I wanted to post some 'before' pictures, so I can show my progress. These pictures aren't exactly easy for me to look at...but it makes me feel GREAT to know that I don't really look like this anymore. Enjoy! P.S.-Stay tuned...I have a really good blog that I'm in the process of writing. It's called "Dieting & The Book of Mormon". Oh yeah, be excited.
At work after the Stapler in Jello prank that was played on me
My roommates
Pretending to be my boss on Halloween
With my rommate, Aubrie, at the Mesa Temple lights for Christmas
At the beach in Ft. Lauderdale (right before the cruise!)
Wow...sorry about the lack of updates! The last few weeks have been H-E-C-T-I-C. Hopefully everything will calm down this week and I can get back to posting weekly blogs.
Since I've been gone, I have lost a total of 13 pounds (-1.2 pounds every week). I AM SO HAPPY! I went to San Francisco a few weeks ago for the weekend and still managed to lose weight that week...maybe because we walked everywhere. A few weeks ago I bought a new pair of pants that are a size smaller than I have worn, and not only did they fit, but the are ALREADY too big. Who knew?!
I met with my counselor for the 4th time last week and he basically told me that I don't need to be meeting with him anymore, because I'm already doing everything right. I never thought I'd hear that...I told him that I wanted to keep meeting with him, just in case. I have my second appointment with my dietician on April 1, and I will give updates on how that goes.
Thank you to everyone for your emails and comments. I appreciate them all!
I am happy to announce-I lost ANOTHER 2 pounds this week. I am now 9.4 pounds less of myself. I am so happy! At church yesterday I had someone tell me I was 'glowing'. Maybe that is somehow tied into Cade's comment about me getting pregnant so I can lose weight chasing after my kid. Ha! I'm sorry to tell you Cade, I won't be getting married and pregnant anytime soon. Wow...I hope my mom isn't reading this. She's probably sorely confused.
Now that I pretty much have the first 10 pounds out of the way, I'm focusing on long term. I've proven to myself that I can lose the weight and now I need to work on keeping my motivation and determination. This is why I have failed in the past. I'm gung-ho about losing weight, but then I lose willpower, my cravings control me....yada yada yada. I know I have things in place to help me with this problem, but any help you guys can give me would be greatly appreciated. My counselor suggested I have people check up on me in a month or so. My gung-ho weight loss cycles last about 2-3 months, which means in the middle of March or April I might be running into some problems. If you feel so inclined, please shoot me an email (I'll list all my contact info below), a phone call, letter, etc. in the coming weeks to help me with this upcoming obstacle. I'm not anticipating any problems, but I know things happen, and live throws you for a loop. I'm more motivated now than I was when I started this journey, and that is something that has never happened. Thanks for the support!
Motivational song for the week: "Right Now" by Van Halen (good lyrics!)
My cravings are slowly coming back. I'm doing a good job of avoiding the biggest cravings (fast food), but sometimes when you have parties and get together with friends over the weekend, it's like the cravings are intensified tenfold. Between BBQing with friends, a birthday party, and pizza with the missionaries, this weekend was BAD for my 'diet'. I've never been one to kick myself for messing up, or give up just because I've messed up once, but the problem is that I know there are going to be days and weekends just like this last one. I need to find a way to control my cravings, and stop eating food just because it's there. Why can't I just be full and stop eating? It's like my body doesn't know when it's full. Some advice and words of wisdom would be helpful...
I met with my counselor again on Saturday and it was kind of funny. He had several suggestions to give me, but I was already doing them. He told me he didn't know why I was meeting with him, because I'm doing most everything right. Don't worry...there are other things we need to work on, so I will keep meeting with him.
My dietician called me today with the results from my blood work. My cholesterol and glucose counts were really good, which means I'm not borderline diabetic anymore! Yipppeee!!!
On another good note, I lost another 2 pounds this week, bringing my grand total to: 7.4 pounds!
To answer Aunt Ellen's comment from my last blog: The dancing lessons are going great! I can't believe we only have 2 weeks left. If I can find someone to enroll with me, I would like to start more classes once these end. And...on that note:
Motivational song for the week: Lee Ann Womack-I Hope You Dance
First off, I lost another 1.8 pounds. 5.4 pounds total! The weight is coming off slowly, but that's not a problem!
On Tuesday I met with a counselor for the first time. I was a little nervous, but after just talking to him for a few minutes, I felt at ease. We came up with two things we're going to focus on in the coming weeks-two things that I feel are the biggest obstacles I am facing. I am extremely optimistic about overcoming these two things, and I know with all the help and support I am getting from people, and from Heavenly Father, I will succeed.
Today I met with a Dietician. Our meeting was PERFECT. It answered every question I had about my current 'diet' (which is eating in moderation). I'm finally ready to have a structured eating schedule, and hopefully that will speed up the weight loss. She told me that although I am on the right track (eating wise), I'm not eating enough during the day (who has ever heard of such a thing?!). Now that I know what I'm doing, everything is going to go so much better. She also told me that I need to get some blood work done, and that the last time I had blood work done, I was borderline diabetic. Not a pleasant thought...Good thing I'm losing weight and getting rid of my health problems!
The motivational song for the week is something I heard for the first time last week. I tried looking up a video for it on YouTube, but was only able find one. It's a sad video about a little girl who has Cerebral Palsy, but if you focus on the lyrics, you'll be able to understand why I chose that song. The lyrics are PERFECT. "God Doesn't Make Mistakes" by Carolyn Dawn Johnson
Lots to report this week! Thanks again to everyone who has left comments and advice, especially for my last post. Keep 'em coming!
First-the exciting news for this week! I lost another 2.2 pounds, bringing my total weight loss to 3.6 pounds. I passed a certain number in my weight amount. A number that I haven't seen in a while, and I'm thrilled about it. Does this make any sense? Oh well...
I scheduled the appointment to meet with the counselor. I'll be going to that on Tuesday afternoon...I'm a little nervous, but I know I have to do it!
I met with a nutritionist about 2 years ago, but I wasn't ready to follow her diet plan, so I never went back. I called my doctor this week to see if I could meet with a nutritionist again, so I have that appointment scheduled for next Monday. I am doing really well with eating in moderation, and eating healthy foods, but I think I need some structure to what I'm trying to do. Hopefully this'll be accomplished by meeting with a nutritionist.
The weekly Latin and swing dancing lessons have pretty much become the highlight of my week (right up there with the weigh-in). I LOVE them! I'm really getting the hang of it. I like the Latin class because I get to dance with every guy in the class (I have NO problem doing that), and it's fun to see how different each guy leads you when you dance together. I'm having so much fun rotating around the circle that I'm really disappointed when the class ends. If you had told me a few weeks ago that I would be taking Latin and swing dancing lessons, and I'd actually be enjoying them, I would have told you that you were NUTS. Just ask my roommates-they tell me all the time that I've changed so much in the last few months. I am so happy with everything I'm accomplishing! I don't think I've ever been happier at any time in my life. I just wanted to let you all know that. I'm going through the hardest journey of my life right now, but I am so happy. Funny how that works...
Motivational song for the week: "I Can See Clearly Now" by Jimmy Cliff
So, I've found my first obstacle-eating out. I love to eat out, and I love going out with my friends and just relaxing. These past two weeks, I have had many opportunities to go out to eat. My roommate celebrated her 30th birthday, which of course involved eating out several times. I made good choices both times we went out, but at one of the restaurants we ordered dessert...and I'll let you figure out what happened. BUT...I did get really sick that night, and I think that was my consequence for eating dessert. This weekend (Friday night) a few of us went to Sweet Tomatoes. Yeah, it's a salad bar, but that doesn't mean it's healthy. Between the chocolate lava cake, pizza, and macaroni and cheese, I didn't hold back. Granted, I did eat less than I normally would, but I was still disappointed in myself. Yesterday afternoon a group of us went to Claim Jumper to celebrate my friends' baptism, and I ordered a salad. It was all fine and dandy until we ordered dessert. You can figure out what happened with that too...
Well, it's a new week, and I am praying for strength to overcome this specific obstacle. I believe I will be able to conquer it, but it's going to be difficult. Any suggestions?
Our first weigh-in for biggest loser was this week. I lost 1.4 pounds, which I was very happy about. I know it's not a lot, but it's in the right direction, which is all I want. There are 8 people participating, and out of 6 that weighed-in on Thursday, we lost a total of 12 pounds. That's not too shabby! I recently found out that another department at my work (located in another branch) is also doing the biggest loser contest. I wish we could have started at the same time, so more people could participate. The leader of their contest happens to be my good friend, Brenda, and she's lost a total of 17.5 pounds to date. She's an inspiration to me!
More updates to come soon. Thanks for reading!
Motivational song for the week: "Hero" Mariah Carey Cheesy...I know, but listen to the lyrics. They're good.
At work after the Stapler in Jello prank that was played on me
My roommates
With my rommate, Aubrie, at the Mesa Temple lights for Christmas
At the beach in Ft. Lauderdale (right before the cruise!)
