Senior Slump and Milestones

Okay, I’m officially a senior this year, and the school work is as to be expected, overwhelming. The abundance of assignments is why I have not been posting, but it has not kept me from working out! I was on the elliptical every week-day last week and it was great. I have finished the 30 minute running program (again), but this time I have “hills” to run over. The last runs (29 or 30 minutes running and 10 minutes walking) I have gone 3.23 and 3.25 miles according to the elliptical. It felt great!

I have decided I will continue to run daily during the week, giving myself the weekend off to rest and play. I will do the hour program on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and then 30 minute runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays! I am SO excited about it. And, for the first time in my life I will be getting the recommended minimum amount of daily activity…actually, honestly I’ll be getting more, because it’s pretty intense activity. Plus, I am still doing my ab work on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

On to other news…I reached an exciting milestone this week. No, it is not necessarily a weight milestone (though I’m only about 5 pounds away from 70 pounds lost), but it’s still very exciting. I am currently sitting in my chair in my favorite pair of pre-pregnancy jeans!!! They were my favorite jeans pre-pregnancy, not just now, and I am SOOO excited to be back in them.

Almost all of the clothes I wore when I got pregnant fit now, the only things that don’t are a few shirts, and they may not fit until I’m much smaller than I was due to differences in my body caused by having a baby. I won’t complain about those body parts being bigger though, if you know what I mean! I probably shouldn’t have said that, but it’s true!

It is very possible to hope to be at 70 pounds lost in two weeks. And I have a special reason to hope that. I will be venturing on a weekend trip with my hubby to a special football game that weekend. If I am at that goal I will be where I was 2 years ago at the same game! I am so excited to see the results. I feel so blessed that God is allowing the weight to come off.

 I still don’t love working out, but I can tolerate it and I’m excited to do it because of the differences it is making in my stamina. I love the way my lungs feel after a good run, and I’m beginning to really love the sweat a good run brings about. It just amazes me at how God made our bodies, to keep itself cool, to work to keep itself healthy, and even to repair damage we have done to it…at least this damage anyway.

The whole process reminds me of how blessed I am to have second chances. I’m so grateful that God not only is giving me a second chance with my body, but that He gives us second chances in our lives. I am so grateful for His redemption through sin. It amazes me that He suffered as He did, both as the Son on the cross, and as the Father turning away from His Son, just so He can have a relationship with us. I’m so blessed that He would allow me to come to Him freely, and about anything. It is just so humbling to realize that He is willing to listen to me thank Him for weight loss and activity, as well as to listen as I request He help me continue to lose weight.

Maybe there is too much to say for this to be a blog post. So sorry it was so long, but I hope you are celebrating the milestones with my anyway. And, if you do not know the second chances that God has given that I am so thankful for, send me a message and I’ll tell you a little more about. Or head to any bible preaching church (doesn’t matter denomination or church name, just that they preach truth from the bible) and someone there can tell you about it as well.

I'm back!!

Yes, I did fall off the face of the earth for a few weeks. School has started again, and my little Aria is quite mobile now, so I have had trouble getting to the computer. And, to tell the truth I had a bad week when it came to weight loss. I think it was beneficial though. I gained two pounds the week of the 24^th, but I’ve been on a losing streak since then. I am officially down OVER 60 pounds now!!! I'm down 62 pounds actually!!!

The bad week led to a new resolve. I have worked very hard to lose weight again, and am back on track. That week reminded me of why I am doing this, for health. I want to be a healthy woman, and mom. I want to be at a healthy weight during my next pregnancy. And, lately I’ve realized how ready I am for that next baby. Getting to my goal weight is all that stands in my way.

Working out has become fun again. I look forward to doing my crunches and to hopping on the elliptical. I have gone back a few weeks in my 5K running program, and have added resistance to the elliptical. It’s SO much harder running through the false hills the elliptical creates, than running without resistance. I just listen to my music and press forward. I have even started smiling while I “run” again.

Anyway, I don’t know what I should say. This blog post is really horrible, but I wanted to thank you all for following so far, and to reassure you that I’m not quitting, but that I’m trucking right along. I will be at that goal by graduation. I’ll try not to stay away from the computer so long. Stick with me and celebrate with me as I continue to encounter these milestones in weight loss.

Lessons From an Infant

This morning I came to a heart wrenching conclusion. My husband and I have spent a lot of time stressing about work. As we begin to take steps on a path that we are certain God placed us on, we got focused on the numbers. I was reading a book by a friend this morning, and through it realized just how far away I was from God. I couldn't believe it! Just two weeks ago I was wrapped up in Him, but today I could see he was about a mile away.

How could this happen? We have been trying so hard, and working so diligently on the plans He placed in our hearts. Oh...I guess that's how it happened. We got caught up in the plans and goals that we forgot to focus on the planner!

Later in the morning Aria demonstrated how easy that was. Aria was following me from room to room. She had followed me through the dining room, into a hallway, then back through the dining room into the kitchen, and finally back through the dining room to the living room. I could tell she was getting tired from the chase so I sat down in the living room and cheered her on, so she could see how far she had left to go.

At my cheering her fatigue seemed to disappear and she smiled with determination as she began to crawl faster. She got about three crawls away from me, and she spotted her toy beside her. She stopped, distracted by the immediate fun, turned and grabbed the toy.

At seeing this I realized it was exactly what I had done. I started after God, following Him in my health and our family's future, but I got tired while chasing after Him. I got distracted by immediate satisfaction, money and food/laziness...maybe not laziness exactly, but at least using exercise time to take care of other things.

So today I cast aside the temporary fun and focus on the only giver of true joy! I am fixing my eyes on him and beginning to walk His direction.

Everything's Falling

So I’m back as I promised. I won’t lie; this post is much easier than I anticipated. Last night was incredible. Our anniversary dinner was INCREDIBLE, and I stayed on point. We didn’t have a big celebration, but our night was perfect (at least I felt like it was).

This morning I was hesitant to step on the scale, but I did it. I probably wouldn’t have if it hadn’t been for the blog. I looked at the number, and had to re-weigh myself 3 times before I believed it. I lost 3.5 pounds this week. I’m only 2.8 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight, and I’m over half way to goal!!!!!

 I guess my body needed a little break to continue losing. I don’t know. I know I feel mentally better today, and like I am recharged for this. I don’t feel like I’m constantly depriving myself anymore. Maybe every three months or so I need to have a few days when I’m not so strict on my diet/exercise regimen…maybe not.

Okay, now I’m going to steal a little of your time to talk about something I’m getting really excited about. Most of the schools in the area have begun, and my semester officially begins on Monday. This is a big deal to me because a new school year signals the beginning of my favorite season: fall.

I LOVE fall! The temperatures become cooler, which is even more delightful after the extreme heat this summer.  I love to watch the leaves change colors and begin to fall, and this year it is even more beautiful as we’re now surrounded by more beautiful scenery than I’ve ever been (NWA is incredible beautiful). Fall also brings some of my favorite foods. All things warm, spicy, and comforting belong in the fall…and not just food wise, but clothing too. I can’t wait to sink into the comfort of my favorite hoody and jeans (which I’ll be back in VERY soon…if I’m not already).

All of these things are part of why I love fall, but my favorite part is the marriage enrichment program my husband and I enter: football season!!! Okay, many of you may be wondering how this is marriage enrichment, when for many couples it means hubby spends all his time in front of the tv and the wife had better not interrupt him…but it’s not that way for us. When we started dating my husband took me to my first University of Oklahoma football game. It was INCREDIBLE! I not only fell in love with the school, but I fell in love with sports. I could go on forever about it, but I won’t. Since then our weekends in the fall are spent watching football…non-stop.

This year we have a new person to route for on the professional level. My husband’s boss’s son is a highly skilled football player, and we are excited to watch him play on Sundays (or Mondays, Thursdays…whenever he plays and it’s televised).

Stick with me for one more paragraph. I have to brag on my husband for a moment. My husband was a very skilled football player in high school as well…and would have been in college if he wasn’t injured his senior year. Because of his experience he is very knowledgeable about the sport. It is amazing to watch him explain why a play broke down, and what a player could have done better, without being a jerk about it. He explains it so I can learn. I love how he teaches me more about his passion. I love learning about the sport and the positions, and I love that he can teach me. THIS combined with our extra dates for games, is why football season is marriage enrichment for us.

Confessions and Celebrations

This week has been really crazy. We spent the weekend visiting my mother in Tulsa. Needless to say, I didn’t stay on track with my diet. I ate way more than I should have, but  I tracked and new what I was doing. I just figured I would use most of my weekly points on Saturday, and then do well the rest of the week.

Saturday night we went swimming, and it was BEAUTIFUL outside. The breeze actually made us feel a little cool in the pool. When Aria was finished swimming (meaning we felt she was getting cool), my husband, sister and I spent some time chatting in the hot tub. It was the first time I was in a hot tub in nearly TWO YEARS!!! It was WONDERFUL!

Then came Sunday. I stayed on track points wise on Sunday, but it started a spiral that I wasn’t prepared for. Aria was a little grumpy Sunday morning, and we thought it was just her gums (we are right on the verge of her first tooth). We tried to give her something for the pain in the afternoon, and she got sick…like REALLY sick. To make an incredibly long story shorter, Aria was sick all night, and all day Monday. And, my husband wasn’t feeling well Monday as well (completely unrelated illnesses). This meant I was running around the house trying to take care of two people.

Through all of the madness I stayed on track, until Tuesday. As my husband left for work he remembered that he had a monthly meeting that night, which meant he wouldn’t be home until very late. I was exhausted from taking care of the sickies the day before and getting very little sleep, so this news left me sad. I am so proud of my husband for working so diligently to provide for our family and prepare for our future, and it was completely selfish of me to be anything but proud of him for going to the meeting.

After he left for work things got a little better as Aria was nearly back to normal. Her illness was just a bad case of allergies, thankfully. But, by the end of the day her allergies were bothering her, as well as her gums. She didn’t nap well through the day, and was VERY fussy because she hadn’t seen her father all day, so when she fell asleep that evening I was very quick to cook myself dinner. I measured out exactly what I was supposed to have…ate it…and then went back to finish what I made! UGH!!!!

 I don’t think I can make an emoticon as sad, or embarrassed as I feel. I nearly cried when I realized what I had done! I know better than to turn to food for emotional validation. I felt so guilty. I confessed later to my husband, nearly crying. So, this is my confession. This week has not really been that successful. I guess, overall I didn’t eat many more than my weekly points, but I am still disappointed in myself.

I guess I knew that I would eventually go off track, and I am proud that I realized it, and can correct it. Yesterday I stayed on point, and today I will to. I am prepared for whatever the scale says tomorrow, and am not very optimistic. I promise to post whether I lose or gain tomorrow just as I usually would, despite how embarrassing it may be.

Now, to some good news: today is a VERY special day for me. Four years ago today I married my best friend. I am SO blessed to have an incredible husband. He is not only an amazing husband, but a wonderful provider, and an amazing father. I grow more in love with him every day, and am excited to spend many, MANY more years with him.

As a celebration of our anniversary we will be eating at the restaurant we ate at on our first date, our wedding day, and most of our anniversaries (our first anniversary we were in Mexico): Outback. I’ve already picked exactly what I’m having and am working around that to stay on point today. We’re even bringing the meal home to eat it, rather than eating in the restaurant, so I don’t have to be tempted by unlimited bread or an appetizer that I don’t want or need.

Weigh In!!!

So, today was weigh in, and I lost 2.7 pounds this week!!! YAY! That is really incredible, all things considered.

I’ve started thinking that I’m too focused on my weight loss lately, so this post is going to be a little different. Many people don’t really know much about me, so I thought I may give you a little insight into who I am.

First and foremost, I am a God follower. I am a disciple of Christ, and I am NOT perfect. I think part of discipleship is that I’m always learning. And, I’m almost always messing up. I am extremely grateful for God’s grace and forgiveness, and I experience it every day.

Next, I am a wife. Next week I get to celebrate four years of marriage to my best friend. He is the most amazing man I have ever met. I had begun to doubt whether or not any man would strive to follow God’s standards for a husband and father when I met him. My husband is not perfect, but he sure tries. The fact that he puts God first is the most amazing thing in the world, and I am so blessed to be his wife.

I also have a six month old daughter. This you all know, but I can’t seem to stop talking about her. She is the most precious little girl, and I praise God for her every day!

I am a stay-at-home mom. I found a letter I wrote to God when my husband and I first got married, and in it I gave God my future. I had big plans of being a sports writer back then (excuse me while I wipe the tears of laughter from my eyes). I don’t remember writing this letter to God, but it makes it very clear that I felt the call to be a homemaker, and I didn’t like it, but I submitted to that in the letter. Today, I can’t imagine doing anything else. This is the best job in the world, and I want to be a mommy to several little ones.

I plan to homeschool our little ones. The Bible tells us to train our children in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6), and that we shall teach our children the commandments of the Lord (Deuteronomy 6:5-9). We believe that public schools are overcrowded and so harshly regulated about what the teach, that they are not where we want our children. We do NOT believe public schools are evil (we both got excellent educations through public school systems), but we believe it is our duty to ensure our children are learning what we want them to. There is nothing that will change our mind on this…don’t bother trying.

Probably next on the list is that I’m a sports fanatic. I love to watch all sorts of sports, and I admire the skills athletes have. Sports seem so physically and mentally challenging and I am in awe of those that excel at them (and even those that don’t). We are huge University of Oklahoma Sooners fans (BOOMER SOONER)!!! My husband is an alum and I will graduate with my bachelor’s from there in May. We attend many of the football games, and look forward to football season from the moment our bowl game ends in January. Yes, we’re a little fanatical, but it is what we do as a couple. It brings us closer together, and we both thoroughly enjoy it.

In a nutshell that’s me. I’m a disciple, a wife, a mom, a future teacher, and a fan. I’m not perfect by any means, but I love my life and I’m grateful God has blessed me with it.

A Question For You

I can’t explain why it is so much harder to update now that I’m between semesters, than it was when I was in the thick of the semester. For some reason I don’t seem to have time to hop on the computer for anything.

This week has been an interesting week. I injured a muscle in my leg Sunday, and haven’t been able to do crunches because of it all week. I started the 60-minute running program on the elliptical Monday, and did pretty well. Tuesday my leg was not at all healthy enough for impact running, so I asked my husband if we could wait two weeks to start running outside. The highs here in two weeks are predicted to be in the 80s, which sounds so much better than the upper 90s for running. Then last night by the time I got Aria into bed I was exhausted and didn’t get on the elliptical, though I will get on it tonight to make up for missing last night.

Despite all of these issues, I peeked on the scale this morning (wanting to be prepared for the damage before tomorrow) and I’ve lost nearly 4 pounds this week. Seriously!! It took me a moment to realize why, but once I did everything made sense. My little girl learned a new trick Saturday. She learned to crawl! At first it was just a scoot, almost like an army crawl, with her pulling herself with her arms, but now she crawls like a pro.

I have to credit this new skill to some friends of ours. We had dinner Friday night with a wonderful couple and their beautiful 2-year-old daughter. We asked her to crawl in front of Aria so she could see how to do it. The very next day Aria started crawling. It may be a coincidence, but I seriously doubt it. I have seen my daughter learn new things after going into the nursery at church and seeing babies there doing them. She is very observant (talk about pressure for mommy and daddy to try to always be a good example).

Anyway, with her crawling around I have had very little time to rest. During her naps I’m usually cleaning (big reason why I’m not able to post like I want to). I used to be able to clean with her playing contentedly in the living room, but now I have to have my eyes on her or else she’s into something she shouldn’t be. It seems like I’m always scooting across the floor to keep her from hurting herself. Strangely, I love it. I don’t think I’ve been happier as a mom. It is incredible to see her becoming independent, and to see the look of pride on her face when she does something new and we cheer and clap for her. She loves to be cheered on. She is SO beautiful!! I LOOOOVE being a mommy.

Sometimes I feel that I really need to post more, because when I do it seems to renew my passion for reaching this goal. I want to have many babies (okay, so some people won’t think 4 babies is many, some people will…for us, it is). I would honestly have as many babies as God and my husband allowed us to. I know that the best thing for any baby is for me to be in better shape.

This goes for if God allows me to become pregnant with another child or not. Of course my health is very important during pregnancy, but even if I don’t get that blessing again (I pray that won’t be an issue, and I’m not worried about it because of how easy it was the first time), I know my health is important to Aria. It is important to be an example to her of how we are to treat God’s temple. I can’t just call my body His temple; I have to beautify it as I would a physical temple. I’m working on the inside, and I have to work on the outside as well.

Anyway, I need your help. Have you ever had to overcome a slump time? If so, how did you do it? I will run on the elliptical tonight, and will have a renewed focus on Monday.  

Physical And Spiritual Weigh In

Another 1.6 pounds gone!!! I’m only 9 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight, and 4 pounds from halfway to goal!!!

I was a little surprised that I had a loss, as this week hasn’t been the best for activity. I worked out hard on Wednesday, doing both my elliptical training and running outside for the first time. The outdoors run was something else, and I am still sore from it today.

I did my ab work Monday, Wednesday, and will be doing it this afternoon. Last night it was still 101 at 7:45, so we decided to wait until 8:00 before we ran. It wasn’t as much for us, but I don’t want Aria to be burning up in her stroller for 40 minutes. Around 7:55 we heard thunder and by 8:00 we were witnessing a beautiful lightning show. That meant we weren’t running. In a way I was disappointed, but in another way I felt blessed. If it hadn’t been so hot, we would have been nearly half way around the track when it began to thunder and lightning. I don’t think a metal stroller is the best place for a little girl during a lightning storm.

Needless to say, this week’s activity was a FAR cry from the activity of the past few weeks, but it was my only week off. Monday I will begin the 60 minute running program, and then Tuesday we will be out on the track again. I am excited for next week.

Today I have been thinking a lot about sin. I guess the topic has been everywhere, and I want to say that I don’t like sin. I believe everything the bible says is a sin, is a sin. I don’t believe that any sin is more evil than any other. I do believe that some sins have bigger earthly consequences than others, but that is that.

What I want to talk about today doesn’t involve sexual sin…it doesn’t involve any else’s sin either, it is a confession of my sin. I have dealt with gluttony most of my life. Eating is not a sin, splurging occasionally on an unhealthy food (sweets or chips, etc.) is not a sin, but the lack of self-control is a sin. According to Galatians 5:22-23 self-control is one of the fruits of the spirit.  I had NO self-control when it came to food. Proverbs speaks of the woes of gluttony several times.

I ignored that part of the bible. Food made me happy. I liked feeling full. Well, now I realize I was really making myself a fool of myself. I was not practicing any self-control, and it was an issue that was coming between me and God, because I was willingly sinning.

Something I realized through the complications I had while pregnant was that God’s laws are there to protect us. If I had not sinned, and had had the self-control over food, I would most likely not dealt with preeclampsia, and I probably would have been able to breastfeed my daughter. Being overweight caused many problems, and as I lose weight I am discovering I was robbing myself of things that I didn’t even know about…I was so big I couldn’t cross my legs in a seat. Yup, that’s a problem. Now I feel victorious every time I cross my legs.

Now that I’m almost half way to goal, I realize I need to continue exhibiting self-control over food and to exercise.  I am also going to have to let God build patience in me. I hope God allows the wait for graduation, hitting my goal weight, and our first family vacation (all happening in May) to be patience building enough.

Overall, in this journey, I know I am strengthening my relationship with Christ. I want His will to be mine, and I want others to know that I love Him just by viewing my actions. For Him I will not give up. For Him I will not go back to the way I was. And for Him I will demonstrate to my children how God intended us to live. That he does not want us to be lazy gluttons, but that our bodies are His temple, and that we need to take care of His temple, beautifying it physically and spiritually.  

A Gold Medal Week

Oh wow this has been a busy two weeks. I had another loss yesterday, making it a 1.7 lb loss for the week! I’m only tenths of a pound away from having lost 50 pounds!!! I can’t believe it. It seems like it’s taking forever, but at the same time I feel as though I just began this journey.

The same day my summer semester began, I began my 8-week running program. Well yesterday I finished my summer semester, and I should have finished my running program, but I hurt my ankle. Today my ankle is feeling better, but I will give it until Monday before I hit the elliptical for my last run of the 30 minute program. THEN, I get to start something new.

Next week I will run the 30 minute run on the elliptical Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, just as I have been doing. But Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday my husband and I are going to begin the program again outdoors. We bought a used jogging stroller and I am very excited to see how I do on the pavement. I have no doubt that I have the cardio stamina to run the 30 minutes on pavement (which should equal about 5K), but I am not sure how my joints and muscles will do. I’m excited to start the program again and be able to do something good for our family.

I think I am most excited that my daughter gets to be a part of this health journey, by riding in her stroller. It encourages me that she will get to see her parents working towards a healthier lifestyle. AND, depending on how the pavement treats me, I am considering entering my first 5K. Much of the 5K is uphill L but, I still think I want to do it.

Also, yesterday marked a special day for me. I mentioned earlier I finished my summer semester last night (yes, I finished up a paper while watching the Olympics opening ceremony). This means I am officially a SENIOR!!! In May, when I should reach my weight loss goal, I will also be graduating. Actually graduation is the date I really want to be at my weight loss goal by!

I hope you are enjoying the Olympics. It acts as a definite inspiration to reaching my goal. Seeing all of these athletes in great condition, makes me realize I want to be able to play sports with my children, and not be hindered by my weight.

I'm Back

I haven’t disappeared, though I’m working on making parts of me do so. This is my last week of the summer semester and I think it may just kill me.

 Friday I had another loss, and I was thrilled! Then Saturday I allowed myself to eat pretty much what I want. Let me say I will NEVER do that again. One meal of being a little overboard is one thing, but not sticking at all close to my points for the rest of the day…ick. Not only did I feel sick for the next two days, but I gained 5 pounds that day! Seriously, in 1 day I gained 5 POUNDS!!!

Yesterday morning all but 2 of those extra pounds were gone, but I had a crazy day. I was so busy trying to get my assignments finished before I don’t have another chance that I didn’t even get my crunches done until after my husband came home and we ate dinner.

I did do my crunches and around 9:30 last night I got on the elliptical. I’m on the last week of the 30-minute running program, and at this point they are just adding 1 minute for each run until I’m at 30 minutes on Friday. I ran for 28 minutes yesterday (plus the 5 minute warm up and cool down), and went 2.97 miles (according to my elliptical). It was definitely the furthest and fastest I have gone yet. And this morning I felt good. I peaked at the scale and I was down below what I was at my last weigh in. So, going overboard Saturday didn’t completely kill me, though I will not be doing that again as it left me feeling disgusting.

On a personal note, my daughter turned 6 months old last Thursday! We took her to get pictures taken at our JC Penny and she wouldn’t smile at us at all. The photos are still adorable if I do say so myself, I will post a few once my cd comes in. Also, she decided Sunday night that she wanted to learn to crawl. She doesn’t have it down yet…at all, but she sure does try. I know in the next week or so I will have some extra exercise running around after my little sweetheart.

I promise to try to post on the appropriate days this week, but I promise that even if I don’t post, I’m still running and eating right. I WILL be at my goal by graduation…but in order to have graduation I must finish my assignments and pass my classes J

The Seven Week Itch

I have heard relationships have a 7-year itch. Well, this week started week 7 of my running program, which means me really giving my all to this weight loss program, and I am experiencing an itch. This itch isn’t of boredom like the relational itch, but of a lack of motivation.

Monday my motivation was thinking about blogging, but tonight I didn’t even really want to do that. It all started when nothing sounded good for dinner. I really need to go grocery shopping, but haven’t had time with school and being out of town all weekend. Because of this we went through a drive through tonight. I so badly wanted to splurge and just eat something good. It’s been at least 7 weeks since I’ve had a fast food french fry, and they really sounded good, but I didn’t have enough daily points left for them and I really didn’t want to go into my weekly points or activity points because weigh in is just 2 days away.

This desire for yummy food demolished any excitement I had to run. Nevertheless I ran, and ran hard. I went all 26 consecutive minutes of running and didn’t give up! It was my longest consecutive run yet, and it’s only going to get better from here. Now that I’m done running I feel very proud, but not nearly what I felt after completing my first 20 minute run. I am lacking the excitement I need.

I think this lack of motivation is partially fueled by a mistake I made this morning. I peeked at the scale and saw I didn’t have a very big loss at all yet. I don’t know why that upsets me. I still have 2 days until weigh in, and I had lost some, just not a full pound. Anything can happen in two day. I could drop a pound and a half or more in that time. But, what I need to focus on is getting healthier!

So I celebrate now how quickly my heart and lungs recovered after my run. I didn’t even make it through my cool down before my breath was normal and my heart was no longer racing. Today’s run was still among one of the fastest paces so far, and the second furthest distance at 2.64 miles, but it was also the fastest recovery time.  THAT is something to celebrate. Even if the scale says I haven’t lost anything, I have gained a little bit more health. I am gaining life by sticking with this, and if that’s not enough to motivate me I don’t know what is!!!

Thank You!!

Hello followers! I can’t thank those of you following enough for the encouragement you give me.

Today was a hard day for me. I spent this weekend at the lake with my in-laws and had an incredible time, but this morning I felt like I needed a weekend to recover from the weekend. Add having only 1.5 weeks of school left for the semester, and you get a very distracted Diana. Around 5:00 this evening I realized I forgot to do my crunches during my daughter’s nap, so I started doing them while she played in her walker. She thought it was the funniest thing ever.

After my husband got home and we ate dinner I did not want to run. For the first time in over 6 weeks (today was the first run of week 7) I was not excited to run. But, I ran anyway. Today’s run was 20 minutes running, 3 minutes walking, 5 minutes running. It was much easier than I expected it to be, but then again it was a little slower than normal. I was really disappointed in myself until my wonderful husband informed me that even professional runners have days that aren’t as fast as others. I feel much better now.

After writing this I realize that today was actually a really good day. I lacked motivation, but I still pushed myself. I was tired, but I didn’t make an excuse. I stayed on track when I didn’t want to. AND, this weekend I had no internet connection. No internet is horrible when you are doing weight watchers online. Because of this, every morning my husband and I drove into town and I hopped on the weight watchers mobile site and entered in most of what I would be eating that day. I thought I was doing a really good job, but was a little worried this morning that I had gained weight. I stepped on the scale, and I can’t say what it said, but I will say it was less than my weight in on Friday!

Normally when I went to family functions, especially ones where there were 3 cakes and homemade ice cream (we were celebrating 4 birthdays), I would have blown it. But, this weekend I did not eat a single piece of cake or ice cream. I am SOOO proud of the differences I am seeing in myself. This really is a new me.

And, that’s why I thank you. What I haven’t told you is that whenever I really wanted a piece of cake I thought about how embarrassed I would be if I had a gain instead of a loss. When I didn’t want to run earlier I thought about how empty my blog would look if I didn’t have a run to blog about. So, thank you followers for giving me the motivation I needed today.

"Please Slow Down Your Weight Loss"

Hello! This has been a busy day already. The first thing I did this morning was sneak into the bathroom to weigh myself. Yes I weigh at home, but the scale is very reliable. I lost 2.8 pounds THIS WEEK!!! That is 46.4 pounds so far!!! I am SOOO excited! The scale is becoming my best friend!! Because I lost over two pounds my weight watchers app told me that I was losing too quickly, and I may need to slow my weight loss. Well, I am doing this healthfully and I know this is not a common occurrence, so I am going to rejoice in the loss!

I won’t have time to run tonight, so my husband came home during his lunch break to watch our daughter while I hopped on the elliptical (don’t worry, I didn’t actually hop on the elliptical). Today’s run was a little more challenging than I expected it to be. It was a 15 minute run, 3 minute walk, 10 minute run. For some reason with 6 minutes of run time left I wanted to quit, but I didn’t. My husband probably thought I was crazy as I cheered myself on telling myself I had just a few more minutes. I finished running with a cheer, and I can’t wait until Monday when I can run again.

That’s enough weight loss talk today. I want to tell you a little bit more about what inspired me to take on this journey. During the third trimester of my pregnancy I developed preeclampsia. This is pregnancy induced high blood pressure. It was not too severe, but I was put on modified bed rest at 35 weeks (the typical pregnancy is 40 weeks). It also made me miserable. I was more tired than I should have been, and I was so swollen that if my husband touched my feet an indention would remain. We ended up inducing labor at 39 weeks because of it, and we found out there were complications that we hadn’t even known about that could have been harmful to my daughter had we not induced labor.

You may be wondering why a past pregnancy has caused me to want to lose so much weight. Well, I want lots of children. When I say lots I’m not meaning 10 or 15, but at least 4.  I don’t want my future pregnancies to have any complications that I can prevent. I also want to live a long life for my children. My father and my husband each lost their fathers in their twenties. I don’t want my kids to experience that. I want to meet my grandchildren, and possibly great-grandchildren.

A more immediate desire to lose the weight is the playground. I loved going to the park when I was little. I remember playing on the playground and sliding down the slide. I want my daughter to experience the slide, and not have to wait until she is old enough to go down by herself. I want to be able to fit on the slide with her, and experience hearing her laugh as we both slip towards the ground. I want to feel her hair moving in the wind while she giggles and I hold her. I want to be small enough to not worry about breaking the slide. I don’t want my weight to force me to miss out on anything! 

Well, my daughter just woke up so I need to go get her and not miss out on her babbling any more. I won't be able to blog this weekend, why don't you go check out my friend Danette's blog here.  She is taking on vegetarianism and she is such an inspiration for making such a huge change. I couldn’t imagine giving up meat, but she’s doing it.

Have a great weekend! – Diana

WOOHOO!!!

I am still shaking with adrenalin. Today was such an incredible day for me. No, I didn’t come into any money and nothing particularly great happened, but I accomplished something incredible…well, at least incredible for me!

I mentioned in the last post that my I was doing abdominal work and running every Monday, Wednesday, & Friday. Well, I have been doing 210 crunches (3 set of 70, each set includes 30 lower ab crunches, 30 upper ab crunches, and 10 total ab crunches). This morning I upped that to 4 sets, so 280 crunches. By the last set I couldn’t even feel my stomach burning anymore. It was the weirdest sensation. Afterwards my abs still felt as though they were contracted for about 20 minutes. It was great.

I also ran tonight.  Monday I did two nine minute runs in my interval training, but today was a big day. Today was my first 20 minute run. I was honestly very nervous about this, but I climbed on the elliptical tonight and started. I didn’t want to 5 minute warm up to end, but it did and I started running. I was SOOO glad to hear the bell on my app ding to tell me I was half way through, and that little sound…that heavenly ding that gave an angel somewhere its wings…gave me a second wind. I ran the next ten minutes with enthusiasm.

As soon as the bell sounded again to tell me I was finished running, I actually yelled out loud. I have never had an exercise high like this. I don’t think I’ve smiled this big in a long time…at least not for something I did rather than something my daughter did. I am amazed at how far I have come. Just 6 weeks ago I was struggling to run for 1 minute straight, but tonight I went for 20 minutes. In two weeks I’ll be running for 30 minutes! I am so happy right now!

I am SO grateful that God didn’t let me continue on the road I was on. I am so grateful He made my body so that it would adapt to a healthier state, and to where it would stand up to the abuse I gave it the past few years. I am so grateful he gave me the ability to run tonight, and I am so glad I didn’t throw that blessing away.

For those of you reading this, thank you! I’m very grateful that you were willing to take a few minutes to cheer me on by reading this.  

I'm Losing It!

So, no one reads this, but I thought I should start blogging again anyway. Aria is now 5.5 months old! She’s getting SO big. She rolls everywhere, but doesn’t crawl yet. I am so incredibly in love with her, I can’t begin to explain.

Being a mom is the most amazing thing in the world, and I’m looking forward to having many more children to love. Unfortunately, I can’t do that as I am. By the end of my pregnancy with Aria I was preeclamptic and had gained over 70 pounds (now some of that was water-weight, but still horrible). On top of that I was already 50 pounds overweight when I got pregnant, so I was only supposed to gain 20.

After I had Aria I made a promise to myself and to my husband to get healthy before I had another baby. 10 days after we came home with Aria I had lost 10 lbs of water weight, and then the work began. I lost another 25 lbs by six weeks, when I started weight watchers. I have been on weight watchers for 19 weeks (since March) but for at least 5 of those I did not follow the rules. The past five weeks I have been extremely dedicated to weight watchers and an exercise routine. I am doing a running routine on the elliptical my husband bought me for mother’s day (used on Craig’s list for a great price) every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. As a result I have lost an additional 19 pounds since starting Weight Watchers.

That puts me nearly 45 pounds down at this point, with 66 pounds to go. Just typing these numbers is embarrassing, but I think I need to put my accomplishments and goals somewhere public. I can’t promise I will post every day, actually I can promise I won’t. But I will try to check in twice a week. Every Saturday, which is my weigh in day, and then once in the middle of the week. I will also post pictures periodically. Today I am including my before picture. This was from when my daughter was 2 weeks old.  I will have my husband take a current picture of me this weekend, so everyone (the whole 1 of you who may read this…hi mom) can see the progress made so far. And, don’t worry I will be fully clothed in all pictures.

I must forewarn you, there will be many references to what God is doing during this journey. Much of this dedication is due to the realization that I was taking God’s gift of my body for granted. After running the first time (it’s a progressive interval running program that trains for a 5K) I realized I was killing myself. I was running to praise music, and as I was doing my cool down the song “I Am Free” came one. The chorus says “I am free to run,” and I began to sob. I was huffing and puffing, and the longest continuous run that day was only 60 seconds. I felt like my heart would explode. I realized that I was taking away a freedom that God gave me. I was taking away the freedom to play with my children, the freedom to ride bikes as a family, the freedom of health. Now, I only have three weeks left of the running program, and today I am running 2 nine minute intervals. And, my heart no longer feels like it will explode after running.

Oh, and just so you know, this is not going to be a magic, overnight transformation. I don’t plan on reaching my goal before next May. If I do that will be great, but no pressure. I am doing this for a long term change, not a microwave result. This is a sustainable change, and a learning progress. And, while I’m doing this I will be completing my last year of college! So, next May will be a very exciting time for me!! YAY!

In case you are interested in either resource I am using for this weight loss journey, check out www.weightwatchers.com (I am doing the program completely online, though they do have meetings if you’re interested in them). Also check out http://easeinto5k.bluefinapps.com/. I am starting week 6 of 8 of this program. Blue Fin Apps also has a 10K app that I will go into as soon as I finish this program. I believe one version of the 10K program starts includes the 5K program and the  bridge to 10K program I will continue with.

Life Now

Wow! It’s been a long time since I’ve posted on here. Life has been crazy since my last post…crazy, but wonderful. I had to quit work a few weeks early due to mild preeclampsia. Aria waited, and waited, and at 39 weeks we were induced due to my high blood pressure. Aria came into the world at a perfect 6 lbs 10 oz, and 20 inches long. No one could believe how alert she was from the very beginning. She is still extremely alert, and in my very biased opinion is the most beautiful baby in the world.

Anyway, throughout this entire thing God has continued teaching me about His plans and His timing. He has made it very clear that His plans are not my plans, and that my timing is not His. Proverbs 16:9 has become very true in my life. I may make plans, but God paves the way. I can go nowhere without His guidance.

I had planned to not be induced, but I was induced, and it was an incredible experience. My labor, though painful until I got the epidural (I don’t care what anyone says, it was the right thing for me). Even while I was pushing the labor was fun. It was nice to be able to make joked between pushes, knowing that my doctor would be cracking jokes with me. It didn’t happen as I had planned it, but I don’t think anyone would have planned laughter during delivery.  And, aria came out perfectly alert, after 5 pushes. She was, and is, perfect.

I had also planned to exclusively nurse my little angel. It took 3 weeks of her not gaining weight (not even getting back to her birth weight), and then another 4 weeks of very slow weight gain and constant nursing before I admitted there was a problem. My plan was to exclusively nurse, but due to an extremely sensitive gag reflex and a low milk supply I am now pumping and bottle feeding. We are also feeding formula when needed. And, guess what…my little girl is much happier and is gaining weight steadily. I finally listened to my God given instincts, rather than my selfish desires, and my baby is better off for it.

Finally, and mostly what I wanted to write about, Cam has had plans for his job for quite some time now. You may remember that in December he interviewed for a job and was very disappointed when he didn’t get it. Well, nearly four months later we may have a clue as to why. That same position has opened up in the Tulsa office. We don’t know if he’ll get the job, but we do know that they can offer him more money, and that they are under pressure to get a high producer in there (and he is the highest producer in the state). We also know that there are several people interceding for him, both in prayer and with the hiring manager. He has had so many influential people recommend him for this job (including the vice president of the company). He interviews on Tuesday. We have no earthly idea if he will get it or not, but we know it would be a beautiful picture of how God’s plans were made perfect by our temporary disappointment.

I hope to have good news next week, but I won’t promise to post if I do. Being a full time mom is easier than I expected it to be, but my time is spent entertaining Miss Aria more than I expected it to be. I thought newborns slept all day, but that is not true of my little one. She likes her play time.  And, she’s calling for that play time now. I’m going to go entertain my little blessing. And I will thank God for His timing to bring her into our lives. She has definitely increased our faith, but that’s another blog entry.