Where did this last year go?

I am so excited about 2013. I am full of hope for what's to come for both me and my family. Before writing this post I went back and read my posts from January 2012. Apparently, I was really excited about 2012 as well. LOL! I cannot believe I was only 24 lbs. away from my goal weight. The reality of that hit like a brick! What did I do with 2012? Where did it go?

 For our family 2012 brought a lot of positive changes and was one of the busiest years of our lives. A move, a vacation, two (completely) broken vehicles, one new vehicle, a job change for me and full time work for Jason, Jason completing his Associates Degree, Jason completing the Reserve Academy for the City of Prineville, the loss of a family pet, two new family pets, running Circuits in the Park and a childcare through the Summer, and the list could go on and on.

 For me personally, it was a really tough year. So many old habits and addictions fought for control over me. My flesh was weak and I gave into many temptations. As I began 2012 I was convinced I had overcome this life long battle. I believed I was free from this stronghold. My naivety begged me to loosen my grip. As I began loosening the reigns, in the name of balance, my old struggles came rushing in like flood waters. I had lost my resiliency. So I find myself in a much different place than I had hoped to be by this time.

 Not to fret, life is a journey, and it is not over yet. 2013 starts with Grace and is filled with Hope.

Weighing In

It has now been six and a half weeks since I last weighed myself. This is the toughest challenge I have given myself during this journey. The first four weeks were the most difficult. I realized how much of my identity is in what the scale says I weigh. I do not know what to think of myself or how to rate my success without seeing a number. I started this journey with my health in mind. I wanted to extend my life and better the quality of my life. The first year was a success! I was experiencing so many new things, learning so many new things about myself, and losing a lot of weight. The second year rolled around and something changed. My focus changed from loving myself by losing the weight, feeding myself healthy foods and being active, to just reaching the number! The shift was unhealthy and led to a year of difficulties. I went up 40 lbs down 20 lbs, up 20, down 25 and so on. If I had a great week but the scale did not say so, my week was ruined. Instead of being happy with the way I treated myself I condemned myself for not working hard enough. The first year was a year of learning about living in freedom and grace and taking off the baggage of self-condemnation and guilt. This past year I picked up that pack and strapped it back on. I would not have learned any of this if I had not decided to step away from the scale. (Thank you Cynthia for that suggestion.) I feel so free today. I do not plan to weigh myself again unless I am at the doctor's office. I plan to continue focusing on my health and loving myself enough to feed myself the right foods and exercise because of the way it makes me feel. I will reach my goal of a size 8 and will not measure my success by weight. It will happen when it happens and because of loving myself.

Weight Loss Ideas for the New Year

January 1st is just around the corner and I am pretty sure the majority of you are going to make "losing weight" a New Year's Resolution. LOL! I have a few suggestions that have been amazing for me.

1. www.jillianmichaels.com. It is very affordable and gives you 4 workouts a week customized to your fitness level and your schedule. You can log your food there and join challenges. (These really helped me in the beginning.)

2. Bodybugg. This is the contraption I wear on my arm. It tells me how many calories I am burning throughout my day. These are on sale for Christmas at http://mystore.24hourfitness.com/search.php?subcat=23. I have the bodybugg that communicates with my smart phone. It has revolutionized weight loss for me.

3. Running has played a crucial part in my weight loss. It burns a lot of calories in a short amount of time and it's free!! The only thing that costs is a good pair of running shoes. (I highly recommend GOOD running shoes.) The Foot Zone in Bend is where it's at!!

4. In Motion Training Studio, located in the Old Mill, is a great place to get a GREAT workout. Here's a link to their website: http://www.inmotionbend.com/index.html#Mon