After a long absence......

We're back!!!

It has now been two years since our original journey began, and I am currently 13 pounds lighter than when I first started.  Life......ya know?

So it's back on the horse we go.  We've been at this new round of getting healthy for two weeks now, and Jake is down 8.2 pounds.  Me? My body has been a little slow to respond this time around, which I've heard is quite common for repeat weight loss after having lost so much the first time around (roughly 60 lbs).  So I'm down 3.6 pounds, respectable for a week and a half I think.

The difference this time, however, is that Jake and I are taking two different approaches to our eating sort of as an experiment, although accidentally so.  I started out only counting my calories, but quickly found that it allowed me too much freedom in my eating and I ended up eating crap I really had no business eating (if a donut or two fits into my calories for the day, I can eat it and still lose right?).  I know it's calories in versus calories out, but for me, I decided to go back to Weight Watchers, which gives me a more well-rounded approach and lets me eat some good stuff while still keeping me reined in (I need that reining in; I can't have too much freedom!!).  After doing so, I lost weight after having gained for several days in a row.  Counting calories has worked just fine for Jake, however, so he's sticking with it.  I will say that counting calories is a whole lot easier than Weight Watchers simply because you have one number to focus on rather than having to calculate how many 'points' each thing is that I'm eating.  But it worked quite well for me before, so I'm going back to what works for me.

We also got a recumbent bike recently, which I really love.  My desk job, while something I love, keeps me on my butt for hours a day, which in combination with my penchant for not being active and being so heavy as a result, has led to back and knee problems.  And while I did love running, I found that it was really tough to keep up because it just killed my knees.  The recumbent bike has been an absolute God send in that it puts no pressure on my knees or back, which allows me to move for longer periods of time, and I actually worked out for 96 minutes a few days back, something I never would have dreamed of doing two years ago! I'm hoping to up the resistance as my legs get stronger (something I need desperately since my legs are like wet noodles and so weak from years of neglect) so that eventually we can both gets bikes and ride outside (we are on a serious hill here and there aren't very many level places to ride around here to start out easier)-that's my goal anyway! We live in such a gorgeous place here that it's a shame to not get out more, but our goal for this year is to really explore the outdoors and start doing some hiking on our days off together so we can see more of this:

Weekly weigh-in:

Steph

Starting weight (round 2): 227.2
Current weight: 223.6

Total weight loss: 3.6 lbs

Jake

Total weight loss: 8.2 lbs

Weekly weigh-in

Today's weight is 204.0, a loss of 1.6! My total weight loss to date is 6.2 lbs! Heading for that 199 again! : )

Weekly Weigh-In

Today's weekly weigh-in is 205.6, a loss of 4.6 lbs since we started a week ago! Feels so good to be losing again and back on track.

Update.....

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!

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!!

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.

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. : )

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

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

Daily update

Down one pound this morning to 213.4! Feels good to be losing again!

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

Post Christmas update

Christmas is over... and I am so excited to get back to the straight and narrow after all the crazy Christmas eating I did!

We had a great time with family and enjoyed it completely! Despite all the crazy yummy food we consumed, my weight this morning is 214.2, only 0.2 pounds up from where I was prior to our anniversary two weeks ago, the start of the downward spiral food wise! Very pleased with that number.

I am looking forward to starting a new year already having lost a significant amount of weight-we're already ahead of the game! : )

Oh, and made a surprising discovery this morning that Cocoa Krispies are only 3 points plus per serving, which was very exciting for me, as cereal is usually my breakfast of choice and I was getting tired of only eating total raisin bran and shredded wheat. Yay for more choices!

Progress:


Steph:

Starting weight: 237.5 lbs
Current weight: 214.2 lbs

Total weight loss: 23.3 lbs

Jake:

Starting weight: 290 lbs
Current weight: 259 lbs

Total weight loss: 31 lbs

Quick update

It's been a while since I updated our progress, and for good reason-the Christmas season has made it very difficult for us to keep our weights stable!  I'd rather not post when my weight is constantly going up and down due to the many get togethers and special events that make it hard to eat the way I want to.  I am up 2.6 pounds to 216.6, but that's okay since we haven't been eating very well and have been enjoying ourselves during this month.  After Christmas, things should be back on an even keel again.  This week we are hoping to lose a little bit of weight in between this last weekend and Christmas weekend so that the carnage from Christmas won't be too bad.  Overall, I'm still pleased with where we are.

Weekend update

Despite indulging last night in some delicious Gorgonzola pasta, which I was sure would destroy the day for me, this morning I am down to 214.0, nearly 2 pounds less than Friday! Yippee!!  Jake is also down 0.4 pounds.  Happy dance!  This brings our totals currently to 23.5 pounds lost for me and 32.5 pounds for Jake!

Daily update

Today's weigh-in is 215.8!! I am down 0.6 pounds from yesterday! So excited! And Jake is down to 258, bringing his total weight loss to 32 pounds and mine to nearly 22!

Daily update.....Big news!!!

Morning all........big news on today's update........Jake has hit the 30-lb mark this morning!!!!!! I am so proud of him I can't stand it!! He looks fantastic, and I can't wait to see how he looks in another 30 pounds!

As for me, I am down to 216.8 this morning, down 0.6 pounds from yesterday! 217 didn't last long, that's for sure! Good day for both of us! : )

Daily update

This morning I am proud to say I am at 217.4! Hit the 20-lb mark and passed it by 0.1!! Feels so good to finally get to this milestone!! My next goal is to break 200...I am getting closer every day!

Two months on Weight Watchers!

Today marks two months on Weight Watchers.  I am so happy that we decided to start this journey together, and so pleased with where we are today!

I almost don't like weighing in after the weekends because I'm almost guaranteed not to lose any weight, and this weekend did not disappoint.  It was a busy weekend, so we ate out quite a bit.  However, I am still at my weight from Friday, which is good.  Not losing is so much better than gaining!

Steph:


Starting weight: 237.5 lbs

Current weight: 217.8 lbs

Total loss: 19.7 lbs

Jake:


Starting weight: 290 lbs

Current weight: 261.2 lbs

Total loss: 28.8 lbs

Daily update (Or.....so close I can taste it!!)

Today's weigh-in is 217.8!!! I lost 0.6 pounds from yesterday, bringing me 0.3 pounds away from the 20-pound mark, which I briefly experienced Thanksgiving morning before the massacre! : )

Realizing that it's taken me a week to get back to where I was has really stressed for me the importance of not overdoing it on holidays.  I don't want to have to do this every time I decide to indulge! It's just not worth it.  I'm going to be much more careful on Christmas food-wise, although the wine will probably set me back a little, and I can't have Christmas day without Liebfraumilch and Jennifer, my lovely sister-in-law! <3

Daily update

218.4 this morning!! Lost 0.6 pounds, my biggest daily loss in about a week! Finally broke the horrible 219 purgatory I've found myself in since just after Thanksgiving. I'm not going back there again!

Thanks everybody for your awesome encouragement as we keep going with this.  We are so thankful for your support!