnt out. Maybe I was too. We didn't take a total break though, have TRIED to keep the food somewhat in check.
I'm not holding my breath on making it back to the gym tonight though. As I sit here, awake at 2:41a.m., I have a very scratchy sore throat, no voice at all & what feels to be a fever. I've been voiceless for two days (Wednesday & Thursday) with tomorrow not looking good as well. I'm over it. I want to get back on the track I was on.
I know that a 20 year habit of sitting on your ass & eating an unhealthy diet is hard to break but I will break it. I also need to get my sleep in check. I guess that means earlier bed times & Ambien CR more often! This will not beat me, I will win.
On the upside, one of my small victories that I'm celebrating is that I did eat right yesterday (Thursday). Audrey says to celebrate the invisible victories so, YAY! Go me!!
Our weigh & measure day on April 27th had both of us celebrating! Ryan had lost two more pounds. I had lost three. Ryan was glad he finally broke the plateau he'd been on & I, well I, FINALLY, got under 200. I was in, to quote another blogger I follow,
ONE-derland!! 197. It just sounds better than 2something. Measurements were a bit lower but nothing to go insane over. The celebration was short lived.
This past weigh day (no measuring) on May 4th, it went in the toilet. Ryan had gained back his previously lost two pounds & I had reacquired my three. Not so great. Audrey says there are possibly several reasons this happened but I'm thinking it was mainly not always doing what we should be doing. We have both had late work nights. His have been much later than mine. These late nights have killed a few workouts. Plus, he had several nights where he just didn't feel good. Bad stomachache, headache & such. I just wasn't feeling the few workouts we did go do. I started having a bad pain in the back of my lower thigh right above my knee a while back. First it happened in the right leg. It hurt so bad I thought I'd pulled something but, since I wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary, like pretending to be a Rockette, I knew I couldn't have pulled it. Then a few days later the left one started up. Audrey has told me what it is & how to try to help it. I did just some of what she said & it seemed to help, no more pain. Until I got back on the treadmill after a couple days off. There it was just glaring at me & gloating. So I worked through it that day but the next day it just wasn't happening. I did a workout that consisted of several different exercises & even using some weights & all was good. Then I got on the treadmill where all I had to do was walk 35 minutes. Sounds easy right? No, it was not. After about 12 minutes my legs hurt so bad it was all I could do to stand. So what does my smart self do?? I get on the Cybex machine. For those who may not know, the Cybex is very similar to an elliptical. You look like you're doing a funny walk but your feet are on large pedals & moving similar to an elliptical. I did 5 minutes & almost could not step off of the stupid thing. I've done 20-25 minutes on it before so I KNOW I can do more than 5! I was so angry & disappointed in myself. I went slinking over to the mat, did my stretches (almost in tears because of pain AND embarrassment) & then waited for Ryan to finish his workout which he not only finished but did extra. Overachiever! I'm really proud of him so I'm only kidding about the "overachiever" comment. Kinda.
He was irritated with me because I was being so down on myself for not doing well & since I was "injured" I shouldn't be, but it's hard to not be disappointed when you know you can do so much better. After that it was all downhill. My eating this past 6 days, due to work, stress & just plain ol' bad choices, was either very low calorie (not good), or more than I should have & not always the best food choices (also not good). We haven't worked out almost all this past week. We were going to try to go to the gym tonight, technically last night (Thursday) since it's after 2:00a.m. on Friday now, but that didn't happen. Hopefully tonight (Friday) it will. Ryan told me that he's actually glad for the break we've had because he was feeling kind of burnt out. Maybe I was too. We didn't take a total break though, have TRIED to keep the food somewhat in check.
I'm not holding my breath on making it back to the gym tonight though. As I sit here, awake at 2:41a.m., I have a very scratchy sore throat, no voice at all & what feels to be a fever. I've been voiceless for two days (Wednesday & Thursday) with tomorrow not looking good as well. I'm over it. I want to get back on the track I was on.
I know that a 20 year habit of sitting on your ass & eating an unhealthy diet is hard to break but I will break it. I also need to get my sleep in check. I guess that means earlier bed times & Ambien CR more often! This will not beat me, I will win.
On the upside, one of my small victories that I'm celebrating is that I did eat right yesterday (Thursday). Audrey says to celebrate the invisible victories so, YAY! Go me!!
Saturday, April 23, 2011
The photo
The photo I put up was Ryan & I in Las Vegas in April of '09. I will try & post a recent one of us soon.
Continuing On
It's been a bit over a week since my last post. I should be more on top of things I suppose but sometimes life overwhelms me with everything I need to do, should do or others think I'm supposed to do. Do I sound stressed? Yes, I think so. Makes the workouts nice though, not thinking about any of the stuff I stress about but just focusing on what I'm doing, if I'm doing it right & how long I do it for. I could get to like this! Plus, when I'm done I feel less stressed so that's an added bonus.
Our weigh in on the 20th was ok. Ryan lost two lbs. I didn't lose any. Stuck at 200 for me. That's ok though, I was just thrilled I hadn't gained! The reason I was so thrilled about not gaining was because I've had a slightly off week.
Last weekend my lovely youngest daughter, Shelby, decided to do something so horrible & mean that honestly I'm surprised she's still living in this house & not in the driveway! She made double batches of Monster Cookies & Sugared Popcorn! I love Monster Cookies!! They are HUGE, chewy, oatmealy, chocolate chippy, M&M-y goodness. Needless to say, they are NOT what I'm supposed to be eating. Oh yeah, the popcorn was good too. I can honestly say I've only had a little bit of the popcorn, not enough to even worry about, but the cookies... oh the cookies! I've had 8 of them. (Audrey, I know last count was 7 & I swore NO MORE, but that last one was taunting me & I had to take it down! They're gone now, so there will not be a 9th one! And no, I didn't eat them all, they're "hidden".) I know this failure sounds terrible & it is, especially since I was so proud of how well I was doing with the food part of my program but, everyone has bumps in their road & this was one of my "bumps". Ryan's had 3 cookies. He really irritates me sometimes! Definitely has more self control than I. To make matters worse I had to skip a workout night before last because I worked late & by the time I got home we were starving & decided that dinner sounded more important. It's all good though because I'm working out on my next off day to make up for it. There was a reason for my cookie obsession.
WARNING: This may be TMI (too much info) for some, especially men, but it's important that other women know that this can happen to them too!
I was going through my "monthly issue". Ick. Apparently I crave sweets during that time way more than I thought I did because usually I can take sweets or leave them but this last week I was a cookie obsessed crazy woman! Luckily I take a pill that makes it optional for me to have that "issue" so it only happens a few times a year. Now that I know what it does to me I can be better prepared for the next time! So women, be aware! If you are watching what you eat in whatever manner you have chosen you can be seriously derailed if you aren't careful! Not sure about men, Ryan doesn't say much. Although he has been craving a couple of things we used to eat lately. That makes me feel much better since until recently it was only me that was struggling.
Ending on a high note though, last night I walked on the treadmill. I walked two miles in 34:15 and got my speed up to 3.8 which is my high speed to this point. I only did that speed for somewhere between 5-10 minutes but I still did it. I was a sweaty beast when I was done with my walk! After I finished my cool down I had walked 38 minutes and I felt great.
I still feel guilty about the cookies but I'll just keep working them off & hopefully on the 27th the scale won't show too much damage done. Even if I'm sitting at 200 for a third week!
Our weigh in on the 20th was ok. Ryan lost two lbs. I didn't lose any. Stuck at 200 for me. That's ok though, I was just thrilled I hadn't gained! The reason I was so thrilled about not gaining was because I've had a slightly off week.
Last weekend my lovely youngest daughter, Shelby, decided to do something so horrible & mean that honestly I'm surprised she's still living in this house & not in the driveway! She made double batches of Monster Cookies & Sugared Popcorn! I love Monster Cookies!! They are HUGE, chewy, oatmealy, chocolate chippy, M&M-y goodness. Needless to say, they are NOT what I'm supposed to be eating. Oh yeah, the popcorn was good too. I can honestly say I've only had a little bit of the popcorn, not enough to even worry about, but the cookies... oh the cookies! I've had 8 of them. (Audrey, I know last count was 7 & I swore NO MORE, but that last one was taunting me & I had to take it down! They're gone now, so there will not be a 9th one! And no, I didn't eat them all, they're "hidden".) I know this failure sounds terrible & it is, especially since I was so proud of how well I was doing with the food part of my program but, everyone has bumps in their road & this was one of my "bumps". Ryan's had 3 cookies. He really irritates me sometimes! Definitely has more self control than I. To make matters worse I had to skip a workout night before last because I worked late & by the time I got home we were starving & decided that dinner sounded more important. It's all good though because I'm working out on my next off day to make up for it. There was a reason for my cookie obsession.
WARNING: This may be TMI (too much info) for some, especially men, but it's important that other women know that this can happen to them too!
I was going through my "monthly issue". Ick. Apparently I crave sweets during that time way more than I thought I did because usually I can take sweets or leave them but this last week I was a cookie obsessed crazy woman! Luckily I take a pill that makes it optional for me to have that "issue" so it only happens a few times a year. Now that I know what it does to me I can be better prepared for the next time! So women, be aware! If you are watching what you eat in whatever manner you have chosen you can be seriously derailed if you aren't careful! Not sure about men, Ryan doesn't say much. Although he has been craving a couple of things we used to eat lately. That makes me feel much better since until recently it was only me that was struggling.
Ending on a high note though, last night I walked on the treadmill. I walked two miles in 34:15 and got my speed up to 3.8 which is my high speed to this point. I only did that speed for somewhere between 5-10 minutes but I still did it. I was a sweaty beast when I was done with my walk! After I finished my cool down I had walked 38 minutes and I felt great.
I still feel guilty about the cookies but I'll just keep working them off & hopefully on the 27th the scale won't show too much damage done. Even if I'm sitting at 200 for a third week!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
The Scale Was NOT My Friend, But The Tape Was!
So, Wednesday's weigh in was not as great as we would've liked. I stayed at 200 & Ryan went to 244, a 2 lb gain. Needless to say, we were both frustrated with that. Ryan was more frustrated than I was because my measurements were pretty good. Some of his were lower but not as much as he'd have liked. We always measure first & since some of my numbers were down significantly from two weeks ago (we only measure every two weeks, weigh once a week) Ryan assumed that meant I'd lost quite a bit this last week. I told him that "inches do not equal pounds" and I was right. Inches were lost but no pounds. 200 is proving to be a difficult number to crack. It will crack. In fact I will shatter that bastard if it's the last thing I do! (please forgive the language)
After all was said & done I texted Audrey & she said that Ryan may not have really "gained" but it could be water retention or since he's been lifting more weight lately it could be muscle gain but he's still frustrated. Part of Ryan's frustration is that he has a goal to be at a certain weight by a certain date & all this gain & plateau business is not going in the right direction, which I understand. This is where we differ, he's all hardcore goal oriented & for me I figure that where I am by that same date is where I'll be & it's going to be better than where I was in January. I've come to terms with the fact that I didn't put on 132 lbs over night & they aren't going to come off that way either. I am down 49 lbs from my high weight which was 249 so that's a good thing & I'm pretty happy with. It took me a year to lose 25 but I wasn't working at it, in fact didn't realize I had lost it until I went to one of my doctors last October. So if it takes me a year or more to lose the rest of it then I'll be okay with that. I wish it would go faster but I'm at the point now that anywhere I go is better than where I've been. Hopefully Ryan will start to feel that way too & not get so down when he doesn't get the results he's looking for every time we weigh/measure.
Hopefully this next week will bring better news for us both but if not for me then at least for him. If not you may not hear from me for a while because I may be hiding out. =)
After all was said & done I texted Audrey & she said that Ryan may not have really "gained" but it could be water retention or since he's been lifting more weight lately it could be muscle gain but he's still frustrated. Part of Ryan's frustration is that he has a goal to be at a certain weight by a certain date & all this gain & plateau business is not going in the right direction, which I understand. This is where we differ, he's all hardcore goal oriented & for me I figure that where I am by that same date is where I'll be & it's going to be better than where I was in January. I've come to terms with the fact that I didn't put on 132 lbs over night & they aren't going to come off that way either. I am down 49 lbs from my high weight which was 249 so that's a good thing & I'm pretty happy with. It took me a year to lose 25 but I wasn't working at it, in fact didn't realize I had lost it until I went to one of my doctors last October. So if it takes me a year or more to lose the rest of it then I'll be okay with that. I wish it would go faster but I'm at the point now that anywhere I go is better than where I've been. Hopefully Ryan will start to feel that way too & not get so down when he doesn't get the results he's looking for every time we weigh/measure.
Hopefully this next week will bring better news for us both but if not for me then at least for him. If not you may not hear from me for a while because I may be hiding out. =)
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Gotta...Lose...Weight....or Not.
Tomorrow is "Doom Day". We have to weigh AND measure this week. It's going to be a really good day after it's done or I may be more miserable than I have been thus far & that's saying a lot. Last week I weighed 200 which means I've lost 23 lbs. Tomorrow morning I'll either be UNDER 200, which is what I'm really hoping for, or I'll be stuck at 200. My only other option is to gain & Lord help that scale if that has happened! (I mentioned earlier that I wanted to murder it & tomorrow could be that day.)
Today we worked out with Audrey. Not our normal Friday morning & after not sleeping well last night & working all the day, trust me when I say I'm feeling it! Let's just say, in the nicest way possible of course, she kicked my ass! I actually did a seemingly innocent & easy looking workout. It lied. It was not innocent OR easy. In fact it was one of the hardest ones I've done yet which means one of two things: 1. It was made to look easy but sneak in & kick the crap out of you. or 2. I'm severely & grossly out of shape! (I'm bettin' on #2...)
I was seriously feeling light headed & a tad nauseas when I finished it. I recovered with a mile on the treadmill. I'm proud of myself for finishing but honestly it just showed me how far I still have to go. It also proved to me how far I've come. In January I couldn't have even gotten through one round of that torture if my life depended on it. Probably would've dropped dead trying. So the fact that I finished 3 sets of "stations" that consisted of 3 or 4 different exercises was just pretty cool. I'm super thankful to Audrey for getting me here, or helping me get here since it's not her skinny lil' self doing all the work! I pay her to tell me what to do & how to eat. What a scheme she has going on! Just kiddin' Audrey, you're super & we're truly blessed to have you helping us!
I hope all that crap pays off on that stupid scale tomorrow. If not, I know where a hammer is and I'm so not afraid to use it! (but then I'll just have to go buy another one. The stupid thing will tell me the same things that I'll either like or not. "Don't shoot the messenger"...) I guess my other alternative is trudge on till next Wednesday & pray for the best. Doesn't sound like as much fun but it's probably the better idea in the long run. Scale saved by clear thinking! Well, as clear a thinking such is possible with generic Ambien CR running through my veins. Off to bed. Results tomorrow.
Today we worked out with Audrey. Not our normal Friday morning & after not sleeping well last night & working all the day, trust me when I say I'm feeling it! Let's just say, in the nicest way possible of course, she kicked my ass! I actually did a seemingly innocent & easy looking workout. It lied. It was not innocent OR easy. In fact it was one of the hardest ones I've done yet which means one of two things: 1. It was made to look easy but sneak in & kick the crap out of you. or 2. I'm severely & grossly out of shape! (I'm bettin' on #2...)
I was seriously feeling light headed & a tad nauseas when I finished it. I recovered with a mile on the treadmill. I'm proud of myself for finishing but honestly it just showed me how far I still have to go. It also proved to me how far I've come. In January I couldn't have even gotten through one round of that torture if my life depended on it. Probably would've dropped dead trying. So the fact that I finished 3 sets of "stations" that consisted of 3 or 4 different exercises was just pretty cool. I'm super thankful to Audrey for getting me here, or helping me get here since it's not her skinny lil' self doing all the work! I pay her to tell me what to do & how to eat. What a scheme she has going on! Just kiddin' Audrey, you're super & we're truly blessed to have you helping us!
I hope all that crap pays off on that stupid scale tomorrow. If not, I know where a hammer is and I'm so not afraid to use it! (but then I'll just have to go buy another one. The stupid thing will tell me the same things that I'll either like or not. "Don't shoot the messenger"...) I guess my other alternative is trudge on till next Wednesday & pray for the best. Doesn't sound like as much fun but it's probably the better idea in the long run. Scale saved by clear thinking! Well, as clear a thinking such is possible with generic Ambien CR running through my veins. Off to bed. Results tomorrow.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Workin' the Journey
Day 75. Since it's 1:43 a.m. on Sunday it officially marks 75 days for Ryan & I starting this journey of getting healthy. Doesn't seem like it's been that long already. We have reached the point where it's strange for us to not workout, even if it's a normal day off that Audrey has scheduled for us. In 75 days we have only missed 2 workouts. That's not bad considering that missing one before Audrey came along was grounds for quitting altogether.
I have learned the joy, said sarcastically, of working out while sickly. I have a gland on the right side of my neck that's very swollen & very painful. I've had this before but usually it will swell for a day or two then go away. This time it's lasted over 7 days. Had to get a blood draw to check my thyroid "just in case", which I needed to do anyway for my thyroid medication but as anyone who knows me will tell you an appointment with a needle involved is not a good day for me. Almost passed out this time. Haven't had that for a while but it just proved to me that my fear & mental illness regarding needles hasn't gone anywhere.
I haven't been sick at all since spring of '09. This last few weeks I've been struggling with some minor sinus stuff and I just chalked it up to allergies & doing a lot of dusting in my house. Apparently, it's actually something trying to catch hold so my doctor put me on an antibiotic. I've only been on it since Friday and since it's early Sunday morning I've only had 3 doses. I hope it kicks in soon & I feel better.
Anyway, Thursday I skipped the workout. I just felt too terrible & couldn't suck it up to get it done. Friday I was considering skipping again but I felt like I'd feel worse if I did so I sucked it up & went. I'm glad I did but it wasn't easy. I only walked 1.23 miles on the treadmill but I stayed between 3.0 & 3.4 for speed & kept it at an incline of 2 for most of it. Then I got off & did some ab work & a bit of weight work. I decided since I didn't really go far on the treadmill I may as well put in a bit of effort some other way. I don't regret doing it & actually felt better when I was done, if not physically I felt it mentally. It wasn't easy because turning my head certain ways aggravated my neck & really hurt. Heck, even breathing heavy hurt. What happened though is that I proved to myself that I'm stronger than I thought I was & I can do this even when I don't really feel so great. Another excuse shot down. (sarcastically) Thanks Audrey... Of course I wouldn't push it if I was seriously ill or injured & I wiped everything I used or touched down with the antibacterial wipes they provide like we always do, but I did do a workout. I know it's just a small thing but I was proud just the same.
For those keeping track with us weigh day was, well, great for Ryan & "UGH" for me. Ryan broke his plateau & weighed in at 245. That's 6 lbs lost for him. I was stuck at 204 for the second week. I think he set down the plateau & I picked it up. Crap. Oh well, there's always next Wednesday! If, by chance, that day doesn't come for me I'll be the short fat girl partying it up in Heaven with Mexican food, pizza, wings & chocolate cake, along with my fruits & veggies of course.
I have learned the joy, said sarcastically, of working out while sickly. I have a gland on the right side of my neck that's very swollen & very painful. I've had this before but usually it will swell for a day or two then go away. This time it's lasted over 7 days. Had to get a blood draw to check my thyroid "just in case", which I needed to do anyway for my thyroid medication but as anyone who knows me will tell you an appointment with a needle involved is not a good day for me. Almost passed out this time. Haven't had that for a while but it just proved to me that my fear & mental illness regarding needles hasn't gone anywhere.
I haven't been sick at all since spring of '09. This last few weeks I've been struggling with some minor sinus stuff and I just chalked it up to allergies & doing a lot of dusting in my house. Apparently, it's actually something trying to catch hold so my doctor put me on an antibiotic. I've only been on it since Friday and since it's early Sunday morning I've only had 3 doses. I hope it kicks in soon & I feel better.
Anyway, Thursday I skipped the workout. I just felt too terrible & couldn't suck it up to get it done. Friday I was considering skipping again but I felt like I'd feel worse if I did so I sucked it up & went. I'm glad I did but it wasn't easy. I only walked 1.23 miles on the treadmill but I stayed between 3.0 & 3.4 for speed & kept it at an incline of 2 for most of it. Then I got off & did some ab work & a bit of weight work. I decided since I didn't really go far on the treadmill I may as well put in a bit of effort some other way. I don't regret doing it & actually felt better when I was done, if not physically I felt it mentally. It wasn't easy because turning my head certain ways aggravated my neck & really hurt. Heck, even breathing heavy hurt. What happened though is that I proved to myself that I'm stronger than I thought I was & I can do this even when I don't really feel so great. Another excuse shot down. (sarcastically) Thanks Audrey... Of course I wouldn't push it if I was seriously ill or injured & I wiped everything I used or touched down with the antibacterial wipes they provide like we always do, but I did do a workout. I know it's just a small thing but I was proud just the same.
For those keeping track with us weigh day was, well, great for Ryan & "UGH" for me. Ryan broke his plateau & weighed in at 245. That's 6 lbs lost for him. I was stuck at 204 for the second week. I think he set down the plateau & I picked it up. Crap. Oh well, there's always next Wednesday! If, by chance, that day doesn't come for me I'll be the short fat girl partying it up in Heaven with Mexican food, pizza, wings & chocolate cake, along with my fruits & veggies of course.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Milestones
Dear Wednesday,
You used to be my friend. You were the halfway point to the weekend. You were an 'easy' day. Now I stress about you, almost to the point of fear sometimes. You see, on a Wednesday in the not so distant past you became "Doom Day" aka Weigh (& Measure) Day for Ryan & I. So now I awaken on Wednesday mornings & really don't know what to expect from you. Will things be good? Bad? The same?? Oh, if only I knew ahead of time! I so hope that at some point, very soon, all my Wednesdays will return to being good days. Please conspire with my brain to continue to make good choices & with my scale to show lower numbers. For now I will continue to stress, worry & at times fear you. I do want to thank you for being kind today & taking a bit of pity on us. Please continue to do so. I know that at some point you'll return to being one of the better days in our week!
Sincerely,
Me
Today I found out I lost 3 more pounds. I'm now down to 204. 5 more pounds & I'll be under 200 for the first time in YEARS. I was stuck at 245 for so long & never moved. Then when I finally did a year & a half ago it was to move UP to 249. Now being this close to being out of the 200's is such a strange feeling. Ryan lost a pound, down to 250. Not sure if it's the end of the plateau for him or not but a pound lost is still a loss. He feels like he's not doing well but pointed out his belt to me tonight. When he first bought it he had to use the 2nd set of holes. Now he's using like the 9th set. Tell me that's not progress! I can see it in him even if he can't & no matter what the scale says or the tape shows, I can see changes in his body. He says he can see them in me too, I unfortunately cannot. No matter what, we both have milestones that are coming within our grasp. Getting under 200 for me, breaking out of the plateau he's been in for over 3 weeks for him. Hopefully both will happen soon & we can look forward to our next set of milestones, whatever they may be.
Another milestone I hit this past week was that I WALKED 3 MILES! Took me 57 minutes to do it but I did it AND, I walked all of mile 2 at 3.5, which is my fastest speed to date. The rest was walked at 3.4. I was so excited & proud! 3 miles is something I honestly never thought I could do. I know to some people this may sound lame & they're like "Really? Is she really that stoked about 3 miles??", but YES, I am! I was the type of person who used to sit in my recliner & think that people who walked, jogged or ran 1 or 2 miles a day were nuts & that I could never do that. The idea of 1 mile exhausted me, let alone the idea of 2 or more! Now I'm doing 2 every day I walk & pushing to 3! Huge acomplishment for me!
I'm not competing with anyone but me at this point. In the end I'm the only one I'm really ever going to be competing against since there will always be someone out there that can out do me. As long as I'm doing my best & improving my times, distances & being able to increase my intensity & survive, then I'm successful & consider myself a winner!
"Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will find that they haven't half the strength you think they have."
--Norman Vincent Peale
"Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they've got a second."--William James
You used to be my friend. You were the halfway point to the weekend. You were an 'easy' day. Now I stress about you, almost to the point of fear sometimes. You see, on a Wednesday in the not so distant past you became "Doom Day" aka Weigh (& Measure) Day for Ryan & I. So now I awaken on Wednesday mornings & really don't know what to expect from you. Will things be good? Bad? The same?? Oh, if only I knew ahead of time! I so hope that at some point, very soon, all my Wednesdays will return to being good days. Please conspire with my brain to continue to make good choices & with my scale to show lower numbers. For now I will continue to stress, worry & at times fear you. I do want to thank you for being kind today & taking a bit of pity on us. Please continue to do so. I know that at some point you'll return to being one of the better days in our week!
Sincerely,
Me
Today I found out I lost 3 more pounds. I'm now down to 204. 5 more pounds & I'll be under 200 for the first time in YEARS. I was stuck at 245 for so long & never moved. Then when I finally did a year & a half ago it was to move UP to 249. Now being this close to being out of the 200's is such a strange feeling. Ryan lost a pound, down to 250. Not sure if it's the end of the plateau for him or not but a pound lost is still a loss. He feels like he's not doing well but pointed out his belt to me tonight. When he first bought it he had to use the 2nd set of holes. Now he's using like the 9th set. Tell me that's not progress! I can see it in him even if he can't & no matter what the scale says or the tape shows, I can see changes in his body. He says he can see them in me too, I unfortunately cannot. No matter what, we both have milestones that are coming within our grasp. Getting under 200 for me, breaking out of the plateau he's been in for over 3 weeks for him. Hopefully both will happen soon & we can look forward to our next set of milestones, whatever they may be.
Another milestone I hit this past week was that I WALKED 3 MILES! Took me 57 minutes to do it but I did it AND, I walked all of mile 2 at 3.5, which is my fastest speed to date. The rest was walked at 3.4. I was so excited & proud! 3 miles is something I honestly never thought I could do. I know to some people this may sound lame & they're like "Really? Is she really that stoked about 3 miles??", but YES, I am! I was the type of person who used to sit in my recliner & think that people who walked, jogged or ran 1 or 2 miles a day were nuts & that I could never do that. The idea of 1 mile exhausted me, let alone the idea of 2 or more! Now I'm doing 2 every day I walk & pushing to 3! Huge acomplishment for me!
I'm not competing with anyone but me at this point. In the end I'm the only one I'm really ever going to be competing against since there will always be someone out there that can out do me. As long as I'm doing my best & improving my times, distances & being able to increase my intensity & survive, then I'm successful & consider myself a winner!
"Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will find that they haven't half the strength you think they have."
--Norman Vincent Peale
"Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they've got a second."--William James
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Determination
Aggravated. Frustrated. Irritated. Mad. Sad. Bummed. Those are a few words that have been in our minds the last several days. We had "Doom Day" aka Weigh Day on Wednesday. I gained one pound, 207. Ryan was at 251 for the 3rd week in a row. It sucks feeling like you're doing everything right for no pay off. Honestly, it makes me want to give up. According to Audrey there's several reasons this could be happening for Ryan & for my gaining a pound. All I know is I wanted to murder that damn scale! I wanted to beat it into oblivion with a hammer! I know that destroying it won't change what it said to me. I know that the only thing that will change what it says is me are the choices I make. I know that I'll keep trying to make good choices & doing what's needed to get the results I want to see. You see, it has now become a war. A war I refuse to lose. I will battle my weight & I will win. It's been winning for far too long now & it's time it was put in it's place, far away from me.
So we're going to change up a few things with our caloric intake & our exercise & see if that doesn't move things along. In a perfect world we would have a trained chef to take care of all our food needs & be able to exercise as often as we wanted but since that's just not in the cards, we'll keep doing what we can to make it better on our own.
One thing that has been helping me is seeing other people going through the same things. I watched "I Used To Be Fat" on Mtv. Man, the work those kids put in was crazy but the results they got out of it were amazing! Not sure if I'd have the strength to work out 4-6 hours a day like that. Good for them for doing it while they're young. I also read Weight Watchers magazine & Shape and it helps to read about others who've struggled but have managed to get to their goal & stay there. My favorite inspiration, besides the encouragement from Audrey, is a book I got when we were in Salt Lake City about a month ago. It's a "Chicken Soup for the Soul" book called "Shaping the New You". The stories in it are inspirational, funny & at times informative. What I'm finding out is that there's no easy or perfect way to do this. It's about changing your food choices, exercising, finding what works for you & sticking it out. So, I've made the changes in food choices, I'm exercising & now it's just the sticking it out.
I'm still waiting for the "easier" part to start when it comes to not craving my favorite foods but the work outs have gotten much better. I walked 2 1/2 miles in 47 minutes the other night. Let me break this down for you: I've gone from barely being able to walk 20 minutes at a speed of 2.5 to walking over 45 minutes at a 3.2-3.4 & completing a mile in 18:45-19:00 since January, not to mention the other work outs we do in addition to the walking or elliptical. So, I know that's not a great time, but it was really good for me & part of it was going slower for my cool down time. When I hit that mile... pure elation! I love that I can do that now. Audrey is talking to us about a possible goal of walking (or running) a 10k at the end of July. I'm seriously thinking about it. On January 19th when we started I thought that was a pipe dream & something I'd probably never realistically think about doing. Now I feel that it might actually be attainable. I even get a little excited when I consider it. We'll see. Who knows, there may be an athletic spirit buried underneath all this padding after all....
"Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be."
--George Sheehan
So we're going to change up a few things with our caloric intake & our exercise & see if that doesn't move things along. In a perfect world we would have a trained chef to take care of all our food needs & be able to exercise as often as we wanted but since that's just not in the cards, we'll keep doing what we can to make it better on our own.
One thing that has been helping me is seeing other people going through the same things. I watched "I Used To Be Fat" on Mtv. Man, the work those kids put in was crazy but the results they got out of it were amazing! Not sure if I'd have the strength to work out 4-6 hours a day like that. Good for them for doing it while they're young. I also read Weight Watchers magazine & Shape and it helps to read about others who've struggled but have managed to get to their goal & stay there. My favorite inspiration, besides the encouragement from Audrey, is a book I got when we were in Salt Lake City about a month ago. It's a "Chicken Soup for the Soul" book called "Shaping the New You". The stories in it are inspirational, funny & at times informative. What I'm finding out is that there's no easy or perfect way to do this. It's about changing your food choices, exercising, finding what works for you & sticking it out. So, I've made the changes in food choices, I'm exercising & now it's just the sticking it out.
I'm still waiting for the "easier" part to start when it comes to not craving my favorite foods but the work outs have gotten much better. I walked 2 1/2 miles in 47 minutes the other night. Let me break this down for you: I've gone from barely being able to walk 20 minutes at a speed of 2.5 to walking over 45 minutes at a 3.2-3.4 & completing a mile in 18:45-19:00 since January, not to mention the other work outs we do in addition to the walking or elliptical. So, I know that's not a great time, but it was really good for me & part of it was going slower for my cool down time. When I hit that mile... pure elation! I love that I can do that now. Audrey is talking to us about a possible goal of walking (or running) a 10k at the end of July. I'm seriously thinking about it. On January 19th when we started I thought that was a pipe dream & something I'd probably never realistically think about doing. Now I feel that it might actually be attainable. I even get a little excited when I consider it. We'll see. Who knows, there may be an athletic spirit buried underneath all this padding after all....
"Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be."
--George Sheehan
Friday, March 11, 2011
Death By Bosu
Yesterday I was so excited that Friday was coming. That was then, this is now. Now Friday has lost it's appeal. Today was "Work out with Audrey" day. I was actually fairly excited about that because I wondered what new treasures she had in store for us today. Now I know & I'm fairly certain that more sleep would've been the way to go.
We had breakfast, got ready & headed out. Things started okay. The "Enforcer" went over our food journals, all good. Talked about work outs & how they've been going, all good. She showed me how to wrap Ryan's ankle for him with KT Tape, all good. Then it happened, the "Bosu Ball" officially came into our lives.
Until this point my limited experience had been during one previous work out with Audrey & it wasn't so bad. I was sitting & catching/throwing a ball from side to side. Very recently I discovered it makes doing Sit Bone Crunches (aka Leg Extensions) easier on my previously injured tail bone. I don't think Ryan had ever experienced it. Today we had the honor of attempting to stand on that thing. Not fun. Especially not fun for me. I think Ryan did way better than I did. I've always known I didn't have good balance, that thing just drove that point home. We did four rounds of various exercises but the two where I had to stand on the ball were interesting to say the least. I am hoping that with time, experience & the shedding of pounds it will get easier but in the meantime I'm pretty certain my butt will enjoy that Bosu Ball more than my feet will!
We had breakfast, got ready & headed out. Things started okay. The "Enforcer" went over our food journals, all good. Talked about work outs & how they've been going, all good. She showed me how to wrap Ryan's ankle for him with KT Tape, all good. Then it happened, the "Bosu Ball" officially came into our lives.
Until this point my limited experience had been during one previous work out with Audrey & it wasn't so bad. I was sitting & catching/throwing a ball from side to side. Very recently I discovered it makes doing Sit Bone Crunches (aka Leg Extensions) easier on my previously injured tail bone. I don't think Ryan had ever experienced it. Today we had the honor of attempting to stand on that thing. Not fun. Especially not fun for me. I think Ryan did way better than I did. I've always known I didn't have good balance, that thing just drove that point home. We did four rounds of various exercises but the two where I had to stand on the ball were interesting to say the least. I am hoping that with time, experience & the shedding of pounds it will get easier but in the meantime I'm pretty certain my butt will enjoy that Bosu Ball more than my feet will!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
The Agony of Weigh Day
Wednesdays for Ryan & I aren't just about being halfway through the week & that much closer to the weekend, they also represent "Doom Day", the day we weigh or weigh & measure which we alternate. Thank God this day only comes once a week. I don't think I could take it more often than that. My highest weight was 249 & as I mentioned before I lost 26 of that & got down to 223 in a year not changing a whole lot. So I started working with Audrey in January weighing 223. Ryan started with her at 279. His highest weight was 290. This week it's just weighing & as long as 249 & 290 stay away, we'll be doin' alright!
This morning as I was preparing to weigh, while muttering a stressed prayer under my breath & hoping for the best, I was wondering how Ryan's weigh in went since he had to leave for work before 5am. We have done pretty well up to this point, well, except for my break down a few weeks ago at the agony of only losing ONE pound. He was sweet & supportive & kept telling me "It's still a loss", which I knew but when you feel like you're killing yourself & trying to do well eating (& missing all the yummy fattening stuff) & end up with only one pound, well it's a bit disheartening to say the least & it happened to me two weeks in a row. Ugh. Ryan made the comment to me last night that he was somewhat nervous about the weigh in today & was hoping to see some movement on the scale, in the right direction. He's been struggling this last week with missing foods. Good to know I'm not the only one!
I stepped on & that stupid little needle stopped at 206. Damn. Only 2 pounds. Wait, that's one more than one! Yeehaw! Still, I would have loved to see myself under 200. That's a bit lofty right now I suppose. I will get there, one stinkin' pound at a time if I have to and, on the bright side I only need to lose 7 more to be there. I texted Ryan. His didn't change. Stuck at 251. It was my turn to be the strong encourager. I know he won't quit but I know that sinking feeling too. So from now till next Wednesday we'll work harder & change up calorie intake & see what happens. Plus we measure next week. Sometimes seeing the numbers change on that tape is almost as good as seeing it on the scale. If Ryan does next week what he's done before & ends up with a 5 pound or more loss for a week he may not live to be talked about in another blog. Unless I too have a good week & then I'll hug him & kiss him & keep my "other plans" to myself...
This morning as I was preparing to weigh, while muttering a stressed prayer under my breath & hoping for the best, I was wondering how Ryan's weigh in went since he had to leave for work before 5am. We have done pretty well up to this point, well, except for my break down a few weeks ago at the agony of only losing ONE pound. He was sweet & supportive & kept telling me "It's still a loss", which I knew but when you feel like you're killing yourself & trying to do well eating (& missing all the yummy fattening stuff) & end up with only one pound, well it's a bit disheartening to say the least & it happened to me two weeks in a row. Ugh. Ryan made the comment to me last night that he was somewhat nervous about the weigh in today & was hoping to see some movement on the scale, in the right direction. He's been struggling this last week with missing foods. Good to know I'm not the only one!
I stepped on & that stupid little needle stopped at 206. Damn. Only 2 pounds. Wait, that's one more than one! Yeehaw! Still, I would have loved to see myself under 200. That's a bit lofty right now I suppose. I will get there, one stinkin' pound at a time if I have to and, on the bright side I only need to lose 7 more to be there. I texted Ryan. His didn't change. Stuck at 251. It was my turn to be the strong encourager. I know he won't quit but I know that sinking feeling too. So from now till next Wednesday we'll work harder & change up calorie intake & see what happens. Plus we measure next week. Sometimes seeing the numbers change on that tape is almost as good as seeing it on the scale. If Ryan does next week what he's done before & ends up with a 5 pound or more loss for a week he may not live to be talked about in another blog. Unless I too have a good week & then I'll hug him & kiss him & keep my "other plans" to myself...
Monday, March 7, 2011
Victories & Failures
I knew when I agreed to start this healthy lifestyle it wouldn't be easy. I just didn't know it would be this hard.
When I first started working out I hated the elliptical machine. HATED it. Could barely do 3 minutes on it, was dying by the 2 minute mark. One victory I've had this past weekend was I accomplished 5 1/2 minutes on it, twice. Granted it was only on level 1 & I wasn't going very fast but I did it! The new nemesis for me is the dreaded SPIN BIKE. Suffice it to say I will not be signing up for any spin classes anytime soon since I DESPISE that piece of equipment! When Ryan & I last worked out with Audrey she had us do it & all I can say is that I'm lucky to be in one piece. I think we only went 15 minutes & it was brutal. My butt hurt for days. It's still a bit tender. Then she had that evil thing put on our schedule for this past Saturday. I only went for 10 minutes. It's not the riding that's so bad it's the seat. We were told that most people don't really use the seat that they stand up on it, well, we are required to sit for a portion of our workout & it sucks because that seat is not made for sitting upon. I think Ryan did 15 minutes & since we were supposed to go 30 he did better than me and made it halfway. I really hope I don't have to do the Spin Bike again for quite sometime, or that my butt toughens up & won't hurt so bad if I do. The treadmill is still my best gym friend.
On the food front, I need to explore the two new cookbooks I got. I'm sick of eating same ol' same ol'. Ryan does most of the cooking & he's amazing at it but we need some tasty new options. We do mostly grilled fish, pork roasts, turkey breasts & chicken. We still try to have steak from time to time but we do the bacon wrapped filets due to the serving size but it's still high, 220 calories. Since I can only have 300 per main meal that's a lot & the other meats are lower & better for me. I would almost kill for a big ol' thick, grilled ribeye though! I know it would not be good for me to have but it sure would taste yummy... especially with a baked potato that's the vehicle for the butter & sour cream that I miss. Damn. Ok, now I have to think of something healthier to eat for dinner but that's what I miss most. Except for the mexican food at Fiesta Guadalajara. And Pizza Hut's pizza & wings. And Wendy's Homestyle Chicken sandwiches, sour cream & chive potatoes & their chili. And Burger King's whoppers. And McDonald's chicken nuggets with bbq & hot mustard. And COKE. They say this will get easier. I've been doing this since January 19th. When does the "easy" start? Ugh.
When I first started working out I hated the elliptical machine. HATED it. Could barely do 3 minutes on it, was dying by the 2 minute mark. One victory I've had this past weekend was I accomplished 5 1/2 minutes on it, twice. Granted it was only on level 1 & I wasn't going very fast but I did it! The new nemesis for me is the dreaded SPIN BIKE. Suffice it to say I will not be signing up for any spin classes anytime soon since I DESPISE that piece of equipment! When Ryan & I last worked out with Audrey she had us do it & all I can say is that I'm lucky to be in one piece. I think we only went 15 minutes & it was brutal. My butt hurt for days. It's still a bit tender. Then she had that evil thing put on our schedule for this past Saturday. I only went for 10 minutes. It's not the riding that's so bad it's the seat. We were told that most people don't really use the seat that they stand up on it, well, we are required to sit for a portion of our workout & it sucks because that seat is not made for sitting upon. I think Ryan did 15 minutes & since we were supposed to go 30 he did better than me and made it halfway. I really hope I don't have to do the Spin Bike again for quite sometime, or that my butt toughens up & won't hurt so bad if I do. The treadmill is still my best gym friend.
On the food front, I need to explore the two new cookbooks I got. I'm sick of eating same ol' same ol'. Ryan does most of the cooking & he's amazing at it but we need some tasty new options. We do mostly grilled fish, pork roasts, turkey breasts & chicken. We still try to have steak from time to time but we do the bacon wrapped filets due to the serving size but it's still high, 220 calories. Since I can only have 300 per main meal that's a lot & the other meats are lower & better for me. I would almost kill for a big ol' thick, grilled ribeye though! I know it would not be good for me to have but it sure would taste yummy... especially with a baked potato that's the vehicle for the butter & sour cream that I miss. Damn. Ok, now I have to think of something healthier to eat for dinner but that's what I miss most. Except for the mexican food at Fiesta Guadalajara. And Pizza Hut's pizza & wings. And Wendy's Homestyle Chicken sandwiches, sour cream & chive potatoes & their chili. And Burger King's whoppers. And McDonald's chicken nuggets with bbq & hot mustard. And COKE. They say this will get easier. I've been doing this since January 19th. When does the "easy" start? Ugh.
Friday, March 4, 2011
The Beginning
My name is Monica and life in my household has changed drastically in the past couple of months. My husband, Ryan & I decided it was time to try to do something about the weight we've gained over the past 20 years and since turning 40 will be creeping up on me in October, I decided it was time. We've tried various things over the years and nothing has worked either because we didn't follow through or because we tend to not hold each other or ourselves accountable. So if one of us didn't want to eat right or work out instead of the other saying "No, let's do this", we'd say "Ok, I don't really want to either" and BOOM, that was it. All it took was one time to kill it.
Ryan landed in the hospital in December 2010. He was admitted the evening of the 20th & kept, in ICU, till the 24th. This was due to him possibly having had a heart attack and also his kidneys were not working correctly because of protein that his muscles were releasing as they were breaking down. This lovely situation happened all because of one day of snowmachining on the 19th and getting stuck about 6 times. He was exhausted and ran himself too far into the ground and being overweight and out of shape didn't help matters at all. It turned out he had not had a heart attack it was just his kidneys straining to work & putting stress on his heart. This episode was all the motivation I needed and even though he may not readily admit it, I believe it was for Ryan too. Amazing what a threat on your life or the life of someone you love can motivate you to do!
So we signed up with a personal trainer in January 2011. We needed that third person to be accountable to & to help us get going. It's worked and we can't thank Audrey Ross enough! She is fantastic to work with. She's a lot of fun but she helps us with our food issues and kicks our butts regularly in work outs. We are learning to eat healthy. We have given up most fast food & restaurants, unless we're traveling & out of town. She has shown us how to go as healthy as possible in those situations as well. If you'd have asked me just a month & a half ago if we'd ever give up fast food & eating out I'd have laughed in your face & told you that was crazy talk, and the people who know us know that's true, but we've done it. I still miss it from time to time & the t.v. commercials don't help, but we've both stayed strong and left it behind. As Audrey told me once, "Just remember that as good as it was & as much as you liked it, it's what's got you where you are today. Ask yourself if it's worth it." We did & our answer was NO. We cook at home every night or get Subway, which is the only place we can get really "healthy" options that fall into the calories we're allowed to eat. Our kids are getting sick of fish & pork roasts which we have done a lot of but it's not all we eat. We also use chicken & occasionally beef. I have actually reached the point where I feel better for working out and almost miss it on the nights we're off. That's a miracle in itself right there! I have always said I could never do all this eating healthy & working out business but here I am doing it & doing it well! I guess that's the difference between saying you want to do it & really having the motivation to get it done. When you have the right motivation you find that eating right isn't as hard as you thought it was and the time for working out that you always said you didn't have, well you find out that you can't NOT make the time to work out because your body needs it. I lost 26 lbs from Oct of '09 to Oct of '10 just by making a few healthier eating choices. Since starting to work with Audrey I've lost another 14 lbs, maybe more by now. It's not always easy, in fact it can be downright hard sometimes but we have committed to ourselves, each other & to Audrey to do this and this time make it a permanent change, a permanent part of our lives. I don't intend to back out & neither does Ryan. Audrey won't allow it.
Ryan landed in the hospital in December 2010. He was admitted the evening of the 20th & kept, in ICU, till the 24th. This was due to him possibly having had a heart attack and also his kidneys were not working correctly because of protein that his muscles were releasing as they were breaking down. This lovely situation happened all because of one day of snowmachining on the 19th and getting stuck about 6 times. He was exhausted and ran himself too far into the ground and being overweight and out of shape didn't help matters at all. It turned out he had not had a heart attack it was just his kidneys straining to work & putting stress on his heart. This episode was all the motivation I needed and even though he may not readily admit it, I believe it was for Ryan too. Amazing what a threat on your life or the life of someone you love can motivate you to do!
So we signed up with a personal trainer in January 2011. We needed that third person to be accountable to & to help us get going. It's worked and we can't thank Audrey Ross enough! She is fantastic to work with. She's a lot of fun but she helps us with our food issues and kicks our butts regularly in work outs. We are learning to eat healthy. We have given up most fast food & restaurants, unless we're traveling & out of town. She has shown us how to go as healthy as possible in those situations as well. If you'd have asked me just a month & a half ago if we'd ever give up fast food & eating out I'd have laughed in your face & told you that was crazy talk, and the people who know us know that's true, but we've done it. I still miss it from time to time & the t.v. commercials don't help, but we've both stayed strong and left it behind. As Audrey told me once, "Just remember that as good as it was & as much as you liked it, it's what's got you where you are today. Ask yourself if it's worth it." We did & our answer was NO. We cook at home every night or get Subway, which is the only place we can get really "healthy" options that fall into the calories we're allowed to eat. Our kids are getting sick of fish & pork roasts which we have done a lot of but it's not all we eat. We also use chicken & occasionally beef. I have actually reached the point where I feel better for working out and almost miss it on the nights we're off. That's a miracle in itself right there! I have always said I could never do all this eating healthy & working out business but here I am doing it & doing it well! I guess that's the difference between saying you want to do it & really having the motivation to get it done. When you have the right motivation you find that eating right isn't as hard as you thought it was and the time for working out that you always said you didn't have, well you find out that you can't NOT make the time to work out because your body needs it. I lost 26 lbs from Oct of '09 to Oct of '10 just by making a few healthier eating choices. Since starting to work with Audrey I've lost another 14 lbs, maybe more by now. It's not always easy, in fact it can be downright hard sometimes but we have committed to ourselves, each other & to Audrey to do this and this time make it a permanent change, a permanent part of our lives. I don't intend to back out & neither does Ryan. Audrey won't allow it.
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