Inches

Today was measurement day. It has been one month and I was so anxious to see if I had lost anything since the scale doesn't seem to be cooperating. I don't know what good results are but I'm thrilled just to see that I'm smaller.

I lost 3" off my waist, 1.5" off my hips, 3/4" off my thigh and 1/4" off my bicep. That's 5 1/2" of fat altogether.

I'm looking forward to next month to see how it compares.

1st Bike Ride of the Season

My Dad took me on just over an 8 mile ride last night. It was fantastic. I always forget how much I love to ride until I do it.

Toe Caps?

There is a big "joke" in my house about me always injuring my toes. Jason says I lead with my toes. A week and a half ago I was moving our chase and ran it over my big toe. It pulled the entire nail up. :( Ouch!! My mom walks in with these the other day. REALLY?!?! Who knew they made these? Ha Ha Mom very funny!!

Weigh Day!!

LOL!! This was me Saturday morning!

I don’t know what’s going on with the scale but I put on half a pound last week. This is very frustrating and discouraging. I’m telling you, this week the scale better be extra nice to me! It’s a good thing I took measurements because that maybe the only thing that saves my sanity. I’ll take new measurements next Friday to see what kind of progress I’ve made over the past month. This plateau will end and I will see weight loss again, so I persevere. I press on toward the goal. I will fight for every last pound. J

I am so excited to report I had a HUGE breakthrough this past weekend. You all know I have a “free” day and it has been the one piece of my former self I haven’t been able to let go of. I was telling my mom yesterday that as long as I’ve been on this weight loss journey I have wanted to stay within boundaries on my “free” day, but I haven’t done it. Mentally and emotionally I couldn’t let go of the one day that allowed me to run to food; to over indulge. I know I can turn down the piece of chocolate cake on Wednesday because on Saturday I can eat the entire cake. Not good I know, but it’s what I’ve done for almost two years now. Well, this past Saturday I put a calorie limit on my day and I stayed within it!!! I did it. For the first time in 2 years I did it. This is a MAJOR victory for me. I didn’t completely undo everything I worked for the past week. I was able to have some treats without binging. It was so empowering and I believe it will be the key to teaching me how to eat certain food in moderation. The “free” day is what helped me in the beginning and it will be what sees me beyond my goal. What an amazing journey this is!!

Rest Day

Today is rest day from Circuits in the Park but not from being active. We walked the river trail and ended up at Sawyer Park. There is nothing better than Central Oregon in the summer!!

Two of my little troopers. . . the one on the left did a lot of whining. Look how red her face was.

Deschutes River

Weigh Day!

No need to prolong saying it, I'm up 2.5 lbs this week. AHHHHH! So this is how it's going to be. . . well that means I'll be down BIG next week. Right?!?!?

Sometimes Being Good Isn't Fun

Lexi had her birthday party tonight and this is what was served. So hard to stay away,

but tomorrow is weigh day. I have to be good!

Sponsorship

I'm so excited to tell you I picked up another sponsor. Nathan Performance Gear sent me some goodies to keep me going through the rest of my weight loss. Thank you Nathan Sports!! You can find them at www.nathansports.com and Footzone carries their products as well.

Veggies, They're What's For Dinner

This is the best way to eat vegetables EVER! They have olive oil and Montreal Steak Seasoning on them. I cooked them in the grill basket on the barbecue for 30 to 45 minutes. SO GOOD!!

Weigh Day!!

Yay!! I lost 8 lbs this week. Wow!! When I put on weight last week I knew it was the high carbohydrate diet. Now I know why I put on weight so easily when I'm not disciplined with my eating. My body turns all those carbs into fat. I LOVE "ah ha" moments and I really LOVE 8 lbs weeks!!

Dessert, yum!

My dessert tonight. So yummy! Sliced organic strawberries from The Vegetable Man's produce stand here in Bend and dark chocolate.

Only 167 calories.

Bondage

So many diets are unsuccessful because they have so many rules and restrictions you feel deprived.

• You should not eat carbs.
• You should not eat meat.
• It is about the fat grams.
• You should only eat meat and vegetables, no fruit.
• You need to replace meals with shakes.
• It is about the sodium.
• It is about the amount of water you drink.
• Never eat sugar again.
• Etc, Etc, Etc.

Many of these programs work and some of them are very healthy for you, but within the “rules” of dieting there needs to be freedom and grace. You will not stick with anything that feels too hard. To many people, the bondage of being overweight feels easier than the bondage of dieting. Find something that does not feel too restrictive. Your new way of eating needs to be a new lifestyle.

I can relate it, in a small way, to the story of Moses leading the Hebrews out of Egypt. They were so excited to be out from under slavery until things got difficult. It felt too hard. They wanted to go back to the familiarity of slavery; when we read the story, we all ask why? We ask why because we know what it feels like to be free. We know how it feels to live without shackles or fear, but many overweight people have never felt the freedom of being at their healthy weight or they have been in bondage for so long they have forgotten what it feels like to be free. When people say, “Remember even one bite of prohibited food cannot compare to what it feels like to be thin”, do not realize many overweight people cannot understand that statement.

If you are beginning a diet or are thinking of starting one, look for something that bends a little. There will be rules with the new lifestyle, but they do not have to be so restrictive you feel you cannot live. Do not go from one bondage to another.

Breakfast Protein Shake

Oh my goodness I had the yummiest shake for breakfast this morning. I'm not a fan of protein shakes, but this one I could drink every morning. Here it is:

1/2 c Organic Vanilla Almond Milk
1/2 c Trader Joe's Organic Orange Strawberry Banana juice
1/4 of a 5.3 oz container of Trader Joe's Nonfat Vanilla Greek Yogurt
4 whole strawberries
1 scoop Vanilla Protein Powder
                                                          ice (to get desired consistency)

                                                          It was 276 calories. Not bad, huh?

Weigh Day!



It was a HARD day yesterday, to put it lightly! I was finally feeling smaller and optimistic about my weight loss for the week. I thought, maybe, it was a 5 lb week. Instead, the scale showed I put on 2.5 lbs. WHAT?!?! HOW!?!? WHY!?!?

For those of you about to say well you have been strength training again and various other excuses . . . that would not put on 2.5 lbs. It might make me hold for a week or two but it will not put on weight when I am burning nearly as much as I am eating.

So now, I re-assess. I decided three weeks ago to work towards being a Vegan. It is such a healthy way to live and I thought that as long as I still counted calories it would be fine. I have been watching my protein levels but of course, they are not nearly as high as if I was eating meat.

After processing this yesterday and talking with my Mom and Jason I have decided now is not the time to go Vegan. LOL! I discovered why I can put on weight so quickly. I found this and it explains a lot about my hunger last week and my weight gain:

Eating a super high-carb diet increases NPY, a brain chemical that decreases metabolism and increases appetite, so you should ensure that less than 50 percent of your diet comes from carbohydrates. Make sure most of your carbs are complex, such as whole grains and vegetables.

- Dr. Mehmet Oz

So many lessons learned on this journey. Here's to yet, another one. LOL! I am going back to what works!! Maintaining a balance between carbs and protein. I had better see a 5 lb loss next week, at least!!! :)

Oh and I purchased the Psyllium Husk Capsules yesterday. I read quite a bit about it but here is a nice summary article. http://www.livestrong.com/article/278058-psyllium-husk-for-weight-loss/

I will let you know how it works.

Rewards

I have been SO INCREDIBLY hungry this week! (I think the metabolism is kicking in.) By this morning I was feeling really sorry for myself. I'm talking a pretty major pity party. I felt the need to reward myself for making it through this week, but how do you do that without food?! You SHOP! Duh! :) I remembered I need a new water bottle. That's fun, right? Here they are. Jason and I have matching water bottles now. Ahhh.

The only problem. . . I found this dress that just HAD to come home with me too. Shh. . . don't tell Jason. He thinks I'm at home, writing. :)



Isn't she CUTE?!?!

I am a fan of Jillian Michaels on Facebook. Her post this morning couldn't have been more fitting.

"Here's a simple, silly, and yet extremely effective tip to keep you from over indulging. Sometimes when we are dieting our bodies go through periods of insatiable hunger. You know that feeling when no matter what you eat you are still hungry? It can be really frustrating. Try a fiber supplement like psyillium husk capsules. When you take these with a bunch of water the psyillium expands in your tummy helping to literally fill you up and curb appetite. Plus, it’s calorie free and helps to clear you out. Literally." - Jillian Michaels

Thank you Jillian. You always know exactly what's going on with me.