Overcoming Obesity

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Getting down to business

Monday I went back to work and I am so excited! Today, I received my badge and almost did back flips, I have access to an office, woo-hoo!

Between us, I was a little worried about keeping up with my workouts and eating well after returning to the workforce. So let's set the record strait... this girl is getting down to business!!!

On Monday, my alarm went off and I was out of bed by 5:05am. I even had a little pep in my step being so excited to go back to work. I popped in a Walk away the Pounds and went to walking. It felt great. It really set the tone for my day and I had more energy.

This morning, I hit snooze once, rolled out of bed at 5:12am. I was a little tired but I put on my tennies, popped in Hip Hop Abs and danced for 30 minutes. I felt incredible, I wasn't ready for my workout to end. Monday night, I wasn't able to ride my bike because of Lightning Storms. I decided that I'd hit the pavement for 30 minutes.

Out the door and on my bike I peddaled. I kept a consistent speed of 14 MPH, my highest speed today was 21 MPH for about a minute and a half, talk about a workout. I pulled back into the garage at 6:30am, I got in 6.25 miles. I walked down the street and back to cool down and then streched for a few minutes. There is nothing worse than not allowing your muscles to recover from a workout.

I was running short on time, so I jumped in the shower and got ready in lightining speed. I grabbed my lunch and was out the door on my way to work by 7:15am. Who would have thought.

On my ride to work, I smiled... six glasses of water, 30 minutes of Hip Hop Abs, 30 minutes of Cycling in the great outdoors all by 6:30am... pretty darn proud!

I am feeling so good, I am gonna go out for another ride!

Sunday, June 27, 2010

All packed and ready to go

Okay, tomorrow morning is my first day to head back to work in over 8 months! Wowzers! My temporary assignment begins tomorrow morning and I am so excited. To have somewhere to go, people to see and even better, earning some money! Woo-Hoo!

My coffee pot is ready, I am going to wake up to the smell of a freshly brewed pot of coffee. My lunch is packed (2 cups salad, 1 grilled chicken breast, 2 tbsl FF Thousand Island dressing, Snacks: 2 slices of cantalope, FiberPlus Bar and a Kashi Bar). I know what I am wearing and my alarm clock is set.

I have to be at the office at 8am. My alarm is set for 5:25 right now. Hmmm, time to change it to 5AM, I'd like to get in a workout video first thing in the morning. Off to bed I go. Wish me luck!!!

When are you ready???

It's a question anyone that has ever struggled or tried more than once to lose weight has asked themselves, when will I be ready to finally make a change? What is enough? What is my breaking point? I must admit I have asked myself these exact questions a bazillion times. Longing and fantasizing to to FINALLY lose weight. We all have different reasons, some reasons more vein than others. Some of us have health scares, others finally see themselves in the mirror or in a photo, cloths don't fit, can't find anything to wear, uncomfortable sitting in a lawn chair, unable to ride a roller coaster anymore, painful shoes, unable to climb a flight of stairs, out of breath, back pain, unhappy, isolated, angry, unattractive, the little black dress, a pair of high heels, going to a high school reunion, looking for a new job, taking a trip... the list goes on and on.

There are many reasons to want to lose weight. So how do you take that want, that desire and turn it into something tangible? Most of us could honestly say, we have "wondered" what "they" did when they lost weight. What was that light bulb moment, when did it register and you finally take the plunge and do it? Why was it different this time?

I've asked myself those questions many times, I would buy every weight loss magazine and read books looking for the answer. I never got it. Sure, I found a little motivation that might last me a week or a few days if I were lucky. Nothing ever just jumped off the page and made me say, today is the day, I am changing my life. Okay, okay, being honest here, sure there were days I said that and you know what, later that day or maybe a few days later, there I was in the McDonalds fast food line which usually lead to going to Taco Bell and maybe even Wendy's. Before you knew it, I was on a downward spiral and going to bed eating a bag (yes, not a bar) of chocolate. I'd wake up bloated and miserable and the cycle would start again. I punished myself with food all of the time. I was utterly hopeless. It came to the point that I wouldn't even admit I was trying to lose weight because I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I would fail.

I began this journey on January 1, 2010. I didn't have a plan other than blogging. Today is June 27, 2010 (178 days later) and I am 60 pounds lighter. Not only am I 60 pounds lighter but I am active. I love the great outdoors: biking, hiking, swimming, and walking. I even enjoy the gym. I can not believe it.

178 days ago, I was miserable and did not have any faith in myself when it came to making a change. So how did the light bulb finally go off? What finally happened to make myself change, how did I become accountable for my actions?

I must admit, the blog helps with my accountability but what finally happened, is that I learned to forgive myself. I realized I was worth the effort and that one mistake that might lead to a week of bad decisions is not worth throwing in the towel. SPARK has truly helped to keep me inspired and of course, all of my blog readers. Thank you for taking this journey with me.

For anyone out there wanting to lose weight and does not know where to start, start small. 10 minutes of exercise, cut back on the Ranch, eat whole wheat bread instead of white, it is lots of little baby steps that add up to something huge.

I am no where near over but the real difference now is that I WILL NOT GIVE UP. Yesterday I spent the day at the water park. I meet some great people, we talked about weight loss, everyone has there own plan and what works for them so do what works best for you. When you fall down, which you will, we all do, just pick yourself up and dust yourself off, it is not over, you must see the big goal no matter how far that goal is, little steps will get you there.

No one can change over night, love yourself, forgive yourself and make yourself a priority everyday, you deserve to be healthy physically and mentally. One meal at a time, one day at a time...You are ready!!!