My loss of one and six tenths pounds put me at a total loss of twenty pounds. What a way to celebrate my birthday, which was this past Thursday.
I didn't have any cake and ice cream for my birthday, and I didn't miss a thing. We have three August birthdays in our house so I've had cake this month. I am ready to cash in my rain check for a birthday dinner of sushi and frozen yogurt. Too bad we have to go out of town for both.
Fred also had a loss his birthday weekend earlier this month. We are working it!
This week Fred had a loss, but I forgot his numbers! Update coming.
I feel like I haven't blogged in forever! It's been busy around here with the kids and me going back to school after a much needed summer break. I feel like I have been left without a spare minute in the day. Wednesday before last I returned to work for the first of three teacher in-service days. On the last day before the students were to return, Friday, I was moved to an entirely different school to teach a different subject than I was set to teach at a different grade level. Whew!
I am just now able to catch my breath. Things have been chaotic. Because of last minute preparations into the wee hours of the night, we didn't get a single run in last week. But we hit it today! There's no way I will let my progress go to waste to grade papers. Running, and exercise in general, make me feel great. My health and fitness are a priority - plain and simple.
It's hard to go to bed early with so many things left undone. It's far too easy to slip back into old habits of eating poorly and not exercising because there isn't enough time. Being a lazy bum is easy. However, I've decided that easy is not for me.
I am willing to put in the effort, I will work hard, and I am determined to succeed. I am dedicated to this healthy lifestyle. I'm in it to win it!
Yesterday, I weighed in with a loss of one and six tenths pounds. I am very close to a total loss of twenty pounds.
Fred weighed in with a loss of six tenths. A loss is a loss. We'll take it.
I like my Saturday meetings better. First, the people are closer to my age. Most members have zero kids or some kids - not GRANDKIDS! Also, these people work and are not retired. I find myself sharing more since our struggles are more alike.
I really do love Wendy's. I can do without eating out, but when we are on the road, I need to have a meal that I know the points of. I like to have a Jr. Hamburger with added lettuce and tomato, a kids fry, a cup of water, and a Jr. Frosty (usually chocolate). Sometimes, I might drop either the fry or frosty depending on the number of points I want to spend. While this meal might be a splurge point wise, it only costs about three dollars.
burger - 6 pts+
fry - 6 pts+
water - 0 pts+
frosty - 5pts +
I don't mind eating a salad (especially the Berry Almond Salad), but I usually have a taste for a burger. Wendy's tastes far better than McDonald's in my opinion. If it weren't so full of fat (and points!), I'd opt for a number one Sonic burger with added cheese, chili and coleslaw and an order of onion rings. YUMMY!
I think that I will change my meeting date to Saturday. I weighed in this morning for the second Saturday in a row. I don't know how long this will last.
So. . . the scale showed a gain of one pound and four tenths. You won't get any complaints or whining from me after last week's great loss. The gain is probably the result of a change in our training (or the lasagna my mom cooked for us Sunday.)
Fred had a loss of six tenths this week. He's being weighing in every week with me even if there aren't updates on here. He is just not that good at updating.
This week I plan to do something a wee bit different in terms of how many and what kinds of points I'll be eating. I am anxious to see how the change will be reflected on the scale. At work I was assigned to a new school and a new grade level Friday. Our students start Monday. I hope this doesn't cause me to have too many late evenings of planning and grading that disrupt my exercise routines. Otherwise, I am excited about new beginnings and opportunities.
When we started running earlier this year, one minute at a time, I was hoping we would stick with it. I was hoping we would progress. I was hoping it would become a part of our lives, I was hoping, but I could not see it. Now a few months later I can see the fruits of our labor. These results have come by hard work and were by no means instantaneous.
This week we have
Run three miles in under forty-five minutes (a goal I can cross off)
Run two miles in a constant light rain (in the past we would have heard the rain and rolled over with relief, but this day we got up )
Run three miles with negative splits (now, we didn't set any world records, but each mile was a bit faster than the previous - never thought I'd have the energy for that )
Run three consecutive days (each of the above victories occurred on a separate day )
Celebrate the victories that make your life better no matter how insignificant they may seem. Growth is great!
About a month ago I read something that implied that not all change is good. I can agree. The author also stated that not all people change for the better. I can agree.
My husband and I have undergone some changes since we have been married, and the changes have been for the best. Each of us have strengthened our relationships with God individually. We've been doing more reading, studying, and praying. The best change has been that we are ONE. We've also come to be better friends and better parents. We have also decided to better stewards of our bodies, which is why you have anything to read from us in the first place.
A song by Matthew West, which our whole family loves to sing, really gives voice to the change that has taken place in us. Right now the words are my very own testimony. I am not ashamed of my past, and my past has no hold on me. Every single step in the right direction is cause for me to give God praise. Nothing I have accomplished is of my own doing. Not one mile of running, not three miles of running, or even the four miles I'll run this weekend. It is through God's power that I have strength to accomplish anything - even that which was once foreign to me like running or sharing Christ with others.
Here are the lyrics to the song (and a video is at the end):
Hello, my name is
regret
I'm pretty sure we have met
Every single day of your life
I'm the whisper inside
That won't let you forget
Hello, my name is
defeat
I know you recognize me
Just when you think you can win
I'll drag you right back down again
'Til you've lost all belief
These are the
voices, these are the lies
And I have believed them, for the very last time
Hello, my name is
child of the one true King
I've been saved, I've been changed, and I have been set free
"Amazing Grace" is the song I sing
Hello, my name is child of the one true King
I am no longer
defined
By all the wreckage behind
The one who makes all things new
Has proven it's true
Just take a look at my life
Hello, my name is
child of the one true King
I've been saved, I've been changed, and I have been set free
"Amazing Grace" is the song I sing
Hello, my name is child of the one true King
What love the
Father has lavished upon us
That we should be called His children
I am a child of the one true King
What love the
Father has lavished upon us
That we should be called His children
Hello, my name is
child of the one true King
I've been saved, I've been changed, and I have been set free
"Amazing Grace" is the song I sing
Hello, my name is child of the one true King
I am a child of
the one true King
For those who know Fred and I personally, if you believe we have changed for the worst, I dare you to get to know Christ for yourself. If you believe we were better off how we were before, you are wrong.
Because our church had VBS this past week, I had to miss my regular meeting. This morning I got a chance to attend a meeting. The scale showed a loss of . . .
seven pounds and six tenths!
Shut up! I know! When I heard all of the dings from the bell and the clapping from the members, I felt like I was on Biggest Loser! The leader was like "You must have worked really hard this week." Um. . . Not really, but it's 'bout time! I've weighed every morning this week since I missed my meeting so I knew the number, I just hadn't done the MATH.
My weight loss has been a bit slow, but I know it's because of the steady increases in exercise. We've been running and doing Chalean. But this past week I didn't slack in exercise - I didn't complete one single exercise. I really am a believer in rest weeks (though this one wasn't planned), and no, it's not the laziness in me. Oh, I did run two miles this morning! (Early to bed, early to rise - makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.
This week we will move on to a new phase of Chalean; therefore our bodies will have to make adjustments that might negatively impact the scale. However, this journey is not all about a scale.
I don't know what the future holds, but today I will bask in this scale victory!
This morning we went out for a run with a different mindset than usual. Since we were pressed for time, we decided that we would run only a mile today with the goal of running it at a much faster pace. According to my run keeper app I ran 1 mile in 12 minutes 23 seconds. Although I know I could have beaten this time as done before, I did not want to get too ahead of Bridgette. I am not sure just how accurate my app is. I am definitely looking to upgrade. (HINT)
This woman has made such a huge improvement I can't just say with words how proud of her I am. I know that I am not one to talk too much because I'm no Hussein Bolt, but I once was an athlete. There is still that competitiveness that runs through my veins that gives me the mind frame that I can do it all. But back to Bridgette, she has never really been an athlete and for her to accomplish the things that she has over the last three or four months is truly my inspiration.
I won't get into the time that she ran today and will let her update you when she posts, but believe me when I say that you will be surprised. I told her that we will set this as a once a week goal to run 1 mile as fast as we can to improve our breathing and leg strength. This day definitely has non-scale victory written all over it.
Bridgette here:
I ran my mile in 13 minutes 08 seconds according to my Garmin. It's NOT all that. I was faster than this past Thursday though. Thursday was easier, today I had to huff and puff through those thirteen minutes. Though I didn't post it on my non-scale victory page, I do have a thirteen minute mile as a goal. For me, that's an accomplishment. I might not ever run a mile in 6 minutes, but I will break ten one day. (In the distant future!)
I love my husband. He's the best. This summer has been my first one off in FIVE years. I might have put a dent in the couch (taking a much need rest and relaxation time), but I am NOT a couch potato. Even though he's supposed to drag me out of bed, I sometimes have to push him out.
I wanted to get a fast(er) mile in at the start since I'm not a strong finisher yet. Near the end I have to up my mental game not to quit.
I completed mile one in 13 min 46.8 seconds according to my Garmin. Of course this is no where near fast, but it's an improvement over my usual 15 minute average pace. I pushed myself, (praised God), and succeeded. It takes HARD work and effort to pick this body with all these pounds up, go running, and not take a single walk break.
Fred said he was really proud of me. That's all he kept saying - like I did something near impossible.
I also finished my 5k distance in 1 minute 50 seconds faster than my fastest time.
So I can say that in spite of the scale going up, I have something to be proud of. I'm glad for these little victories and pick-me-ups along the way. If I didn't have NSV's to brighten my way, I might quit.
I have been MIA for over a week! I have been so busy with some last minute VBS stuff for this upcoming week. Whew!
I am up 1.4 lbs from last week. I didn't get in as much exercise as I would have liked because I have hardly taken a break from anything VBS related. I did track, and I ate okay. I didn't get enough water one or two days. I am definitely not mad because the scale was down two pounds this morning! I would much rather weigh on Thursday or Saturday mornings but oh well. I'll stick with Wednesday evenings.
Oh yeah - I totally attribute the gain to "that" time of the month!
I'll be back later with a NSV because I have great news! Off to Bible class . . .
