After One Week

Well, I've made it through week one.  Was I perfect?  Not even close.  Did I still find success?  Why yes I did!

So I'll just tell you.  Last Saturday when I weighed myself, I weighed a whopping 254.6 lbs.  To the best of my knowledge, that's the most I've ever weighed.  But today, I weighed in at 248.2!  I lost 6.2 lbs in the last week!  I know it's probably all water weight since I drank a lot more water than I normally do.  But hey, the water weight needs to go too.  I'm still stoked about the significant start to my weight-loss goals.

I honestly enjoyed the Nutrisystem meals.  All but one, that is.

I have to admit, I didn't love the breakfasts.  I'm not much into sweets, especially first thing in the morning.  And the breakfasts, though not bad, are all too sweet for me.  I had four different kinds of muffins and three different kinds of breakfast bars this week.  In the future, the breakfast bars have to go.  But I can do the muffins.  I've been adding a boiled egg to breakfast every day.  I'll continue to do that.

I really enjoyed every lunch...except one.  I had spicy kung pao chicken, three cheese chicken, cheese tortellini, a loaded baked potato, and white bean chicken chili.  I loved them all... except the spicy kung pao chicken.  I had to force myself to finish that one.  But since there are so many lunch options, I don't have to worry about EVER eating that one again.  I added green beans, zucchini, or yellow squash to each of those meals.  I cheated today and had a Subway sandwich while doing my laundry at the laundromat...turkey on wheat with onion, green pepper, and tomato.  It was lovely!

I LOVED every one of my dinner options.  I had a thick crust pizza, lasagna with meat sauce, chicken Alfredo, Italian herb flat bread pizza, chicken pot pie, and rotini with meatballs.  I had broccoli or cauliflower with each of these meals.  I cheated one night and had food/snacks at our Relay for Life kick-off.  But I tried to eat relatively healthy with fruits, veggies, and cheese.

This week was the Nutrisystem Fast Five week.  I don't know if Nutrisystem does that with ALL first-time orders or if it's a deal they have going right now.  But the menu is a little more stringent.  And for my morning and afternoon snacks, I was supposed to do a chocolate shake.  The morning one increases energy; the one in the afternoon battles cravings.  Well, this is where I totally lost it.  I had both shakes on Sunday, the morning shake on Monday, the afternoon shake on Tuesday, and the morning shake again on Wednesday.  I am so freakin' OVER these diet shakes.  I didn't touch another one all week.  The supply they gave me should last until summer!  Instead, for my snacks, I had a Babybel cheddar cheese in the morning and a small green apple in the afternoon.

I also drank 64 oz of water every day...except today.  I need to be drinking more, especially once I start working out.  But this was a good start for me.  I have a travel mug that holds 16 oz of water.  I give myself two hours to finish it before I fill it again.  And I was able to keep up with that schedule this week with no problem.  I initially intended to flavor the water with my Slim & Sassy oil.  But I quickly got tired of that taste.  So I flavored it with MiO.  It's no-calorie and has several flavor options.  My favorite is orange tangerine!  I ended up putting my Slim & Sassy oil in a veggie cap and took it like a vitamin.  Every time I filled my water bottle, I took another Slim & Sassy capsule.

As for workouts, I didn't do the ones I'd intended to do.  I'm not sure why.  I was really excited to get everything started last Sunday.  But maybe this is better, to build up to 'everything'.  I got some walking in.  I did some dancing.  Setting up for Relay was a decent workout.  But tomorrow, I start Les Mills Pump.  Monday, I start T25.

Oh, I took "before" pictures too.  I was at work and took them in our huge wall mirror in the ladies room.  I'm wearing regular clothes instead of tight, short workout clothes where I show a lot of skin.  But I think it's clear that I'm obese.  My plan is to take a picture every month.  I also need to do my measurements.  Perhaps I'll do that first thing tomorrow.

Starting Sunday, January 19th

Earlier this week, I posted a picture stating that just because you haven't attacked your resolutions in January doesn't mean you've failed them.  I probably shouldn't use the word resolution.  Nevertheless, I've got all the tools at my disposal to move forward with my "Journey to a Better Me".  I want to lose weight and get healthier.  I want to sleep better and enjoy more peace and happiness.  I want to read and write more.  I want to do a better job keeping up with my budget and increasing my savings.  I want to actually finish writing a book, instead of regularly starting a new one.  I want to organize my home and my car and live in a less cluttered, stress-free environment.

But I know I can't change all of that at the same time.  But I can start focusing on each of these one at a time.  And hopefully by the end of the year, I'll be much more content with who I am.

I created a workout and menu plan that starts this Sunday.  My tools of choice are Nutrisystem, Focus T25, Les Mills Pump, doTerra Slim & Sassy essential oil, and plenty of water.  If I do what I can to stick to the schedule as much as possible, I expect positive results.  If I get brave, I may share pictures and weight/measurement progress as I go.

I tried the Nutrisystem plan a few years ago and lost weight with it.  I liked the food and learned a lot about portion control.  It was super-convenient to have the meals already made, just needed heated up.  And they were portable, making it easy to continue with the program at work or elsewhere.  I will add nuts, eggs, cheese, fruits, and vegetables to the prepackaged meals.  Otherwise, I want to avoid eating anything outside of this program.  My initial plan is to do these meals for at least three months, but preferably six months.  In addition to dropping weight, I should see changes in my cholesterol numbers as well.

I bought T25 a month or so ago.  I started doing it along with the modifier (the one person on the screen who does things a with a little less intensity than Shaun T) and realized I needed to modify the modifier.  It was so frustrating to realize how out of shape I am.  And I really let it get to me and quickly stopped pushing play on my T25 DVD.  To think, just 18 months ago, I did my second 5k in two months.  Unfortunately, I've done nothing physical since then.  Well, I've come to the conclusion that it doesn't matter if I can't keep up with Shaun T.  It doesn't even matter that I can't keep up with the modifier.  One day I will.  Until then, I'll go at my own pace...while I keep moving for 25 minutes straight six days a week.  My plan is to do this workout first thing every morning, Monday through Saturday.  It's a 10-week program.  If I keep doing it back to back, I could get through it five times in the next year.  Hopefully by the second go-around, I'll be able to keep up with the modifier...and by the third go-around, I'll be closer to keeping up with Shaun T.

I've actually finished the Les Mills Pump (LMP) schedule before.  I LOVE LMP!  It's a workout program on DVD, but it uses weights instead of being all about cardio.  It makes me feel strong and powerful.  I also see progress faster when I'm lifting weights.  Whereas T25 will get my heart rate up for 25+ minutes six days a week, LMP will help me build stronger muscles throughout my body 3-4 days a week.  I'll likely start with a light weight, 5 lbs on each end of the barbell.  But I'll build up as I go.  I intend to do this workout at the when I get home from work each day.  This program is 13 weeks long.  If I keep doing it back to back, I could get through it four times in the next year.

Are you at all familiar with essential oils?  From the doTerra website:

Essential oils are natural aromatic compounds found in the seeds, bark, stems, roots, flowers, and other parts of plants.  They can be both beautifully and powerfully fragrant.

In addition to their intrinsic benefits to plants and being beautifully fragrant to people, essential oils have been used throughout history in many cultures for their medicinal and therapeutic benefits.  Modern scientific study and trends toward more holistic approaches to wellness are driving a revival and new discover of essential oil health applications.

dōTERRA®'s Slim & Sassy® Metabolic Blend is a proprietary formula of CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade® essential oils designed to help manage appetite between meals.  Slim & Sassy includes a blend of grapefruit, lemon, peppermint, ginger, and cinnamon essential oils.  Just add 8 drops to 16 oz. of water (regular size bottle of water) and drink between your healthy meals throughout the day to help manage hunger, calm your stomach, and lift your mood.

And finally, I know it's well-accepted that in order to lose weight, you must be drinking plenty of water.  I always thought 8 glasses of water every day was a lot.  But I've since learned that the bigger you are, the more water you should be drinking.  In fact, you should really be drinking one ounce of water for every two pounds you weigh.  Since I weigh well over 200 lbs, I should be drinking nearly a gallon of water a day.  Now THAT'S a lot of water.  But hey, if I start losing weight, I can start reducing the amount of water I drink.  There's something to look forward to.  And honestly, water flavored with Slim & Sassy isn't too bad.

Resolution Fail...Shocker!

Today was supposed to be the day I started working out again.  I had a plan.  I had a goal.  Of course it was a resolution.  But it was even bigger than that.  Or so I thought.

Instead, I overslept by HOURS and have done nothing since then.  I called work and told them I wouldn't be in.  I could have accomplished so much today... laundry, workout, getting my tire fixed, cleaning out my fridge, going for a walk, shipping gifts, reading, or even working from home.  But instead, I did NOTHING.  Absolutely nothing.

Every weekend, I get behind in taking my meds.  And every Monday morning, I pay the price.  Why do I do it?  What's the point?  I KNOW the ramifications of that decision.  I KNOW I could miss work.  I KNOW it brings me down emotionally.  I KNOW it's not doing me a darn bit of good in the long run.  Yet I do it anyway... almost every weekend.

Maybe THAT should have been my New Year's resolution.  Commit to taking my meds and following my doctor's orders every day.  EVERY day.

Lucky for me...

Baby, it's cold outside.

So I didn't go to work today.  That is to say, I didn't go into the office.  I worked from home.  I think it's safe to say that I knew I was going to work from home Monday when I went to bed on Sunday.  Sure we didn't get nearly as much snow as we were told we might.  But it was every bit as cold as they warned.

Personally, I'd rather have the snow.  I love snow.  I think because it reminds me of my time in Colorado.  But I also think it's beautiful.  And I like to think that things slow down when there's so much snow.  I know it's primarily to be safer when driving.  But still, it's just a little more peaceful.  I think of a snowy day as quiet and peaceful.  I like quiet and peaceful.

Even though we didn't get much snow, it was truly cold.  Most of the day, my phone app said that it was -4 degrees here, with a windchill of -29.  I personally don't know if that's accurate, as I didn't venture outdoors even once to find out for myself.  But I have no reason to doubt it.  Tomorrow we should get up to 18.  The day after that, we'll be up to freezing.  And by Friday, we'll be in the mid-forties.  Sounds good to me!

I read something today that made me think twice.  It said, "Never lie to someone you trust.  Never trust someone who lies to you."  I have someone in my life who lies to me ALL THE TIME...and then wonders why there's no trust.  This same person questions me regularly, as if my character is the one that's flawed.  Perhaps it is.  But relatively speaking, between the two of us that is, I'm not the more damaged.  It's taken me awhile to come to that conclusion.  And I'm still working on believing it.

Confession:  I am so NOT in the Relay spirit.  We have Kick-Off to plan over the next couple of weeks.  I need to contact Shoals to find out when they want to do their Coaches vs. Cancer.  I need to get on planning Loogootee's Coaches vs. Cancer.  We're supposed to have a few more Committee members.  We need to start contacting our Sponsors.  We need to start recruiting Teams... and one of our Team Development Chairs just stepped down and the other one's mother was just given 6-9 months to live.  (She's dying of cancer.)  I have got to get to that place where I'm motivated and motivating.  Instead, I just keep telling myself that in six months, it'll all be over.