I think I've mentioned Amy H. before at "No To The Deuce" listed on my blogroll, but I have such a terrific reason to mention her again that I'm making this whole post about what I read in her post tonight!!
She just got back from a family weekend at Cripple Creek. While there, she enjoyed a parade that involved some military troops. On one of the awesome soldier's shirts (I am sooooo pro-military and oozing with patriotism), she read this: "Pain is just weakness leaving the body."
Oh.....my......gosh. This is one of those inspirational sayings that has grabbed me and just won't let go. When I read it, I felt like I had been slapped right between the eyes....but a good slap!
My biggest, nagging issue with the weight loss is the exercise. More specifically, the walking I'm doing on the treadmill. As I explained tonight to Amy in a comment I left on her post, I completely suck at it. I really do. Yes, I'm pushing myself to get on it every day. But what a struggle it is. A daily struggle. The reason it's so hard to make myself do it is for one simple reason. It hurts. Even after 8 weeks of doing it steadily, it still REALLY hurts.
I've had lower back issues for years...not just because of the weight...but from actual injuries...straining it too many times from helping friend's move and lifting furniture...one time I was roller skating on the asphalt with some friends in our neighborhood as a teenager and both feet slipped out from under me at the same time and Oh! My bottom hit that asphalt so hard and I heard something pop. That's the very first injury I remember to my lower back.
Another time, several years ago, I was helping my boyfriend at the time put a post in the ground. He was doing a job for a subdivision and we were out in front of the subdivision, RIGHT BESIDE the main highway...a very busy highway. It was a 16 foot long, 6x6 wooden post. It was huge and it was heavy. I don't even know how we lifted it off the ground in the first place and got it upright and steadied but we did. I'm sure it helped that he himself was 6'7 and I'm 5'10. We were inching the post close to the hole....we were almost there...and then we lost the balance. The post was starting to fall TOWARDS TRAFFIC. In that split second I had a vision of it landing in someone's windshield of their car and killing them right in front of me.
My mind freaked, I wrapped both of my arms around that post and lifted the entire thing up off the ground BY MYSELF (the bf let go) and dropped it into the deep hole. It was adrenaline. I could never do that again in a million years.
Well....that little stunt landed me in the chiropractor's office for 5 straight weeks. Something about the sciatica nerve I think. All I know is I couldn't sit, stand, or lay down without immense pain. I had to drape myself over the loveseat, looking at the floor, to relieve the pressure and pain in my back. I would stay like that for HOURS.
Anyhoo....talk about getting off an a major tangent!! The point is....my back ALREADY hurts, before I even get on the treadmill, and it makes me dread it all the more. Of course, after the workout, my knees and legs are in pretty bad shape too. It makes me want to scream my head off every day due to the frustration of WANTING to do more, and physically just not being able to do so. The most I can do is 2.5...maybe 3 miles if I really push it...at one time.
However, when I read this quote: Pain is just weakness leaving the body....it was like I was viewing this exercise thing with "new eyes" (I lifted the eye thing from Sean's post from last night.....EXCELLENT post...go check it out!). A whole new outlook. Now, when it starts to hurt, I can smile instead of cringe. I know that it means what I'm doing is working. I know that it means the endurance WILL come eventually. I know that it means I'm getting stronger. It means I'm improving. With every step, it means I'm leaving Fat Tammy further and further behind.
Before someone tells me that if it hurts that bad, just don't do it....I've had several doctors tell me over the years that walking...specifically walking as an exercise...is one of the best, low impact exercises I can do to strengthen the muscles in my back and alleviate pain.
This new quote is my new inspiration for when I'm strapping on my tennis shoes every day. I'm going to view the pain as a good thing. I'm going to stop dreading it. I do think that after a good chunk of this weight is gone, that the pain will be much less. I think watching what I eat, and continuing with daily exercise, will lead to strengthening my whole body...my back, my legs, my knees...the whole shabang.
For the record, although my eating has been off plan for the last 3-4 days, the exercise and the water intake have been golden. I have been on that treadmill every single day without fail since Friday and I have consumed at least (3) 32 oz. glasses of water every single day. I'm trying to reign the calories back in and get my focus back on the dilligence of counting them so that I can get my groove back and start heading back down the scale. Might not have the time left this week to fix what I've already screwed up with the eating. But if I can just get my balance back this week, then next week should look a lot better. Gotta' get consistent and stay that way. :)
Showing posts with label counting calories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label counting calories. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
Month #2 Goal Met!!!
This morning the scale said 249.4 for a loss of 2.4 lbs. this week. That brings me to a grand total of 22.6 lbs. lost in 2 months/8 weeks!!! GOAL MET!!! I'm going to do something hard this week. I'm going to stay off of the scale until next Friday's weigh-in. I've been on it every day this week, watching it go up and down, up and down, and it's had me tied up in knots. I'm just going to eat within my calories, get in some daily exercise, and whatever happens next Friday, happens. It's going to be tough....I'm addicted to that dang scale...but our relationship is a toxic one, lol.
I'm headed off to the unemployment office shortly to sit in line for 3 hours and then find out how to file for an extension. I've been laid off since February and my benefits run out at the end of this month....and still not one single call for a job interview. Say a prayer for me that things go smoothly, because in about 3 short weeks, I'm going to be penniless if I can't get an extension worked out. Say a bigger prayer that SOMEBODY HIRES ME!!!!
I just ran into a girl named Tina at Fat Girl Dives In and I put her on my blogroll. I'm so excited because we're neighbors! She lives in Atlanta too! Tina, if you're reading and you know of any Accounting positions....Pleeeeeaaaassseee let me know! :)
I'm headed off to the unemployment office shortly to sit in line for 3 hours and then find out how to file for an extension. I've been laid off since February and my benefits run out at the end of this month....and still not one single call for a job interview. Say a prayer for me that things go smoothly, because in about 3 short weeks, I'm going to be penniless if I can't get an extension worked out. Say a bigger prayer that SOMEBODY HIRES ME!!!!
I just ran into a girl named Tina at Fat Girl Dives In and I put her on my blogroll. I'm so excited because we're neighbors! She lives in Atlanta too! Tina, if you're reading and you know of any Accounting positions....Pleeeeeaaaassseee let me know! :)
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Have You Heard About Sean???
I'm sorry about the delay in the post, but I was waiting til Sean posted his good news so I could dedicate this post to him and the amazing milestone that he reached yesterday.....
SEAN HAS LOST 201 LBS!!!!
For any of you who haven't heard about Sean yet...especially the ones who have just recently started your blogs, he is definitely someone you want to check out. His blog is listed on my blogroll, "The Daily Diary of a Winning Loser".
He emailed me yesterday afternoon with the fantastic news. He started his journey 325 days ago, and in less than a year, he has dropped from 505 lbs. to 304 lbs. What an amazing, hard-won accomplishment!! He deserves all the praise in the world for his tenacity, perseverance and consistency in his daily Battle Against Obesity.
Sean is just a super terrific guy....full of humility and kindess and a willing desire to help others in their weight loss struggles. He's here to tell us that it IS possible...just look at HIM. His blog is a daily account of his life as he takes off the weight. He's been down in the trenches...he's done the hard work...and he's still doing it every day. Sean's ultimate goal is to get down around 230 or whatever feels right for him. He is now LESS than 100 lbs away from his goal. It's all downhill from here.
Along with my best friend Pam, who has lost about 70 lbs. herself and inspired me to start my own weight loss blog, Sean is my next biggest mentor. He is a shining example of how it's done. The mental change that he has experienced towards food is an incredible inspiration to me. He has developed total control over food. There has been no specific "diet", no magic pill...his strategy is really quite simple. "Eat less, move more". He gave himself a daily limit of 1500 calories and he walks/jogs every day for his exercise.
It wasn't easy in the beginning. Walking was nearly impossible for him due to his size. But he did it. He stuck with it and he pushed through. The endurance that he's built over these last 300+ days is just phenomenal. Recently he and has family went to a Chinese buffet to celebrate one of their daughter's birthdays. He was able to eat a 700 calorie dinner and stay within his limits for the day. I am still not able to do that. I have to avoid the buffets altogether still. I don't have that kind of restraint yet and I know it. But one day I will. I'm going to keep following Sean's example and one day I'll be enjoying the successes that he has.
Please take a moment to hop over to his blog and give him a big Congrats. He sure deserves it! And if you're a new blogger and haven't seen his blog yet...I encourage you to read through and check out his travels. He can be the same inspiration to you that he is to me.
A word to Sean.....what can I say? You rock. You're the man. My heartfelt congratulations to you for such an amazing triumph in this battle. You are so close to having total victory over Obesity and I'm blessed to have found you and had the chance to follow your story. Thank you Sean for your example, for your humility, for truly caring about others and their struggles. Thank you for emailing me with the news yesterday as soon as you found out. I'm glad we're friends and that I have the opportunity to cheer you on all the way to the finish line!
I pulled today's quote from Amy H.'s blog at "No To The Deuce" a couple of weeks ago. I really like this one. :)
Quote For The Day:
"As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives." -Henry David Thoreau
SEAN HAS LOST 201 LBS!!!!
For any of you who haven't heard about Sean yet...especially the ones who have just recently started your blogs, he is definitely someone you want to check out. His blog is listed on my blogroll, "The Daily Diary of a Winning Loser".
He emailed me yesterday afternoon with the fantastic news. He started his journey 325 days ago, and in less than a year, he has dropped from 505 lbs. to 304 lbs. What an amazing, hard-won accomplishment!! He deserves all the praise in the world for his tenacity, perseverance and consistency in his daily Battle Against Obesity.
Sean is just a super terrific guy....full of humility and kindess and a willing desire to help others in their weight loss struggles. He's here to tell us that it IS possible...just look at HIM. His blog is a daily account of his life as he takes off the weight. He's been down in the trenches...he's done the hard work...and he's still doing it every day. Sean's ultimate goal is to get down around 230 or whatever feels right for him. He is now LESS than 100 lbs away from his goal. It's all downhill from here.
Along with my best friend Pam, who has lost about 70 lbs. herself and inspired me to start my own weight loss blog, Sean is my next biggest mentor. He is a shining example of how it's done. The mental change that he has experienced towards food is an incredible inspiration to me. He has developed total control over food. There has been no specific "diet", no magic pill...his strategy is really quite simple. "Eat less, move more". He gave himself a daily limit of 1500 calories and he walks/jogs every day for his exercise.
It wasn't easy in the beginning. Walking was nearly impossible for him due to his size. But he did it. He stuck with it and he pushed through. The endurance that he's built over these last 300+ days is just phenomenal. Recently he and has family went to a Chinese buffet to celebrate one of their daughter's birthdays. He was able to eat a 700 calorie dinner and stay within his limits for the day. I am still not able to do that. I have to avoid the buffets altogether still. I don't have that kind of restraint yet and I know it. But one day I will. I'm going to keep following Sean's example and one day I'll be enjoying the successes that he has.
Please take a moment to hop over to his blog and give him a big Congrats. He sure deserves it! And if you're a new blogger and haven't seen his blog yet...I encourage you to read through and check out his travels. He can be the same inspiration to you that he is to me.
A word to Sean.....what can I say? You rock. You're the man. My heartfelt congratulations to you for such an amazing triumph in this battle. You are so close to having total victory over Obesity and I'm blessed to have found you and had the chance to follow your story. Thank you Sean for your example, for your humility, for truly caring about others and their struggles. Thank you for emailing me with the news yesterday as soon as you found out. I'm glad we're friends and that I have the opportunity to cheer you on all the way to the finish line!
I pulled today's quote from Amy H.'s blog at "No To The Deuce" a couple of weeks ago. I really like this one. :)
Quote For The Day:
"As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives." -Henry David Thoreau
Monday, August 3, 2009
Pam is Guest Posting Tonight...WOO HOO!!!
I was thrilled when Tammy asked me to guest post on her blog!
She and I have known each other since we were both the fat girls in high school, and we are both working toward bettering ourselves right now. I could not be prouder of her journey so far! Tammy has come such a long way with her eating, its amazing. Once you set your mind to a goal, it becomes the focus, and not the cravings and temptations that hamper our dreams of being at a healthy weight.
She asked me to touch upon the food aspect of getting healthier, and while I am not a nutritionist or professionally trained, I will share with you what I have learned on my own personal journey and what its doing for myself and my family.
When my husband Randall and I began our journey, much like Tammy, our albatross was fast food. Every weekend, we spent much time and money at Sonic, among other fast food eateries, and had been doing so for well over a year, since I had gotten pregnant with our now two year old son. After deciding to try getting healthier for our child, I began looking up the nutritional values of what we had been consuming, and it was appalling. The sad thing is...so many restaurants offer this information now, and so many of us just turn a blind eye to it and keep filling our bodies with these toxins.
So, once the obvious is no longer a barrier, then what? A lot of people out there go very holistic, and eliminate all processed foods, caffeine, sugars, all the way down to eliminating meats from their diet. I applaud them all. Do I think its the only way to become healthy?
No, I don't. But I do think its about getting back to basics.
Eat as much fresh as you can - fresh fruits and vegetables are a huge thing you can do for yourself. Be willing to do a little work for it. No, I'm not talking farming, but prepping. So many of us use being busy as an excuse for not eating the way we should, and some of us resort to grabbing chopped veggies at the market. First off, you have no idea how long the produce has actually been cut, or what has been done to it to keep it looking fresh. Baby Carrots are a lovely example of this. First, they are not baby carrots at all - they are all of the misshapen rejects that couldn't make it to a regular bag of carrots, whittled down and made more appealing to us. The scariest part of baby carrots? They are treated with a bleaching solution to maintain freshness. If you read the bottom of this post, you will see a quote from a baby carrot producer, admitting this. Makes you wonder what is in the other pre-cut veggies and fruits, doesn't it?
While I am not pushing a sugar free lifestyle on myself or my family, I have become painfully aware of High Fructose Corn Syrup and the many horrors that accompany it, one of them being a possible link between it and levels of mercury found in nearly half of items that were tested for the metal in a study by Minneapolis-based nonprofit Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP). I was mortified when I realized I had been feeding several of these items to my child. It was just another step in my realizations of what needed to be trimmed from our menus as we are becoming healthier. I now seek out breads that are HFCS Free (bread is a huge market for HFCS - even when you think you are choosing healthy whole wheat bread for your family, many times, you are also feeding them HFCS, too), among other items. When we do bring an item into the house unintentionally with HFCS in it, I have the comfort in at least knowing I have definitely moderated out consumption, and isn't that what its all about - moderation.
Moderation is a huge key to controlling the portions of your proteins, as well as the occasional treat that we all want and deserve. After all, this is not a diet, its our lives we're talking about, here!
By adapting these changes to mine and my family's day to day lifestyle, it has become a way of life, one that has made us happier, more energetic, and netted us both decent losses so far - since January I have lost 67 pounds and my husband has lost 52 pounds. If you get a chance, stop by and see how we're doing. I still have a long row to hoe and Randall is getting closer to the end of his.
Thanks, again, Tammy - this was great!
Good luck to all of you losers out there!
Pam
Journey To The Healthier Side of Life
She and I have known each other since we were both the fat girls in high school, and we are both working toward bettering ourselves right now. I could not be prouder of her journey so far! Tammy has come such a long way with her eating, its amazing. Once you set your mind to a goal, it becomes the focus, and not the cravings and temptations that hamper our dreams of being at a healthy weight.
She asked me to touch upon the food aspect of getting healthier, and while I am not a nutritionist or professionally trained, I will share with you what I have learned on my own personal journey and what its doing for myself and my family.
When my husband Randall and I began our journey, much like Tammy, our albatross was fast food. Every weekend, we spent much time and money at Sonic, among other fast food eateries, and had been doing so for well over a year, since I had gotten pregnant with our now two year old son. After deciding to try getting healthier for our child, I began looking up the nutritional values of what we had been consuming, and it was appalling. The sad thing is...so many restaurants offer this information now, and so many of us just turn a blind eye to it and keep filling our bodies with these toxins.
So, once the obvious is no longer a barrier, then what? A lot of people out there go very holistic, and eliminate all processed foods, caffeine, sugars, all the way down to eliminating meats from their diet. I applaud them all. Do I think its the only way to become healthy?
No, I don't. But I do think its about getting back to basics.
Eat as much fresh as you can - fresh fruits and vegetables are a huge thing you can do for yourself. Be willing to do a little work for it. No, I'm not talking farming, but prepping. So many of us use being busy as an excuse for not eating the way we should, and some of us resort to grabbing chopped veggies at the market. First off, you have no idea how long the produce has actually been cut, or what has been done to it to keep it looking fresh. Baby Carrots are a lovely example of this. First, they are not baby carrots at all - they are all of the misshapen rejects that couldn't make it to a regular bag of carrots, whittled down and made more appealing to us. The scariest part of baby carrots? They are treated with a bleaching solution to maintain freshness. If you read the bottom of this post, you will see a quote from a baby carrot producer, admitting this. Makes you wonder what is in the other pre-cut veggies and fruits, doesn't it?
While I am not pushing a sugar free lifestyle on myself or my family, I have become painfully aware of High Fructose Corn Syrup and the many horrors that accompany it, one of them being a possible link between it and levels of mercury found in nearly half of items that were tested for the metal in a study by Minneapolis-based nonprofit Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP). I was mortified when I realized I had been feeding several of these items to my child. It was just another step in my realizations of what needed to be trimmed from our menus as we are becoming healthier. I now seek out breads that are HFCS Free (bread is a huge market for HFCS - even when you think you are choosing healthy whole wheat bread for your family, many times, you are also feeding them HFCS, too), among other items. When we do bring an item into the house unintentionally with HFCS in it, I have the comfort in at least knowing I have definitely moderated out consumption, and isn't that what its all about - moderation.
Moderation is a huge key to controlling the portions of your proteins, as well as the occasional treat that we all want and deserve. After all, this is not a diet, its our lives we're talking about, here!
By adapting these changes to mine and my family's day to day lifestyle, it has become a way of life, one that has made us happier, more energetic, and netted us both decent losses so far - since January I have lost 67 pounds and my husband has lost 52 pounds. If you get a chance, stop by and see how we're doing. I still have a long row to hoe and Randall is getting closer to the end of his.
Thanks, again, Tammy - this was great!
Good luck to all of you losers out there!
Pam
Journey To The Healthier Side of Life
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Pushing Harder
Today has been really productive. I got a lot done and it feels good. I got 20 boxes packed to move over to the new house tomorrow morning. I also did some household chores and got all my laundry done. I got on the treadmill this morning and finally pushed myself to do more than the usual 20 mins. I walked 34 mins. today!! That may not sound like a big deal to some people, but it is HUGE to me. I am so challenged in the exercise department, lol. I really want to get better at it. Where's Jillian Michaels when you need her?
I want to say thank you to the new followers on my blog, and the people that have been commenting. It's so awesome to have this circle of people around me, cheering me on to my goal. A special thanks to Jack Sh*t for the comment he left on my last post. I love it when he comments...he always makes me laugh out loud and that is so needed. I should stop taking things so seriously and make light of things more often. It makes the world a happier place. :)
Stephanie from Muslim Mama commented on my post as well....I added her to my blogroll. Time to spread some more love. Please pop over and read her last 2 posts. She is in the same place I was 7 weeks ago, wondering if I had it in me to really do it this time...to really get this weight off for good. Well....we're all here to tell her that she can!! Without a doubt!! Check out her blog, say hello and offer her some encouraging words. Let her know she's not alone in this battle against Obesity...that we're all part of the same army and we will slay the beast together!!
I've got a busy day tomorrow so I'm going to turn in. I hope everyone had a lovely weekend. Keep watching those calories and keep those buns moving!! :)
Quote For The Day:
"Don't ask for a light load, but rather ask for a strong back." -Anonymous
I want to say thank you to the new followers on my blog, and the people that have been commenting. It's so awesome to have this circle of people around me, cheering me on to my goal. A special thanks to Jack Sh*t for the comment he left on my last post. I love it when he comments...he always makes me laugh out loud and that is so needed. I should stop taking things so seriously and make light of things more often. It makes the world a happier place. :)
Stephanie from Muslim Mama commented on my post as well....I added her to my blogroll. Time to spread some more love. Please pop over and read her last 2 posts. She is in the same place I was 7 weeks ago, wondering if I had it in me to really do it this time...to really get this weight off for good. Well....we're all here to tell her that she can!! Without a doubt!! Check out her blog, say hello and offer her some encouraging words. Let her know she's not alone in this battle against Obesity...that we're all part of the same army and we will slay the beast together!!
I've got a busy day tomorrow so I'm going to turn in. I hope everyone had a lovely weekend. Keep watching those calories and keep those buns moving!! :)
Quote For The Day:
"Don't ask for a light load, but rather ask for a strong back." -Anonymous
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