A Plateau like Arkansas...

First...let me put in a disclaimer: somehow I can't figure out how to post my individual paragraphs, when I publish everything just runs together...sorry!! Kyle and I have been working out consistently 3-4 times a week. I've stopped drinking all forms of pop (regular, diet, zeros) and have tried very hard not to replace it with sugary juices and drinks. That part has been a little bit more difficult, but hopefully I will keep cutting out the sugar!! My friend Michelle has become a Beach Body Coach (misswestfit@beachbody.com), and has the Kyle and I and Peeg and Daniel in a couple 's challenge on facebook. I must say, having the support, advice, and maybe a little bit of pressure ;) has kept me motivated. She is pretty intense, and I think it's good to have somebody pushing me besides Kyle! With all this being said, I haven't lost a pound in like 3 weeks. The scale is stuck! Michelle says we should get a bmi scale, which will tell the whole story, but it is incredibly frustrating. I know plateaus exist, and that other changes are still happening, I just can't believe I've hit one already, when I have so much weight to lose. Sure, let's hit a plateau after losing 40 or 50 lbs. But after just losing 12 lbs? This is ridiculous!! On the bright side, I do feel like I have more strength and endurance. The circuit at Planet Fitness (weight lifting and steps) has gotten a lot easier to get through. I have even been jogging during the step section, instead of just walking! I also can climb stairs, get in and out of the car, etc...without so much effort! I know, it's sad that it took as much effort as it did to do these things to begin with, but at least it's improving!! Finally, my fibromyalgia feels better when I exercise too. It's not gone, and I think I'll struggle with it the rest of my life, but exercising does provide a little bit of relief! Who knew? Well, everyone. Even my friend Brittany who has it told me she has to exercise in the morning or she feels like crap all day, and she told me this back in 2009. Oh well, better late than never, right? Anyone, here's to the future, at least we're making changes and eventually that will pay off!

Slow and Steady...?

Our two weeks at La Fitness were pretty intense. Peeglet (my sister Andrea) and I attended several Zumba classes, and even managed to drag ourselves through a 1/2 hour of a step aerobic class led by a step nazi! We also took daily advantage of the swimming pool/whirlpool and racquet ball courts. Kyle and Daniel also used the racquet ball courts, and did a lot of wait lifting. In the 2 week trial, we went to the gym 10 out of 14 days! I think that the pace we set for the initial two weeks was too much, but we didn't want to squander any opportunities to go to such a nice place for free. After our trial ended on March 9th, we took a week off, ostensibly for Daniel's midterm week, but I think all of us were nursing aches, pains, and bruises that needed to heal. This week, we joined Planet Fitness, and have gone 3 three times. They don't have all the bells and whistles that LA fitness has, but they're much more affordable, and so far so good. The hardest thing for me and Peeglet is the classes. We both said that we do better with supervision and someone telling us what to do, and it's hard to push ourselves when we're not really sure what we should be doing (Cardio vs. weight lifting, for how long, how intense, etc), but so far so good! At least we're going, right? In addition to working out, for the last month I have been trying to eat very healthfully and mindfully. Not every day has been successful, but for the most part, we've been eating healthy, homecooked meals, watching our portions, and tracking our calories on sparkpeople.com. When I weighed myself this week, I weighed 276. That's down from 288, so I've lost 12 lbs! I'm trying to stay excited about 12 lbs., even though it's taken almost a whole month. Usually, and even last time we tried to lose weight, I start out with some crash diet, or cleanse, or shakes, or slim fast. These methods give me quick results, but clearly haven't lasted or set me up for long term success. Hopefully, just a slow and steady start will help me to continue to move the scale back in the right direction!! Finally, if you have any suggestions for gym work out plans, let me know! We can use the advice, since we're pretty new at this! Also, if I get to my goal weight of 195 lbs, Kyle has said that I can probably get Lasik Surgery to reward myself!!!

Fresh Start?

This post will be a bit of a let down to any of those following last year. I fell off the bandwagon, hard. On Monday, I weighed my heaviest ever at 288. This week has seen a change though. Kyle and I have worked out 5 days in a row, using up a 14 day free trial to LA Fitness. We have been going with my sister Andrea and her husband Daniel. Andrea and I have been throwing ourselves into the classes: Zumba, Step/Abs, Yoga, and also swimming, as well as some other things here and there. Also, I've cut out 90% of the pop and sugary drinks I consume on a regular basis, and have tracked, and maintained a healthy caloric intake for all 5 days. I gave myself 1 year to lose almost 100 lbs. my goal weight being 195 lbs, and my Spark People Tracker app gives me 1850 calories a day to reach that goal. I am desperate to make this work for several reasons: 1. Working out, or maybe just the swimming has made my body feel so much relief from the constant discomfort I am in. 2. Kyle and I are contemplating starting a family, and the risk factors for obese women are staggering. 3. Way too many people have asked me when I am due. It happened again today, with a long standing customer I've gotten to know pretty well. "Are you getting fatter, or are you having a baby?" I think she fully expected me to say I was pregnant, because she back pedaled pretty quickly when I quipped that I am just getting fatter. However, I am sick and tired of the way I look, feel, and my mood. So here I am trying to change again. I will weigh in at the end of the 2 weeks, I don't want to peak and get discouraged before hand. Here's hope for some good news!!