IT'S A GOOD DAY :)

Well today has been a good day thus far.  I made it to the gym for my workout with my trainer, he will probably have that video up soon on Facebook and I will try to post it here.  I was feeling really good today, got on the scale and lost a little which made me FINALLY  break through the 261.2 mark!!  So I got dressed and headed out the door and just focused on feeling good and getting out.  

That is how we have to look at this, we can't pick a date or event to loose weight by. We shouldn't even pick that "perfect number" we have

to reach on the scale.  Sure we have to be realistic and recognize a healthy weight for our bodies but it's about making good choices.  Every day I say, "today I will do my best"  even if I have something that may be...well....not the healthiest choice IT'S OK!  Cause 1 cookie, or slice of cake or bowl of chips is not going to wreck my progress.

It's the BAG of cookies, the HALF of a cake or the BAG of chips for day after day that will do it.  

So we have to quit punishing ourselves and just make small changes. Quit focusing on what the end results will be and FOCUS ON TODAY.  Focus on each and every little change you make, APPLAUD yourself for making it and look forward to the next. When we do that we WILL get results but more importantly we will learn to love and be proud of ourselves along the way.

Isn't' that what we really want, to be happy with who we are and what we do each day?  That is what I want, to be happy with me.

So I applaud all of you, I pat you on the back and say "Good Job" and I send you (((Hugs))) because I know how hard this is and I know how falling down sucks and I know what it feels like to "start again" ...  BUT  ...  we did start again, we did pick ourselves up and we WILL be successful .........

TOGETHER.......

Hills & Valleys - I'm struggling to climb back up

     It's been 2 weeks since my last post and I'm sorry about that. I've been so busy and had some intense things going on. Not to mention all the back to school stuff that I was NOT ready for. I'm trying to be as involved as I can from the beginning of the school year so it will go better than her last. 

     Some things that have happened I can't really go into and others are just the NUMEROUS things a wife/mom has to do.  What I can say is I have gotten overwhelmed, stressed & allowed 'me' to fall to the back burner. When I first started this journey I was making sure my diet & exercise came first and with much success, but something happened, something has caused me to loose focus and "give in".  I sort of know the point but again, I can't really discuss it here but I assure you it's a legitimate stressed.   I'm so mad at myself for doing that. This was going to be the year, MY YEAR to not do what I always do, give in and say "what's the use". I normally barely make it 2 weeks, so to make it 10 is a huge accomplishment.

    I have totally derailed, each day is a new hope. I eat properly, have my mid morning Snack and lunch will usually go ok. (I say usually). But by 3-4:00 I'm stressed, worried, overwhelmed, tearing up and say, who cares!  Then I eat what i want. Yes, I have to admit, there have been some fast food moments. Only 1 that was just terrible, others have been borderline. What does that mean, well I will still get the grilled chicken sand BUT I get the fries. Or I skip the fires and gets a shake. I KNOW, I KNOW, I'm so sorry, you guys deserve so much better from me than that. But my will power goes OUT the window (sorry for the pun) and I loose all strength to make the right choice. RIGHT NOW I am typing this and thinking about lunch and what I WANT to eat instead of what I should. I HATE that feeling. 

    They say that we are in total control of what we put in our mouths. We can control what we eat so that is what gives us the ultimate control of it all. but for some reason I see eating right is not what my 'heart' wants. It's what I'm supposed to eat so it's not MY CHOICE. Does that make any sense?  I want to be healthy, I want to be fit, I want to FEEL good..........so why are those wants not stronger than my WANT to eat Mexican? (which I haven't done, I just have been thinking about it). I know I'm headed on a downward spiral, I see it coming. I see myself starting to withdraw & I don't want to completely de-rail. I want to catch it now but I'm not sure how to pick myself up from this at the moment. 

     I was watching an episode of Extreme Weight Loss and I couldn't hold back the tears. I NEED someone who can look into me and understand what I'm going through. Someone who can say "you are feeling this because of this" and help me learn how to figure it out. I have been so fortunate with what has come my way thus far, a great trainer, ability to work out at a gym as much as I need & wonderful people supporting me. But I recognize I still need a lot of help. I guess writing all this down is my first step to facing it and then dealing with it. 

     So right now I am seriously frustrated with myself & how I have been handling things. I have been putting on a strong face & smile for those who do see me and avoiding the others.  Today is my training session with Jumaane. I don't know if I can tell him all this, I don't want to let him down, I want to be strong and make a change that he can be proud of. So why can't I just be proud of me? Why don't I worry about disappointing myself. 

     Gotta figure out how to get through this. 

GARCINIA CAMBOGIA - Does it make a difference???

     So if you are on this weight loss journey with me, then you have been bombarded also with every kind of 'supplement' out there.  So many promising this and promising that. But we are not stupid, when you read the small print, they all go 'hand in hand' with a healthy diet and exercise.  Well Duh!!!!  If you do that you are going to loose weight anyway.  Sure, some of them may help speed up your metabolism or curb your hunger & cravings, but either they have some unpleasant side effects OR you just can't afford them.

     Regardless, I have been tempted (repeatedly) but to no avail I decided not to.  Not for any moral reasons like "I'm gonna do this on my own" or anything like that, but mostly cause I just didn't know which ones to take and most I just can't afford.

     Now I have been looking at Green Coffee Bean & Raspberry Ketones, Dr. Oz has talked alot about them on his shows and they are mearly just natural herbs that can help, but they don't work for everyone and EVERYONE out there has their own brand, which to choose. 

     Well recently I saw a clip about something called Garcinia Cambogia. They said that Dr. Oz supported it but I know to do my own research, so I did.  I discovered that he has actually done 3 different shows talking about this product.  Here are the exactly articles & videos I watched that really gave me some great information: (these are just a couple articles, please do your own research)

Garcinia Cambogia (HCA): Is This Right for You?   This article will give you some great basic facts about just what is the supplement and what it can do.

Click Here for a link to his Part III video that gives guidelines for what to look for when you buy it.

     So basically what I did, after reading all I could and seeing what Dr. Oz had to say about it, I went to my local Herb Shop with the guidelines in hand to see if they carried the product.
They did!  The price was fair, $30 for a bottle of 120 500mg capsules, and depending on how many I took per day, the bottle could last me 20-45 days.  So I thought, let's give it a try.

     I started taking them on Tuesday July 16 dinner time.  So that is now just been a week.  I understand that I won't see a pound change right away, if you have read & watched everything you will see that while it stops fat absorption and shrinks fat cells it also helps feed and build your muscles, which we ALL KNOW weights more than fat.  So what I should see is a difference in inches.  Now we have all said it, "I don't care if I weigh 300 lbs if I  wear a size 6" Now we don't mean that but what we do realize is that body composition is unique to everyone.  I know that if I weight 160 lbs at 5'4", I will NOT look the same as someone who is 5'7".  So if I am seeing a difference in my clothes then I know I must be doing something right and that the pounds will catch up. That is just how it happens.  

This is what they look like, about the size

of your average vitamin, but in an easy to 

swallow capsule. They are VERY light

weight, so that helps with swallowing too,

          So I don't have any dramatic inch losses or pounds in only a week to share, but what I do have to share is what is NOT there. No side effects.  I have not felt "funny' in any way. I have noticed a slight good energy feeling. Not like with coffee or a 5Hour, but you know when you are just having a good day? Your in a good mood and you just feel like getting things done?  That is what I have noticed and that is great.  As far as the appetite control, I can't say yet. But as I have confided, I don't always eat because I am hungry, my emotions spark my eating. What it has done though is make me aware of WHEN I am eating, how much time in between meals & so forth. That is great because a huge part in keeping your metabolism going is by eating at least every 3 hrs, so being aware of what & how much I am eating even more so than before.




This is the brand I purchased, but I am sure there are others, just MAKE SURE they have the minimum requirements so that you know you are getting a quality product:

1) Contains at least 50% HCA & state it on the label
2) No fillers, binders or extra ingredients.
3)  Make sure it contains Calcium & Potassium
     

My New Milestone Charm - I'm so Proud!

How has everyone been doing.  I am still plugging along.  

I'm so excited, lost another 2 lbs and am now down 27.6 lbs!  

Woot! Woot!

Little by little I am chipping away, learning how to LIVE with a healthier lifestyle. I'm not focusing so much on the pounds but on the overall change, which is what is most important right?

I enjoyed my pedicure when I hit my 25lb milestone and it was so nice, but I wanted something a little more permanent.

Something that would show me my milestones all along the way, that I could look at daily, reflect on and remember just how far I had come.

I mentioned in a post before that I have a crafty side. Yes I love to create items with a Shabby chic & Vintage flair and I sell them at a local Antique market & online on Etsy.  So I have a true appreciation for the small business person and I love to be able to support fellow crafters like myself.  So I found Shealyn who makes hand stamped jewelry at Clearique Boutique on Etsy. She has some beautiful items that caught my attention but none that were exactly what I wanted. So I sent her an email and we put our heads together. Several conversations later she created this just for me:

"Find Your Strength  *  Never Give Up"

25

This is for my first 25lbs I have lost, never to go back on me, stamped into this pendant to remind me of how hard I worked to get here.  As I reach my next milestones, which ever I choose them to be, I will get those pounds on disks to add to my necklace.

Until ALL the weight is gone from my body and hanging on this pendant, never to return. 

She can do something very similar for you too, a pendant, bracelet  key chain, mirror charm, whatever. Please visit her Etsy Shop and look around at least, she has so much to choose from that I know you will see something you like.

So I send a HUGE Shout Out to a very talented woman for her patience & talent in working with me to design the exact piece I needed to hang around my neck and remind me that 

I Do Have the Strength to Never Give Up!

My 25lb Milestone Reward - Pretty Toesies

Even thought I hit my milestone of 25 pounds down on Tuesday, with my busy schedule and waiting on funds, today (Saturday) is when I got to get it done.

Yep, my reward was a pedicure.  Now I know there are those of out there who have this done monthly or more often BUT I have not had one in almost 2 years (since before our last vacation).  Money is tight, we have to watch our spending and things like this are just not a regular option for me anymore. So this was a special treat for me and I was looking forward to it.  I have a regular place that I used to go to all the time, it's call "The Nail Place" (yes, see the picture, I am not making it up) and I like them because their prices are fair and the facility is clean.
So here are some pictures of my fun little event and I brought along my sweet little Destiny to join in the fun (don't worry, no pedi for her, a simply toe polish is only $4 for little girls) and she was so cute sitting in the big chair like mommy!

All it all it was a relaxing time.  I enjoyed the pampering and it felt so good to have my feet & legs rubbed especially after all the working out.

My next goal is the 40 lb mark, 15 more lbs to go, hmmm I wonder what my next reward will be???

What I do know is this:  my journey for this next 15lbs will be done with pretty red toesies!

My First Milestone!!!!!

Hey everyone, how have you been?  It's have been an interesting few days since my last post on Saturday, but slowly I truckin' along and I keep chip, chip, chippin' away.  It's crazy, I have had some wonderful conversations with some very special people in the last couple of days and what I realized is this, I can offer some great simple & probably motivating advice and yet not listen to it myself.  Mostly referring to the negative thoughts and being happy with your accomplishments, no matter how small.  My negative thoughs have been beating me up lately and I think part of this whole process is learning to stop them and say something positive to myself, EVEN if  I don't believe it at that moment, say it again, and again, and again. Write it on a  note and tape it to my mirror, car or nightstand.

Tell Yourself:

 YOU ARE WORTH IT!

YOU ARE ABLE! YOU ARE SOMEBODY!

So......let me tell you how ABLE I am and that THIS SOMEBODY hit her first milestone!!!!!

I wanted to lose 25 pounds and I did it !!!

It took me 8 weeks and I am sooo excited. 
Starting weight: 292.4
Current weight: 266.6
Total of 25.8 lbs GONE 
My reward is to go get a pedicure (which I haven't had in almost 2 years).

So this weekend I will go get my toes did!

So what is on the horizon for me?  Well my next goal to meet is to hit the 40 lb milestone. So another 15 lbs.  Not too shabby.
I am having something very special made to mark & remember my milestones so I never forget this journey. I hope to have it soon and I will share it with you all!!!! 
(hint: it's a piece of hand stamped jewelry)

So thank you all for your kind words, support & motivation. 
TOGETHER we can do this and be successful!
WooHoo Way To Go!!!

I AM SO PROUD OF ME! 

7 Weeks & Counting

    Well it seems like just yesterday I started this journey.  I can't believe it's been 7 weeks now already.  

     I haven't been able to stick to any sort of healthy eating plan for  more than 2-3 in quite some time.  So I will say this is definitely an accomplishment.  I can tell my enthusiasm is slowing and because I can't physically see my changes I can hear those voices saying, "It's not working" or "take a break it won't matter anyway" and while I KNOW that is not true it's hard not to listen to them.  But I WILL plug on.  I have to make this time different. I have quit so many times.  I have tried and failed so many times. I have defeated myself more than motivated so many times that THIS time has to be different. THIS time I want to learn how overcome my obstacles, pick myself up when I fall and find strength from within that I didn't know I had.  I know it's there, just have to find it.

     Ok, ok, enough with that.  This is what I am battling with BUT if I focus on that I will get too overwhelmed and I haven't learned, just yet, how to really overcome it so I am going to focus on what my new POSITIVES are and the things that are giving me a little push.

     This weekend was really nice, we had a cookout and got to meet my niece Faith whom I have only seen pictures and the very next day Faith's little sister Grace entered the world.  We have been talking about taking a cruise. We love to cruise and are always on the lookout for a great deal and that is what we found. Hubby Max has been waiting this particular cruise in December that the price was just too good to pass us. So when his parents were at the house this weekend we asked them if they would like to go to the Bahamas. (there is some history there, my father-in-law worked on a ship called the Tropic Rover in his 20's that docked in the Bahamas, he has some really amazing pics of him as a young man in Nassau) Max has always wanted to take his Dad back there & let him see Nassau one more time and since this year is their 40th Wedding Anniversary it just seemed like a good time. So when they said yes, we all sat around and looked at old family cruise pics, YouTube videos and got excited for a trip. That night we did it, WE BOOKED THE CRUISE!!!

     So everyone, I now have a 5 month reward to work toward. But even before then, in 7 weeks we have a special event that we are attending as a family that I am looking forward to. Every year in the summer we attend a bible convention, usually held in Gwinnett, its 3 days.  Now what I wear or how I look is FAR less important in the scheme of things compared to the importance & value of information that we will partake in that weekend, but ladies, we all want to look nice no matter where we go and well, it wold be nice to have a new dress or FIT into one in my closet actually.

     Ok, so to wrap it up, let's see where I am and kinds the direction I am heading into the next 7 weeks.

After 7 weeks I've lost 24 lbs!  I hit 268.4, finally broke out of the 270's!!!!

Yep, 24 lbs guys, 1 lbs shy of my pedicure so you KNOW what I WILL be doing next week!

DOWN 24 lbs in 7 weeks

7 WEEK Goal by Aug. 16 - Lose 15 lbs / Weigh at least 253.4

I think I can do it, what do you think???

Now, I want to find a goal in between the 7 weeks & 5 month for the cruise, but between now & Dec. 8 which is 5 months & 1 week, I want to hit 200 lbs, that means I would have to lose 68.4 lbs.

Is that reasonable? Is that possible? Can I do it?

I  THINK  I  CAN !!

I  KNOW  I  CAN !!!!

WHO IS WITH ME????????????

Any suggestions on some in between goals to help break it down and keep me motivated?  

The 6 Week Milestone

6 WEEKS !!  WooHoo !!  

     Well it has been a few days since I posted, my last one was really hard to put out there and my bad day has had it's residual effects.  I took the weekend to just decompress.  I had been go, go, going so much with work, training, trying to get trained on a small work-from-home PT gig to help with the money situation and I think it all just took a toll on me.  So I literally did NOTHING on Saturday (didn't even get dressed) and my brained needed it.

     So Monday rolled around and I said, "get right back on that horse".  It's not like I really "fell off" so to speak but I just lost my 'Umph"  you know.  I have not been able to stick to any sort of 'diet' plan (yeah I said the D word but only for description sake, we ALL KNOW this is a lifestyle) for more than 2 weeks so to make it to the 6 week mark is a big deal. Monday night was boot camp and I have some great pictures from that. It was a great workout, my chest was on FIRE from the intense Thunder/Lightening round on the elliptical. Then we went to floor work where we worked our chest, arms & abs.  What a great workout, it's Wednesday and my abs are still feeling it!

Here we are all doing "6 inches" which means we have to lift our legs 6 in. off the ground while touching our neighbors feet and hold it.

Believe me it was a lot harder than it looks!

We all have 25 lb weights in our hands and we
would lift them for 60 seconds THEN hold
them up while we lifted and lowered our legs.

THIS is what got to my abs!

Lastly just a close up of me while lifting the weight, yeah I know it's a little blurry BUT I
was movin' to get the reps in !

My arms were feeling it!

All in all it was a good day. 

I still have this weird nagging in the back of my mind.

Not sure what it is but I need to stay positive and start focusing on the big picture and my goal that is just around the corner. Oh yeah, which brings me to a subject I need some help with.  All my life I would reward myself with dinner, ice cream stuff like that.  

Well I need to find some new rewards, things that would be fun and really help me feel special for reaching a milestone. 

What I want is for YOU GUYS to help pick my rewards.  So please comment below what you think would be a good reward at different milestones.  

So here are my results after 6 weeks:

Start Weight:  292.4                Current: 270.4

22 pounds gone !

I shared my inches in the last post but just in case:

Arms: 19 in                  17.5 in
Chest: 53 in                     49 in

Waist: 50 in                     45 in

Hips: 60 in                   57.5 in

Thigh: 34 in                    33 in

14 inches gone !

My first goal was to loose 25 lbs, that goal is just around the corner. I would have loved to have done that in 6 weeks but I had not thought that originally so I am not going to stress.

So:

Goal #1:  Loose 25 lbs.                    Get a pedicure!

Now many of you will say, "what that is not much of a reward, I get those all the time". Well funds have been VERY tight for our family and I haven't had one in almost 2 years. Yep I said it, my little piggies need some tending and I am only 3 lbs away from a pampering day. So I can't wait for that.

I have no other goals other than the obvious weight milestones, so can y'all help me please!!!

Whew! It just got real!

Today was my second one-on-one with Jumaane, the first was my assessment so this one was the plan to get me in shape.  All I have to say is tomorrow my arms will be feeling it!  haha

Let me say that I am so happy with Jumaane. He made sure I had good form (so I didn't hurt myself) before we started any reps.

Then we get started and I can see this is going to be a beautiful relationship!

I would love to tell you all the different areas we worked in the order we did them, but honestly, I can't remember all the technical terms. But here we are working on those ugly arm flaps that hang down when you wave. Ok, I know, I believe the muscles hidden under there are my triceps, but as of the moment, I see no muscle in that area............but if I keep this up it won't be long!

We did intervals too, I would go from machine to a resistance band to work on another muscle area in the arm.  I believe that the short spurts are to help get and keep my heart rate up because ladies ..... we needs the cardio for them hips! (yes I know that my grammar is not proper but I am trying to keep it light without getting to emotional)

When you are working out and pushing yourself, it's CRAZY how the emotions surface and there is that urge to cry. I did that Monday, today I wanted to get MAD!  You will be able to see that in one of my pictures below. 

We used 3 different machines and then used the bar in the end. With the barbell he did the same exercises as me, 

10 reps, 9 reps, 8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1......WE ARE DONE!   

What?? I'm not done?

NOPE, he wanted me to burn at least 150 calories on a cardio machine of my choice.  Well I only had like 15-18 min before I had to leave to get my daughter so I hit the elliptical, cranked up the tunes and did just that. 151 calories in 15.5 min.  Yeah Me!!!!!

So even thought I am posting and keeping you up to date as to what is going on, he is doing the same on his FB page and on Instagram, so if you would like to follow any of his posts and see the other photos that he will put out there and here his reports, please feel free to check out his page and follow along.

DJTTH for his FB fitness page

Mr. DJTTH to follow Jumaane on Instagram

Follow me on Instagram

And of course you can get email updates on my blog by clicking follow or entering your email above.

I will let you know this weekend how I am feeling, but...

....IT JUST GOT REAL !

It's about to get real

Good morning everyone.

Sunrise in Cocoa Beach Fla.

Whew have I had a tiring week so far and it's only Thursday morning.
I am so glad it's only 2 more days until the weekend.  Funny how we say that because if most of you moms, wives or ladies out there are like me, the weekend doesn't really mean rest, there are a butt load of chores, laundry, errands, tasks and the like that have to be accomplished but yet, we still look forward to it. There is just something about Friday night til Sunday that has a bit of "Ahhhhhhhh" that the other days can not provide and regardless of what I have in store, I am looking forward to it?  I would love to hear what you look forward to on the weekends......

So now, what is about to get real?  Well I'll tell you.  As you know Monday was my first initial workout with my new trainer Jumaane and it was boot camp style.  You know there were 6 of us ladies out there, all in approx. the same physical condition (thought I was the newbie) doing our best at a beginners bootcamp and we got a good workout for sure.

Yesterday was my first one-on-one session with Jumaane and it was my fitness assessment, you know to see what I am capable of (or incapable of in my mind). None the less, we proceeded. After a brief warm up on the treadmill to see what my heart rate looked like we did some slight stretching and THEN came my drills. Now ladies don't get scared (because I sure was), it was just to see what I could do.  This was not a TEST or a COMPETITION, but if any of you saw last seasons Biggest Loser where they had the 3 young people on there, remember they had them do as many push ups & sit ups in like 60 seconds, then they came back a couple of months later to see where they were. That was pretty much what this was.   We basically saw what my abilities were. What are my strengths, flexibility, balance, etc. All the while he encouraged me to keep it up he said, don't hurt yourself, do what you can do comfortably.  So I did.   Well NO SURPRISE I have some work to do, but that is what is expected right. I mean I'm currently now 130 lbs overweight and haven't being doing anything other than short 15 min walks, so my muscles need some conditioning.  But NOW he knows what we need to work on. Now come Friday he will have a plan for my first official one-on-one training session which I am sure will be feeling for a couple of days after.  But change is good, not always easy or comfortable but soooo worth it.

My actual bkfst before I tore into it!
I'm hungry in the morning ladies

So I sit here this morning, eating my breakfast which is no special secrete, just well rounded to keep me full and give me energy to take on the day, what are you having?  I have water, hot tea, 1 egg (no butter) on a whole grain english muffin (no butter either) with a 1/4 cup of low fat granola
& 4 oz. of skim milk and I must say I have finished it and feel quite satisfied.  Yes the granola is Nutrisystem but everything else is from my own kitchen.  One of the things I think the Nutrisystem plan is teaching me is portion sizes and I really have an obscure view of that.  Well talk about that later.  Gotta get to the gym (for work not a work out), my kid's room kids will be waiting for me if I'm not there on time, this week we are making Trophies for dad and they LOVE their craft activities!

Make today great and do something, anything, good for you so you feel worth while because we are all worth so much more than we give ourselves credit for. I am still trying to believe that myself but if we tell each other we will start to believe it ourselves!  Muuuaaahhhhh!