Paleo: Month 1 Overview

Weight loss: 

January 5th: 216.8 lbs

February 2nd: 207.0 lbs

Rest days: 10 of 28 days

Exercised: 18 of 28 days

I think it's fair to note the food items that I still consume that aren't Paleo:

-85% dark chocolate sweetened with sugar

-A tablespoon or so of 1/2 and 1/2 every day in my coffee

-Cheat times: I ate two chocolate chip cookies on January 11th, and a brownie on the 16th

BEFORE: Nuts, cheese, fruit, and 85% dark chocolate for snacks at work between meals.

AFTER: Mostly veggies and some fruit between meals. 

BEFORE: Hair dry and wouldn't hold curl for more than 2 hours.

AFTER: Hair shiny and healthy looking, will hold minimal curl for days.

BEFORE: Dinner plate would be 1/4 meat, 1/2 'healthy' starch, and 1/4 veggies.

AFTER: Dinner plate is 1/2 meat and 1/2 veggies.

BEFORE: Never noticed being dizzy

AFTER: Dizzy/black out multiple times during the day for a second at a time. Normally happens when I bend over and stand up quickly. 

BEFORE: Healthy snacking all day between meals, resulting in a lower caloric intake at meal time.

AFTER: No snacking between meals, but eating same amount of calories spread between three meals. (Note: I started this approach on week 4 of Paleo.)

BEFORE: Snacking on fruits and nuts after dinner for night-time snack.

AFTER: No eating after dinner or before breakfast the next day.  (Started on week 4)

BEFORE: Regular menstrual cycle.

AFTER: Menstrual cycle came twice in one month.

BEFORE: Painful bowel movements at times.

AFTER: Smooth moves! (No, not even with the help of Traditional Medicinal's)

BEFORE: Small breakfast, medium size lunch, and large dinner. (calorie-speaking)

AFTER: Even amount of calories/protein at each meal. 

BEFORE: $75 per week for groceries (for two of us, of course)

AFTER: $100 per week on average 

Thoughts to note:

• I have been pretty strict with staying on track with Paleo... mostly because I really wanted to dive in and make sure I have a realistic idea of the way this works with my lifestyle/body.
• It's been easier than I thought it would be, but I still have to remind myself daily that food will not control my life. 
• I've enjoyed making lots of new recipes, and not feeling bad about eating a lot of healthy food at each meal. 
• I'm going in another month at this, and I will be just as strict! However, I'm still not committed to make Paleo my lifestyle after month two. 
• February is now the beginning of month 12 of my strict weight-loss/health journey, and last month was certainly my most strict. I really stayed on track. Interestingly enough, I also lost the most amount of weight so far last month. Here's to reaching my weight loss goal of under 200 this month!!!!!

Yay for healthy hair!

 Note, the lower picture is also 3 days post-wash! 

September 2012           November 2012           February  2013

Day 17: Rough.

I'm having a rough day emotionally. I'm at work (gasp! blogging!) and I feel like the only cure to feeling better- other than going home, would be to go back and grab some Skittles or Kit Kats. We're ordering from Arni's today and I couldn't think of anything that sounds more delicious than a hot ham & cheese sandwich.

This is kinda scary, because I'm experiencing exactally what so much of us struggle with- emotional eating.

So what do I do? Hope it gets better by blogging (accountability)? Hope my celery and peanut butter will be enough to cure the craving? Give in a little?

Ugh.

Day 16

I'm 16 days in and it's the first day I'm craving bread. I went to Jane's Deli, ordered a delicious side of fruited chicken salad, and forgot to ask for no bread. My meal came out with this delicious, sponge-y, fresh slices of bread, paired with real butter.

I'm happy to say I resisted, and hopefully it will get easier every time I say no!

Inspiration: Maggie Mathew

I've said that a lot of credit goes to people around who inspire me or are there to uplift me when I'm down about my weight. I'm super greatful to have my dear friend, Maggie Mathew not only there for me, but actually right next to me winning the battle.

She started making an effort to lose weight in June of 2011. Eight months later, she was 35lbs lighter, and decided to become vegeterian. Since then, she's lost an additional 45lbs, making here total weight loss 80lbs!

Maggie is one of those friends that not only can relate, but will step back and help me see the big picture. You know, like when I'm frusterated that I gained two pounds, she'll remind me that it's okay and it will come off, because look how far we've come and reminds me we'll never go back. Man! That kind of encouragement is so valuable! Also, I really apprecaite having a friend that enjoys outdoor recreational activities with me! She shares that joy, and I'm guilty of taking that for granted at times.

Thanks so much, Maggie, for inspiring me to make weight loss a part of my life instead of making it my life. I'm super greatful to walk in the journey towards health with you, and I'm confident we can both accomplish our goals!

Goals: 2013

Sometimes it's best if I just make lists.

1. I haven't blogged for a while. Not because I'm unmotivated, but because I've had some unexpected events come up this winter (not to mention holidays!) and quite frankly, with the time I had, blogging wasn't top priority.

2. While I haven't gained weight, I haven't really lost any in the last 3 months either. I know why, and the only person stopping myself from changing that is me. I've been lazy on watching my sugar intake (especially from dried fruits!) and I've had some meals that just were full of simple carbs.  During the holiday travel, I didn't get to the gym for 20 days. I tried to incorporate exercise while I was out, and I know that helped, but I really missed my routine with food and my gym at home.

3. I've been thinking about going Paleo for a while. I'm still not sold on it, because I really love dairy and can't fathom it being bad for you. I mean, I'm created to make milk to nourish my children! I know breast milk isn't what we're buying by the gallon, but I've come to find out that goat's milk is similar to ours, and on Paleo you can't even consume that. Sounds like I've got some research to do.

4. I've also been thinking about how I can be encouraging to my friends and family in regards to nutrition and exercise. Whether they say it or not, I'm sure most of my friends desire good health. We all do, right? I'm thinking of ways we can accomplish goals together instead of feeling like no one else has 25lbs to lose. Specifically, one thought I had was starting a yoga night at our place. Possibilities are endless!

5. I went to a CrossFit event here in West Lafayette and it just filled my heart with joy. There was a guest speaker who talked about nutrition (specifically Paleo) which was really informative. I learned/realized that I'm not alone- there are more people in this town that are working towards holistic health. Don't underestimate your community!

Goals for 2013

1. Cut bread out completely
2. Weigh under 200lbs by March 1st
3. Try Paleo diet (and be strict!) for two months
4. Find a scary challenge to accomplish
5. Limit of two coffee drinks a day
6. Group exercise or cooking days? 

Your Not-So-Typical Before/After Post

Ugh. I'll cut to the chase- ever since I got back from my friend's wedding, I've been letting myself slack. I certainly haven't given up, or even come close... I just think I lost a little motivation for two reasons:

1: I'm pretty certain I'll no longer make my goal of under 200 by January 1st
2: I no longer have a huge event (a wedding) to tone for.

So, in an effort to be honest with myself and accountable to you who are reading this, I'm going to do some before and afters... comparing my habits now to last month's habits.

Before: Didn't eat one candy from the stash at work.
After: I'll let myself have about 5 or 6 a day. Those stupid "minis" add up.

Before: Cardio three times a week, lifting twice a week
After: Cardio twice a week, lifting maybe once....

Before: Sweets three times a week
After: Sweets every day

Before: No bread, hardly any flour products
After: Just ordered grilled chicken linguini from OCharley's, and I had a roll. I also have been eating some toast or something every once in a while.

Before: Lots of water
After: Some water, lots of coffee

Before: No eating after dinner
After: Snack after dinner if I can't help myself

Before: Big, healthy breakfast
After: Maybe a McMuffin?

I'm not making huge changes that completely throw away what I've accomplished, but all those little changes or exceptions are not allowing me to lose any substantial weight this month. Check out my weight log for the last 30 days. Can't get past 216, and it's pretty obvious why.

Changes

Wowzah.
It's been a while, but I feel even closer to my goal than ever before! I'm a mere 18lbs away from my 2012 goal- under 200lbs! I couldn't be more motivated.
Since I broke off the training with Lydia, I've developed some healthy habits of my own, of which I think are really helping me kick it in gear.

Breakdown:

• As mentioned in an earlier post, I'm not eating bread. I'll have the occasional small taste of something, but I'm specifically cutting out as much of gluten as possible. In the month of October, I made it through the end with only eating bread twice. Piece of cake. (Ha, figuratively!) Of course at times I wanted it, but it was really much easier than I thought it would be. 
• I've been working out about 4-5 times per week- and included in that, I'm lifting about 1-2 times, but I'm mainly focusing on low-impact cardio machines to help me burn calories. I really enjoy the rowing machine and this elliptical-like machine. I can do some high intensity at night and wake up the next morning without my heels or knees hurting. That's huge! 
• I found that the high intensity:low intensity intervals on the cardio machines produce the best results in weight loss. It's like doing sprint/jog intervals--without the impact on my joints! For example, tonight I did the elliptical as follows: 1 minute of the machines highest settings and then 1 minute of a mid-range setting, repeating for 30 minutes. I burned 500 calories, and my heart rate averaged around 155 the whole time. 
• I'm really noticing the difference in my appearance. I actually didn't even recognize myself in the mirror at Macy's one night. I mean, I was looking right at myself, but I still have a different mental picture of what I look like. Exciting stuff!
• I'm trying to eat my heavy foods before 6 or 7pm. And by heavy I mean meats and other healthy fats. 
• I won't go into much detail, but I've noticed a difference in my digestive tract.
• At night, I'm trying to focus more on how I feel. Do I feel tight? bloated? light? energized? exhausted? And then I ask myself why? Did I exercise? eat bad? eat good? After recognizing this, I let myself get on the scale and normally have a pretty good idea of the numbers that will appear. 
• It seems normal, but my body weight throughout the day does not fluctuate as much as it did earlier. In May, my weight would fluctuate about 4 lbs from morning to night, gaining as the time goes by. Today, my weight has fluctuated about 1.5lbs from this morning to 8pm. Interesting. 

This is what works for me. Everyone's different, and we all have different motivators. I'm so blessed to have the opportunities available to work towards a life goal of mine, and I couldn't be more excited. 

Four Goals

Oh my!

It's been a while, but no worries. I've still been up and at 'em with my health.

First, I should note that last week was an all-time high for me. In fact, higher than ANY OTHER WEEK yet! I lost five pounds and I'm certain I know why. In addition to my efforts that are in place, I decided to tack on four goals last week:

1. No bread

2. Walk 2 miles over my lunch break

3. Stop eating after dinner

4. Only 3 sweets a week 

I'm telling you, those pounds were just shedding off! I literally was nervous that the success might be at an unhealthy rate... but I think I was just surprising myself. I am on my second week of no bread, which is going ok. 10 days in I gave in and had a grilled cheese. Gr. But I'm back on track and will continue to reach my goals! On the 15th of this month, I'm going to try to cut out gluten. Whew! That will be hard, for sure!!!! But I'm determined. I've proved to myself that I am capable of a lot more than what I give my body credit for, and there's no stopping me now.

Swimming

I just checked off one of my short-term goals for 2012: swimming!
I really have never swam for exercise before, and quite admittedly, I had no idea where to start. I found a website for swimming beginners and jotted down a routine for me to begin with this morning.
Got to the pool and jumped right in the last lane. AH! I had no idea it was 9ft deep! I was expecting my toes to touch the bottom, and had a minor panic attack when they didn't. (I've got a fear of large bodies of water, but normally pools are ok!) My lane was right next to the diving area, and I made the mistake of looking to my left, which was a dark, lurk-y, deep water and the drain probably sucked little children down it. Freaked me out.
I quickly jumped out and "went to the bathroom" and found a different lane. Whew. My heart was already racing. I got a paddle board and started kicking my legs as fast as possible. After a few times around, I moved on to breast stroke, and quickly found out I'm pretty horrible at it. I wanted to be able to swim gracefully like everyone else in the 20 lanes surrounding me, but most of the time while doing freestyle, I felt like a drowning duck-- couldn't get the whole breathing pattern down.
I walked out of the aquatic center having swam a total of 850m, which was 100 past my goal for that day. I feel like a got a work out, but I certainly need some guidance for next time.
Here's hoping.

October

I'm going to try my best to make October my best month yet! And by best, I mean the most strict in regards to nutrition/exercise. Here's my goals:
1. No bread the entire month!
2. On October 15, I'd like to start with no gluten for a while, too.
3. No eating after dinner
4. Swim once a week

Potatoes

Today marks a pretty significant point in my weight loss journey.... I've lost 40 lbs!

You know, like 4 sacks of potatoes....

Trainer-less

After 29 weeks, I'm saying goodbye to the luxury of a personal trainer. I thought about it for a long time before I made the decision, but I knew that I would need to move on by myself eventually, and it just seemed like a good transition time. When I first signed on with her at NFPT, we started with a 12 week contract and eventually kept going because we saw great results. Now, I've absorbed a wealth of knowledge about weight lifting, cardio, and nutrition, and I'm ready to soar on my own wings. Or at least I'm hoping something like that works out.

So what's my plan?

Well, I still want to keep up with lifting weights, and I have a membership at the gym at Purdue, so that should help. They have a TON of equipment and it's in a fairly convenient location. I have the training schedule that I used from NFPT and hope to knock out the weights as often as possible. I have to admit, I will really miss the motivation and the accountability that Lydia provided. Not to mention her help with proper form! Ah, her role in my weight loss has been priceless and I know there will be a huge void as I transition. I'm thankful that we're friends and I'll still see her around Lafayette!!!!

So I guess I'm excited and nervous all at once. I have confidence that I can do this on my own, and really, there's nothing on my mind that even hints at quitting or or giving up.

5K: Hornet Hustle

After the Zoo Run Run, I decided to sign up for the Hornet Hustle 5K with my friend Megan. Despite her athletic self, she had never participated in one, and I thought it would be fun to get out there with her! She started running every morning, and I quickly knew that she would fly right by me on race day.

Personally I had 3 goals for this one:
1) Run it in under 30 minutes
2) And/or beat my last race day time which was 33:16
3) Run the whole race without stopping to walk

I geared up for the race as much as possible, by running different courses around town. I honestly enjoy running quite a bit now, but I know it's not the greatest cardio exercise for my body type-- my knees and heels normally are sore after I'm finished so I try to only run once or twice a week.

(um just a personal note: it's hard to be honest with myself and say that I enjoy running, when before I wouldn't ever consider even a small chance that I could enjoy it...)

Megan and I before!

Anyways, back to race day. It was great to have Megan in sight for a while, but then I lost her and had to start playing this mental game... telling myself that my hard breathing was not a sign that I should slow down, and that I knew my body could do so much more than I give it credit for. Along the way, I tried to distract myself with the sights, smells, and people around me. I played yo yo with these two adorable girls that were probably 1/3 my age but were pretty motivating. I kept telling them "great job!" when I would run past them, even though inside I was like "Oh my! I better be able to keep up with a ten year old!" Also, it was great to see me and Megan's husband along the way, cheering us on. What support!

On the last mile, there just so happened to be more hills, and I was contemplating walking for a bit. On the way up the first hill, a girl passed me who would become my pace setter. She was jogging a bit faster than I normally would, but I really wanted to knock out all my goals! I followed her all the way home and tried not to let more than 5 feet come in-between us.

I finished the race at 30:55, and I didn't stop to walk once. I was pretty proud of myself! I really hope to finish under thirty the next race, but now I'm just going to keep exercising!!!

Way to go, Megan!  She got 2nd in our age group, finishing at 26:02!!!!

It's Not About the Numbers...

But let's be honest: they sometimes help motivate!

Here's a little graph of the weight per month that I've lost. Pretty interesting, and motivating- that is, to up the annie!

Goals#2: Revised

I've had these plotted out for a while now... truth!

This time I broke them up in three categories, as follows:

Short term:

• Learn how to swim for exercise
• Complete the Rossville 5K (and I've thought, perhaps, that maybe I'll try doing one 5K each month, and at each one trying to beat my time on the previous.... hm. maybe.)
• Complete the Steps to Life 5K (and you should, too! It's cheap and donations are for a GREAT cause!)
• Learn how to do the rowing machine with correct form
• Get in the 220's by September 1st

Ongoing: 

• Yoga once a week 
• Cross train for cardio three times a week 
• Blog a minimum of once a week 
• Fun a new friend to trail run with once a month
• Find, try, and post successful recipes
• Limit sugar intake to around 30-40g per day
• Drink 64oz of water, and at least 1/2 of that before lunch

Long Term (well, by the end of 2012)

• Under 200lbs by new year's eve????
• Coordinate a family 5K
• Research more about nutrition's impact on weight loss
• Throw out the birth control!
• Prepare, prepare, prepare for Christmas & Thanksgiving holiday eating (start new trends in healthy holiday meals????) 
• Finish a 5K in under 30 minutes

5K: 2011 | 2012

I started training for my first 5K in March of 2011. I hadn't been running at all, and really wanted to incorporate exercise into my weight loss journey. I found a 8 week workout plan online that would take me from running 1/4 mile up to 3.1 miles.

Our race day came on May 7, 2011 and I was all too nervous. My dear friend Hope was running her first 5K right along side of me, but I knew she would pass me up right away. My goal was to finish in (prepare yourself!) under 40 minutes. Yep. I hadn't accomplished that time yet, but I thought it was possible. In fact, I hadn't even run 3.1 miles up to race day. 

I got out there on a beautiful morning and ran my heart out. I'll never forget rounding that last bend and seeing my husband out there practically jumping up and down saying "Hurry babe! You're going to make it in under 40!!!!" WOW! What a rush of adrenaline. I finished in 63rd place, in 39:15. I was so so so so happy! I made my goal! 

(((the difference in our faces makes me laugh so hard!)))

Fast forward 14 months and here we are today! I've accomplished one of my long-term goals. I just got home from finishing my second 5K and had a blast! I got to run it with another friend, Katie (it was her first race!!!), and a few ladies from work. 

What are my feelings? Wow. I'm feeling so different in comparison to last year. I feel faster. Stronger. I've got more endurance. Probably more motivation. I've lost stinking 25lbs since then too, which is crazy inspiring. There's no way I'd want to run today's race with two- ten pound dumbbells in my hands. That weight is shed and lost forever. 

While I didn't make my goal time today, I'm still really happy I competed. My final time was 33:16, knocking off 6 minutes from last year I would have liked to finish in under 30 minutes, but I honestly didn't do great on my first mile. There were probably 300 people competing, and I couldn't run my normal pace in the beginning. But, nevertheless, I'm proud to say that I finished the race, and want to give all praise to the Lord. He has blessed me with wonderful encouragers in my life and I couldn't be more thankful!

Shoulda Known...

....that my time was here and I would start craving.
....that I'd let myself give in if I kept inviting temptation.
....that he'd give in, too.
....that I'd feel bloated.
....that it would drag me down and make me feel fat.
....that it would stop me from accomplishing my weekly goals.
....that it wouldn't be satisfying after the fact.
....that I'd regret it.

Goals #1: Review.

I thought that maybe a step to making new goals would be to review my old ones...

Short-term goals:

• Make weekly goals and share with Lydia to help me stay accountable-Well, I certainly share goals with Lyd, but now on a weekly basis. In fact, I'm not sure I have short-term weekly goals that change each week. 
• Weigh 235 by mid-June-Didn't happen, but I'm close- the lowest I've weighed is 243. 
• Find cardio exercises that I enjoy (possibly biking outdoors, zumba, yoga, or hiking) CHA CHING! Yes, I indeed accomplished this. I love trail runs and yoga! 
• Bike to work as often as possible- Yeah.... not so much. The doc's don't really love a sweaty receptionist. 
• Bike to NFPT as often as possible As much as possible. Well, yes, when I had the chance, I think I did. 
• Journal my journey on blogger at least once a week- Yes, on average, I think this was accomplished! And might I add that I enjoy it. Looking back is a certain motivation for me. 
• Work on curbing/decreasing my food intake by: eating more raw veggies, juicing, portion control, and controlling special occasion meals (that last one is my vice....) I do eat more veggies (thanks to hummus), and my appetite has curbed immensely. Pretty excited about that. 
• Research & study! The more I know, the easier it is for me to say no! Yes! I love to continue to study and research. 

Goals with Lydia:

• Push and stretch me beyond what I think my capabilities are Heck yes. 
• Find exercises that target areas of my body that need focus. Yes. 
• Learn more about food from her (and her influence's) perspective. Yes! Thanks for being willing to share!
• Keep me accountable to my goals (for both workouts and diet). Sure thing. Never be afraid to ask me!

Long-term goals:

• Reach my target weight by June of 2013 (means an average weight loss of 1 1/2 lbs per week!) Well, my average weight loss per week was 1.25, which is good, but not my goal. BUT. I'm trying not to focus so much. More later on this. 
• Compete in a race? Well, not yet. But this was long-term for a reason! 
• Find an enjoyable cardio workout during the winter (swimming indoors?) Winter's just around the corner. 
• Find a work-out buddy for accountability and encouragement. I think I've found many! I have an accountability group online, and I really do feel blessed to have so many people around me who care. A huge thanks to Amy, Courtney, Amber, Lydia, Hope, Steffen, Mom and Pa, and my sweet in-laws! 
• Possibly go gluten-free? Welp...

Week 20!

Feeling better already! I took 2.5 weeks off (well, the last week I was on vaca and kinda did some cardio stuff) and I feel like I'm now back on schedule. I'm now doing a different kind of routine-- instead of the low-weight-high-rep ratio, I'm doing the high-weight-low-rep ratio. Kinda intimidated me to dive into, but after the first week I am definitely on board! It's nice to feel that shock to my muscles again.

I also have to reset my goals...but I'm kinda drawing a blank. I want them to be specific, yet attainable. One goal that I've already set and met is that I now have a membership at the Purdue rec center as of today! I think that will really help me to accomplish my cardio on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Lately it's just been too blasted hot to get outside, and even if I have motivation, I don't think it's actually safe to step out in that heat. At 2:30 today when I got off work, it was 109 degrees!

Crazy that 20 weeks have gone by......

May Goals

Nutritionally speaking:

No refined sugars except in 85% chocolate- including protien bars. I am allowing myself to have the sugar from honey, agave nectar, or maple syrup- of course, all in moderation. I found a few products that use those ingredients to sweeten their foods, and it is such a treat!

One of the most difficult foods to avoid is the chocolate at work, and I really, really don't want to eat one bite of that.

I've really decreased my gluten intake. Right now the only source of gluten I'm eating is from whole wheat tortilla shells- A substitute for pizza crust. With that being said, I'd still like to keep it that way, but I don't think it will be difficult.

I'd like to focus on eating more vegetables and not so many sugary fruits like apples and pineapple.

Fitness per week:

-Core weightlifting 3 times per week
-Yoga once a week
-Cardio 5 times per week

I have been weighing myself just about every day for the past month. Bad. I'd like to limit that to once per week. More importantly, I'd like to try harder to listen to my body and not rely on numbers so much. I mean, seeing my weight loss is motivating, but I don't want to be so focused on the scale. Ya know?