Never giving up...

I have been still steadily trying to lose weight.  Now, all workouts hurt. I try PIYO, it hurts, I try Turbo Fire, it hurts, I walk in place...guess what that hurts too. Walking hurts. The chiropractor says right now the impact from walking is too much...seriously?? So what in the world am I supposed to do?? Well, I am not sure yet. He says I need to use an elliptical or a stationary bike. Neither of which I have. So I am just going to have to either find one or think of something. It makes me want to quit. My body wins! GAME OVER. Right???

WRONG! I will never ever ever give up. I am not sure what I will have to do, but I will figure out a way to lose this weight. I have joined a new weight loss challenge group for 4 weeks. I am going to use that as a jumping off point, a launching pad to get me back into a routine and doing what I need to do.  Don't get me wrong, I have actually been walking in place or walking everyday...counting those calories and drinking water. And I have made progress...but what I need to do is quit having those thoughts that pop into my head telling me to quit. Ignore those voices is the focus of the next 4 weeks.

So let's do it!

A few changes...

I really have no idea if anyone actually reads this blog. If not, no worries! I need a place where I can get all that swims around in my head out! And to any who do read, thank you!

So I have been thinking about the format of this blog a bit, and I want to change it up. I love to write. I feel so good when I get my hands on a keyboard and let my fingers fly. It unloads my brain, and sometimes my heart.

Losing weight is still the main focus on this blog. I am learning how to juggle a busy family with losing weight. Anyone who has ready this blog in the past knows that Turbo Fire or any Turbo workout (there's also Turbo Kick, the live classes and Turbo Jam, the original) are my favorite workouts to do. But there are days...most days where that doesn't fit in to our busy lives. So I am trying to find a different way to get some kind of exercise in. As long as I stay busy...that usually isn't a problem. I aim for a target amount of calories during the day, based on goals set by me and the Bodymedia software, and if I can keep up with it I am confident this will be the year I succeed.

Well, gotta run...
Love and hugs,
Dee

Do over

Don't you sometimes wish that had a do over button? Where you could just press this button and you could redo everything.  That's how I'm feeling right now with my weight loss. I wish I could just start over. I don't mean start over at 245 pounds, but I mean instead of all this time it's taken me to lose the weight just have a steady weight loss journey and be done by now. But that's not how life goes... I can only try to finish this journey I have started. Apparently the scenery was nice around 180 pounds and I hung out there too long. But I'm moving away from there and headed to lighter places.

I was thinking of doing a photo weigh in weekly... Not sure yet that's really intimidating to me.  I've actually been struggling with the thought of if I even want to continue with losing weight or just stay as I am. But I know I'd feel better even just 20 pounds lighter, so right now that's my aim. I'm never gonna have a body like these Beachbody coaches in my Instagram and Facebook feeds,  and I need to learn to be happy with this body. The one I'm in. 

Learning my limitations...

Here I am. Another summer.  Not where I want to be in body composition. Why? I really don't feel it lately.  Is that weird?  I have just been living. Weight loss has been in the back of my mind , but not where it needs to be if I really want to make progress.

It has been a busy week and my low bp problems have come to visit again so I'm drained after being outside and in general. I am logging food but I'm not really exercising like I should.  Even my beloved Turbo is too much for me right now. 

We have convention coming up next week and until and through then,  I'm going to concentrate on drinking a lot of water.  That always seems to help me. After convention I'll figure out what needs to happen next.

Love and hugs,
Dee

Will You still love me if I am fat?

Wow...weird question right? This is a question that a lot of us long time dieters ask. We're insecure, we are sometimes uncomfortable in our own skin. And we have all these preconceived notions about how much better life will be if we are skinny.

But at the end of the day, people just want to be loved. They want to be assured that the people they love and hold in high esteem feel the same way about them. Or maybe they want someone to be proud of them. "You look so good, you must have worked hard, I'm so proud of you" may be as important to an overweight persons ears as air to the lungs.

I have always been honest on my blog, and I am not about to stop now.  I want to lose weight.... I have 48 more pounds to go and I want more than anything to experience what it feels like not to carry around excess weight. I have wanted this since I was about 13 years old.

Yes I have lost 68 pounds, but I want to lose the rest. Here's the thing...it is NOT coming off! I have been at a calorie deficit this whole time (except a 2 week diet break)...this whole time being over 4 years.  When I stalled, I took a diet break (March 2015)...didn't gain anything during that time so I thought maybe my body was ready to start losing again. NOPE! I exercised more...lowered my calories more, became obsessed. Now I am trying intermittent fasting hoping this was the "magical" answer but yet again I am left disappointed. (I know I have only been doing it a week but my body usually responds to diet changes within days of a new eating pattern...last time I did Intermittent fasting I lost 3 pounds the first week..)

I feel like if I don't explain this, people will think I am not trying. They will think I like being my size. They will think or say: "You must be eating more than you say" or "You eat mostly junk food" or "Obviously you are not trying hard enough". The thing is.... I AM! I weigh and measure my food and log everything that goes into my body. I eat whole grains, fruit, salads, veggies, protein.  I have a calorie tracker to track how many calories I am burning. If I don't have my target burned calories, then I walk in place until I make it. I am trying so hard.

Now, I am not saying I am giving up though I have had bouts of time where I really really want to. But...I feel like, again, I need to explain myself so everyone understands. I am trying. But now I am researching how the body works, things like metabolic slowdown and how to reverse diet to fix that. I am still going to stick to intermittent fasting during this time, but I also need to fix my metabolism before my body just shuts down. Dieting should be a part of my life, not my whole life...not the obsession that it has become. Life has become unenjoyable this way.

I have been evaluating my self-worth by my weight and what my body looks like, the fat around my middle and my legs are like an enemy taunting me every day...telling me I am not worth anything, that I am a failure. I have to find a way to get away from that. It's unrealistic and unhealthy to have that type of body image. I need to be happy with who I am, me as a person, as a mom, as a wife, as a daughter,sister and friend. When I have gotten there, maybe the weight will come off. Maybe not...and I need to find a way to be okay either way.

Love and hugs,
Dee

INTERMITTENT FASTING

So I have decided to start Intermittent fasting again. The protocol I am following is 16/8...which means 16 hours of my day are spent fasting and I eat within an 8 hour window.

WHY??????????

Well, I've been progressively lowering my calorie intake and upping my expenditure...until the numbers are exhausting to try to attain to, then after all that effort, the next day I had to get up and do it all again. I was burnt out! And guess what...NO RESULTS! In fact, I have been slowly gaining weight. Do you have any idea how frustrating that is??? VERY. I was pretty much ready to say forget it...I'll just stay this weight.

My BFF suggested I listen to a podcast by Chalene Johnson (The Chalene Show - it's on iTunes for Apple peeps and for us Androids you can use Podcast Addict, a free app from the Play Store) all about intermittent fasting with Dr. Sara Solomon. Her website is www.drsarasolomon.com. She was a bodybuilder who was in competitions, but who hit a wall with how low she could take her calories and how much exercise she could do...she was working out 2-3 hours per day and had stopped losing fat.  HMMMMMMM....I wasn't doing that much exercise because I couldn't stand it...I have a life ya know!!!

So this is my experiment and hopefully my success with Intermittent Fasting (IF).

We'll see......

The Diet Break...results?

Well, the diet break has come and gone. I ate without regard to calories and gave my body a rest from vigorous workouts. I honestly didn't think I'd last the 2 weeks because it was hard to get out of the mindset of logging and worrying. But I gotta say it was kinda nice.

And to my surprise, I didn't gain much weight!! A little over a pound, which when I started up again came right off and took a friend! YAY!! So I am lower than when I started the break, only at 4 days after I got back on track. I say that is not bad at all!!

So keep on going...weight loss is not easy and you should be proud of every pound you take off, no matter how slow.

Love and hugs,
Dee

A diet BREAK??!!?!?!?!

Yep, you read that right! I am taking a two week diet break. That seems odd doesn't it? I thought so too.  It was suggested to me by my Beachbody coach and at first I thought...what?? NO way!!!  But I also did some research and found a couple articles that not only suggest it, but list the benefits. You can read them here and here.

Let me tell you, for a person who has been trying to have a calorie deficit every day for the last 5 years (that is when I got my Bodybugg) you would think this would be easy...HOORAY A BREAK!!  But man oh man, it has been really tough. Counting everything has become so engrained into my brain that I have still been trying to calculate everything. Never thought THAT would happen!!

All in all though, I think it will be good.  I am still trying to make sure I drink enough water and I have a bunch of projects around the house that will keep me busy that I have been needing to get done anyway.

I will be back in two weeks and gung ho again!!
Love and hugs,
Dee

Continuing Progress

Hi friends and readers! I am still here, plugging along. I am back to a near 70lb loss from my starting point. I think I was able to pinpoint what is going on with my body.

First of all, back in 2001 I had half my thyroid removed. My body has done a good job keeping up, even through 2 pregnancies after the surgery. But lately, the extreme exhaustion, dry skin, nails that split and don't grow, dry breaking hair and extreme sensitivity to cold have shown me that my thyroid is struggling. So I ordered some thyroid supplements, and have upped my dose from 1 when I started last week to 2 per day. I am feeling more energetic, so as I tweak that I will see how my body responds.

Secondly, last Summer as I was going through my very low blood pressure and blacking out period, I went to the doctor. She prescribed me a medication that was supposed to help me hold on to the sodium I took in but it forced my body to release potassium.  Consequently I did start feeling better...but as a side effect, I gained 15 pounds! As I have been feeling better I have weaned myself off that medication and have started taking potassium supplements and eating foods that are high in potassium. I have only been able to take 2 of those pounds off, but they are coming off so I am at least moving in the right direction.

I am back to doing Turbo Fire and am doing zig zag calories for my consumption. Basically, instead of just eating a steady amount of calories, I am doing low a few days and higher other days. I found the plan here: Calorie Calculator . It is supposed to keep the body from plateauing.

Mostly, I am back to being determined to get this weight off. It may be slow...but slow is better than nothing. This is not a race, there is no finish line because I know this will be a lifelong struggle.

I think having this blog and being able to share this journey makes me more determined to do it. It really doesn't matter if anyone reads it, but it's a nice little release for me.

Love and hugs,
Dee

Transforming from the inside / out

So I haven't posted anything recently. Well I have been busy, then traveling and finally this week sick from a stomach illness.  Lovely right? Well it's not as glamorous as it seems. Lol!

The good thing that usually comes with any stomach illness is weight loss.  Well I am down 2 lbs, which I would have preferred more, but hey better than nothing. The interesting transformation is my attitude towards food. Maybe good, maybe bad, I'm not sure but right now food is my enemy. I can't look at it and go "mmmm I need that" or "oooh that looks so yummy" because quite frankly food has lost it's appeal.

Monday night, I had what I can only describe as a phantom gallbladder attack. Phantom meaning that I no longer own a gallbladder. But oh that pain. It was misery. I coudn't breathe. I panicked. I hurt more than I had ever hurt, and I've had 3 kids!!!! When I think of that pain, I get scared to ever have that again. I'm not sure what caused it, if it was something I ate, if it was all the vomiting I had engaged in during the course of the day, but seriously I NEVER WANT THAT TO HAPPEN EVER, EVER AGAIN!!!!

What in the world could be good about this? The fact that I've begun to think of food as fuel, to be eaten in small, healthy portions. Maybe that's what I need right now to make my weight loss goal. Maybe this will give me the edge I've been needing.

I've also adjusted my weight loss goal. I had been really working on losing 2 lbs per week. It's not too unreasonable, still within safe parameters right? But I have learned that my body doesn't do that. No matter how clean I eat, no matter how hard I hit my workouts, there are few weeks my body will cooperate with the 2lbs lost goal. This has been very discouraging and I think is a big reason why I have not met my goal. Imagine struggling and not getting as far as you want when you want over and over again. Eventually you want to have times where you are like "who cares? Maybe I'll just stay fat." But I can't do that. My spine can't take the extra weight. So, I guess instead of trying to hit my goal by 39, I will aim for by 40. I am aiming for 1 - 1.5 lbs per week. I would really like it to be sooner and maybe it will happen some weeks, but if it doesn't, I will (hopefully) have reached at least 1 lb gone and that's better than nothing.

Well, I think this post is long enough.  Until another day.

Tough week

This has been a difficult week. I can't pinpont why. But I just can't keep myself on my weight loss plan. Hmmm...

Today I changed my strategy. Got my workout in early. It seems like I burn more calories throughout the day when I get it done early.

I am really excited because next year we are planning a trip to Puerto Rico to celebrate my parents 30th anniversary. I have wanted to go there my whole life. So I am going to use that as my motivation to do what I need to do to lose as much weight as I can before then.

Myfitnesspal and BodyMedia still haven't fixed their issues and I keep forgetting to resync them each night so that I can post my stats. I hope they're gonig to fix it soon, but according to their tech support it'll still be a while.

Love and hugs,
Dee

11/12/14

The workout was Turbo fire 60. I do all of them low impact so as to keep my back from getting worse. No jumping or anything like that.

Been working on drinking 96 ounces of water but it's tough when it's so cold!!

11/11/14

Exercise was walking at the park. Just missed my 1000 calorie deficit by 10!!

11/10/14

Here are yesterday's numbers. 

 Workout was Fire 45ez

8 hour diet

So I thought I'd post a little more info on the diet I'm doing. Go here: http://www.eighthourabsdiet.com and sign up for the free eBook. It's super short. I've been eating from 11:30a.m. to 7:30p.m. only. I haven't been been super restrictive or anything, just working on eating healthier things (more produce, less processed stuff).

So far so good! More stats Saturday!

Stat-ur-day

This week on Monday, I started something called the 8 hour diet. Basically, it's only eating within an 8 hour window. The first day I was hungry, but now it's been really easy.

I've lost 2.2 pounds (and one since yesterday! ) With a window of eating it's really hard to overeat, because there's no time. My stomach has felt better and I've had less indigestion. So win/win!!

I'll update again next week!!

Saturday, September 6

Calories burned: 2372
Eaten: 1407
Deficit: 965
Water: 64 oz ( need to work on this)
Exercise : push mowing part of the lawn and raking the back yard

A new commitment

Right now I'm sitting outside by the pool with my kids. It is so hot out today.

I've been thinking, a lot. What would take someone from an 80 pound weight loss to gaining 10 pounds, eating whatever and whenever?  Why would I work so hard, just to abandon ship and go back to my old ways? I don't know  the answer. I wish I did. I wish I understood how I could still daily log everything I eat and look at those numbers and not stop. What makes me feel so down that I push my emotions down with food? Why did I stop exercising?  

I read these old posts from last year and I think... who is this person?  Who is this motivated, motivating person ready to get things accomplished?  I don't know, but I'm gonna find her!! 

All I can do is recommit, and work hard again to stick to it. I've got you, my support team in place.

So I'll post my water consumption, calories in and out and workout here after I do it. This is how I'll stay on track.

No Time to Workout!!

A lot of people will say that they don't have time to work out. Many of us are running around like a chicken without a head because we're just so busy. But at the same time we have goals that we want to meet like losing weight and getting in shape.

What I have found is that if you want it bad enough you'll find that hour in your day or you will make that hour in your day by sacrificing something less important maybe like watching TV.

But some people are truly very very busy so how can you incorporate fitness into your everyday life?

Here are 5 ways:

1. March in place while doing routine tasks like cooking or folding laundry.

2. Jog in place while microwaving something.

3.  Park farther away from the store or place you're going.

4.  Take the stairs instead of the elevator.

5. Do squats when you go to the bathroom. :-)

These things BURN CALORIES...and if you're losing weigh that's what you need to do.  Stop making excuses and start getting busy!

Small Changes Equal Big Results

Have you ever gone into a weight loss program, gung-ho, ready to kill it, only to fall off the wagon after a few weeks or less? Don't worry...lots of us have experienced that. So what can you to so that you can see the results you want without so many starts and stops?

First, realize that you didn't get to where you are in one day...and so you're not going to get to your goal that quickly either. Whether you've got 20 or 200 pounds to lose, it's going to take time. Be realistic in the expectations you have for yourself. It's recommended you lose 1/2 to 2 pounds per week. Create a program you can live with for the long term. If you know you don't like veggies, don't start juicing veggies expecting to drop tons of weight...because you're not gonna stick to that. Instead, focus on creating a calorie deficit. A huge help is a website like MyFitnessPal. You set your goals, log your food and exercise and stay within the guidelines set for you. This is a very easy way to keep track of your weight loss. Whatever you choose, you have to STICK TO IT!!

Having a structured program like the many offered by Beachbody is extremely helpful to keep you on your path. Most of the programs start off a little easier and work you up to the harder stuff. They've got easier programs like Tai Cheng all the way up to Turbo Fire and Insanity. Let me tell you, when you have to start out low impact, then one day you nail a burpee or tuck jump...your confidence soars!! That's a great motivation to stick with it...seeing yourself improve!!

Another important tip, especially if you're not in a position to take a kick boxing class or other high-intensity exercise...is keep busy. Small activities throughout your day can still burn calories. Cleaning your house, washing your car, marching in place while cooking dinner, washing dishes or folding laundry... All these things burn calories. Walking is a great way to get exercise. If you're unable to do any of those, even punching into the air while you watch TV, during the commercials STILL BURNS CALORIES!!

If you want it bad enough...then don't quit!! You deserve to feel good and be proud of what you accomplish! I am always here for you...

Love and hugs,

Dee