The Saturday Skinny::: Robyn

Would it be really weird if on this here little weight loss blog I didn't talk too much about weight loss today? I've been struggling the last month. I am starting to figure things out and I'm excited to tell you about that in 2 weeks (next Sat I'll be at the happiest place on earth). But, I don't feel much like talking about weight today. It seems like a bad word to me. :) But, I do want to talk about something really closely related. Well, at least for me.

I wasn't going to blog today. I told my husband I wasn't doing it, I sent a text message to Hope telling her I wasn't doing it. But, I felt compelled to do it and here I am. I had someone come to me and question my decision to be so open with such a personal topic, and it made me question what I write here on this blog. But, here is my truth once again. I will not pretend to be someone that I am not. I believe that we are all here on this earth to learn. Life is hard. We all struggle and when we share our struggle together life is just a little easier. So, I will continue to openly share my journey. I am thankful that it is my journey. I am beginning to own my struggles and have a glimpse at overcoming them. It is a process for me.

So, my truth is that I really struggle with not correlating my personal value with the number that I see on the scale. I am trying to learn that my worth is not measured in pounds. I am a person of faith. I believe in a loving Father in Heaven. I believe that I am a daughter of God. I believe that my body is a gift. It is an amazing blessing that is so capable. My body created and sustained four beautiful little people with God's miracle of life. It carries me through my blessed life. I want to do better, to have a better understanding and gratitude for the incredible gift that my body is.

I love this video. It helps me remember my worth.

I cannot fail if I don't give up. I'll bend at it, sweat at it, and smile at it too, because my body is a temple.

Hope's Weigh In Wednesday

Hellooooo...it's me! Hope. Remember me?

 

Sorry it's been so long, but I'm not gonna lie, the messages from some of you asking when we'll be blogging again because you've missed it have made me smile.

Who knew people would actually READ this little blog? Pretty cool.

 

Here's my problem--I have no idea where I left off!

So I will give you an overview of what's been going on.

 

I've been traveling a lot over this past month.

I have been to Dallas, Texas, Big Sandy, Texas and Charleston, SC. It has been such a fun month. Through it all, I have pretty much maintained. Which is pretty good considering I hit up In N Out in Dallas and had my burger and fries animal style. BAD BAD BAD!!! But sooo good :)

I also got out of the habit of hitting the gym. I did a little running, but I really have missed my boot camp classes. And the there's this awesome little coffee shop that opened up and I feel the need to visit them regularly...although my drinks ARE nonfat (just not calorie free, unfortunately)

 

So now you know my failures over the past month. Here are my successes.

I have been drinking a TON of water!

I have managed to maintain, like I said.

While on a youth retreat, I got up before everyone else (while it was still dark people!!) and ran by myself. That just shows me that even though I may not be as devoted as I was (I'll get back there) exercise is a part of me now!

I have started back at boot camp and Zumba classes.

I have become accustomed to keeping spinach in my fridge and eating salads (kind of addicted to Lite Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette)

My wedding ring is almost falling off.

I feel AWESOME about my progress so far. I'm not looking at what I still have to go, I'm enjoying how far I've come and living in the moment!

 

And my biggest success....I have lost 45 lbs!!!!!!

 

I think what I have learned so far is that whether you have lost 5 lbs, 25 lbs or 105 lbs, be happy with who you are and WHERE you are. You are a rock star!!! Because there was a day when you weren't trying at all.... Love yourself and love your body! And keep going...

 

Here I am 45 lbs down and feeling fabulous...with iced coffee in hand ;)

 

 

{May 2012}              {August 2013}

The Saturday Skinny::: Robyn

A couple of weeks ago Hope sent me a text telling me she had blogged. She then followed it by saying that her blogs aren’t nearly as deep and meaningful as mine. I laughed out loud. No literally. Then I responded, “Yeah, just way more inspirational because you actually lose weight!” So, here we go again. Deep and meaningful? That’s questionable. The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? That’s all I have to give.

I haven’t blogged in 3 weeks I think. My last blog I set some goals for myself. I’ve done pretty well with those. I have been counting my WW points and really paying attention to what I”m eating. I’ve also been really consistent going to the gym. I have been running a lot. I can now officially run a 5k on the treadmill. I’m slow. This week I went a little faster and ran a 12 min mile or 5 mph on the treadmill. I feel stronger. I feel more fit. I even got some real gym clothes. I’ve always been embarrassed in my sweat pants and t-shirts, but I didn’t feel ready for spandex. :) I got some good running capris and pants (yes with spandex) and wear long tank tops or shirts that keep my problem areas covered. I feel more like I belong there though and it seems to help me have a more positive experience. I’m still self conscious at the gym. I know it’s silly.

So, all of that being said, with pretty good eating and pretty good exercise, I am up 5 lbs for the last 3 weeks. :( I don’t really know what to say? I have been sad about it obviously. But, trying really hard not to let it get me down and trying really hard not to give up. I am a person of faith. So, I’ve been praying about it. Questioning, what should I do differently?

I was talking to a friend at church about it last week, and she suggested to me that maybe right now, I really need to focus on loving myself how I am, no matter what weight I am. That really hit home for me. So, this week, I’ve been trying really hard to change my attitude. To appreciate the things I like about myself, and to really focus on being thankful for my body in the now.

This is going to sound silly, but I’ve made more of an effort to make myself cute. I have been doing my hair (even though it’s 110), wearing make-up, and trying to dress cute. I feel so much better about myself if I feel cute. I know that seems so shallow. But, I’m a girl. I can’t tell you how many people this week told me how good I looked and how I look so thin. HA! I fooled them. :) But, really, I do feel better about myself. Maybe part of the reason I gained the weight back was because I didn’t learn to really love myself for who I am no matter what weight I am. Even at my lowest, I was unhappy with my body. So, I am still trying to lose weight of course. I’m not giving up. But, I’m also really focusing on how I feel about myself and trying to love myself how I am. A little make-up and a cute outfit and I can still feel good about myself. :)

I feel like my Father in Heaven is always so mindful of me and my needs. I’m so thankful for all of you who have reached out to me in the last week or so. I know that you are his hands and as you serve and love me you serve and love him. I am so touched. I have received countless texts and messages encouraging me and just telling me you love me. I’m so thankful to share my life with so many amazing people. I hope I give back even just a little of what I receive.

Bend, at it, sweat at it, smile at it too, because your body is a temple. :) I'm not giving up.      

short and sweet.

Here's the truth...summer has been hard!

 

I can't wait to get back into a routine for my workouts.

 

I need motivation.

 

I need to get back on track.

 

I only have 28 lbs to go before I reach my goal.

 

I'm trying not to be focused on the numbers...but I am.

 

Sometimes I feel like I have to be or I will fall off the wagon.

 

So my weigh in stunk yesterday.

 

I am 1 pound up.

 

BLAHHHH!!!

 

I knew I would be.

 

No excuses.

 

I know what I need to do.

 

Now, I'm going to do it!

 

No excuses.

 

slowly but surely...

Apparently I have gone from an every week blog post, to an every other week blog post.

 

I have to say that I love getting messages asking me about my posts. I love that you are anticipating my weigh ins as much as I do :)

 

This one will be short and sweet.

 

Life is CRAZY right now! Summer has been harder then I thought it would be. Though I keep losing, it's slow as molasses. I'm not complaining, but I'm looking forward to getting back into a routine.

 

I have been the biggest slacker about working out. It's not like I'm sitting around eating bon bons; I just haven't had time. But I know that's just an excuse. I NEED to get back to being consistent.

 

So over the past 2 weeks I have lost a total of...two pounds.

 

Although I have lost, I can feel the effects of not working out consistently.

 

My goal is to get back to the gym this week and drink MORE water. I don't drink soda or anything but I've been feeling dehydrated. Dehydration leads to the feeling of hunger. I love that I am this in tune with my body!

 

Onward and upward my friends.

 

Here's to getting back to it...

 

me & my wonderful hubby

{rocking my new hot pink pants}

me & my gorgeous sis

The Saturday Skinny::: Robyn

Okay, so it's not Saturday. I'm a week and a day late. But, here I am. 

“The days are long but the years are short…….” Gretchen Rubin

I can’t believe how summer has flown by and here I find myself in August ready to start another school year with my kiddos. I had such great intentions for the summer. Yet, it has come and gone and I find myself, not where I wanted to.

I skipped a week blogging. I was enjoying the last week of summer. Our days have been incredibly hectic. I have an insanely blessed life.

Two Mondays ago (right after my last blog) I stepped on the scale and was devastated when I found myself 6 pounds up. I cried for a few minutes. Then I decided that wasn’t doing me any good. I decided not to feel sorry for myself and to get to work. The last 2 weeks I have made really good choices and I feel great. I lost 4 of those pounds back again and today sit 2 pounds up for a total of 24.6 pounds lost.

I’m going to focus on the 24 pounds lost rather than the temporary 2 pound gain.

As we get ready to start school again it is a natural time for me to look at my life and set some goals. Things in my life have sort of settled down and I feel like I can put a stronger emphasis on my weight loss efforts (well, besides the fact that we have to complete 20 hours of home schooling per day, 5 hours per kid, no biggie J).

I decided to be a little more dedicated and a lot more organized with my efforts. I am starting a weight loss journal. I feel like I need something tangible with really basic things that I can measure. I am focusing on 3 areas: exercise, food, and attitude. At the end of each day I will look back and check my progress for the day. I’m even going to give myself stickers on good days (it’s pathetic how motivated I am to earn a sticker J). I feel like I need more accountability on a daily basis. My goals:

Exercise:

-Gym 5 days a week

-Increase daily steps (track steps)

-Strength training 5 days a week (sit ups, push ups, squats, etc…)

Food:

-Track WW points (been paying for and not using for months)

-Eat breakfast

-Dinner @ home 5 nights a week (we eat out too much)

-More fruit and veggies

-100oz water daily (I live in the valley of the sun)

Attitude:

-Dismiss negative thoughts about myself

-Focus and accentuate the positive

-Avoid stressful situations where possible

I haven’t set any specific weight loss goals (I still want to lose 70lbs total). I’m not giving myself a time table. I’m hoping to make some positive changes, see some results and build some confidence back. It’s crazy to me to think that just a few years ago I lost over 100 pounds, yet I don’t think I know how to lose weight????? I’m going back to how I did it originally and reminding myself that I know how to do this, I’ve done it before, and I can do it again.

I feel better knowing that I have a plan. So here’s hoping to a smooth first week of school, and a successful week of weight loss. Bend at it, sweat at it, smile at it too, because my body is a temple.  

weigh in wednesday ::: hope

pound by pound.

inch by inch.

 

so i am a week behind.

 

i did weigh in last week and was 1 pound down but didn't get a chance to sit down and blog until friday and by that point i thought "might as well just wait and see if i can lose another pound by next wednesday.

 

would you believe i did lose another pound?

 

unfortunately that pound found me again, so i am still down that 1 pound from last wednesday.

what i didn't tell you is that i haven't been consistently working out the past week or so.

 

i also didn't mention that at one point i was up two pounds.

 

it seems the slacking off in the gym combined with not always eating the right thing caught up to me.

 

i freaked out a little.

 

i'm not gonna lie.

 

but then i kicked it into high gear.

 

i have worked out for the past 3 days and have watched what i'm eating.

 

and it paid off.

 

i'm down a pound this morning.

 

i'm feeling confident that i know what to do for my body.

 

i know when i'm not feeling as good as i could be and I now know what to do about it.

 

it's not always easy, but it's always worth it.

 

there was this funny thing that happened this morning.

 

i got on my scale to weigh in and it said 181 (down a pound)

so i went to eat breakfast and get the kids ready for the day.

 

i decided to hop back on the scale and it said 179.5 (I even took a picture of it).

 

i got off, got back on. got off, got back on. got off, got back on.

 

i did this about 20 times.

 

it still said the same thing.

 

i moved the scale around the bathroom thinking it wasn't on a flat surface.

 

it still said the same thing.

 

finally, i left the bathroom and came back in a few minutes later.

 

got on and it said...181.

 

darn. :)

 

i'll be at that 179.5 soon enough, but how awesome would it have been if i lost a pound and a half in 20 minutes?!?! :)

 

here is a picture of me from last week.

 

i'm getting there.

pound by pound.

inch by inch.

 

The Saturday Skinny ::: Robyn

I’ve been thinking this morning about this little blog and how and why it began. Why did I ever want to do this? I don’t think that I ever really considered all of the “whys”. The thought just kept popping into my head and wouldn’t go away. Originally I thought about how Hope and I could support and motivate each other. Really, Hope and I could have done that privately though without the world watching. This blog however, creates a huge accountability for us.  It has also created a much bigger support system. I believe that we are all children of a loving Father in Heaven. We are all coexisting in this sometimes confusing, difficult, scary, and incredibly wonderful world. I believe that as we share our journeys together we find strength and understanding because we have so much in common regardless of any of our differences.

There is a part of me that is embarrassed to share my journey. I haven’t done as well as I thought I was going to do and I am definitely moving at a much slower pace than I anticipated. I wonder though, if more of you may identify with these struggles that I am having than if I had just plowed through with success. The ability to share my story and thoughts with all of you keeps me motivated and is an incredible outlet for me. So, I hope that you will continue to follow our journey. I’m not giving up.

The last couple of weeks have been incredibly busy for me and incredibly fantastic (well, not weigh wise) J.  We went to Cali again. We spent 4 days at Disneyland and a day at the beach. Our summer has been too much fun if there is such a thing.  Then this last week I went to Washington D.C. as a parent advocate. I attended a conference dedicated to public school choice and went to meetings with some legislators from my state. It was exciting and so fun.

The truth though, is that I haven’t been to the gym in the last 2 weeks. I have been active though. The other truth is that I have eaten whatever I want. I have been careful about portion sizes though. So, guess what happened? I went on a road trip, vacationed with my little family. I flew across the country, associated with adults and had way too much excitement for a stay at home mom where other people controlled my food options. I maintained. Maintained!!! Maybe I shouldn’t be excited about this. But, it seems like a huge accomplishment to me.

I’m still 26.5 pounds down.

We only have 2 and half weeks of summer left. That is crazy. I have a million things to do to prepare. For the first time though, I am planning my schedule. I’m figuring out the best way to fit exercise into my school day schedule. Although, my weight loss is slow. I am feeling positive. I still feel confident that I can do this and that I will eventually reach my goal.

I have a couple of weeks before school starts and we don’t have any travel plans. It will be nice to be home and get my booty to the gym. I plan on lots of exercise and lots of healthy food. I’m optimistic that I can lose some weight. I think I can, I think I can. Bend at it, sweat at it, smile at it too. 

Fun at the beach and burning calories too!

A momma fighting for her beliefs at the capitol. Dreams I never knew I had coming true. :) Life is so unpredictably amazing!

Weigh In Wednesday ::: Hope

Did you miss me?

 

Sorry about not blogging last week,

but I literally couldn't find a moment to sit down and do it!

 

 

I couldn't wait to blog today because I wanted to tell

you all my super exciting news!

I weighed in this morning and I am down 1.5 lbs.

Of course that's 1.5 lbs in 2 weeks, not 1 week, but that's ok!

I am happy with that!

 

And now for my exciting news:

I am officially down FORTY POUNDS today!!!

WOW!!!

 

I actually looked back on my "starting weight" picture and compared it to my picture from today. I got a little emotional. It was proof of how far I had come. But to be honest, I never really saw myself how I see myself looking in that before picture. I knew I needed to lose some weight and get healthier, but I didn't hate my body.

 

A friend and fellow photographer, Megan, posted this yesterday on facebook:

 

So today, while swimsuit shopping for me, with my oldest, a number of things crossed my mind. Despite some of those feelings, I said out loud so she could hear me, "I love my beautiful, powerful body. Birthed my three children naturally, enables me to take care of my children." And in a few minutes I heard her say to herself, "I love my beautiful, powerful body." I think we owe it to our girls to appreciate what we have, at all shapes and sizes along the way.

 

I loved this reminder that our bodies are strong and powerful no matter what size. Right now I see my body transforming and I think how incredible my body is. But it has always been incredible. I have given birth to 4 children (while not naturally, still amazing) and it keeps up with my crazy schedule.

I am loving this time in my life when I can push myself and do things I never thought I would.

So here's to 40 lbs down and continuing my journey to losing 30 more!

 

40 lbs down!

The Saturday Skinny ::: Robyn

When I was a little girl my mom would have us memorize and recite scriptures. They were some of her favorite scriptures that she thought we would need throughout our lives. Every once and a while I find myself reciting them in my head. The last couple of weeks I have been reciting 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 Know ye not that ye are the ^atemple of God, and that the^bSpirit of God dwelleth ^cin you? If any man ^adefile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is ^bholy, which temple ye are.

I don’t think my mom’s reasoning for teaching us this scripture is exactly the reason I keep reciting it in my head. But, either way I’m thankful for it. In my college years I had a dear friend who always said “my body is a playground” J I feel like I continually have to adjust and improve my attitude towards myself. If I can think of my body as a temple and treat it accordingly I will have greater success in my pursuit of health and weight loss. I laughed when I saw Hope’s shirt for her 5k last week. Great minds think alike. I have been reminding myself often that my body is a temple.

My mom also taught us a poem as children. I’m not sure where she found it, but when I searched for it I found that it has been quoted several times in the general conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (the Mormon church). Our dear prophet Thomas S. Monson has shared it more than once during conference. Which means to me it is scripture. I love this poem and have been reciting it in my mind often. I say it as I’m running on the treadmill, or as I am trying to find something in my closet to wear that helps me feel good about myself, or while I’m finding something healthy yet delicious to eat for lunch. It has become my mantra. J

“Stick to your task ’til it sticks to you;

Beginners are many, but enders are few.

Honor, power, place and praise

Will always come to the one who stays.

“Stick to your task ’til it sticks to you;

Bend at it, sweat at it, smile at it, too;

For out of the bend and the sweat and the smile

Will come life’s victories after a while.”

—Author Unknown

My favorite part is “bend at it, sweat at it, smile at it, too”. That is exactly how I feel. It’s what I say to myself over and over. I’m still learning and growing and struggling. This week I made lots of good choices and some bad too.

I am exactly the same weight as last week. Which means I’m 26.5 pounds down since January.

If I’m being totally honest, I am a little discouraged, it’s true. But, I am also happy that I have lost and that I’m not giving up. I have a million blessings to be thankful for and I had another beautifully blessed week with my little family. I am trusting that my good choices will pay off and that my body will respond. I am reminding myself that my value is not measured in pounds. I am chanting in my head, “booty bling, booty bling” and I am reminding myself to “bend at it, sweat at it, smile at it too” because my body is a temple. I am realizing that smiling at it is just as important and sweating it. 

My daughter Gracie and I on 4th of July, 26.5 pounds down

P.S. I’m going to weigh in on Saturdays for a few weeks. Summer is busy. 

Weigh in Wednesday ::: Hope

It's Wednesday!

 

This has been a big week for me!

 

On Saturday I ran in my first 5K.

My goal was to run the whole way...not to walk. The course was at our local park that has trails and lots of hills. There were times when I was pretty sure the walkers would lap me, but I still ran. I didn't care about how fast I was running, all I cared about was not stopping. It turns out I finished the 3.1 miles in 36:50, 11:53/mile. That 11:53 a mile is what shocked me. It was the fastest I've ran so far; not that I have extensive running experience, but I was really proud of that!

 

The coolest part, for me, was that Carl was supposed to come during the race and bring the kids so that they would be there when I crossed the finish line, but he surprised me and brought them at the beginning before we started.

That was super sweet and just the encouragement I needed.

 

After I crossed the finish line, he hugged me and told me how proud he was.

That was awesome, although all I could think at that moment was

"get me to the bathroom now!" {just keeping it real, people}

 

Having my family there at the end was priceless!

Here I am after I finished the 5K, sporting my awesome new tank:

"Because My Body Is A Temple".

Love it.

Check out Cross Training Couture

 

For any of you who might be starting out in the running world, I got some good advice from a friend. She told me to increase my food intake the rest of the day after the race and drink tons more water because you lose a lot of sodium when you run. She said this will save you from feeling like you have the flu over the next few days. This was good advice. I definitely still hurt, but I didn't feel sick.

 

This morning I weighed myself and I lost another 1.5 lbs!!!

I've lost 38.5 lbs over all!

 

I have to say that the weight loss is awesome, but something I did after I weighed in was even better.

Sometimes looking at your body each day, you tend to lose perspective about how much 38.5 pounds actually is and how many inches off your body that is. So this morning I got out the measuring tape and instead of taking my current measurements, I held it around my hips at the measurement I started at! WOWWWW!!!

Now that's a visual!

It was really eye opening and showed me just how far I've come!

 

All in all, this has been a great week!

I hope it has been a great week for you, too. And if it hasn't, there is always next week.

 

Don't give up!

 

 

Fat be gone Friday:::Robyn's weigh in

 The weight loss journey plays some serious games with my mind. It’s a crazy roller coaster for me. I have the highest highs and the lowest lows. I think the hardest part is having to recommit everyday, to reevaluate, and to just keep going. Some days it feels like there is no end in sight, like it is never going to happen. But, I just keep going. I think a major key to weight loss success is never giving up. We will all have bad days. It’s over coming them and starting again that will bring us success. If it was easy everyone would be skinny and it would be no big deal.

I get frustrated because I feel like I have to relearn things over and over again. This week was all about moderation. I really watched my calories and portion sizes but did not deprive myself. Deprivation does not work for me. I made it to the gym everyday. Work outs are key when you can’t deprive yourself. J I feel really good about my choices. The thing about moderation in calories and exercise, is that it is a lifestyle that I can live with. I can continue on without feeling like I am dieting. That is really important to me.

So, this week I am happy to say that I lost 1 pound for a total of 26.5 pounds lost.

I will admit that there is a part of me that is embarrassed at my slow pace. But, I keep quenching that part and lifting myself back up. Time passes whether I’m losing or not and I could easily be up instead of down right now. If I work really hard, I am still optimistic that I can reach my goal by the end of the year. If not, I’ll still be down and continue on into the next year and the rest of life.

I’m so thankful for all of your support and encouragement. This blog and all of you continue to motivate and keep me moving forward. 

I can't wait to look down and see my goal weight. I am doing this!!!!

Weigh in Wednesday ::: Hope

Hey. It's me, Hope. Remember me?

So I haven't blogged in 2 weeks because last week we were at the beach for vacation.

It was one of my favorite family vacations to date.

Lots of ocean swimming, pool swimming, hot tub sitting, sand castle building, shell collecting, shopping, arcade game playing, and we even brought home 4 new members of the family. Our cute little hermit crabs.

The kids had a BLAST and I had a blast watching them have a blast!

We had a beach house, so we were able to prepare food at the house, which was nice, but we still did a lot of eating out too.

I ate grilled things or salads when I could. I also had a cheeseburger and onion rings once. It was good, but not as good as the salads, to be honest. {What is happening to me!?!?!?}

We were able to bring my niece along with us to help with the kids and not only was she awesome with them, but she was my workout buddy.

I bought some cute workout gear while I was there, so here is a before & after of us running :)

 

 {Michaela & I ran twice while at the beach.

She said she was impressed that I ran 2 miles without stopping.

I told her if I stopped, I wouldn't start again.}

{My sweet family on the beach}

{Me & the love of my life}

 

Since I didn't bring my scale with me, I was a little nervous about this mornings weigh in.

I really had no idea if running twice was going to be enough to get rid of that cheeseburger and onion rings {among other treats}

So this morning my scale said I weigh exactly the same as when I left! Hallelujah!

What that means to me is that I am getting a hold of the balance aspect. I know that if I eat things that aren't the best for me, I have to work out. And I know that eating things that are better for me, is going to give me the results I want. It's all about balance.

That is one thing I am worried about. After I reach my goal, will I be able to maintain? I sure don't want to start sliding back up. But this last week gave me confidence that I can do this for the long haul.

This isn't a race, it's a marathon.

This is for life.

 

And speaking of races...

Who is running her very first 5K THIS Saturday?

This girl!

I'm so stinking excited!

This is serious proof that ANYONE can do this!

I am not a runner. But I am determined. And that's all that matters.

Stay tuned for pictures :)

 

{1st annual Jeffcoat sand castle & sand castle smash}

Fat be gone Friday ::: Robyn's weigh in

Since I missed my blog post last week I have been thinking all week about what I would blog about this week. I had been thinking all week how I was going to title it the blog of shame. I was going to write about how discouraged I am, about how pathetic it is that I only lost half a pound last month, and how I hadn’t lost anything yet this month. Last Friday I was up a pound. I wasn’t inspired to share with all of you. I was feeling discouraged. Then Saturday morning I woke up, up another pound. Ugh. I was devastated really. But, somehow I pulled myself together. I decided not to focus on my slow progress and to just put in the work.

I read an article last week from one of my favorite bloggers about body image.   I thought about sharing it, but decided against it, because I decided I disagreed with a lot of what she had to say. But, it made me really think. She talked about how she was happy with her body just how it was and wasn’t trying to change it. She talked about how striving to lose weight adds pressure to our lives. I found myself wishing that I could adapt her feelings. I wish that I could just be happy with my body and live my life not striving to change it. Trying to lose weight does add pressure to my life. But, the fact is, that I do want to change my body. It’s not completely because of body image or because I don’t love my body now. But, if I’m honest that’s part of it. I’m still working on that. But, most of the things really worth accomplishing and striving for in life add pressure. They are hard things and that is why they are worth so much. So, I once again found peace in my plight to lose weight. It’s for health, for a better happier me. That doesn’t mean that I don’t love myself now or that I will all of the sudden love myself when I reach my goal weight. That’s a whole other journey connected but separate from the number on the scale.

 I had a really great week. I ate things in moderation. I didn’t completely cut anything out, I didn’t deprive myself. I really watched my portion sizes and I ate lots of fruit and veggies. I exercised everyday (well not Sunday, that’s my day of rest, the Sabbath day).

This morning I am down 2.5 pounds from last Saturday, which is half a pound to add to my total weight loss of now 25.5 pounds.

 I am feeling really positive this week. I feel confident that I can make good choices and that I can finish this journey. Attitude is a choice. It’s such a huge part of success and happiness in this life. I have to remind myself of that often.  Although, the last couple of months have been slow for me, I feel like I’m turning a corner. I’m excited to continue on. I’m not giving up.

P.S. last week we were in Cali again. It was wonderful and great family time but definitely added to my weight gain last week. I am so excited that I don’t have another trip on my calendar for 3 more weeks. I am thinking positive thoughts and hoping for 3 great weeks. Keeping on keeping on.

Weigh In...Friday?!?!?! ::: Hope

Robyn and I just wanted to throw you all off this week and have me blog on Friday and her blog on Saturday. You have to keep people on their toes ;)

 

Ok, really it's because I am trying to get 6 people ready for a week at the beach AND the kids had VBS this week. I have tried to blog like 3 times since Wednesday, each time getting pulled away. It's been a crazy week, but I think we're almost ready to leave tomorrow morning so I have some free minutes to sit down and think.

 

So let's cut right to it, shall we?

 

I am exactly the same as last week.

 

BUT the advantage of not blogging until today is that I can tell you that as of today, I am 1.5 lbs down from Wednesday. ;)

 

I have been doing an abs and glutes boot camp Tuesday nights. Wow! This class is exactly what I need. It pushes me hard and...makes me cry...just kidding...sort of...

 

I love that class. So much so that I went out and bought a yoga mat to take with me to the beach so I could do those exercises there too. My niece will be coming with us to help with the kids and she also takes that class with my sis and me, so she will be me motivator :)

 

I feel like this week could go either of two ways. Praying for the will power to make the right choices with food and the motivation to get my workouts in each day.

 

Here we go...



Fat be gone Friday:::Robyn's weigh in

It is officially summer in AZ!!!!!!

This last week we purchased season passes for the kids and I to a water park. That means I am baring my soul, (okay, not my soul, but it feels like it) in a very public place. I put on a happy face, found my inner confidence and had a great time with my kiddos. They don’t know to be embarrassed of me. They still hold my hand in public while I’m wearing a swim suit. J I rode water slides. It was fun. It made me feel young. I was happy to be under the weight limits and to have fun with my kiddos. Summertime is Phoenix is a motivating place to be swim suit ready.

Because we have been going out of town so much I have been struggling with my food choices. I’m trying to get myself back into a good routine. I had been tempted to do something sort of drastic for a little bit to get some weight off quickly. But, I decided that wasn’t really how I wanted to reach my goals.

Hope and I chatted on the phone the other night. I am so thankful to have her as a support in my journey. As we chatted I was able to realize for myself how important it is to me to do this the right way. I do not want to take any pills or shots, no weight loss surgeries, no fad diets, and no extreme programs. I believe in moderation. I believe in healthy living. I believe in eating less and moving more. This isn’t a diet. This is a healthy lifestyle. Slow and steady wins the race. I think for me, slow and steady is more manageable, I’m living a way I can continue for the rest of my life, and I feel that it’s healthier for me both physically and mentally. Let’s face it the mental part of this journey plays a large part in my success.

This week I lost 2 lbs. It’s the 2 lbs that I had gained back last week. So, I’m back to 25 lbs down. I am motivated to make good choices though and excited to continue the journey.