Change can have accidents

This has been a ROUGH weekend! I was doing pretty well all week and then on Friday I got into a car accident  and the last 3 days of my week were straight downhill!
Had no car to get quick food at Subway and was so sore I couldn't stand long enough to cook a healthy meal. So my calories went up and my exercise went down and all I can do is pray that it does affect my weigh in next week.
I squeaked by on today's weigh in. I didn't lose anything, but I didn't gain anything either, so I consider myself lucky.
I am still stiff and sore, but I am working through it. And without a car, I guess I will be riding my bike a little more often! Burn calories, burn!

Change can be poetic

I went running last night and it felt great! Not quite a mile in just under 11 minutes! I can't wait for my first race of the year!
I know it sounds funny for someone that is as overweight as I am, but running fuels my fire. I absolutely love participating in 5K's, 10K's and Half Marathon's. I don't run them to win, because I am realistic, I run them to improve myself! Just finishing is a major accomplishment for me and it feels amazing every single time!
I have been known to push myself pretty hard on these runs and, yes, I have even hurt myself, but I have to forget that and keep going. If I don't, then I am defeated. That is the worst thing in the world! When I forget about it and move forward, I am victorious.
A wonderful friend of mine posted a "six word story" on Facebook and it inspired me to write one of my own...Forget Pain, Push Forward, Relish Victory.

I will not be defeated!

Change comes with surprises

Today I got an awesome surprise! I have been trying all week to win an entry into a race by Run13 and today I finally did!!! I will definitely be up in the Provo area for Cinco de Mayo weekend to run the Provo City Half Marathon! I can't wait! Not having to pay for the entry will give me enough for an extra day to see my friends and family! I am SO happy right now that I just want to go run my butt off!!! Race=Motivation ♥☆★♡★☆♥☆★♡

Change comes slowly

After a rough week, I am feeling surprisingly good! I was not feeling very optimistic during the middle of the week because I was tired and eating crap and making excuses.
Despite all of that, I still managed to reign it back in, cut back my calories a bit and step up my exercise for the last 2 nights of the week. And the turn around paid off, I lost 1.5 pounds last week. Doesn't sound like much, but it is healthy rate and I know I will have bigger weeks and lower weeks. I am proud of that loss and it was just the fuel I needed to carry into this week and conquer, well...myself!
Thankfully I have some help! I have been using a calorie tracking app for a while and I found out that a friend of mine is using it too. That is great because we can track each other, encourage each other and participate in challenges! The competition aspect really gets me going! I don't win things very often, but for some reason, if its a competition, I try harder! Thank you Stephanie for inviting me to a challenge!
Here's to having a great week!

Change...comes with set backs

I am determined to make this work this time and to that effect, I keep reminding myself that I will have set backs! I will have days, especially while retraining my diet, when I will completely blow my calories and I may not exercise everyday. As long as I can recognize those days and not let them train wreck on me, I will be ok.
As you might expect, this subject is on my mind because I have had a rough couple of days this week. I have missed 2 nights of exercise and have eaten crap for the last 2 days.
Thankfully I am able to recognize it...it's the reigning it in that I am still grappling with. I am learning, but it is still a day by day kind of thing and it's hard. It may take me a few days to get back to the good place I was in last week, but I WILL get back!
So just remember that even if you slide a little on that slippery slope of getting healthy, if you dig in your heels and don't give up, you'll start climbing again in no time. Just remember the climb because if you forget any of it, you will slide right back down.

I hate to quote Miley Cyrus, but if it fits...

The Climb

I can almost see it
That dream I'm dreaming
But there's a voice inside my head saying
"You'll never reach it"

Every step I'm taking
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaken

But I, I gotta keep trying
Gotta keep my head held high

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side

It's the climb.

Change May Require a Little Help

Help comes in all forms. Like I said in the last post, paperwork is key. It is also helpful!
Today I found a new food and exercise journal. I opted to not go with the Biggest Loser (BL) journal this year because I wanted something that took meds and body inches into account. I will be tracking everything from here on out!
No matter how long it takes me, I will get to my goal weight of 160 pounds! I will post my goals for 2013 in the next few days. I encourage everyone to let go of the idea of resolutions and embrace goals! It is less stressful! Healthy life, here I come!

Sometimes Change Means Paperwork!

I have struggled with my weight since elementary school. It sucks! The most successful I have ever been with my weight loss was actually nearly 2 years ago when I lost 22 pounds in 4 months. I attribute that success to exercising regularly and keeping a food journal so I could see how many calories I was consuming.
When I slacked off on keeping the food journal, I started to gain weight again. When I was injured and couldn't run for 6 weeks, I got very depressed and quit using the food journal all together and as a result, my weight skyrocketed.
I have managed to keep myself under 250 pounds, but to me, that is heart wrenching. I was down to 202 at my lowest. I was ready to break through that 200 pound mark and for some reason, I couldn't. It was SO frustrating! That was when I started slacking.
This time it won't happen. I may not do it for the rest of my life, but I will do it for as long as it takes for me to understand how many calories are in different foods so that I know how much exercise I will need to do to burn them off. To further this effort I am going to find a nutrition class at the local college to take as well as some kind of fitness course so I can lose all the weight I need to in a healthy way and know how to keep it off!
Knowledge truly is power!