Today's weigh-in is a ghastly 201.0lbs! I have managed to gain back exactly 20lbs since finishing our 5k in May. Yikes! I have spent the last five months blaming my weight gain on everything: our move, the stress of having a family member with cancer, my job, and a host of other things. The truth is, I finished a goal and never set a new one. After the 5k, I was left with an anticlimactic feeling and I just sort of spiraled down into my old habits because I didn't have anything new to strive for (as if being healthier and feeling great wasn't enough!).
My dad started running recently after 31 years away from it, and it has absolutely inspired me. We plan on doing a 5k after the new year in January, and I am so excited! I have been grieving the loss of the lifestyle that Jake and I had going, and I am excited to welcome that back again. It has been more difficult to stay focused here; there are more temptations with food because we eat with other people now instead of being on our own all the time, and it makes it a tad more difficult to resist them. My mom makes good comfort food!
I have slowly felt the old sluggishness and generally icky physical feelings come back, and I hate the way it feels. Time to turn over a new leaf and get ready for the next 5k and the next chapter of our weight loss journey!
Friday, October 26, 2012
Friday, August 3, 2012
That wagon is almost out of sight.....
It's been a long while since I blogged!
We made it to Washington and have been installed happily in our little basement apartment for a month now. The biggest hurdle I've faced here has been getting adjusted diet wise. We share dinners with my parents and brother, and it is difficult not to completely stuff my face like I used to. I would be lying if I said I haven't given in to temptation and eaten way more than my fill of whatever I felt like eating. We have been eating well for breakfast and lunch, but when dinner comes around....look out!
Besides this, I have been trying (somewhat unsuccessfully) to get back into being active every day, something I had really enjoyed doing in California. Funny how I move to a beautiful state with trees everywhere and I still find an excuse to not do anything! Jake went for a 5-mile run yesterday, so at least one of us is doing something!
The point of all this, and the end result (not surprisingly) is that I have gained back about 13 pounds since the beginning of June, ending up at about 193 lbs! I do not want all this effort to be for naught. I get mad at myself every time I notice that my clothes have become a little tighter and remember how good I felt to get into those smaller clothes. I need motivation to get back up and start over. It's not too late for me to reclaim what I've lost (or gained). We all stumble in this journey, and I just want to find that inspiration to get up and keep going!!
We made it to Washington and have been installed happily in our little basement apartment for a month now. The biggest hurdle I've faced here has been getting adjusted diet wise. We share dinners with my parents and brother, and it is difficult not to completely stuff my face like I used to. I would be lying if I said I haven't given in to temptation and eaten way more than my fill of whatever I felt like eating. We have been eating well for breakfast and lunch, but when dinner comes around....look out!
Besides this, I have been trying (somewhat unsuccessfully) to get back into being active every day, something I had really enjoyed doing in California. Funny how I move to a beautiful state with trees everywhere and I still find an excuse to not do anything! Jake went for a 5-mile run yesterday, so at least one of us is doing something!
The point of all this, and the end result (not surprisingly) is that I have gained back about 13 pounds since the beginning of June, ending up at about 193 lbs! I do not want all this effort to be for naught. I get mad at myself every time I notice that my clothes have become a little tighter and remember how good I felt to get into those smaller clothes. I need motivation to get back up and start over. It's not too late for me to reclaim what I've lost (or gained). We all stumble in this journey, and I just want to find that inspiration to get up and keep going!!
Thursday, June 14, 2012
The Times, They Are a Changin'
June has been a huge month for us; in fact, probably the craziest one I've ever known in my adult life.
First we finally responded to God's call for us to move to Washington to be part of the ministry on my parent's lavender farm and to help them with the business, as it's just the three of them and a ton of plants! We're so excited to be going, but very overwhelmed with the implications of such a huge change. We have been living in the Antelope Valley for 10 years together, basically our entire married life, and have spent eight of those years living in our apartment here in Rosamond, so leaving is the first big change we've made together since getting married. We have family in Washington and wonderful brothers and sisters at the farm church that love us, so it is nice to have that to go to, but we have a lot of family and wonderful friends here as well and we're going to miss them terribly.
Soon after making the announcement that we were going, we found out that Jake's dad Don has cancer. It is in a very early stage and they are pretty confident that he will be okay following surgery and chemo, but it is still a very scary thing and probably the worst thing you could have happen when you are gearing up for a move. It's still a very difficult struggle in my head, being excited about moving but also feeling helpless about Dad's situation. The only thing that has kept us both from completely losing our minds with worry is the unshakeable knowledge that God Almighty has all of this in control and He knew about all of it before it happened. God has already used Don's situation to touch so many people and really shake things up in a good way spiritually, not least of all in my life and in Jake's life. The timing of everything-our move and Dad's cancer-is not coincidental. It is all happening to glorify God, and we are looking forward to seeing how it all plays out. Our story is just beginning a new chapter, and I have no idea how it will turn out, but my God does, and that's all I need to know. I feel honored that I get to be part of it all, really, and despite this being the scariest, most uncertain time in my life that I have ever known, I am resting in the fact that God has us in His arms and is holding onto us no matter what happens.
First we finally responded to God's call for us to move to Washington to be part of the ministry on my parent's lavender farm and to help them with the business, as it's just the three of them and a ton of plants! We're so excited to be going, but very overwhelmed with the implications of such a huge change. We have been living in the Antelope Valley for 10 years together, basically our entire married life, and have spent eight of those years living in our apartment here in Rosamond, so leaving is the first big change we've made together since getting married. We have family in Washington and wonderful brothers and sisters at the farm church that love us, so it is nice to have that to go to, but we have a lot of family and wonderful friends here as well and we're going to miss them terribly.
Soon after making the announcement that we were going, we found out that Jake's dad Don has cancer. It is in a very early stage and they are pretty confident that he will be okay following surgery and chemo, but it is still a very scary thing and probably the worst thing you could have happen when you are gearing up for a move. It's still a very difficult struggle in my head, being excited about moving but also feeling helpless about Dad's situation. The only thing that has kept us both from completely losing our minds with worry is the unshakeable knowledge that God Almighty has all of this in control and He knew about all of it before it happened. God has already used Don's situation to touch so many people and really shake things up in a good way spiritually, not least of all in my life and in Jake's life. The timing of everything-our move and Dad's cancer-is not coincidental. It is all happening to glorify God, and we are looking forward to seeing how it all plays out. Our story is just beginning a new chapter, and I have no idea how it will turn out, but my God does, and that's all I need to know. I feel honored that I get to be part of it all, really, and despite this being the scariest, most uncertain time in my life that I have ever known, I am resting in the fact that God has us in His arms and is holding onto us no matter what happens.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Weight update
This morning I hit 200.6!! I haven't seen that number in years, and it's going to be the last time I ever see it!! I am only 0.8 pounds from weighing under 200-that means so much to me I can hardly express it.
Jake is down to 227.0 and looking fantastic! He is having so much fun trying on clothes now because he can actually find normal clothes that fit him. It is such a treat to get to see that. : )
Jake is down to 227.0 and looking fantastic! He is having so much fun trying on clothes now because he can actually find normal clothes that fit him. It is such a treat to get to see that. : )
Friday, February 10, 2012
Big news!!
Today is a fantastic day for us!!! Jake hit the 50 pound mark and then 2 pounds more, bringing his total weight loss to 52 pounds! So awesome!
I am 0.3 pounds away from getting back to the 30-pound mark and feeling great! Jake and I have both been way more active, and seeing Jake jogging on the treadmill just makes me SO happy! It's like a whole new husband, and I love it!
The biggest news of all (at least for me) is that I'm going to begin the Couch to 5k training program on Monday, something I'm really excited about! I've never had a goal to work toward where fitness is concerned, and I have an awesome mentor in my Uncle Paul, who ran across the country in 2011, and also my cousin Brittany, an avid runner as well. And I now have something to focus on while I'm training: the OC Marathon 5k on May 6! I am so excited to have something to work for and I know it will feel AWESOME when I am able to run 3.1 miles, something I have never been able to do ever!!
http://www.ocmarathon.com/races/oc-wahoos-5k.aspx
I am 0.3 pounds away from getting back to the 30-pound mark and feeling great! Jake and I have both been way more active, and seeing Jake jogging on the treadmill just makes me SO happy! It's like a whole new husband, and I love it!
The biggest news of all (at least for me) is that I'm going to begin the Couch to 5k training program on Monday, something I'm really excited about! I've never had a goal to work toward where fitness is concerned, and I have an awesome mentor in my Uncle Paul, who ran across the country in 2011, and also my cousin Brittany, an avid runner as well. And I now have something to focus on while I'm training: the OC Marathon 5k on May 6! I am so excited to have something to work for and I know it will feel AWESOME when I am able to run 3.1 miles, something I have never been able to do ever!!
http://www.ocmarathon.com/races/oc-wahoos-5k.aspx
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Weight update
It's been a while since I updated our progress, and for good reason. We have recently been experiencing a plateau of sorts in both our weights, and it's frustrating to post about, to be honest. While our weight has only been bouncing around anywhere from 1-4 pounds, it's still irritating.
I recently took a trip up to Washington to see my parents, which was so fun, but I ended up with a weight gain of about 3 pounds, not entirely bad after eating out quite a bit while I was there. What made it so frustrating is that I hit my 30-pound weight loss milestone the morning that I left, and now the weight is very slow in coming back off. I always knew this day would come, but it doesn't make it any less daunting to face now.
Recently, we both decided that to jump start our weight loss again, having come to a plateau of sorts, we would both start amping up our exercise. Jake has done admirably well at this; me not so much. Jake has been on the treadmill for an hour every day, and over the last couple of days has been trying to up his speed little by little to get more mileage in. Yesterday he got three miles in! This is more than I can say for myself, having been completely snowed under with a new account at work this last week, trying to juggle the extra workload with my existing work, and not really feeling like exercising after I've dragged my lifeless body out of the office. Now that I've gotten a handle on things finally, I feel ready to get started.
I used to do a DVD called "Walk Away the Pounds" with Leslie Sansone, and I loved it. She basically does an in-home walking program that incorporates upper body as well, something I don't really get a lot of on the treadmill, so it's a really great complete workout for me. I will be starting with the two-mile DVD and working my way up from there. I figure if Jake can do three, I can try to do two, although his fitness level is far above mine given the fact that he has an active job and mine is completely sedentary. I will do it while Jake is on the treadmill just so I actually get up and do it. Watching him work out is so inspirational to me, I've felt totally shamed by my lack of dedication in comparison.
Now to the nitty-gritty: the numbers. Where do we stand? Let's find out:
Current stats:
Steph:
Starting weight: 237.5 lbs
Current weight: 208.8 lbs
Total weight lost to date: 28.7 lbs
Jake:
Starting weight: 290 lbs
Current weight: 242.6 lbs
Total weight loss to date: 47.4 lbs
I recently took a trip up to Washington to see my parents, which was so fun, but I ended up with a weight gain of about 3 pounds, not entirely bad after eating out quite a bit while I was there. What made it so frustrating is that I hit my 30-pound weight loss milestone the morning that I left, and now the weight is very slow in coming back off. I always knew this day would come, but it doesn't make it any less daunting to face now.
Recently, we both decided that to jump start our weight loss again, having come to a plateau of sorts, we would both start amping up our exercise. Jake has done admirably well at this; me not so much. Jake has been on the treadmill for an hour every day, and over the last couple of days has been trying to up his speed little by little to get more mileage in. Yesterday he got three miles in! This is more than I can say for myself, having been completely snowed under with a new account at work this last week, trying to juggle the extra workload with my existing work, and not really feeling like exercising after I've dragged my lifeless body out of the office. Now that I've gotten a handle on things finally, I feel ready to get started.
I used to do a DVD called "Walk Away the Pounds" with Leslie Sansone, and I loved it. She basically does an in-home walking program that incorporates upper body as well, something I don't really get a lot of on the treadmill, so it's a really great complete workout for me. I will be starting with the two-mile DVD and working my way up from there. I figure if Jake can do three, I can try to do two, although his fitness level is far above mine given the fact that he has an active job and mine is completely sedentary. I will do it while Jake is on the treadmill just so I actually get up and do it. Watching him work out is so inspirational to me, I've felt totally shamed by my lack of dedication in comparison.
Now to the nitty-gritty: the numbers. Where do we stand? Let's find out:
Current stats:
Steph:
Starting weight: 237.5 lbs
Current weight: 208.8 lbs
Total weight lost to date: 28.7 lbs
Jake:
Starting weight: 290 lbs
Current weight: 242.6 lbs
Total weight loss to date: 47.4 lbs
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Weight update
It feels so good to be back to a normal eating routine again! The final damage after all the holidays were accounted for was not so bad. I am at 214.4 this morning, 2.2 pounds up from my lowest weight of 212.2 last week. That water weight comes off really fast on Weight Watchers for me though, so I'm not at all concerned. Just a couple of days on the straight and narrow and I should be back in business.
Jake and joined a weight loss challenge at church called "Biggest Baptist Loser". The winner gets a portion of the money that everyone puts in at the beginning. It is fun to add a little bit of competition to our weight loss. If I was a betting woman, I'd put my money on Jake-he's tearing it up!!
Current stats:
Steph: Starting weight: 237.5 lbs
Current weight: 214.4 lbs
Total weight loss: 23.1 lbs
Jake and joined a weight loss challenge at church called "Biggest Baptist Loser". The winner gets a portion of the money that everyone puts in at the beginning. It is fun to add a little bit of competition to our weight loss. If I was a betting woman, I'd put my money on Jake-he's tearing it up!!
Current stats:
Steph: Starting weight: 237.5 lbs
Current weight: 214.4 lbs
Total weight loss: 23.1 lbs
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)