Trying Something New

The time between 3:00 and 5:00 in the afternoon is a danger zone for me and my fitness goals. I start each day with the greatest intentions of sticking to my eating plan, and then 3:00 rolls around. My energy crashes, I feel exhausted, and I feel like I NEED to eat.

Even if I try to eat something small and healthy, it seems to trigger an afternoon binge. It's been so discouraging! I've been wondering how to change things to survive that time of day.

Last week, a friend sent an email that had a saying in it that I'd heard before:

You should eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a beggar.

Reading it this time, made me wonder if changing the order of my meals might help me with this afternoon dip. So I'm trying to eat a dinner size meal at lunch, a small afternoon snack that includes a healthy carb (like an apple) and a lean protein (like a hard boiled egg or string cheese) and then when I would have eaten dinner, I'm having a light lunch size meal.

I've got high hopes. I'll let you know if the change does any good for me. I'd love to hear if there are any other tips for increasing energy and curbing appetite for that time of day.

Ten Pound Tuesday: It Will Happen

Before Thanksgiving, huh?

Has anyone else come to the realization that all ten pounds might not be off before Thanksgiving?

I had the greatest of intentions- Lose 10 pounds before Thanksgiving. Instead, I gained a few and then maintained. And now it is only two weeks and a few days before Thanksgiving. It would take a serious grapefruit diet or fast to get ten pounds off by then, and that would be contrary to my "lasting change" goal.

I still want to encourage those of you who worked hard to get there by Thanksgiving. Here's me cheering you on, "YOU CAN DO IT!!!!" I'm so impressed by your ability to stick with it and stay focused. You're awesome.

And for those of us who aren't going to make it by Thanksgiving, I want to cheer us on, "WE CAN DO IT!!!!" Just not by Thanksgiving, but I'm determined. If I don't QUIT, it will happen. So my Ten Pound Tuesday is going to keep going until I get there. I hope some of you faithful readers will keep at it with me until we reach the finish line.

All of the encouragement and cheering me on last week helped me more than you can know. I'm working on getting my head back where it needs to be.

Here's some quotes from The Dieter's Prayer Book that have been an encouragement this week:

The most impacting chapter was number 7: "The Trouble with Denial."

The author quotes Dr. Phil in this chapter, "You cannot afford the luxury of defensiveness, and you cannot afford the luxury of lies and denial. Denial after all, is what kills dreams. It kills hope. It kills what might have a real chance to overcome a problem had the solution just been pursued in time."

I had to face again that I am my worst enemy. Not in a beating myself up kind of way, but I had to ask myself, "How am I getting in the way?" It's funny. Every time I want something or ask for something from God, His answer seems to be that I need change at the heart level first.

Ask God if there is any corner of your heart that you keep in the shadows of denial.

Is denial denying me success and health? (pg. 24)

I've just been trying to honestly look at what I do and think and feel that keeps me from crossing that finish line that I've been working so hard to cross. What barriers have I put up myself.

Chapter 10 was awesome, too: More Than Conquerors

Do you feel like a conqueror today? You are! Even if you feel defeated and victory seems far away. If there's one truth you cling to in the coming months, let it be this: Nothing- no amount of fat or failure!- can separate you from God's love or rob you of the conquering power you inherited from Him. (pg. 30)

Remember- It Will Happen!

Here's to a successful, more than conquerors, not letting myself get in the way week! : )

I'm Really Struggling

When I thought up the idea of Ten Pound Tuesday challenge, I was so excited about the possibilities. I imagined how we could encourage and inspire each other, and how much easier it would be to get those last 10 pounds off. Then I...and I don't know what happened. It certainly has turned into a CHALLENGE for me. Instead of being easier, it got harder.

October disappeared in a haze of sickness, and now it is November, and instead of losing 10 pounds I've gained two.

I'm not only struggling to lose weight, but struggling just to get the blog post up on Tuesday. I'm so sorry. I do have some thoughts for a post that I hope will be more inspiring than this whiny one. Thank you so much for being patient with me.

I really like the book I'm reading. I'll be back soon with a new post. How's it going for all of you? Challenging? Successful? This is a tough time of year on the willpower, isn't it?

I'm still here...

sort of. : )

I haven't been feeling well for the last two weeks, and what started out as a bad cold, just doesn't seem to be getting any better. I keep thinking, I'm not that sick, but I'm having a hard time keeping up on anything. All I want to do is sleep. And I wish that person who is trying to drill a hole in the middle of my forehead would knock it off! : )

I think it is probably time for a trip to the doctor. I'm sorry I've neglected all of you, especially those who are doing the 10 Pound Challenge with me. Don't give up on me!

Be back soon!

Love,

Confession Time

I've spent a lot of time talking about my successes lately. I think it is equally important to share my failures.

I just came home from my son's doctor appointment. He's been sick, his sisters have been sick, I feel sick. It was two hours past lunch time. Everyone was melting down. The door to door meat salesman was at the door.

I was hungry, grumpy, and stressed, and I cheated on my diet. I just started grabbing handfuls of cereal, bites of the zucchini bread I made for everyone else, then it turned into "just a little mugful of cereal" which had to be refilled three times. I finally decided I needed to stop myself, come over here and confess and then get out of the kitchen and back on track.

To be honest, I just want to give in to this binge. I want to, but I'm not going to do it. That's why I'm rambling on this blog right now, stopping myself. The old me wants to wait until tomorrow to get back to it, and to enjoy this mess up to the fullest extent. But the new me likes being the new me and wants to do things differently this time around.

So....I think I'll grab an apple, drink some water, and be done. The End. : )

By the way....

How many times do you have to tell the meat salesmen you don't want meat before they stop coming anyway? Seven times? Seventy times seven times?????

Told you I was grumpy.

Forced Rest

The 5K I ran last week was so wonderful. I wrote a devotion about it that you can read here if you are interested. I couldn't have asked for better weather or a greater sense of accomplishment. I felt strong and joyful and loved running through the parks and by the river. I've got the race bug now and can't wait to do another one.

Unfortunately, that's going to be awhile. On Wednesday, I had a minor surgery that I'm recovering from now. It will be 14 days before I can lift anything over 10 pounds and six weeks before I can get back to my exercise routine. I knew this surgery was coming when I started the P90X program, but I decided to start anyway. I plan to restart the program again after 6 weeks, but in the meantime, I'm a partial invalid.

My plan is to really focus on diet over these next 6 weeks. I'd like to try to lose some more fat and walk as much as I'm able. Then when I restart, it will be easier to see my progress.

It's the running that I miss the most. I'm surprised by how much I've grown to love running. It is such a thing of freedom for me. I don't even like to listen to music anymore. It is my escape time to pray and think and be completely alone with no one needing me. I can't wait to get back to it.

My next goal is to lose 20 pounds by August 14th, my baby's first birthday, and to run in a 5 mile race in September. I'm hoping that all the work I've already done will help to speed up recovery during this time of forced rest.

While I'm down, does anyone have prayer requests I can be praying about for you?
Also, I'd like to include some more fitness blogs on my sidebar. Let me know if you are a "fellow climber" and would be willing to share your blog with me.

Have a great weekend!

Learning More Lessons as I Keep Going

I've been so busy working out with my new P90X program, I haven't had time to blog about it. : )

This has been an interesting three weeks. The new program is a lot of fun and I can already feel my body changing shape. The problem is the scale isn't changing and that has been so discouraging for me.

I should be happy that my jeans are getting looser and looser, and that I've had some compliments, but insecurity and frustration moved in instead. My husband had a promotion ceremony at work this week, and they took pictures of our family. I was so disappointed when I saw the pictures. I felt pretty and skinny in my new dress. Then I saw the pictures and saw I still have a long way to go. The picture was so different than the picture in my head. It was discouraging.

It has been a time of more lessons to learn. I keep repeating this over and over again, but I want this to be long-term change, so I have to be aware of the ah-ha moments along the way.

Here's some:

1. Working out is not an excuse to overeat. I still need to be disciplined, especially during the trying to lose weight phase. I'm really good at maintaining because I instinctively make up for the calorie deficit.

2. This is a process and WILL TAKE TIME! I want to be fit and perfect NOW!!!! If it is going to be lasting, it won't happen overnight. This blog post by Tracie Miles was so helpful to me this week. There will continue to be victories and setbacks. I'm not going to be "magically" cured from my weight battle. It will be a life long effort, and I need to accept that, to persevere and keep moving forward.

3. I need to be aware when I experience success. Whenever I start becoming successful, self-sabotage creeps in to undermine my efforts. I get overconfident.

4. I need to enjoy the progress I've made and quit always living for a future me. My sense of worth and value can't be measured by my perception of my outward beauty. I want so much to be beautiful, but real beauty will come when Jesus shines out of me. There's is nothing wrong with trying to lose weight and to take care of this body, but my worth is not equal to my appearance or the number on the scale.

I'm getting excited for my 5K race on Saturday. I've been doing the Couch to 5K plan and can now run for 30 minutes without stopping. It is my favorite form of exercise right now. It feels so good to have come so far- going from running for 60 seconds to running 30 minutes.

I'm nursing a really sore back, so I'm praying it will heal before Saturday morning. I'll let you know how the race goes. Thanks to all of you who are cheering me on. It means so much to me.

Temptation

I'm feeling particularly tempted to eat tonight. The sugar free gum just isn't cutting it right now, so I thought journaling might keep me from giving in and keep me out of the kitchen. I need to do the dishes, but I'm afraid if I even walk in there it will all be over. : )

I have another temptation to admit: I WANT TO GIVE INTO AN INFOMERCIAL. : )

Since August, I can't count how many times I've been nursing my baby and ended up watching an infomercial for P90X- a workout program from Beachbody. I've usually got a lot of self-control when it comes to infomercials, they really don't tempt me all that much, and we live by a pretty tight, cash only budget, so I'm not an impulse buyer. But there is something about this one that makes me want to give it a try. I've been thinking about it for months.

Then I found out that a friend of mine did buy it. I saw her at church this weekend and WOW! SHE LOOKED SO GOOD! I've been researching ways to get it cheaper online than from ordering it from the company. I don't know....I might have to save up for it and give it a shot.

So, this was a really random post, huh? It worked though. I think I'm feeling a little more self-control and can skip the night snack I thought I just had to have. I might even try going into the danger zone to get a few dishes done now. : )

Focusing On the Prize

It feels good to be back at it. Dieting is painful and hard, but doing it feels good, too. It's like I've woken up and feel less dull. I don't know if that makes any sense at all. I guess when you are getting exercise and not overeating it does wake you up. I'm excited about getting to my goal and enjoying spring and summer in shape.

That reminds me of a quote I heard on the Dave Ramsey radio show last night:

Failures want pleasing methods, but successes want pleasing results

He meant it to apply to financial discipline, but I think it fits exactly with my fitness goals. I keep wishing I could make this easy but easy does not produce the results I want.

I'm still trying to figure out the proper calorie amount for a nursing mom who wants to lose weight. When I'm not nursing, 1200 is right for me to lose about 1.5 pounds a week. The websites I've read say 1500 -1800 for a breastfeeding mom, but that seems high. Guess I just need to keep experimenting to find the right number. I feel like I'm losing weight but our scale is broken so I'm not sure yet. I'll do a progress report on here as soon as I replace it.

So today I am going to focus on the results so I can remember why I'm telling myself no to the over indulgences. There is an old Weight Watchers saying that fits, too:

Nothing Tastes as Good as Thin Feels

My Mii is Chubby!

Well, I'm finally back on here. I did not mean for so many weeks to go by before I wrote again, but Christmas threw me for a loop!

We had a great trip, but all of the driving and being gone for 10 days was tough on our baby and he forgot how to sleep. The sleep deprivation just about killed me, and it took all this time to reteach him. He's sleeping like a champ again, and I feel ready to take on this fitness challenge again.

I haven't lost weight since Thanksgiving, but not gaining any over Christmas was a small victory for me.

I've wanted to get back at this for awhile, but honestly I have been fighting myself to make the commitment. Even this morning I had to fight to eat the right breakfast. I wanted to quit before I even began. I was like a little kid throwing a tantrum. "But I don't want to go on a diet!!!!!!" This is not going to be easy!

I've heard it said before that you won't change until it gets too painful to stay where you are. It just sucks to be overweight. I'm tired of not fitting into anything. I'm tired of feeling tired. I'm tired of being embarrassed about it and afraid I'm going to run into someone from my past and have them see the pregnancy chubbiness.

But it was the Mii that finally did it for me. : ) If you don't know what a Mii is let me explain-

My girls have been saving up to buy a Nintendo Wii for almost a year now. I'm so proud of them for this lesson in delayed gratification. They finally got there and Daddy set it all up for them yesterday. We all gathered in the Family Room to make our Mii. A Mii is a little cartoon figure of yourself that you get to customize. You pick all the features- face shape, hair color, eyes, shirt color, etc. I was holding the baby, so my husband was making mine for me. When you finish making your Mii, you can make it as tall or short, or skinny or fat as you want. As, I watched my husband, HE MADE MY MII CHUBBY!!!

When I protested, he said, "What? I made my own chubby, too. If I'm chubby, you have to be, too!"

Some people get their wake-up call from a photograph or clothes that won't fit. I'm going to lose weight so the virtual me on Wii can get skinnier, too!!! : )

Here I go! It's going to hurt, but it will be worth it. : )