I'm Back Baby!

Even the most perfect person falls off the wagon every now and then. It takes a strong person to admit he/she made a bad decision, and an even stronger one to not feel guilty about that decision and just move on!!!

The last week I've made several good decisions. First and foremost, to get back on the track to a healthier to me!!! After a week of making better decisions, it paid off! In the last week I lost 4.2 pounds, which puts me past the 25 pounds lost mark in Weight Watchers, 35 all together!

It's funny, when I was working out and eating semi-okay, those last 5 pounds seemed to take FOREVER to come off. In one week I started to make healthy food selections, and got back into the working out, and wouldn't you know it...I lost 4.2 pounds in one week, AND I got past that last 5 pound mark!

On to the 2nd healthy decision that is in its third day...I gave up pop. I love pop. Not for the caffeine, but for the taste. And my pop of choice is Diet Pepsi. For me there's nothing more refreshing than an ice cold Diet Pepsi! But unfortunately that refreshing soda is doing nothing for my diet. If anything it's hurting me.

I've given up pop for Lent a couple of times and it was no big deal. But to give it up as a total lifestyle change is going to be tough. I'm on day 3 and I don't feel too bad. I had considered just cutting back, but the last time I "just cut back" I was back up to drinking 3 or 4 cans of Diet Pepsi a day!

So hopefully my good decisions will stick and pay off in the end. I have so many good examples to follow in my Weight Watchers meeting. I just need to take advantage of that and, even on bad weeks, face that scale head on!!!

A Line in the Sand

A friend of mine once said, "It's okay to draw a line in the sand, as long as you step over that line." Such a simple statement, but a powerful one at that!

For the last month, I've seriously fallen short of anything that I expected of myself. I got lazy, too tired in the morning to work out, and I started saying things like, "I'll start back up on Monday." After all, Monday starts a new week. Monday would roll around and I'd be too tired to get out of bed, too lazy to make a healthy meal, and the snowball rolling downhill FAST was getting bigger and bigger.

So last Saturday JC and I are at the church to get the Christmas tree up and get the church ready for Hanging of the Greens. Pastor Natalie, who has done AMAZING on her journey to a healthier self, smiled at me and said, "I haven't seen you at our meetings for awhile, everything okay?" At first my mind was saying, "Crap, now I have to face the firing squad." But you see, Pastor Natalie is nothing like a firing squad. She truly was concerned that something was wrong.

You see, earlier in the week JC and I had a conversation. I was going to quit Weight Watchers. I hadn't gone in a month, I was wasting money, and I wasn't letting it work for me. The supportive husband that he is told me it was ultimately my decision, but it wasn't in my best interest. Ever since that conversation my head and heart were speaking different languages. What was I going to do?

So Saturday I'm standing in front of my friend, the one whom I asked to help keep me accountable, and she was curious what had happened to the girl who was so excited about her weight loss thus far. If you know me at all, you know that I don't like putting myself into a situation where I get called out (so to speak) and I've always said that quitting is not an option. I was mad at myself. I was on the brink of not only letting myself and my family down, but also some of my best friends in the world!

I cannot quit! That wouldn't be fair to my kids, to myself, to the friends I've embarked on this journey with. It doesn't matter how many times you have to draw a line in the sand. What matters is that you step over that line and continue to move forward...and forward is where I'm going!

Stupid sinuses!

Saturday night we got with some friends for supper and spent a gorgeous November evening around their fire pit. Since then my head has felt like it's going to explode! My throat is scratchy too, which doesn't fare well for a person whose job it is to talk on the phone!!! For me there isn't many smells better than that of a "camp"fire, but I'm pretty sure my sinuses are not happy with me for inhaling that wonderful smoke all night!!!

Now to the point...it's really hard to exercise when you're not feeling well! I took some NyQuil last night before bed, knowing how my scratchy throat had been causing me to cough right up until bed time. I love how NyQuil knocks me out. What I don't like is that most mornings after being medicated with that wonderful cough suppressant I wake up feeling like I haven't gotten any sleep at all!! Therefore, this chick did NOT wake up at 5:30 am for my morning Insanity workout.

That's so not cool! You might say, "oh, it's just one day". Nope...last week I didn't exercise AT ALL!!! My knees hurt, my back hurt, everything hurt last week. While I know these are merely excuses, they were enough to give me the latitude to hit snooze...for an hour...every day! So that one day this week that I didn't exercise can be added to the five days last week that I didn't exercise! NOT COOL!

I got online and asked the almighty Google if I should still exercise with a cold. Yep...in fact they say that exercise may help break up some of the crud that is currently building in my chest. Darn it! And here I thought rest was what this body needed.

So how am I going to get up in the morning? Honestly, I'm not sure. I've considered putting my alarm clock (aka my cell phone) some place other than my bed side. Maybe I'll do that. One of my favorite characters in one of my equally favorite books does just that. He puts it in the bathroom. That's the first place I go when I get out of bed...seems like a smart idea to me!!

So tonight I will test it. My alarm clock is going in the bathroom...and I'm going to get up despite my horrible sinuses, and I'm going to push play another day!!!

Saggy!!!

With a title like that, thank goodness I'm not referring to my boobs, my waddle under my arms or my belly. Although they all pretty much sag, this blog is NOT about any of them!

I am happy to tell you that this blog is about my pants!!!! Check out the picture!!! This makes me smile. The proof is in the pants!!!!

What can I say, I get really excited about stuff like this. It makes me feel really good about the journey I'm taking and makes me not want to stop!!!

Insanity is tough, but it's amazing! The hardest part for me right now, aside from getting out of bed early in the morning, is making sure I have good snacks on hand because burning that many calories makes you sooooooo much hungrier!!!

Anyway, excited to show the world more and more positive results!! 'Til next time!!!

That's Insane!!

Most likely you've seen it on television. Shaun T. and his insane workouts. The truth of the matter is, sometimes when you let yourself get to what I've become, the best thing for you is just a little Insanity!!!!!

I'm on my 2nd week of Insanity. The first week, I'll admit, was hell! By this time last week I couldn't move. My muscles were frozen, in pain, and not liking the new hobby I had taken up!!! Last Wednesday night, as I slept, it hurt to roll from one side to the other. My ribs hurt. My hips hurt. My shoulders hurt. It would probably take less time to list what didn't hurt. And that, my friends, was NOTHING physically.

Mentally I was hurting as well. I wondered if I had it in me to do these workouts. Maybe my muscles were telling me something!

Thursday morning I had given in to this attitude that maybe I didn't have it in me. I slept in. I still couldn't move because my muscles ached so much! Fast forward to Friday morning...I somehow managed to muster up enough pride, motivation and courage to get my butt out of bed, put on my clothes, go downstairs and push play on the DVD player!!! And it was soooo worth it!

When I first began this program, which is 6 days a week for 10 weeks, I realized that our weekends are so unpredictable that exercising on Saturdays might not work out. So my Insanity program will go 5 days a week for 12 weeks...no matter how you look at it, it's still 60 days. If I happen to be home on a Saturday I may throw in an exra session.

So after my first week, I have to say I expected to show up at my Weight Watchers meeting a couple of pounds down. Nope! Gained 0.8 pounds! Are you kidding me??!! Okay, that's not what I wanted to say. I was so angry at that scale that I didn't even stay for the meeting. I was out of there and immediately on the phone to my husband, who of course calmed me down and reminded me that this is a process.

Doing a workout like Insanity, I am probably not going to lose weight every time. And no, it's not because muscle weighs more than fat. A pound of muscle is equal to a pound of fat. They're both a pound! Muscle, however, is denser than fat. And as you lose fat, you're replacing it with muscle. What I really should be doing is measuring myself on a weekly basis. How many inches am I losing? How are my clothes fitting? After all, I'm also in this to look good, right? And if I start looking good, but I weigh a little more than I'd like, hopefully it's because I've got the muscles to show for it!!! (No, I don't want to be ripped...I just want proof that under all those love handles there is muscle!)

I still have a lot to work on mentally when it comes to this journey. But I'm on the right path. My life is going to get so much better! I'm excited to see the results on January 18th! Seems like a long ways away, but it's so worth the wait!!!

I knew I could. I knew I could.

So maybe my thought process is a little juvenile these days, but to quote a famous train engine, "I knew I could. I knew I could." YES, I knew I could complete my second 5k and I knew that I could do it better than the first!!

What an awesome experience!!! And what a blessing to be able to experience the Color Run with some of my best friends and my family (minus one awesome little guy who spent the day with Grandma and Papa).

I love the feeling I get when I accomplish a goal. Saturday I had a goal in mind...to finish my second 5k in less time than it took my first 5k. Not only did I do that, but I partnered up with one of my best friends, who accomplished her very first 5k!!! And we did awesome!!!

Here's our awesome team!! Kris, Nicole, Cody, Travis (not in the picture, he was grumpy), Mindy, JC, Emma...and I'm taking the picture! We were Team RGB: Runners Gone Bad - We may be slow, but we're ahead of hue! Get it...hue...Color Run. I know, I know...but my artist friends really thought it was awesome!!!

JC laughed at me when he saw Mindy's and my pictures from the day. "You took pictures at EVERY color station?" Heck yeah, proof that we really did this thing!!!

Honestly, there's no way to describe first of all how much fun the Color Run was. What a great way to raise money for the Children's Variety Club. It's kind of fun to know that while helping yourself be healthier you're also helping the kids. It's a win, win!!!

Second of all, there's no way to describe the feeling I had crossing that finish line, my best friend right in front of me, my family and other amazing friends behind me, and knowing that two lives (actually more I'm sure) were changed. Crossing that finish line was the end of the race, but the beginning of two lives that so much need to be changed for the better.

We are two very awesome people, Mindy Jean, but we need to continue to be awesome for many more years to come. Are you with me??? Thank you for catching the Color Run wave with me and taking it to the very end. Thank you for pushing me to go to the railroad tracks, to the flag pole, to the stop light...thank you!

TEAM RBG: RUNNERS GONE BAD - WE MAY BE SLOW, BUT WE'RE AHEAD OF HUE!!!

The best Jamie I can be!

They say it takes 21 days to form a habit. I read today that while it may take 21 days to remember to perform that habit, it takes at least 30 days to be able to do that habit without even thinking!

I'd like to sit here and tell you that for the next 30 days I'm going to exercise every day, track my food intake, and do every other habit that will help push me towards weight loss success. But guess what, I'm not perfect. And I know that there will be days that I mess up!

See, I think that's my biggest hurdle right now. The fear of messing up! But why? I guess you could say I've always had a fear of failure. I don't want to let people down, including myself. Why when I want something so bad do I continue to have this fear? Especially when before a soccer game I sit there and tell Emma that it's okay to not play perfectly as long as she's continuing to do her best! "Be the best Emma you can be!" Funny how you give your kids all this advice, but when you look down deep inside of yourself, you should be looking in the mirror saying those same words to the human being looking back at you.

For the last week I've busted my butt on the treadmill. But as my Weight Watchers meeting approaches, in my gut I feel that I'm not going to be happy with the numbers on that scale. And it's my own fault. I haven't been tracking, and I'd be happy to give you all the excuses as to why!!!

So here's the deal. I understand that I'm human and I will mess up, but when I do things, I hate doing them half-ass! So here goes...for the next 30 days I'm going to work on forming a very important habit. I'm going to write down every single thing that is going in my mouth, even if it's the snack sized Kit Kat that is one of my guilty pleasures!!! Not tracking has become my downfall, and is the habit that I have GOT to incorporate into my life, no matter how inconvenient it is!!! The one promise I am going to make myself over the next 30 days is to not expect perfection, to get back up when I fall, and to be the best Jamie I can be!!!

Mama Mia, Holy Margarita!!!

If you're anything of a fan of margaritas as I am you'll love this product. And maybe you've already tried it and I am just WAY behind the times!!! I just tried Crystal Light's Margarita flavored drink mix and l-o-v-e-d LOVED it!!

So Crystal Light now has a line of flavored drinks called Mocktails. I haven't tried the Mojito or the Appletini, but if they're anything like the Margarita one, I'm going to love them!

You see, I'm not a big drinker on a daily basis. However, when we are camping, I like to enjoy a margarita or mixed drink here and there. It's really not so much the alcohol factor, as I'm really not a fan of how drinking makes me feel. I really just enjoy the refreshing flavor of an ice cold margarita. This, dear friends, could be the answer.

A girl I work with brought me a packet of the margarita drink mix today, so I went ahead and mixed it up to try. I made it a little weak, but I have to say (and I don't know how they did this), it tastes like a margarita!!! There I have it. 5 calories per 8 oz of water. If you wanted to, I'm sure you could throw in a shot of tequila, but really, why waste the points when you're getting the flavor of a 0 point margarita????

From what I am reading online, though, these are available only for a limited time, so I had better find them and stock up! Cheers my friends...happy mocktailing!!!

TRACK - TRACK - TRACK!!!!!

Well, I challenged the Weight Watchers scale and it won. I gained a pound in the last week. But just because the scale won doesn't mean I lost. I have to be totally honest, at first I felt like someone had just knocked the wind out of me. I was so excited about my mile time yesterday and was ready to face the scale only to be discouraged that I had actually gained!

So I just spent about 20 minutes looking up on the internet "why did I gain weight after working out". There were several articles, all of which I could look at and say, "That's got to be it! That's why the scale was NOT in my favor!!"

You want the real answer? Yes, I had a butt-kicker of a week in the exercise department, and I should be proud of that. Yes, I may have gained some muscle and lost inches that the scale doesn't reflect. But when it boils right down to it, I HAVE to be better about tracking my food intake! It's a necessary part of this journey. Does it suck? Yeah, it does...it really, really does. Tracking what you eat is probably one of the most inconvenient aspects of this journey. But how serious am I about becoming healthy? The most important things you strive for in life are the things you have to work the hardest at to achieve. I'm more serious about this than I have ever been.

So yes, I was discouraged last night and yes, I have things I need to do better. But I'm also making changes every single day that I'm proud of and I want my kids to see that. I'm becoming the good example and the positive influence that my children need in this crazy world. So kudos to me on my mile yesterday...and I will do better!

"No one ever drowned in sweat." - Author Unknown

I love that quote. It makes me smile. No, it really makes me laugh. I had two conversations today with people who simply refuse to sweat! Guess that's the difference between me and them.

I'm not saying that to be rude or to pat myself on the back or say I'm better than anybody else. I'm saying that because in the short amount of time that I've been on this journey, one thing that has become clear as glass is that no matter what it is that you're doing in your life, you are only going to get out of it what you put in to it. It's a choice...plain and simple.

A friend of mine posted a quote on Pinterest earlier today. I have to be honest, I like it...a lot...and thought I'd share. I vow to be the person who can look at this a year from now and not hate it because it's speaking directly to me...as the person eating garbage and sitting on my ass!!!

That being said, the last two days have been defining for me. I know I have a long road ahead of me, and I'll continue to improve beyond where I am right now. But I haven't been able to do a mile in under 16 minutes in my entire lifetime. No joke...when we had those tests at the beginning and end of the school year when I was a kid, it literally took me 20 minutes to do a mile!! I almost never saw improvement...maybe a little because I didn't care, but more because I hated running and I truly sucked at it!!

So yesterday I decided that I needed to improve my mile time. Since I started my 30-second interval program, my very first time was just over 16 minutes, which I was pretty happy about. Each day I saw improvement and pushed myself a little harder. Yesterday I was absolutely ecstatic...my time was 14 minutes, 40 seconds. All I did was increase my running speed my .5 mph. So today I decided to push myself a little more. I kept my running speed the same as yesterday and increased my walking speed by .5 mph. My time...wait for it...13 MINUTES 52 SECONDS!!!!! Can you tell I'm excited???

Guess maybe I can't believe I had it in me. But there it was, hitting me right smack in the forehead...I can do this. Running can be my friend!! As for the title of this posting, thank goodness you can't drown in sweat because today I would have had to call the Coast Guard to come save my butt!!!

Weight Watchers tonight...bring it on scale!!!

Working hard...but smiling more!

So this week I've probably worked harder than I have in the exercise department since I started Weight Watchers in May. In anticipation of actually seeing my progress, I started an exercise log. I'm a list maker, so the actual creation of the log wasn't the hard part. The hard part is me actually using it and being committed to it!!!

So what am I doing? Monday, Tuesday and Thursday are my cardio days. Monday and Tuesday I hit it hard. Based on the coaching of one of my best friend's cross country coach husband, I started doing a 30-second interval training. Walk 30 seconds/run 30 seconds...over and over again. I'd time out a mile, and then I'd finish off my workout by walking another half mile.

This being my first week of this, today was a little rough. I did the 30-second interval training for .6 miles. My calf muscle was on fire. And I'm not talking just the tired pain you get when you're working muscles that haven't been worked in while. I'm talking burning cramp that causes instant tears!! Okay, so it didn't actually cause me to cry, but I got off the treadmill instantly to try to stretch it out. Five minutes later I did climb back on the treadmill, and I finished off my mile at a slow and steady 3 mph pace!

Wednesdays and Fridays are weight lifting days, so for my lungs they are recovery days. For the rest of me, not so much! I don't feel too bad after yesterday's upper body training...we'll see how I feel after tomorrow's lower body training!!!

So after all that work why am I still smiling? Thank the good Lord above, I somehow managed to lose 5.4 pounds in the last two weeks, despite having missed both weeks of attending my Weight Watchers meeting. I'll admit I was pretty anxious to step on the scale. While I continued to exercise and didn't eat anything totally stupid during my 2-week absence (besides the deep fried Snickers bar), I didn't really have the same focus on my journey as I normally do. But that's the past...always moving forward!!!

Approximately 28 pounds down now...my goal is 40 by October 6th, The Color Run. I know I can do it...now it's time to prove it to myself!

Is that new?

Three words: "Is that new?"

Today I'm wearing dress pants that I hated wearing before because the button would dig into my tummy. As for the shirt, I don't think my fellow employees have seen in at least three years. Long enough that they had to ask, "Is that new?"

Simple as it is, this makes me smile.

Childlike Faith

As a child learning how to ride a bike, the piece of advice that is the same no matter who is teaching you is this: if you fall off, you get right back on and try again. Sometimes for a child it's hard to understand. But the person teaching you knows that eventually you're going to get it and at some point you'll look back and wonder why it took you so long to be brave enough to take those stinking training wheels off!

It's funny how that childlike faith can take a little one from a tricycle, to training wheels, to two wheels, to no hands. They can stand on the edge of the pool and jump never second guessing whether the person in the pool was going to catch them.

As adults, where has that childlike faith gone? Why is it so hard to just believe that you have it in you to accomplish whatever goals you put in front of you? Maybe we've had too much of a dose of reality...an overdose, so to speak. Life can be really hard. Some days harder than others.

So the one thing I'm going to work really hard at doing from this point on is to find that childlike faith again. After all, I have so many other people who believe I can continue this journey to health and darn it, I can be successful!! It's time I take that leap of childlike faith and never second guess that the people supporting me will always be there to help if I fall. And when I do fall, because I'm sure I will every now and then, I'll get right back up and start again!!!

For all those supporting me, thank you! You are my rocks, and I appreciate you!!!

Deep Fried Snickers!!!

Are you kidding me? A snickers bar, on a stick, dipped in batter, deep fat fried until golden brown, then sprinkled with powdered sugar???? Really?

Yes! Yes! Yes!!!!!

Okay, so given my current journey, I should be saying "No! No! No!!!!!" Since the creation of the deep fried Snickers bar, I've wanted to try it, but decided it wasn't worth standing in long lines for...as well as paying $4. BUT, as I embarked on this journey to healthier living, I soon realized that one thing that I crave...a lot...is a Snickers bar! It's my go-to candy bar. Most days after eating one I question whether it was worth the 8 PointsPlus values...and many days I come to the conclusion that yes, in fact it WAS worth it!! I don't have them very often so when I do, I consider them a treat.

Back to the point...Monday my family went to the Iowa State Fair. The one place in the world where you have to search far and wide for a healthy treat. Sure there is fruit on a stick and salad on a stick, but seriously??!! I go the fair maybe once a year. So I'm thinking, let's splurge! I've been doing great, why not treat myself this one time??

So I waited in line, and I paid $4...and I loved it! Today I jumped back on the treadmill, kept refilling my water, ate my apple and cherry tomatoes (yes, together), and am back on track. I think that's the important part. Splurge if you must, as long as you get right back on track!!!

24 down...76 to go

So I went to the doctor this morning to discuss a concern of mine. I keep feeling this lump (sort of like a big marble) in my jaw. It moves around and sometimes feels bigger...other times it's small enough I can't find it. Long story short, said a little prayer before the doctor came in and "thank you God" it's just a lymph node!! Didn't know lymph nodes just kind of float around and they can get swollen when you have a lot of drainage or an infection...just like your glands would! So they took some blood to see if I have an infection, but it could also be because my allergies are sooooo terrible right now, so I have a lot of drainage.

But the true point of this entry is some exciting news. The last time I met with Dr Abler was July 10th. In exactly one month I lost another 10 pounds, so I'm up to 24 pounds lost!!!! I'm so excited that I'm seeing this type of success this time around.

You know, in past times I've started this same journey, I had in my head that I should lose a lot of weight quickly because that's what happens when you're as overweight as I am. You see a lot of initial weight loss. Those times I didn't see results like that, so I got frustrated and decided it wasn't worth spending the money each month if I wasn't losing weight!!!

Reality check: I'm 10 years older than I was the first time I ever did Weight Watchers, during which I lost over 70 pounds. Increased age = decreased metabolism = increased difficulty in burning calories. The first time I joined the program I didn't truly exercise for the first 4-5 months!!!! I plateaued, joined the YMCA (it was a free membership through my work at the time), and less than a year later I was 70 pounds lighter.

This time around everything is different. First of all, exercise is my friend...it has to be one of my best friends, because this time around I'm not going to be able to accomplish my goals without it! But I don't hate it. In fact, the days I don't get to spend time with my new best friend, I actually kind of feel like crap! Whoa, hold the show...who is this person inside my body having an actual desire to be physically fit???!!! :)

My goal isn't to lose the weight yesterday. After all, it took 2 babies (who I wouldn't trade for the world) and 8 years of bad health decisions to put the weight on. It's not going to come off over night. I want a lifetime of change filled with good decisions regarding diet and exercise. I want this to be a true lifestyle change for my entire family. I want to become educated about health, and I want to be able to teach my kids the benefits of being healthy. I want to be a GOOD example to my children, not one who says, "Do as I say, not as I do".

So as of today I'm 24 pounds closer to my goal...that which is 100 pounds lost, at least to begin with! Once I hit that goal I may reevaluate and decide I want more, but oh what a day that is going to be. There will be a party...a big party. Think about it. Let's just say 100 pounds is the weight of your average freshman. I will have lost an entire CHILD!!!!!! I'm excited for that day. That excitement and anticipation is going to keep me going on this journey.

24 down...76 to go

Accountability...who is most important?

The one thing I've been fighting to overcome since the start of this journey is becoming accountable to the most important person...myself. Being a member of Weight Watchers, I have become accountable to the friends I've joined with, to my leader, and to the other members of my group. All through our childhood we are taught that it doesn't matter what other people think about you. Now here I am using my fear of disappointing and letting down my Weight Watchers friends as my motivation to keep going. Having somebody to be accountable to has been a key to my success thus far.

But why can't being accountable to ME be motivation? Why can't I be the person I fear letting down?

The next two weeks I will be missing my Weight Watchers meetings due to events I cannot change. And unfortunately I can't go to any of the other evening Weight Watchers meetings in the area. Now the accountability to ME has to kick in.

JC started the workout program Insanity a couple of weeks ago. In a matter of two weeks he's lost 9 pounds. Why is it that men lose so much faster than women? To the point, though, he has become the most accountable person I know. Yes, he's accountable to the group of four guys he works out with. But more importantly he's being accountable to himself by leaving our house by 5:00 every single morning to go work on himself...FOR himself!

Some days I find myself jealous that he can still do a program like Insanity and that it's working so well for him. Why do I let myself even go there? Why can't I just be thrilled that he's found something that he enjoys and that is going to help him get back to the body he is confident to be wearing??!! I get so frustrated that my knees won't allow me to get on the floor to do push ups or to do squats, or whatever. When I think of what my body was in college I become so frustrated with myself for having hated that body! What I wouldn't give to have that back now!

But you can't turn back time. I did this to my body, so now it's time to undo this.

I love my husband for making me jealous of his success...you know why? Because I'm still the competitor I was in high school and darn it, I will NOT let him leave me in the dust!!! It might take me longer to get there because of what I have done to my body, but I will get there WITH his support. That's the key. I have his 100% support because now we have a common goal. To be Mom and Dad to the two coolest kids for a VERY long time!

From this point forward I promise myself I will be first and foremost accountable to the most important person in this journey...ME!

10 Day Challenge Success

Okay, so it's been a little while since I've posted on here, so it's time to catch up!!! I completed the 10 day challenge and it was a success!!! Lost 4 pounds, my appetite was much more under control, and I had enough energy to get through my work day...success!!!

I have taken prescription appetite suppressants before. They worked, but I felt very nauseous if I ate past that feeling of fullness, and unfortunately there was no lead up to that feeling. It just hit me. I'm now taking Slimmetry, an all natural appetite suppressant that I buy through our Amway business. A little plug here: Nutrilite is the top selling vitamin and supplement company in the world!!! Prior to my 10 day challenge I knew that, but I didn't have enough faith in that statement to shout it to the world. Now I know first hand that Nutrilite is amazing! Slimmetry uses plant based ingredients that aid in suppressing the appetite and giving your body a feeling of satisfaction. After all, you should eat until you're satisfied, not until you're full!!! And that's exactly what it did. I could feel myself getting to that full status and programmed myself to just stop before I got there!! The best part was that I continued to not be hungry until 4-5 hours later!!!

In addition to taking Slimmetry for suppressing the appetite, I took the Rolls Royce of multi-vitamins as well as supplements to help me maximize my performance while exercising and to help boost my metabolism. All are made from natural ingredients, so I'm not worried at all about putting them into my body!!

All in all the 10 day challenge worked like a charm! 4 pounds in 10 days and more energy than I've had since before having the kids!! Maybe now I can play WITH the kids instead of watching them from a chair on the sidelines!!!!

To date: 15 lbs gone since joining Weight Watchers + 7 lbs lost prior to = 22 total lbs gone!

Next challenge: Camping this weekend with my family...yikes!

My Former Self

So I realized that I never really took a picture before my weight loss journey. So I went back through my pictures and found probably THE MOST unattractive picture that was taken of me in the month of May, the month I made the decision to change. I can't stand looking at it, which I guess is a good thing...at least it'll help keep me on the right path!

I vividly remember JC taking pregnancy pictures, with both children, of my belly growing in front of our very eyes. Every month I'd pose sideways so we could see that precious life coming to be. It was amazing to experience.

So, just like we documented my belly getting bigger, I'm going to document, in pictures, me leaving my former self and becoming a happier, healthier me!!! Becoming the woman that God made...he didn't make me to be what I am today. I made me that way through a series of bad decisions. But my story doesn't end there. I'm not going to just throw in the towel. I have lots of living to do!

This blog, taking pictures of myself month after month, and getting excited over even a fraction of weight lost might seem silly to some people, but this is a part of my story! It's a wonderful story, and the ending is going to be fantastic!!!

Woohoo!!!

Despite my nervousness about missing 2 weeks of Weight Watchers, I'm really happy I went to our meeting last night. Lost another 2.8 pounds, so I'm now down 10 lbs on Weight Watchers, 17 pounds overall!!!

So I decided to wear dress capris today. Love it when clothes no longer fit because they're TOO BIG!!! The first pair I tried on immediately went in the garage sale pile. The pair I have on I'll be putting in the laundry and then they will too go in the garage sale pile. Woohoo!!!

Smiling today...and ready to meet a new week head on! By the way, I rewarded myself with a small piece of homemade fudge and it was worth it!!!

10 Day Challenge

So last week I had my 2-month (give or take a week) follow up with Dr Abler, our family doctor, to discuss my progress regarding diet and exercise. Emma met with Dr Abler as well. You see, my daughter is beginning to look like a mirror of the person I am, and the person I do not want her to become...physically speaking.

Our frustration with Emma is that she really, truthfully, does not eat like the typical overweight child eats. We don't buy candy. In fact the only time it's in our house is after a parade (and Daddy takes most of that to work with him so the boys can eat it), and after a holiday in which unfortunately candy is the common gift received!

Pop, for Emma, is a treat. We simply do not keep it in the house for her. I grew up drinking pop. Any kind of pop. Really, it was whatever kind of pop Dad was drinking because he was my hero and I wanted to do whatever Dad was doing. Wow, that's an eye opener. Kids really do look at their parents and model them.

We are role models and I haven't been a good one. Yes, I think I'm a good mom and I hope I've done well in teaching my kids right and wrong, etc, but in the health department I have been a terrible example for my kids!! Time for a change!

So my doctor tells me that I, on the other hand, have had a great 2+ months. Lost 14 pounds (7 of which came while doing Weight Watchers, 7 on my own), and my blood pressure was the best it's been since before Joshua was born. So, given these results Dr Abler has decided that if I can keep up the hard work she is going to cut my dosage in half at my next visit in October. 2-3 months after that, if I'm still going strong, we are going to test my body and see if I can go off blood pressure medication!!! Next step, cholesterol meds!!!!

So, with that in mind, let's get back to the title of this post: 10 Day Challenge. For the next 10 days I am going to eat healthier, exercise every week day (and on the weekends if I can find the time), and I'm now taking a multi-vitamin and some supplements to "supplement" (duh) my new healthy habits! I've never been much of a pill taker, so we'll see how this goes! So far so good, but today is my first day!

I was going to start doing Zumba on the Wii this morning, but poor Emma didn't sleep well last night and ended up on the couch!! I didn't want to wake her so I walked on the treadmill during my lunch hour instead. And I can honestly say, that was the best workout I've put myself through in a long time! To the veteran health nut, it may not seem like much, but in a half hour I did 1-1/2 miles of circuit walking: 2 minute warm-up, 8 minute speed walk, 2 minute recovery walk, 8 minute speed walk, 2 minute recovery walk, 6 minute speed walk, 2 minute cool down. Simple, but hey...I was sweating my buns off and my legs were tingly. I'd say workout well done!!!!

I weigh in tomorrow night at Weight Watchers. Haven't been there in 2 weeks, so I'm a little nervous about stepping on the scale. But in order to start over, I have to, simply put, start over! So what do you say we get this party started??!!

Welcome to My Personal Health Journey

This is the fourth of its kind...meaning the fourth blog I've started. Hopefully I actually stick with this one! So why did I start my fourth blog, considering the other three were failures?? You asked for it!

When I was pregnant with my son, Joshua (who is 2 right now), I had elevated blood pressure throughout most of the pregnancy. The doctors monitored it closely, but re-assured me that this is common during pregnancy and most of the time women go right back to a healthy blood pressure after the baby is born. Unfortunately, I did not fit into that category! Soon after, I was 33 years old and on blood pressure medication.

A couple of months later I went in for some tests and they found that I also had high cholesterol. I'll reiterate...I was 33 years old and on blood pressure medication as well as cholesterol medication! I'm too young for this.

So started my journey to better health. I'll remind you that this was 2 years ago. It's taken me 2 years to get my head and my heart in sync with each other to make the decision that I've had enough! You can't begin a journey like this without your head and your heart being on the same page. It doesn't work. Take it from me, who took 2 years to get there!

I recently started Weight Watchers for the 5th time in my life. FIVE times I've started this program!!! The first time was very successful, having lost between 70 and 80 pounds. But then came kids!! Gained 60 lbs with Emma, never lost it. Gained 30 lbs with Josh, I'm still working on it. Lesson #1 for my dear Emma: when you are lucky enough to have children, don't look at being pregnant as a license to eat whatever you want!!!

So I've made the first step to a healthier lifestyle: healthy diet. Or at least I'm getting there! In the 6 weeks I've been doing Weight Watchers I've only gained one week...the week after camping over Memorial weekend! So with that in mind, I've lost 7.2 lbs, which isn't a lot coming off fast...but I would rather it come off slowly and stay off!!

Now last year I did the American Lung Association's Fight for Air Climb, as well as a 5K in Des Moines' Dam to Dam. This was before injuring my groin playing slowpitch softball and injuring my knee playing volleyball! The knee injury set me back...a lot. I'm still fighting it every day and I injured it over 6 months ago. I did 3 weeks of physical therapy, but maybe it wasn't long enough??

So now I'm gearing up for the Color Run in Des Moines on October 6th. A group of us signed up together on a team. We're Team RGB: Runners Gone Bad and our motto is "I may be slow, but I'm ahead of HUE!" We're excited to run. Now all I have to do is shed some of this weight and get my lungs into shape so that I can actually run some of it!

Basically what this blog is all about is that I have a lot on my heart. And the best thing to do when you have a lot on your heart is to get the message out. Even if nobody ever reads this, it's here...it's what's in my heart...and if putting stuff down in words is what I need to do to help me on this journey, then that's what I'm going to do! Good health is not easy and it certainly isn't convenient. But it's necessary. Here's to a healthy and long life!!!