Saturday, September 29, 2012

Health progress

This post is basically a case of me using the blog as my journal since I'm sitting at the computer. It's also a way to encourage me on the days when I'm frustrated about the whole weight loss process and health journey.

Since I've started working on my weight back in January, I've lost around 15 pounds, which is not a whole lot, but it's a decent start. More importantly, I've made strides in my health and athleticism and things I can do. Here are some of them:

1. Have steadily improved my 5K times. Even from July to today, I've shaved a little over 3 minutes off my time and will just continue to get better.

2. Can jog for entire songs now (such as "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls. Guess that makes me Sporty Spice...ha).

3. Can do at least 5 legit, on my toes push ups in a row. I could possibly do more than that if I haven't done any arm/upper body work before I start them.

4. Can almost get my heels on the ground when I do the downward dog pose in yoga, instead of having my heels raised in the air and my weight on my toes.

5. Consistently improving the amount of weight I can lift when doing various exercises.

The list goes on and on, but these were the ones that popped into my head immediately. I am getting fitter and stronger, even if I haven't changed my diet enough to see drastic weight loss. It's time for that phase now. I'm doing a challenge at my gym where the person who loses the most body fat by December 29 wins money. That sure would go a long way towards a new skinny wardrobe! So, like I said, this is mainly for my own encouragement, but on the off chance that anyone sees this, I wanted to say that progress is definitely possible. I still have a long way to go on some of my fitness goals and my weight loss goal, but it's doable! If I can do it, anyone can! =)

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Wednesday Weigh In: Week 7

This week I'm down...

-1 pounds.

Another 1 pound gain over the last couple of weeks.

This is getting really frustrating. Less than 6 pounds down in 7 weeks. Give me a break.

I need to get back on track with my eating because I'm missing goals left and right.

Starting weight: 167 pounds
Current weight: 161.6 pounds
Goal weight: 125 pounds

Also, I completely missed this yesterday because I didn't get home until later than normal last night. Hope my fans aren't disappointed that this is a day late... ;-p

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Wednesday Weigh In: Week 6

This week I'm down...

???

I missed weighing in this week because I had to work late on Tuesday. I like to try to weigh in at the same time and on the same scale every week for consistency. Oh well. I also missed my target 10 pound loss date.  I may need to do some reconfiguring. Sigh...

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

The great closet experiment: One month follow up

I'm one month into my two-month experiment to wear everything in my closet and not buy more clothes, and so far, I'm doing eh on it. I've been wearing things that I haven't worn in a while, and I've gotten rid of a few things. I'm doing better about planning my clothes in advance, but even when I look at some of the outfits I've worn (and post on my new fashion blog that I'm behind on maintaining), I'm not super thrilled about what I've put together. I know some of that comes from being frustrated with my weight, but I think some of it also comes from not having good basics in my closet and from just buying things haphazardly without any thoughts about what they will go with.

Also, I've bought a few new and new-to-me items. I went to the Under Armour outlet and got a new workout t-shirt and pants, and last week, one of my neighbors had a yard sale, and I bought a few things from her. She has fantastic clothes that I can wear to work, so that makes it okay, right? Okay, okay, I'll work on this a little more.

I love clothes, but I am starting to realize that I have a lot of uncoordinated pieces. I also don't really have a style, so it makes it difficult to really shop. I browse and buy instead of shopping with a purpose, and it's bad on my wallet and my space. Plus, I'm not really sure what looks flattering on me, so I buy things that I think are cute, but may not really look good on me when I wear them in real life. It's hard being a girl.

I have one more month of this experiment, but I do intend to wear everything in my closet. We're just now starting to experience autumn-like weather, so I have a lot of winter items that I haven't yet worn. I will continue trying not to buy too many items either, but we'll see how that goes!

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Wednesday Weigh In: Week 5

This week I'm down...

1.8 pounds!

Woo hoo! I made up for last week plus a little extra. That's always nice!

Now for a little confession. I had a bit of a breakdown yesterday. There's someone I know who started her health journey at the end of July, and she's already lost 13 pounds. I really started hitting it at the beginning of August, and I'm only down 6ish pounds. I got so frustrated wondering why my progress was so slow, what I should do differently, etc, and I may have sent one of my gym's owners a crazy Facebook message telling her about everything I do wrong and asking why those things have caused me not to lose as much weight as the other girl. Sigh. So, for anyone out there who is reading this and working to lose weight, don't worry if you have crazy jealousy days because it happens to everyone! Also, my trainer said not to compare myself to anyone else. I think this is an important lesson because I compare myself to others in a lot of ways- weight loss, marriage age, clothing, etc- but this is ridiculous. God created me to be me not anyone else. I know that's a bit simplistic, but if I can keep that in mind, maybe the comparison game won't seem as fun anymore.

Anyway. Confession time is over, and I feel better now! Now, for some stats!

Starting weight: 167 pounds
Current weight: 160.6 (so close to being out of this number range!!)
Goal weight: 125 pounds

Hope everyone has a great week!

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Wednesday Weigh In: Week 4


This week I'm down...

-1 pound.

Blah. I gained a pound. It's not completely unexpected because I missed a couple of workouts, got lazy about tracking, and couldn't stay out of the kitchen on Sunday and Monday. It will just serve as motivation for me over this next week!

Starting weight: 167 pounds
Current weight: 162.4 pounds
Goal weight: 125 pounds

I found something interesting online today too. It's a 5 week challenge for your physical and spiritual self. I think it'll be a nice addition to what I've been doing so far, and hey, prizes can't hurt my motivation! ;) If anyone wants to join me, visit the website on the picture below. Good luck!