The Dreaded "P" Word

If you have ever tried to lose weight, get healthy, or just take better care of yourself, most likely you have encountered the dreaded "p" word...PLATEAU. Ugh.  Plateaus seriously suck for motivation.  At least they do for me. In case you aren't familiar with a plateau, let me inform you.  A plateau means that the scale isn't moving.  You are doing everything right, and there is very little to no weight loss.  Now, I know that I have said many times that the number isn't all that important to me and while that is true, it can get super frustrating when that number doesn't go down at all.  Or worse, when it goes up!  This is especially true when you KNOW that you have done everything you need to do to make that number go down.

I do lift weights, and I lift heavy which means that I am building some major muscle while I am losing fat.  And we have all heard the old saying, "muscle weighs more than fat."  But, psychologically, that is really difficult to remember when I stand on that scale and the number is the same or higher than it was the week before.  And when that happens for a couple of weeks in a row...well, let's just say that little voice in the back of my head wondering why I am doing all of this gets VERY LOUD!

I Googled "Weight Loss Plateau" and was supplied with an extremely long list of ways to break through a plateau.  There were suggestions ranging from cutting my calories down even more to adding in a bunch more calories (guess which one of those suggestions I was more in favor of!!!). The suggestion that I thought made the most sense was the one that said to change up your workout routine.

Do your resistance training before your cardio. You'll use up your glycogen stores doing the weight training and when you move on to cardio, your body will use your fat stores as a fuel source. http://www.wikihow.com/Break-a-Weight-Loss-Plateau

So, today I did a version of that.  I didn't do cardio before I hit the weights like I usually do.  My plan had been to hit the weights first and then get in my cardio.  What I didn't plan on was how much fun I would be having while lifting that I ran out of time to get the cardio in!!  Luckily, my oldest has basketball camp this afternoon and the other 2 want to ride their bikes in the parking lot.  So, I am going to do a cardio circuit workout while they are riding.  Then, I will go to Spin tonight.  No matter what order I'm doing it in, I will be burning MAJOR calories!!  This plateau that I am will be hitting the bricks this week.  I am going to push through.  I have watched enough "The Biggest Loser" to know that a plateau is just a week or two in a journey, not an end point.  I will come out on the other side stronger, wiser, healthier, and just more of a bad-ass.  I've got this!

What do YOU do when you hit a plateau?  Any tips?

Faith. Courage. Strength. Change.

20 Weeks!

In 20 weeks, my life has changed.  It is utterly amazing to me how every single aspect of my life has improved since January.  Don't get me wrong, I still have crappy days just like everyone else.  There are still days when I just want to dig into the chocolate and peanut butter (sometimes I even give in to that craving!).  But, when I look at my life and all of the amazing things God has blessed me with, I can't help but shake my head in wonder.  In January, I prayed.  I prayed that He would help me find a way to make myself healthier, happier, a better mom, a better wife, and a better friend.  I prayed that if He wanted me to move in this direction that He would provide the path.  And has He ever.

In 20 weeks, I have lost over 50 pounds, but I have GAINED oh so much more.  I have seen my body do things I had no idea it would ever do again.  I have lifted pounds that I haven't been able to do since I was a senior in High School.  I have found a love for spinning and rowing and even the elliptical machine.  Running around with my kids kicking a soccer ball no longer makes me feel like I am going to keel over dead.  Watching my body in the mirror has started to make me smile a little bit instead of feeling like I should be ashamed of what it looks like.  I have realized that there are some parts of my body that will never change even after I hit my goals, those stretch marks are here to stay.  And you know what?  That is okay, because each one of those marks is a reminder of the three beautiful children I was blessed to bring in to this world.

I have learned so much about food, it is almost ridiculous.  In the past, I have tried diets like the South Beach Diet and Weight Watchers.  Yes, I lost weight.  No, I was never able to keep it up.  Restricting my foods just does not work for me.  I LOVE to eat.  And I LOVE food.  Always have, always will.  I am a meat and potatoes kind of girl, not a salad chick.  What I have found is that telling myself I CAN'T have something only makes me want it more.  So, I quit telling myself that.  I quit dieting and instead found a way of life.  I still eat cookies.  I still eat steaks.  Heck, last night I had cheese ravioli with alfredo sauce from Puccini's.  What I have changed is HOW I eat.  I no longer need to smother my ravioli in the alfredo sauce.  I can have it on the side and just have a small amount.  If I DO have a salad, it does NOT need to be drenched in dressing.  I can even have REAL dressing if I want and just not drown my salad in it.  These are things anyone wanting to lose weight hears just about all the time.  But, until you really understand how it affects YOU, it is not going to click.  For me, it finally clicked.  The ONLY thing that I no longer consume is soda.  I really paid attention to how it was making me feel and figured out that it was something I really needed to get rid of in my life.  I am glad that I did.  Sometimes does it suck to choose yogurt over pie?  Yes, of course it does.  But, sometimes, that choice must be made.  Sometimes it is OK to have the pie, but it is NOT OK to choose pie every time.

The funny thing in all this is that once you start getting healthier and feeling better about yourself, so many other things in life seem so much better.  My relationship with my husband is stronger than it has ever been.  We are in this life together and we are making it the best it can be.  My relationship with my children is awesome because I have the energy to spend the time with them that I need to and that THEY need me to.  Yes, I still get frustrated with them.  Yes, they still get yelled at.  I'm human.  But, I can tolerate the little things so much better now.  Most stress I feel gets beat out of me at the gym.  When you aren't getting upset at the short people in your house, you find that they really are a LOT of fun!

I hope that I have become a better friend too.  I try really hard not to make every single conversation anyone has with me about my journey.  Sometimes, it is inevitable, especially when someone else brings it up.  But, I feel like since I feel better about myself, I can listen better to others.  Does that make sense?  I hope this is true anyway, because I have the most amazing friends and I want to be as good to them as they are to me!

My biggest and most favorite growth though has been in my relationship with Christ.  He has pushed me and challenged me in ways I would have never imagined.  When He started me on this path, I was terrified.  I was scared I would fail and let myself down.  Or even worse I would let everyone else including Him down.  What I didn't realize is this: "If He brings you to it, He will bring you through it."  So very true.  By inviting Him fully into my meals, my workouts, my conversations, my life I have found so much more purpose and strength.  He is with me through every single step, push up, and bicep curl.  He pushes me, He encourages me, He celebrates me.  He is just awesome.

So, bottom line, what have I learned in 20 weeks?  Here is my top 10 list:

10. When you lose weight and commit to being healthy, people will ask you a lot of questions and assume you are an expert.  It is OK to give you opinion and share what you have learned.  But, remember you are NOT a trainer or a doctor.  It is okay to remind them of that.

9. Sometimes your body does need rest.  You are NOT weak if you take this rest.  Just don't let the rest last TOO long.

8. Occasionally you need a treat.  Swiss Cake Rolls are pretty good at fulfilling that.

7. Don't be afraid to brag about your successes, it is an awesome feeling when the world (and by world I mean friends and Facebook) celebrates with you.

6. When someone compliments you, say "thank you".  Anything else is unnecessary and either demeaning to you or them.  (Totally still working on this one!!)

5. Diet is a bad word, don't use it.  For that matter, so is skinny and fat.  Let them go.

4.  In the weight room, men are actually much more encouraging to women than you think they would be.  Don't be afraid of them.  Sure, you will have the occasional one who looks at you either with annoyance or to check you out, but most just think it is cool to see a girl not afraid to lift.  It is OK to be strong!

3.  Don't be afraid to try a new class or exercise.  Your butt, arms, legs, and every single muscle might hurt like crazy the next day and sitting down to go to the bathroom will be all but impossible.  But, I promise, the second time you do it, you will be AWESOME!

2. I am absolutely worth this.  So is my family and so are my friends.  We all deserve the best me that I can be.

1.  I can do all this through him who gives me strength.  Philippians 4:13, NIV

I do want to say thank you to everyone who has been following me on this journey so far.  Thanks for keeping me honest and encouraged.  Thanks for reading, thanks for praying.  Thanks for the good thoughts, and the occasional kick in the butt.  Thank you.  I still have a long way to go.  This is not a perfect journey, but it is my journey.  And I am beyond proud and excited to be making it.

To finish, here are some pics of my journey so far!

New Year's Eve, 2013 (It isn't a great pic, but it is the only one I could find with a full body shot.  Obviously, I was less than thrilled to have my picture taken and have sort of shielded my body with L's.)

4 Weeks In!

8 Weeks In!

12 Weeks!

16 Weeks!

20 Weeks!!

FAITH. COURAGE. STRENGTH. CHANGE.

Feeling Like a Boss!

What a seriously empowering morning in the gym! 

Took 5 seconds off of my split time and came in at 1 minute, 46 seconds.  I am so happy to break 1:50!  I was pretty much dead after that, but it was totally worth it!

After rowing class, I headed to the weight room to do my upper body workout.  I increased a lot of my weight this morning which is awesome. When I was almost finished, I had the thought that I wanted to see what I could do on the Bench.  I put 135 pounds on and was just going to be happy to do one.  One.  I did 8 reps and could have gone for more, but started to feel it in my shoulder, so I stopped just to avoid injury.  But, 8 reps at 135 pounds!!!  So freaking awesome!  4 more reps at that weight and I will hit my goal.  Oh, I will have that next week! I feel strong and like a boss!!

Faith. Courage. Strength. Change.

Oh, My Crazy Life!

I am so sorry that I haven't posted anything yet this week.  It has been a very very busy week.  I did weigh in on Monday morning and had a good week.  I know I haven't really posted a whole lot about my actual number of weight loss, but since I am now 4 months in, I thought you might want to know where I am.  I have lost 41.8 pounds total in this 16 weeks.  I look at that number though and know that it is so much more than 41.8 pounds.  I have put on a lot of muscle.  I can watch my body in the mirror and watch those muscles WORK.  They aren't just moving weight around, they are LIFTING that weight and becoming stronger.  Each week, I am able to lift more weight that I did the week before, each mile gets a little faster, and each 500 split gets a little less scary.  Now, let me be clear.  I did not say it ever got EASIER.  I just get stronger.  I get more confident.  I get better.

Last week I answered a question I have been getting.  I have two others that I have been asked a lot and I think they are worth addressing.

"What are you doing? What diet are you following?"

First let me say this.  THERE IS NO MAGIC here people.  I'm not trying to sound harsh.  I used to think that there had to be a quick easy way to lose weight.  I would see commercials on TV for Hydroxycut or some weight loss aide of that type and think, "Could it really be that easy?" "Surely there has to be SOME truth to this claim!".  Unfortunately, it ISN'T that easy and there is NO truth to that claim (or VERY little).  I really wish it was though, I truly do.  As it is, it is HARD work and there is NO easy fix.  I have had to make a CHOICE to do what I am doing.  I have had to make my own magic to do what I am doing.

So, what am I doing?  Well, it is a simple formula.  I watch my calories and I work out.  Let's address the working out first.  I am at the gym 5-6 days each week.  I take a spin class 2-3 times each week, a rowing class twice each week, I lift 3-4 days each week, I walk, I use the elliptical machine, and I do core work.  I fit in other things when I can.  If it will be helpful, I will post my workout schedule and what I do on one of my blog pages.  The simple answer though is this: I work my ass off.  Not pretty, but it is the truth.  Hard Work.

"What diet are you following?"  I really dis-like this question.  I am not following a diet.  I try really hard not to even use that word.  Yes, I am watching what I eat.  Yes, I count my calories.  No, I do not starve myself.  I use the "Lose It" app on my phone (www.loseit.com) to track my calories. I do this partly to be in control of what goes in my mouth.  I also use it to make sure I am eating enough.  Starving myself is NOT going to work.  Eating too much crap is NOT going to work.  This works for me.  I am making this a life-style.  This is not a "diet".  This is my life and if I want to eat pizza I will.  If I want to eat chocolate, I will.  But, I will eat it in control and I will make decisions that are going to benefit me, not derail me.

I hope that helps put those questions to rest.  Hard work and smart decisions.  Those are the answers!

Tomorrow I will include you in a challenge I am starting.  I will be posting what is being done daily so you can join in if you would like.  I will also add a page with my workouts so you can see what I do on a daily basis.

Blessings!

Monday Check-In!

I think (key word there is THINK) that I am starting to hit a turning point in my mind-set.  This morning I stepped on the scale just like I do every Monday morning.  I found I lost 0.6 pounds this week.  In the past, I would have been upset that I didn't even lose a whole pound.  I would have gotten sad and mad at myself that I didn't work hard enough and thought about all of the other things I should have done or what I shouldn't have eaten.  This morning though, I stepped off of the scale and my first thought was, "Man, I must have built a lot of muscle this week."  That is HUGE for me.  To not let a loss that I thought should have been bigger get me down and to see the good things that I have been doing makes me pretty proud of myself.  So much of what I am doing is mental and for me to make that change in my brain really makes me think that maybe my brain is starting to get the message!  I'm telling you, if the brain is not on board, the body is only going to do part of the work.  And let's be honest, doing part of the work is NOT going to get the job done!

I had a pretty good week this past week.  I was able to bench 100 pounds!  That felt pretty awesome!  I will hit that 135 before I know it.  I was able to log some pretty good miles for Eli too.  I lost a week with Spring Break, but I'm still in 3rd place.  I found out this morning though that the guy in 4th place is right on my tail, and that isn't cool.  So, hard work is in order this week!  I already logged 11 this morning on the bike and will go to spinning tonight to hopefully get another 15.

The hubs and I did something interesting this weekend.  The first Friday of the month at my son's school is Parent's Night Out.  They take the kiddos for 2 and a half hours which is awesome.  Usually we go out to dinner or do something fun.  This Friday however, we decided to take advantage of the fact that we didn't have kids to put more insulation in our attic.  I'm telling you what, this is a JOB!  We ended up blowing 15 26.5 pound blocks of insulation up into the attic.  When I saw "we", I mean that E stayed in the attic and held the hose aiming the insulation.  I did the heavy lifting, putting the insulation in the blower machine which then paddles it apart putting air in it and blowing it into the hose up to the attic.  We did another 5 blocks the next day and I was so sore the next 2 days.  It will be so worth it though when our air conditioning and heating bill goes down!

I have a question for any of my readers on my dear blog here.  How do you deal with compliments?  This is something I have always struggled with.  I don't want to blow off compliments as that is disrespectful to the person giving the compliment.  I don't want to be all full of myself when people give me compliments.   I know that I am working hard, and I know that it is starting to show.  I have had a lot of compliments about what I am doing and they help keep me motivated.  But, I really do not know how to respond when people compliment me.  I have the same issue when people compliment my singing, knitting, or anything else.  I simply do not know how to respond.  So, how do you respond to compliments?  What is the best way to be gracious, but still humble?  Please feel free to comment below (or on Facebook works too!)!!

Blessings!!

12 Weeks!!

Wow! 12 weeks have passed since I started my new life.  I have learned so much about myself and about the amazing people around me in the past 12 weeks.  I have had ups and downs and smiles and tears.  I have learned that life is amazing and that I can always go on, even when I feel like I can't.  I thought to celebrate my 12 weeks progress, I would tell you the things I have been able to accomplish and some things I have learned along the way.

I have lost 36.2 pounds in 12 weeks!  I am trying really hard to not place much focus on my actual number of weight loss, but I have to admit that number makes me pretty freaking happy.  My goal was 35 pounds in 12 weeks, so I am even happier that I beat that goal!

I can bench press 90 pounds!  I have a pretty big goal of being able to easily do 135, but 90 is a great start.  And for the record, that is 12 reps of 90 pounds AFTER I have already done 2 sets of 12 reps at a slightly smaller weight.

I can leg press 150 pounds.  I really have no idea if that is a good weight, but I am excited to see that number go up and up.

I can row over 10 miles at a time!  It may take me a while, but I can do it.  I did do it!

I have started spinning.  It hurts my butt and sometimes makes me feel like I am uncoordinated buffoon. But, I keep going.  I may not be able to go as fast as everyone else, but I keep going.  I feel good when I am done and it makes me happy to accomplish it!

I can use the elliptical machine for 15 minutes straight.  That may not seem like much to someone, but it took me a while to be able to do that and I am proud of it.

My singing has improved with being in better shape.  My lung capacity has gotten better which means I can hold notes for longer and it has increased my range.  Very cool stuff.

My confidence level has increased so much.  If you know me, you might think I have a pretty high self-esteem level.  If you know me well, you know that I fake that high level pretty much every day.  My self-esteem is horrible.  Years of thinking terrible things about myself and believing things I had no business believing have left my confidence battered.  After just 12 weeks of making myself think positive thoughts, working out for a little boy who can't, and sending prayers to HIM with every workout, I am starting to believe that I am a person worthy of what I am doing.  I am worthy of thinking good thoughts about myself and believing that I am beautiful.

My friends and family are AWESOME.  I mean, seriously awesome.  Any time I feel like I can't go on and that I want to give up, I am blessed by people telling me that absolutely can continue.  My husband continually tells me how proud he is of me and that I am doing awesome.  My mom was so great on our trip home and she kept me going.  My friends at the gym are always smiling and telling me how well I am doing.  My kids even keep me going by telling me they have so much more fun with me now.  All of your comments on FB keep me encouraged that I am so excited to keep going.  My support system blows my mind!

I haven't been this physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually strong all at the same time ever in my life.  I don't think I have ever been this physically strong as an adult, in high school maybe, but never as an adult.  Mentally and emotionally I am in such a great place right now.  I am HAPPY.  I am so much more calm than I have been in a long time (not completely calm, I mean come on, I have 3 kids!!).  I feel wonderful about life.  But, the most incredible change is my awesome relationship with God.  HE has helped me in every step of this journey, and I know that HE will be with me through every single step of the rest of my life.  And now with this new life, what an amazing journey it will be!

So, 12 weeks.  12 Amazing weeks.  I can't wait to see what the next 12 weeks bring!

Blessings!

Welcome To The Jungle, Ladies

The gym I belong to is doing a pretty cool fund-raiser contest for a little boy named Eli who has a brain tumor.  From what I understand, his parents have little to no health insurance.  So, not only is it devastating to learn your child has a tumor (I literally tremble at the thought!), but his parents also have to be concerned with how they are going to pay for what I will assume will be insane medical bills.  Anyway, the gym put together a fund-raiser to help out this family.  For $5, you could buy a "car" (it is a paper car not a real one!) and you race around the track for 500 miles.  Mileage can be earned on the Spinning Bikes or on the IndoRow machines.  Since I now do both of these workouts, I figured this would be a great way to keep myself encouraged and help out a little boy.  They have been giving bonus miles for decorating your car, racking up 100 miles in the first 10 days, and even racking up 200 miles in the first 20 days!  I have decorated my car and have been working like crazy to hit the other milestones.  I am happy to report that as of this past Saturday, I finished up 101 miles (technically this was done in 6 days as I had to miss 2 days at the gym!), so I hit the first goal!  As of today I am at 123 miles!  I still have 9 days to get to 200!  Then it is an all out race to 500 miles!  There is a man that is INSANE and has over 350 miles in the first 10 days.  I'm guessing I won't be able to catch him, but this is one time where 2nd place will make me very happy!  I am going to put a thing over to the right to help keep track of my mileage so you can help cheer me on!

Since I have been working so hard on the bike and the rower, I decided to take this past week off from lifting weights.  My weight-loss had gotten a little stagnant over the past couple of weeks, so I thought this would be a good week to change things up, and shake my body into dropping some extra poundage.  It totally worked!  I dropped 4.8 pounds this week.  That is awesome and I'm very proud of the hard work I put in.  That said, I sure was happy to get back in the weight room this week!!  I'm serious when I say that NOTHING makes me feel stronger than lifting heavy weights and watching what my muscles can do.

I know there are a lot of women out there who are scared of the weight room and of lifting heavy weights.  I am here to tell you ladies...there is NOTHING to be scared of!!  The weight room can be a really fun place to work up a sweat.

Yes, there are usually lots of men down there.  Sometimes those men are lifting crazy huge amounts of weight.  Sometimes they are great to watch to learn more about correct form.  Sometimes some of those men just lift a silly amount of weight and are only going to hurt themselves in the long run, don't watch them.  If you aren't sure which is which, watch how slowly the weight is moving.  If they are swinging the weight, look elsewhere, they are just moving weight, not really "lifting" weight!  If the weight is moving slowly and in control, then they are probably a good person to watch for form.

OK, back from the tangent.  First thing I want you to realize is that no one's opinion of what you are doing (assuming you are using correct form!) matters.  If someone watches you while you lift, just imagine that they are enjoying the show.  If that isn't what they are doing, it is their own deal, not yours.  Yesterday, I had a man stare at me the entire time I was doing standing shoulder presses.  At first, I wanted to ask him what his problem was.  Then, I just decided that he was just being appreciative of what I was doing, so I kept quiet.  That may or may not have been his thought, but I don't care.  It helped me get through and helped me ignore him.  I continued my workout.  That said, if someone who works at the gym or is a trainer or someone that obviously knows what they are doing is watching you and gives you a piece of advice about your form, listen.  It will help you in the long run.  I even had a man today tell me that he loved seeing women down in the weight room and wished that more women would not be scared of it (I realize he may sound creepy, but that wasn't how he meant it!  He was a cool guy!).

Secondly, do not be a wuss!  Do NOT be scare of lifting heavy weights!  Assuming you are using correct form and are not lifting over your ability, you are not going to hurt yourself.  You are NOT going to "bulk up"!  You are not going to get big ladies.  Lifting heavy weights help those muscles get strong, strong muscles are more efficient at burning fat, burning fat means weight-loss!  Do you see what I'm getting at here?  Have you seen any women that do CROSSFIT? Seriously sexy women, not bulky, but HOT!  Strength training should not scare you.  Get yourself in front of a mirror, grab some weight and watch those muscles work!  

I found a great article here that talks about Strength Training Truths.  Check it out.  Let me know what you think!

Obviously, I am NOT knocking cardio workouts here or workouts like Pilates, Zumba, and all those types of activities.  I like them too!  I really think that mixing everything together works the best!  Just remember that every time you do one of these activities, no matter what it is, you are making yourself the best you possible.  Work is the key.  You have to put in the work.  Yes, people lose weight by just cutting their calories and sitting on the couch.  But do you know what often happens to those people?  They get flabby.  Ugh.  Flabby does not sound good.  Working out while eating healthy gets you toned and toned is SEXY! That is what I am working towards.  I don't want to just look in my clothes, but I want to look darn good NAKED.  That's right, I said it.

So, who is with me?  Who is going to venture into the weight room this week?  If you don't know what you are doing, ask someone who works at your gym.  If you are at home, check out proper form online.  I promise, your body can do it, just don't be scared!  Changes people!

Blessings!