Wednesday Weigh In: Week 1

Last week, I shared that I'm starting my weight loss journey at 167 pounds. I weighed in to measure my first week's progress and drumroll please...

I'm down almost 4.5 pounds! Woo hoo!

That takes me to 162.5ish pounds! I'm close to reaching my first five pound goal also, so that's pretty encouraging!

So, how did I do it? (Inquiring minds may ask...) Well, I worked out hard three days last week at Re:Move//Training, and I ate healthfully about 80% of the time last week. Truthfully, I attribute such a big number to my body losing water weight and just being shocked by the healthy foods and exercise! Can't wait to see how I do next week! =)

That other 'F' word

So, I'm fat.

I don't want to sugar coat it, or use any euphemisms, like "big boned" or "curvy" to avoid saying a word that has a negative connotation. Let's get straight to the point here.

I've always been overweight, but in the last year or two, I've really noticed how much weight I've gained and how difficult it is to lose it. I'm heavier than I've ever been in my entire life, and I'm sick of it (I think the italics and underlining really drive home my point...). It's time for me to lose this weight forever. I'm getting married in March, and I turn 30 in July, so I want to start married life/my 30s as healthy as possible. Will and I joined a gym last week, and I have been working on eating healthier foods. I'm optimistic because I have time to focus on myself now, and I have a couple of motivators that I have never had. Plus, I want to lose weight to become healthier. Diabetes, heart disease, and obesity are in my family, and I want to do everything I can to take control of these things so I will never have to deal with them.

I've always heard that the best way to stick to goals is to announce them publicly so everyone will know what you're doing and help keep you on track. I don't know if that's true or not, but I want to get it out there, so at the very least, someone who reads this can grill me about what kind of coffee drink I'm having at church or what kind of snack(s) I'm having at work. I'll go a little further and announce the details of my current state of body and where I want to be, along with smaller breakdowns of goals. I think this will help keep me in check and motivated to make this a slow and steady process, rather than getting burned out and frustrated if things don't magically work right away. I plan to post weekly updates. Hopefully, unlike the failed bedtime experiment, I'll be accountable. Hey, I might even revive that since Glamour magazine tells me that I can lose weight by sleeping more!

Without further adieu, as of Wednesday, August 8, 2012, here is my weight: 167 pounds (note: I will round up or down as needed. I don't really want to deal with tenths of pounds, unless I'm having a fluffy week and want to reassure myself that I'm on the right track...). Blah. I've topped out at 5 feet, 3 inches, which puts my BMI at 29, sticking me at far end of the overweight (almost obese) category. I know that BMI isn't always the most accurate measure of body composition, since you can have a lot of muscle and weigh more than what's considered "normal" but still be in better shape than someone in that category. However, I know that I'm overweight by the way my clothes fit, the way I feel, etc, so I'm going to use this as an indicator for now.

I want to lose 42 pounds by Valentine's Day. I believe that's completely realistic since that's around 27 weeks away, and it keeps me in the recommended guidelines of only losing 1-2 pounds per week. Plus, that's our 2 year anniversary and less than a month before the wedding, so I think it's a good time to be a brand new me! =)

Here are my tentative thoughts on goals for when I want to reach certain milestones and the rewards I want to give myself for reaching them:

5 pounds lost by 08/29/12. Reward: new nail polish (1-2 bottles) (Accomplished on 08/29!)

10 pounds lost by 09/19/12. Reward: new earrings

15 pounds lost by 10/10/12. Reward: new workout socks

20 pounds lost by 10/31/12. Reward: new Threadless t-shirt (have some designs in mind...just depends on what's available at the time)

25 pounds lost by 11/21/12. Reward: another new Threadless t-shirt because there are several I like! =)

30 pounds lost by 12/19/12. Reward: new Pandora charm

35 pounds lost by 01/16/13. Reward: new expensive-ish sports bra (I know, between this and the socks, I'm super exciting, right?)

42 pounds lost by 02/14/13. Reward: new Toms shoes!

Okay, I think that's it. I'll probably make those nifty "pounds lost/pounds to go" jar sets that are on Pinterest, and I'll post a picture when I do. Wish me luck, and if anyone wants to work out sometime, just let me know!

Life's too short to...fill in the blank...

In the past week, I turned 29, and there was a horrific tragedy that happened at a movie theater in Colorado.  Both of these events combined have caused me to pause and take a look at myself and my life. For the most part, I'm happy, but there are things that I want to change (look for one of those infamous "30 before 30 lists" to be posted within the next week or two). I know I've posted before about making changes in my life, but there were always excuses. I wanted to wait until I finished my Masters in Education, comps for my UT program, my Masters in Info Science, until this, that, or whatever, but the time for excuses is over. We are not guaranteed a tomorrow, so we should live each day to its fullest and truly enjoy life. Sometimes circumstances may be bad, but we should NEVER be at a point where we dread or loathe things in our lives, especially things that can be changed. It's time for me to grow up, set goals, and live my life in a more fulfilling way. It's time for me to immerse myself in God's plan and truly live, rather than just a ho-hum existence where I count down the days until vacation, Christmas, whatever. We're not made to count down days and wish our lives away. I've still (hopefully) got a lot of life to live, and I'm ready to live it.

A Review of The Beauty Book by Nancy Rue

Okay, I know I'm not the target audience for this title (it's geared towards preteens), and I don't have a daughter or any close younger female relatives that I need to share this advice with, but I still chose to review this book since I spent a semester interning for Nancy Rue. Even though I may be a smidge biased because she was one of the nicest people I've ever met, I went into reading this from the perspective of someone who does mentor young females, and this book is definitely a great resource for those folks. Combining practical knowledge with Scripture, Rue gives advice to "Lily" (of the Lily Series books that she has written) and her friends about learning to love themselves and their unique traits that God has given them. It's a great message for any girl who has ever felt inadequate about her looks or has played the comparison game, and let's face it, all girls have. If you're around preteen girls or will be in the near future, then this book is worth checking out!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

A Review of Great Day Every Day by Max Lucado

Lately I had been in a bit of a rut. Nothing bad had happened, but I just felt "blah." After reading this book, I feel like I have been transformed and put back on track! As Lucado points out, Psalm 118:24 says that THIS is the day the Lord has made, and I should rejoice and be glad in it, even if it's tax day, final exam day, divorce day, etc. Every day is a gift, even when it seems like it is a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. We should rejoice in the big days and the little days. Lucado offers a "daily compass" after every chapter that helps readers adjust their attitudes and get back on the path to having a great day. I recommend this book to anyone who has ever had a bad day!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

A follow up to the bedtime experiment

Let's just say, I haven't been doing very well with it. Boo. I'm still cranky. Let's try this again on Sunday night!

The bedtime experiment...

I need sleep. This isn't the whiny refrain of someone who's a little tired either. I genuinely need sleep. According to most of the literature I've read about sleep, adults need 7-8 hours of sleep per night. My fitbit says I regularly clock around 6-6.5 hours per weeknight and anywhere from 7 to 11 hours on weekends. My sleep schedule is erratic, and it has an effect on every other aspect of my life. So, enough is enough. My boyfriend is always urging me to go to bed around 10 every night (so I can clock 7.5 hours to get up at 5:30 on weekdays), but I very, very rarely make that. There's always some excuse about what I have to do before I can go to bed, but it's generally something that can wait until the next day (like this blog entry, for example). So, now that my spring semester is over, I've decided to undergo the bedtime experiment. The reason I'm putting it out here for the six of you who may read this everyone to see is that I want some external pressure. I want whoever reads this to ask me about my bedtime, harass me about being up too late, etc. The experiment is as follows:

1. Bedtime on Sunday-Thursday nights is 10 PM. No exceptions.
2. Out of bed by 5:30 AM on weekdays (and that will keep me from being so frazzled in the mornings)
3. Bedtime on Friday and Saturday nights is midnight at the latest
4. Get up by 8:30 on weekends. Take a short nap if needed.

My goal is to get into the habit of doing this so I can get good, quality sleep. Sleep helps with everything- mood, attitude, even weight loss- and I can use some help in all of those categories! The experiment will begin Sunday night, so wish me luck!

EDIT: I'm going to do this for 2 weeks and then post again about how it's gone...just for the inquiring minds out there!