1 month away

Holy guacamole, it's been a long time since I've blogged. Summer has been crazy and busy, and full, and I love it. It's nice to get back into a normal rhythm, though, especially when it comes to diet and exercise.

Well, I am just over a month away from my 2 year anniversary of starting my weight loss journey. I can't believe it's been two years, and I'm so proud of how far I've come.

I still have about 20 pounds to go to reach my goal weight. Realistically, I don't expect to lose 20 pounds in a month (especially at this stage in my weight loss), but I'm going to work hard and lose what I can.

My friend, Ally, challenged me to a weight loss competition - with prizes and everything! HA! Chris and I are going to Hawaii in a month, so Ally and I are competing for one month, to see who can lose the most weight. It's more or less an accountability thing, but the competition motives me since I'm pretty competitive. What can I say? I like to win! :D

Basically, Ally and I are doing our own thing - our own eating and exercise plans. I'm basically counting calories and being intentional about what I eat, and increasing my length and intensity of my workouts. She's doing something similar, but her diet will look different than mine since she's gluten and dairy intolerant.

I will let you know how the competition goes when we're done.

My starting weight for the competition is: 173.2
Overall Goal WeightL 150

Here goes nothing!

Love,
Lauren

the good and the bad

Well hello there - it's that time again - time for a weight loss update.

I started the 17 Day Diet. This diet consists of 4 cycles, each 17 days long. I finished the first cycle yesterday and lost a total of 5 pounds. I was hoping to lose more, but it is a decrease in weight, so I can't be too upset. Today, I start cycle 2. The 17 Day Diet basically consists of eating lots of lean proteins, vegetables, fruits, and some dairy. Then in the 2nd cycle, you add in some healthy carbs like brown rice, oatmeal, beans, etc. Then on cycle 3, you add in more types of fruits and vegetables and some other foods, then cycle 4 is the maintenance stage. That is the brief rundown of the diet.

I'm excited to share that I'm officially out of the "obese" category according to the BMI chart, and in the "overweight" category. Although I'm still considered overweight, it feels good to not be considered obese. (That is just such an ugly word). 

Some good things:

- I went shopping, and I'm fitting in much smaller clothes. I started out as a size 20 in Old Navy jeans, and (although they were tight) I was able to get into a size 10! I'm half my size!

- Chris rewarded my hard work with a new pair of tennis (workout) shoes and a new workout tank top. (So now I can be stylish while working out...haha!)

- I bought a new swimsuit. Although I'm not strutting around the pool in it like some swimsuit model, it was nice to buy a cute swimsuit (that was not being sold in the plus size section) and that didn't have a full on skirt at the bottom. 

- Chris' eating habits are changing, and he has been losing weight as well. 

Some tough things:

- I've been getting discouraged that I'm not "there" yet. I want to be in the maintenance stage SO BAD, and it's frustrating that I still have 25 more pounds to go. 

- I've felt like giving up. I mean, hey, I'm out of the obese category, I've lost 85 pounds, and I'm way more fit than I was. I lose more weight later. I need a break. (Don't worry, I'm not giving up - these are just the thoughts that have been going through my head).

- I have been feeling like I've been/am becoming obsessed with weight loss. I feel like everything revolves around this. I'm still processing this because I literally just had this thought/revelation last night. There needs to be a balance in life. I'm going to struggle with food and weight my entire life, but does everything I do have to revolve around my weight? Maybe for now it does until I reach my goal, then I won't be so consumed with it. I know that so many aspects of life contribute to my weight. Food, exercise, stress, even relationships can contribute to my weight loss. So I want to be conscious of these things so that I can continue to lose weight, however, I don't want it to be the only thing I ever talk about with people. I don't want it to be the only thing that dictates my day, my activities, my conversations, my thoughts. Like I said, I'm still processing all of this, but I guess the bottom line is I just don't want to be consumed by this even though it is important - it's not the MOST important thing. 

So my birthday is 12 days away. Obviously, I will not meet my goal by that date (unless someone has some magic drink that will instantly make me skinny. In which case I will drink it, become skinny, then proceed to beat you with a stick for not giving it to me sooner). But seriously, I intend to stay on the 17 day diet, at least for cycle 2. I will splurge on my birthday (we're having sushi), and then jump back on the diet the day after. I will do my best to keep losing weight and reaching my goal. 

The "90 Day Fitness Challenge" that I wrote about a while ago is going good. I'm still doing it - reading the entries every day, trying to continue to create a lifestyle. The 17 day diet is what is keeping my eating under control, but the 90 day challenge is educating me, encouraging me, and helping to keep me structured in my weight loss. 

So there's the good, the bad, and the in between. My new goal is to be at my goal weight by October 18th - my two year anniversary of my weight loss journey. I hope to be at my goal weight before this date, but if I'm not, I think this is a realistic date to lose the weight by. I need to be held accountable to this date and to this goal. It's time to finish the first leg of this journey. Thanks for your love, support, accountability, and encouragement. I so greatly appreciate it. 

Love,

Lauren

guest blogger

Hey all -
I just wanted to share a quick link with you. A friend of mine who is on her own weight loss journey asked me to be a guest writer on her blog. She posted it yesterday, and I wanted to share it with you all in case you didn't see it on Facebook.

Thanks, Leah, for allowing me the opportunity to share my story on your blog in hopes of inspiring more people to get healthy. Praying and pulling for you as you work towards your goals. I'm right there with ya, sister!

You can see the blog post at Leah's blog, Nesting Doll.

slowly, but surely

So I finally started losing again. It's slow and only a couple of pounds, but it's a loss. I realized that part of the reason I wasn't losing is because I was splurging too often. It's one thing to have a piece of dark chocolate every now and then, but to have some sort of sweets every day (even within my calorie limit) was not helping things. Plus, I would lose, and then go celebrate some thing or go to a party or something, and end up gaining the weight back. I'm working on not splurging and really watching my calories at parties and events. It's easy to justify poor eating when it's for a special occasion, but when those special occasions happen often, it makes it hard to lose weight. 


Here are my current stats:


Last Weigh In: 181.6
Current Weight: 178.8
Goal Weight: 150
Weeks Left: 6


I'd really like to get to 175 this week. We're going to Vegas with our families for my sister's softball tournament, so we'll see how strong my will-power is with all the buffets. :D According to the BMI chart, 175 (for my height) puts me into the "overweight" category and out of the "obese" category. This is a big step, and I'd really like to get there soon.


Until the next weigh in...
Lauren

quick check in

Hey all - so here are my stats for this week.

Last Weigh In: 181 lbs
Current Weight: 181.6 lbs
Goal Weight: 150
Weeks Left: 7

Although I've been really liking the 90 Day Challenge, I have been struggling with losing the weight. I will lose one day, and then gain it back the next. Between trips back to Sac, celebrating our anniversary, and other things, I've struggled some with eating right and getting all the exercise in. I know I've been maintaining, which is better than gaining, but I still have quite a bit to lose. Trying to figure this thing out, and I'm hoping that even through all the summer fun and celebrations, I'll be able to make good choices and keep losing.

Until next time.
Lauren

creating a lifestyle

Ok - it's been awhile - I know. Part of my hiatus was from busyness, and part of it was out of frustration from the way my weight loss has been going. 

Here's the breakdown:

A few weeks ago, I started getting a lot stricter on my diet - and I gained a pound by the end of the week. 

The next week, I tried to do a cleanse. I did this "cleanse" for 6 days. The longer I was on this cleanse, the more I was feeling like it wasn't so much of a cleanse. I didn't feel like I was being cleaned out. I did lose 4 pounds that week - good for 1 week, but it was not the 10+ pounds promised by the cleanse. If anything I felt more "clogged." Sorry if that's TMI. 

So now, I'm more on track. After the cleanse, I splurged a bit and gained a pound back, but now, I feel like I'm on to something. I'm reading the book, "The 90-Day Fitness Challenge" by Phil and Amy Parham. They were contestants on season 5 of The Biggest Loser, and they are believers. The book lays out what it looks like to live a healthy lifestyle. A lot of it is basic stuff, but it's SO helpful to have it laid out for me. The first part of the book is them explaining how and what to eat, and how and what to do to work out. The second half of the book are daily entries where they have a short note from the author, and then a place for me to journal my eating and workouts and thoughts. I haven't been recording my thoughts in the book because I do that on my phone in an application called, "My Fitness Pal" - thank you Katie Thompson! They have workout suggestions, a 7-day meal plan, an extensive grocery list, and encouraging stories from people that have done the challenge before. 

More than anything, it's reminded me of the importance of a BALANCED diet. I'm realizing, that I was not always eating balanced meals to fuel my body. For example, before, I would have a bowl of oatmeal with honey and maybe some fruit for breakfast. Not a bad meal, but there's almost no protein. There suggestion for a similar breakfast is oatmeal with Truvia or Stevia, and then 2 egg whites. So simple, right? I feel like I was on the right track, this book just helped me to start eating more balanced meals - protein, carbs, fruits, veggies, and fats. They also really push eating natural foods - staying away from processed foods. Again, kind of a no brainer, but it's amazing what is out there that is called "healthy" but is processed. I'm not perfect at this. They suggested I get uncured, no nitrate turkey bacon - I got Jenny-O Turkey Bacon that is cured and has nitrates in it. Hey - I'm working on it. Ha.  

So, I'm on Day 2 of this 90-Day Fitness Challenge. To be honest, 90 days feels like a long time, but really, it's not like this way of life is supposed to end after 90 days. I'm continuing to create a lifestyle that will continue even after 90 days. It just takes the 90 days to create the lifestyle. I'm feeling really good about it, and it's totally realistic. 

Stats:

Last Weeks Weight: 180 lbs

Current Weight: 181 lbs (as of 5/16/12)

Goal Weight: 150 Lbs

Weeks Left: 8*

*This is weeks until my birthday, which was my original time frame to reach my goal. I'm going to keep this date to see how far I can get in this time, although I realize that realistically, I will not be at my goal weight by this day.

Thanks for checking in. Although I've been a bit discouraged lately, I'm feeling good again and ready to keep plugging away.

Until next time - 

Lauren

stats

I realized I never really shared where I got the idea to post my stats every week. Well, allow me to introduce you to Leah. She's an old church friend of mine thats on her own weight loss journey. I highly recommend you check out her blog, Nesting Doll, right now! She's on round 2 of losing over 100 pounds, and she's doing amazing! She's a great writer and really funny, and her blog really encourages me on my journey! Every week, she does "Weigh in Wednesdays." She posts her stats and lists her goals and how she's doing on her journey. This is where I got the idea to start posting my stats every week. Posting my stats gives me a sense of accountability, and it helps me to make good decisions during the week because I know that at the end of the week I've got to post my stats for all to see. 

So here they are for this week: 

Last Week's Weight: 183.2

Current Weight: 184.4

Goal Weight: 150

Weeks Left: 11

As you can see, I gained a pound. I let myself splurge a lot this past week because I was on "vacation" while my mom was visiting, and I wasn't consistently exercising. I actually gained more than 1 pound, but I lost it in the last few days. I've struggled to get back in an exercise routine, but I worked out today (and I NEVER work out on Sundays). I'm also planning this week to start eating more strictly. It's a sacrifice, but I need to be strict if I want to lose the weight. So I'll let you know how that goes. 

Until next time...