A Hippo with a Headband: May 2011

Monday, May 30, 2011

Motivation Monday, May 30

Motivation Monday

Welcome to Motivation Monday! I will be chronicling my journey back to a healthy body, mind, and spirit. Each week I will discuss how the previous week was and set some goals for the next week. I will also be listing my progress. If you would like to see past progress you can click on the Motivation Monday photo above for other Motivation Monday posts. If you would like to get motivated with me please link up your post using the link form below. Your post can be in any format you want.Whether you are trying to get healthier physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually or if you just have a task you need some motivation to complete...please link up so we can help support each other. I would love to hear about your progress and help keep you motivated!

Healthy Steps:
Although I had no way of measuring my food over our vacation, I did get a whole lot of walking in. I think it evened out alright.

My Week's Workouts:
On Wednesday and yesterday I was sitting in a car all day, and I mean all day for our 12 hour drive to and from the coast... but on Thursday I went shopping up and down the main street. I got a bit of sun and a lot of up hill walking in. Then on Friday we went to the Sea Life Center and walked around there for a few hours. Saturday we took a cruise for half the day and then walked around town again. And finally yesterday before our 12 hour drive we climbed a mountain to touch a glacier!

It was really hard and I thought about turning back a couple of times but I saw people larger than I am walking back down and kept telling myself If they can do it so can I damn it! Just before we reached the glacier I had some vertigo and took a seat waiting for DH to walk down the side of the glacier then come back and get me. But after it passed I thought, I've come this far... I have to go touch it! So up and up and up I climbed until I reached the glacier... and I couldn't get to it! I was so disappointed. So you know what I did? I climbed under the rope and touched it! Lol, I do not suggest disobeying signs and ropes on a mountain hike, but DH is an excellent hiker and he informed me that it was safe. Plus there were full grown men climbing on the glacier itself so I figured crawling to the edge and touching it would be safe enough. Photos coming soon.

My Numbers {From Last Saturday's Weigh In}
Green is Improvement, Red is Bad, Mmkay?, Blue is Stayed the Same
Weight -224.2
BMI % -54
Water % -34.7
Muscle Mass % -33.7

How did you do this week?

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Sunday, May 29, 2011

Small Change Challenge

I've been invited by Tami at Nutmeg Notebook to participate in her Small Change Challenge. As she put it so well, a bit of change doesn't go far. {especially with gas prices up to nearly $5 a gallon... I remember when $5 filled up my tank!} However, if you add up all your change you could rack up quite a bit of cash. The same goes for healthy living. She is challenging each of us to make small changes to better our overall health.

We can choose to make one small change for the whole four week challenge, or choose one thing to focus on and conquer each week. I've decided to work on four things during this challenge and add each week to the previous weeks so I can change four things about my habits in one month. I'll be posting my progress on Wednesdays so make sure to check in on Mondays for Monday Motivation and Slimmer This Summer, and Wednesdays for the Small Change Challenge.

Here are my four small changes:

June 1-4 Count all my calories and keep appropriate portion control (Feeling stuffed is really starting to make me feel sick and sluggish.)
June 5-11 Exercise at least 10 minutes every day (Preferably 30-60 minutes)
June 12-18 Take at least 10 minutes a day to relax, meditate, and/or practice yoga and correct breathing techniques (Get in the mindset that rest and relaxation are essential to staying healthy and proper breathing is paramount!)
June 19-29 Cook nutritious meals with more than 2 ingredients (Be more creative with my healthy cooking to make it more flavorful.)

I'm officially inviting you to join me on this challenge. You can make one small change in a month; I have faith in you! Go here to sign up, but do it FAST! The challenge begins tomorrow! Going on vacation sure does put things behind huh? I'm just glad I got her invite today so I could participate.

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Saturday, May 28, 2011

Slimmer This Summer Weight Loss Challenge

Debbi, author of Debbi Does Dieting, and Mir, author of Two Years to Happy Weight After, are teaming up to bring you the Slimmer this Summer Weight Loss Challenge. It's 12 weeks of weight loss by counting calories, using proper portion control, eating lots of fruits and veggies, drinking plenty of water, and exercising daily. Contestants are allowed to pick the ways they will concentrate on losing weight and are responsible for being accountable during the challenge. Debbi will be hosting a weekly linky on Mondays for us all to link up our progress. I'll be making my post on Saturday after my weigh in. Here are my goals for the challenge:

Track my calories and use proper portion control
Exercise at least 10 minutes per day, preferably more
Drink at least 6 cups of water per day working my way up to 9 (48 ounces minimum)

You can join too! Head over to Debbi's blog and sign up here. The challenge begins June 1st!

P.S. Do you like the button? I made it. :0) I think it turned out pretty darn cute if I say so myself. Figured it was a bit different than the measuring tape wrapped around a scale or apple I keep seeing around. Plus, swimsuits and fresh, juicy fruit make me think of summer.

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Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Happy Birthday Hippo with a Headband!

My blog is 1 year old! Happy Birthday Hippo! Let's see where I was, where I am, and where I wanted to be...

December 20th 2009

Weight: 270lbs

BMI: 44.9%

Body Fat: 53.3%

May 7th 2011

Weight: 222lbs

BMI: 36.9%

Body Fat: 53.1%

Goals (Estimated for May 2012)

Weight: 145lbs

BMI: 23%

Body Fat: 25%

Here's to another year of weight loss and finally reaching my goal! I fully intend to look like the woman in that last photo once again!

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Sunday, May 22, 2011

Motivation Monday, May 23

Motivation Monday
As you read today's post LB and I are in route across state to see an eye specialist. We are trying to determine if Little Bit will need eye surgery next month. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers today. Thanks y'all!

Welcome to Motivation Monday! I will be chronicling my journey back to a healthy body, mind, and spirit. Each week I will discuss how the previous week was and set some goals for the next week. I will also be listing my progress. If you would like to see past progress you can click on the Motivation Monday photo above for other Motivation Monday posts. If you would like to get motivated with me please link up your post using the link form below. Your post can be in any format you want.Whether you are trying to get healthier physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually or if you just have a task you need some motivation to complete...please link up so we can help support each other. I would love to hear about your progress and help keep you motivated!

Healthy Steps:
I've really been watching what I eat and counting my calories. I bought a food scale for about $10 and it has helped a lot in learning correct portion size. I was hungry the first couple of days but now I am doing well with my smaller portions. I am still wearing my fit bit and tracking my steps each day.

My Week's Workouts:
I tried a dance video from Netflix instant viewing and it was pretty fun. I felt silly because I don't learn dance moves very easily so I was missing a couple of minor movements... plus it was Latin dancing which has lots of hip movement... but I was in my own living room so I just kept at it. I haven't done it again since but I would like to. I was busy cleaning the house and unpacking boxes which left me fairly tired and sore. DH and I have gone on a couple of walks with LB this week too.

My Numbers {From Last Saturday's Weigh In}
Green is Improvement, Red is Bad, Mmkay?, Blue is Stayed the Same
Weight -222
BMI % -53.1
Water % -35.2
Muscle Mass % -33.3

How did you do this week?

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Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Something's Gotta Change

Losing weight is easy in theory. Burn more calories than you eat. I burn about 2000 calories a day without exercise just by lungs breathing, heart beating, and legs walking around the house taking care of LB and cooking meals. So in theory if I eat anywhere between 1300 and 1800 calories a day I ought to be losing weight. But I'm not.

I know weight loss is more than calories in and calories out but I don't eat many high fat or sugary foods. My main problem is starch right now. I eat cereal and tortillas often. My nutritionist says my eating is alright but that I really need to add in exercise to see the results I want. Last week I went for two 3-6 mile walks and I saw a slight difference in my weight but not much compared to how hard those walks were for me. I just can't seem to find the energy or motivation to use the Wii, go for a nightly walk, or even walk up and down out stairs a few times after a long day of chasing LB around. It's tiring, but not really effective exercise. I've thought about a couple of things tonight but I have issues with both:

Zumba Class - I have heard how much fun this is and am interested in giving it a try but I would be the heaviest in the class by far. They all wear belled sashes around their waists during the exercise and given the photos I've seen I am pretty sure it won't fit me. I would be so embarrassed to be the only one unable to wear one. Also I have a hard time learning dance routines. I know that you can just sorta do your own thing in these classes but it's in one of the dance studios with mirrors all around and I'm a bit shy about that. I think perhaps my depression is getting the best of me and keeping me too nervous to try it out. I kinda feel like crying just thinking about going and being embarrassed even if no one says anything to me about my weight or dancing skills.

Weight Watchers - I've also heard a lot about WW and how people have lost 20lbs in their first month. My concern here is that I already track my calories everyday so would WW be any different from what I'm already doing? It would cost us $40 a month for me to go to meetings (online isn't too much cheaper but those screenshots look almost identical to what I already do). Is it really worth my money? What do they do that is more than tracking calories? Also, I'm not very good at going to weekly meetings. I absolutely LOVE Dave Ramsey and I was able to attend the class for free but for the last 6 weeks I found some sort of excuse not to go. Again, my depression plays a big role in my not getting out and going to meetings.

I don't know what to do but obviously something needs to change. Not sure if anyone noticed, but I haven't even bothered to do my Motivation Monday meme for a couple of weeks. I guess I just feel discouraged and burned out. I've been so close to 220lbs for so long that I feel like I'm almost satisfied with being 226-223lbs. I don't know what is wrong or how to jump start my weight loss again.

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Saturday, May 7, 2011

It's My Birthday!

My dear motivators, it's finally Saturday... wanna know how I did?!

Well, I did not lose 3lbs and get under 220lbs for my birthday but I did lose weight AND I maintained my yearly goal to be less each month than the month before. On April 2, 2011 I was 225.6 and today, May 7th I am 222.8lbs! Not too shabby I'd say! My goal for next week is to break this 220lb hump and go full steam ahead to my Onederland party! {I'll tell you all about that later, but essentially I'm having a party when I get down to the 100's.}

But you wanna know what is more important than that? My husband helped me to see I am capable of more than I thought I was. Three days ago he lead LB and I on a walk. He didn't tell me where we were going or how far it would be. I was nervous, but my husband has done so much for me over the past month and seeing how excited he was about this walk I couldn't disappoint him. I prayed for God's strength to follow my husband no matter where he took us and to trust that he knows my limits. We ended up walking about 3 miles along the river on a gravel walkway pushing LB's stroller. We stopped and watched the beavers and ducks a couple of times but kept a good pace. I wasn't tired until we were on our way back and then I just sat in the shade for about a minute before we carried on. It was a pretty nice walk.

Then the next day I wanted to go shopping but DH had the car for work so I packed LB up in his stroller and we set off for the store. LB and I walked almost 6 miles that day. I never thought I could walk more than 1.5 miles before. Now I know I am capable of walking longer and longer distances. We might even walk the 5K next Saturday for our local Breast Cancer Detection Center. The tough thing about that walk is that it will be up and down hills... but I am capable! Now to ride my bike to the gym {which is right next to the store}. That's one of my non-scale goals.

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Thursday, May 5, 2011

3lbs in 2 days?

Well ladies and gents... if I don't gain an ounce in the next two days I will meet my year long goal this month to weigh less than the beginning of the previous month. However, this Saturday is my 26th birthday and it's also a weigh in day. Historically weigh ins have decided what kind of day it will be since my weight loss is so important to me so for this weigh in I was hoping to be under 220lbs {finally}. I am determined to have a good birthday this year! I stepped on the scale this morning and I have 3lbs to lose by Saturday morning. I lost 2lbs yesterday from going on a 5 mile nature walk with the hubby pushing the stroller through brush and gravel. Do you think I can lose the 3lbs before my birthday on Saturday?

I think it's probably a long shot given that it took me a month to lose that much {which is completely normal and healthy... but not fantastic}. But, if I'm going to be honest with y'all... I haven't been exercising much lately. I've been busy cranking out blog designs and chasing our now toddler around the house and am just plain tired at the end of the day. But you know what? I'm feeling good right now. I think LB might just have to take his afternoon nap in his stroller as I walk a mile around our neighborhood. Alright, enough blogging and rambling on. If I am going to lose 3lbs before my birthday I need to get out in this heavenly sunshine and walk walk walk! See ya later and wish me luck. Prayers would be great too! :0)

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Wednesday, May 4, 2011

I am FUMING thanks to my MIL

The wife of my husband's best friend had weight loss surgery and I was confused because I was told she has lost 50lbs and she looks really thin. I thought you had to be considerably overweight to qualify. So my MIL wrote to DH's best friend's mom to ask and here is what she wrote: (Names changed for online)

Did M**** have the gastric sleeve, gastric by-pass, or lap band surgery? Has it even been a year now since she had that done? It seems like she has had a good success with it. (My daughter in law) is asking. She just told me that she has lost about 50 lbs now since her son was born. She had gained lots of weight when she was pregnant. Partly because she just ate and slept all the time. She did not have to work since she was an “Army Wife”, and apparently my son does not want his wife to have to work. Good for them! That’s certainly not how he was raised. And part of the time that they were apart she was very depressed because she could not go with her husband to his training bases, and did not get to go to Alaska until he had been there for a while. Issues…..anyway I think one only has to be 100 lbs overweight before they can have that kind of surgery. She would have qualified if she had not lost this weight. Apparently my son was on her about her weight and her eating habits. Unless she has recently changed, I think he does most of the cooking. That is one thing he did listen to me and my Mom about.

I AM PISSED THE F OFF! EVERYTHING she said is false. Here is my response I plan to e-mail her. Am I being too harsh or does it sound too angry? I don't want to make things hard btw us even though my husband could care less about his own mom. He wants her out of our lives. I just don't want any undo conflict. We all know stress isn't good for healthy living, and especially weight loss.

Interesting. Although, almost everything you told S***** is false. I guess since your son doesn't talk to you often you weren't aware. I only gained 40lbs with our son. I was overweight before we got pregnant from a medication I had to take in college. It caused me to gain nearly 70lbs in one year but I had to keep taking it. I do work actually. I own my own company and work at home because I want to be home with our son and be there any time he needs me. My husband doesn't mind if I work or don't work. All he wants is for me to be happy. And as an "Army Wife" I volunteer quite a bit. I, in no way, sit at home all day doing nothing. And I didn't just eat and sleep during my pregnancy. I was actually working out nearly everyday until my 8th month when my hips began hurting too much to do more than walking once a day. Also, I did go to my husband's training base with him and I was not depressed during that time. I was pretty pissed off that I wasn't approved to go to Alaska right away in fear that he would miss his son's birth, but I wasn't depressed and it didn't effect my weight gain. The reason I gained weight during my pregnancy is because I developed preeclamspia and had about 30lbs of water weight. Also, my husband has NEVER said anything about my eating habits except to say that I need to eat more. I eat salads, fish, lean chicken, and vegetables. We don't eat fried or processed foods. And my husband has never cooked for us. I do all our cooking and always have. I really have no idea where you got all this "information" and to be completely honest it makes me want to cry thinking you are essentially telling people I am fat and lazy. That is not fair. You have no idea about my weight gain and loss. I have lost 50lbs on my own without surgery or medical intervention even after 3 major abdominal surgeries in the last three years. I am in much better health than most overweight women my age because I exercise daily and eat healthy meals. My weight "issues" are due to medication not overeating and laziness.