Forget Who I Was?

I didn't think so! Sorry for my absence, yet again. I am having a hard time juggling everything that is going on in my crazy world!

I started going to a weekly Bible study called First Place 4 Health. It is a 12 week Bible study and weight loss program. As of the first weigh-in, I had lost one pound. A single pound. But I had not exercised as much as I should have. I thought I had been eating fairly well though. So I was a little disappointed with that teeny tiny weight loss, but it's one pound closer to my goal! And that goal just so happens to be 68 more pounds away. This will be a long process. Matthew is not going to the Bible study, but he is following the weight loss program. For his first weigh-in, he lost 5 pounds. I will not let his success bring me down though because if he can lose, I know I can lose. And I want him to lose just as bad as I want to lose weight myself. So it's really a win haha.

We walked 4 miles this morning on the walking trail in town. It was so nice outside and the 50 minutes really went by quickly. We've also walked a couple times in our neighborhood. And I finally started using my stationary bike! I have found that it works best if one of my favorite shows is on. It goes by a lot faster if my attention is on something other than how many minutes are left in my workout haha.

What else have I been up to? Oh you know spring break was over a week ago now, but I worked the entire 6 days. Can't wait for that paycheck! There are officially three weeks and 2 days left of this school semester. And boy are they packing on the work! I've got 2 speeches, 2 critiques, 2 papers, 1 article review, 3 SOAP notes to collect info for and type, 4 tests, and eventually final exams. Ugh that sounds like a ton of stuff! I am so exhausted it is ridiculous. But luckily I get a 14 day break before the summer semester starts. And I will be working for about 7 of those days. Then by some incredible blessing from God, I am going to Colorado with my sister and her husband for 4 days!!!! They will be there a couple days longer, but I will take what I can get. I'll get back just in time to start school the next day!

So this is what I have been up to lately. Now should be when I make a promise to blog more, but I'm not going to make a promise I am pretty sure I'll break. I will really try a lot harder though! I really do have so much to talk about! But if you don't see any new blog posts, just pray that I am still alive and well and am making it through the end of this semester. That's all I need. Just to make it through.

As Christmas Break Comes to a Close...

I am so ready for school to get started! It hasn't even been the full three weeks yet, but I am dying here! Although I have gotten used to some time at  home, I have certainly not adjusted to being home for days on end. This only affirms that I will not be a full-time stay at home mother one day. Before Christmas, I was busy with last minute shopping and baking and wrapping. The week after Christmas kept me busy with putting away all the gifts and decorations. And this week has been... I don't even know. I have watched a lot of TBS. And I have been cooking a lot.

My grandma is back in the hospital. She had been feeling pretty bad and it turns out she has pneumonia again, a low thyroid, and a bladder infection. I'm hoping to go up there and spend some time with her today.

The diet is going very good so far! Well, no exercise has been done yet. But according to the scales, I've lost 4 lbs. so far. I'd say that's a good start! Eating right really does make a big difference in how you feel. I think Matthew is beyond motivated and excited this time, and his excitement is keeping me motivated! Every meal I've made has been "the best thing I've ever had!" according to Matthew haha. Hopefully we can keep on this path though. I think the key is making food that is healthy but that also tastes good. A lot of people have a misconception that healthy automatically means it tastes bad. Definitely not true! Matthew even made the comment that canned and frozen stuff doesn't taste as good as fresh. I mean how many awesome comments can I get out of this guy this week?!

Hopefully next week once school starts back and I have a set schedule, I can fit in the exercise and cooking healthy too. I think it will be easier once I have a schedule. I feel so lost this week!

Starting Off 2012 With a Bang!

Okay, maybe it was more like I ended 2011 with a bang... by watching The Big Bang Theory on TBS for hours! haha I did not make it until midnight. I think I finally went to sleep at 11:30. No, I couldn't make it thirty more minutes haha! Matthew was asleep long before me. We didn't have any parties to go to (never have). My parents have more of a social life than we do. But we don't really care. We got take out Mexican and Chinese. Can you guess who ate what?

We started a diet on Monday! Although, we're not following a specific diet plan. We're just cutting back on calories, watching our portion sizes, and exercising (I would say more but we typically have no activity at all). The refrigerator and pantry are stocked with healthy items! Multiple grocery stores were visited to get everything we needed, and I spent less than $100 which should last us at least two weeks if not longer. And since we're not following a specific diet plan (partly because they don't work, and mostly because they cost money), I found a really useful tool on WebMD that lets you track your food, fitness, and weight. And the best part is, it's FREE!

I wanted to post pre-diet photos and weight, but it's just too depressing haha. Maybe after I lose some weight I'll be able to admit what I weighed at the beginning! My goal is to lose 70 pounds. I have gotten close to that weight goal before (off by about 5-10 pounds), so I know I can do it again this time. Matthew's goal is to lose almost 75 pounds. We're starting our exercise today. If you've got any workout ideas to do at home, I would really appreciate the advice! We can't really afford a gym membership, and the closest gym is about 15 minutes away which is frustrating at night when you're already tired and living on 2 different schedules. So we're going to try all the resources we have at home: walking, biking (outside and the stationary one inside), and pilates (for me). I hope that by mid-February (when we have a wedding to go to) that we'll have already lost about 1/4 of our goal!

Making Plans!

Since tomorrow is the first day of school, aka my new life, I have decided that Monday I am really going to start this new chapter off the right way. I know that I have said multiple times that I am going to get healthy and lose weight. But this time how can I not follow through? I will have most afternoons free. So I can't possibly make excuses! If anyone has any workout tips or tips on eating right, will you please fill me in! I really want to make it work this time. I don't care how long it takes to get down to the weight I want to be, which is really a general range. I would rather be considered healthy than just at a specific weight. And I will be starting on a Monday because it's just an OCD thing where I have to start at the beginning of the week. Monday has always been the beginning of the week to me instead of Sunday. I consider Sunday the end of the last week. It's a complicated place in my brain haha.

30 Day Shred - Day 2

It was a little easier today! I have not experienced any soreness yet, which totally surprises me. And I definitely took about 1/4 as many breaks this time!

This is progress, people!

And since last Monday when I officially started trying to lose weight, I have lost a total of 3 pounds!!!

30 Day Shred - Day 1

I was about to die!

I tried to squeeze in the 20 minute workout before Matthew got home from work. And my plan was to be cooking dinner when he walked in the door. That did not happen. I took a billion breaks despite Jillian's continued stress to not take a single break. Sometime in high school, I was diagnosed with exercise induced asthma. And since I haven't exercised since high school, I haven't needed my inhaler. Big mistake! Because I needed one last night! I really think I needed an entire tank of oxygen. It was that bad! But I survived. I am not sore yet, but I know I will be tomorrow after I torture myself for another 20 minutes tonight.

I started off good. I did the jumping jacks, I did all the crunches, I did all of the weights while lying on the floor. I did not do all of the lunges, the butt kicks, or the lifting weights over my head. And I most certainly did not do all of the pushups. I've never been able to do a pushup. Ever.

I was not able to work out the entire 20 minutes, nowhere even close to that. So my goal by the end of my days on Level 1, I hope to be able to complete Level 1 without the breaks. Oh, and I'll do all the pushups. Not a bad goal for an asthmatic, overweight girl who hasn't exercised in at least four years!