Support Hose

I've recently had an encounter that really made me think about support and the effect it has on your motivation. I never really realized until now just how good I have it. I have a husband who will sacrifice his time with the tv (after a hard day at work) so that I can use that space to workout.

Some of you ladies, or gents, don't have that support in your spouse. You may feel like they don't care for you or love you enough to offer the support. I don't think that's the case, at all! They're just not sure what you need.

If you're feeling unsupported, the first thing you should do is to try talking with him/her and getting those feelings out in the open. It may make you a little nervous and hurt a little for a bit, but you'll be stronger and more prepared to tackle to task ahead.

In addition to trying to reel in your spouse, you should find a buddy. Someone who is there for you and believes in you (maybe even before you believe in yourself). Not sure where to find someone like that? You're there!!!

I'm here for you, and I know you can do it! I've seen too many people succeed to believe that anyone can fail. Now, don't get me wrong. This journey won't be easy, but every step feels lighter when you're walking with a friend.

Clink my picture to the right to have me coach you for free. Then send me a message, and let's get healthy together!

Coach B
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Oh, happy day!

We have eaten clean all week, so last night we decided to treat ourselves to grilled meat made by someone else besides me. Allow me to clarify- We didn't cheat; we splurged.... So we had a small steak from Applebee's with a salad on the side.YUM! I never knew a simple steak could be such a slice of heaven.... 

This morning I am down another 1.4 lbs. This is the best thing since bread; note: not sliced bread... I just like BREAD in general..... =0) I've never participated in a diet program that is so effectively based on immediate gratification. If you're good today, it will show in the morning. How great is that?!? If I'm bad today, it'll show tomorrow. There's no waiting a week to see if I was successful. That gets boring, and it's difficult to keep up your motivation. 

I am losing every single day, and that is incredibly motivating and great for the self-image. Tomorrow I will take measurements to see how much mass I have lost. I can tell, even without them, that I'm smaller than I was 7 days ago. Oh, happy day!

What the heck?!?

Ok, so we wake up this morning to the deafening sound of our power going out. The momentary panic is that we had aleady missed our alarm and was shortly followed by power coming back on, then off, then on again.

I'm supposed to weigh and take my supplement first thing in the morning, so I do - in the dark. Brian has just come stomping out of the bathroom to announce his weight: up 1 lb. Why is he mad? He didn't cheat at all the day before- not even one single disallowed chip.

My turn, and the scale is just as unkind. What the heck?!? I didn't do anything bad AND I drank all my fluid. (Can't say the same for Brian...He sits all day and has a hard time drinking 2 liters of water.) So my turn on the scale yields a gain of 1 lb. That's pretty depressing when you're good and supposed to be dropping every single day.

After Brian heads off to work and the kids are settled with breakfast, I head back to face the scale. I simply can not accept that my obedience to the process yielded an almost 2 lb gain. By this time, the power is back on, so I'm not walking around with a flashlight.

That's when it hits me- I weighed HOLDING a MagLite so I could see the scale face!

My new weight? Down 0.8 lbs!!!!

Phew! I was afraid I'd hit the dreaded plateau!

I'm of to have a great day 5.8 lbs lighter than I was on Sunday at church. Have a good one!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Another day, another....

..... six tenths of a pound! I'm at a grand total of 5 lbs since Sunday. Not too bad, I'd say... :)

Laying on the couch with a migraine today. Y'all have a good one! I'll write something better later. :)


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Baby, are you down?

(If this blog had audio, you'd hear my awesome rendition of that song. Instead you'll have to imagine it!)

I am- another 1.8 lbs to be exact!!

I have lost a total of 4.4 lbs so far. I know it's not much, but it sure feels good to see that number drop every day. I'm trying not to get too excited, though, because I'm afraid I'm going to stall out any day now.

Oh, well- I'll take the good with the bad and not fret the stalls whenever they do come. Right now, I have to get Andy off to school.

Have a great day, all! Here's to getting skinny..... :0)


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

It's been a long day....

....and it was one that started with a 1lb loss! Yay, for me!

I spent the day in training in Dallas, so I didn't have total control over what I had to eat. I AM proud of myself, though, because at lunch I avoided most of the calories in my meal by skipping most of the croissant (it was soft and warm,too!) and the potato salad, Lay's chips, cookie and coke altogether.

What DID I eat? Turkey, lettuce, tomato and LOTS of water. I brought apple slices from home, so I had a few of those for a nice crunch with what turned into a turkey roll-up.

Total today, I've had over 125 oz of water, and, just for the record..... I've been to the potty 12 times!! (Can you tell I'm a mom of small children?)

Overall, it was a very good day. :) I'm expecting only a small loss, if any, tomorrow. Not only did I have a few too many cals, it's, well, THAT time..... IF you get my drift, so I figure I'm retaining water.

So we'll see. Anyway, feels good to be home; feels good to be excited about work again, and it's about to feel GREAT to be in bed!

'Night!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

And the winner is...

....me!

I didn't post Sunday night because I'm working on a head cold. I crashed at some horribly early hour and was sawing logs as peacefully as is possible when one can't breathe through one's nose. I didn't even think to post until this morning after I weighed in. 

My weight this morning? Down 1.6 lbs from the morning before. Sweet! 

I was nervous about Food Day 1 for no REAL reason.... It wasn't too terribly difficult. Yes, I ate clean, and actually enjoyed my meals! I'm still fighting that cold, so I can't really say if my 'off' feeling could be attributed to my diet, supplement, or the fact that I'm sick and can't see straight, hear clearly, or smell ANYthing. 

But, such is life. We have to learn to take care of ourselves (diet and exercise) even when we don't feel well. That's my lesson for today. Enjoy!

By the way, you'll notice my loss tracker at the bottom of the page. Hopefully, I'll be updating with losses daily! I will update with gains as well to keep accurate track of my total weight lost.

Thanks for reading! 

Ummm, wow....

This is my first attempt a blogging from my phone. Brian has company over, and it's a bit inconvenient for me to have my computer out. So, here we go! I'll check later to see how the format actually looks online. I apologize in advance if it's funky. ;)

So, today was day three on my new dietary supplement. As expected, this was the day I'd really 'feel' different. You know what? It was the strangest thing. Food really didn't interest me today. Wow!

Now, I didn't get to lookin' like I do because I don't like to eat. Duh! I LOVE to eat!! I LOVE cake and ice cream, Mexican food, Dr. Pepper.... I could go on, but I won't. I'll spare you the grosey details. :) You'll love me later.

Anyway, today we had a little family party for Logan's bday. I had all of my favorites available and, overall, I wasn't interested!! That was a big wow for me.

Tomorrow is my first day that I'll have to eat clean. I'm a little nervous about it, bc there is no room for cheaters. I normally find myself snacking on the boys' food as I'm making them dinner. This is going to be a big no-no..... I'm really going to have to bring my 'A' game and pay attenion to what I'm doing to myself.

So my weigh- in this morning? I'm exactly (to the tenth) where I was when I started stuffing my face 2 days ago!! I gained yesterday, and lost it today. Score! I hope this continues!

I'll be back tomorrow. Have a good one!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Two steps backward and one step forward?!?

I'm down to 192 days until 'B-day'. I've lost some days out of frustration with a company, out of frustration with myself, and now I am ready to move forward. And then.....

.....STOP!! My dad decides to beg me (in a manly way, of course) to join him in trying this new diet phenomenon. After doing a TON of research, we decide we like the way it sounds, so I decide to go for it with him. I've lost some days waiting on our stuff to get here, BUT, assuming it will work as it should, I'll gain them back by losing quickly (that's funny!)....

In an effort to avoid sounding like I've completely lost my mind, I won't divulge the supplement that I'll be taking along my journey. What I will do is this: I will post daily my weight as it drops and post weekly my measurements as I shrink. Over the next 6 weeks, we ought to be able to see a significant drop in both.

I don't plan to be specific about what and how much I eat, but I WILL report whether I ate "clean" that day. "Clean" will be defined as NO CHEATS.

Once I am seeing success and can testify under personal experience that the plan I'm on is working, THEN I will explain what I've done and how you could do it, too.

For now, know this. I feel like a stuffed pig. I pigged out pizza, coke, candy.....YUCK!!! But, it's all part of the plan. I'll keep you posted and let you know how it's going. =0)

Catching up

A reader (wow, I have readers.... =0) ) informed me yesterday that she noticed I was falling behind! Wow, someone cared what I was saying. That was a pretty big thing for me. So, here I am. 

In the effort of full disclosure, this has been a pretty rough week or so since I posted last. I haven't eaten well, and my workouts have been sporadic at best. I know we shouldn't have excuses, but it's been an emotionally trying week. We've decided to try to buy a house, because we happened on one we fell in love with. Check this out - I found it a year ago, (yes, 1 yr ago) and absolutely LOVED it! That was the time in my life that I was a pretty bad person. I hid things - financial things, and it was a pretty rough time. There was no way I could point the house out to Brian, b/c that would mean we'd have to talk money, and that was a taboo subject. I had ruined our financial profile, and he had no idea. 

So, we're together emotionally AND financially now. No more secrets! We're on the same page working toward the same goals. We're in a good place. As we were perusing listings for a home, I noticed the home I'd found a year ago was still available! We decided to look into what the house had to offer. We've been inside it and still LOVE it. It's amazing, and in our easily affordable price range. Unfortunately, because of my stupidity, our credit is poor. (All my fault....) 

So, I'm totally in love with the house, and desperately would LOVE to be out of our current place - we need the space! But, on paper, we're risky. We're different people than we were when those things were written down. 

I'm having a very difficult time dealing with the guilt of what I've done, and in my mind how it's ruined my family's future. That's a hard pill to swallow. 

Brian's been amazing. The best and most forgiving husband ever, I think. He never makes me feel guilty and gets angry when I get down on myself. I couldn't ask for better. It hurts that my mistakes are keeping him from getting what he deserves to be able to have and to give to his kids. 

Anyway, we're going to see someone at the bank today. She thinks she MAY be able to help, but it's a long shot. I'll feel a lot better and will be able to focus once we get a for sure (whether YAY or NAY) on the house and whether we'll even be able to move any time in the near future! 

Thanks for reading, and I'm sorry this isn't the weight loss inspirational piece you were hoping to open up! 

Not a proud day....

In the effort of full disclosure, here's my calorie burn for the day: 1712... YUCK! 

I am so "un-proud" of myself today. And, yes, I realize that's not a word. I realize that excuses are what got me to 185 lbs in the first place, but today was a day from heck. Didn't sleep last night, woke up with fever and feeling sickly. Pretty much, I overall didn't want to move today. 

The result? No workout done, and no calories burned...... Am I going to let this get me down? No. The OLD Bethani would've hung up my workout shoes for a few days after a "defeat" like this one. The NEW Bethani (consequently the one who will NOT be getting OLD on Aug. 11th) is not defeated. 

I'll just call this my cheat day, and move on! My new program is on the way. I chewed out Beachbody over that, and they got it all fixed up. 

'Night all!

UUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am SO irritated with Beachbody! I ordered the rest of my Christmas present almost 2 weeks ago! It should have been here DAYS ago. I called just now to find out where it is, and it hasn't even been processed and shipped! There was a problem with my card number I used to pay for it. 


Instead of calling me right away so I could fix it, they try the number daily for 3 weeks before contacting anyone. 21 days they wait! Are you kidding me? Now I have to wait ANOTHER 7 - 10 days when it should have BEEN here already a week ago! UGGG!!! It's so hard to stay excited about a new fitness program when you can't even get it!!!!


I'm glad I vented, but it doesn't really make me feel any better..... 

Training for the Future

Ha! So, another day down, only like a million to go! Ok, not a million - It's only 210 days; 30 weeks. I can do this... I'm committed. I AM still loving the BodyBugg. It's very easy to feel the need to move when you know you're going to have to be accountable to scientific proof of your activity for the day.....

So, most of the day I sat around because I didn't feel well. I had a sick kid and was up all night, so I lazed around until around noon. Then, I realized that my lazing around was going to have a negative impact on my caloric output for the day, and I was going to have to eat WAY low, if I was going to have my 1000 cal deficit. I soon became quite proud of myself- commitment kicked in, and before I knew it, I had my shoes on and was putting in a DVD. I paid for it later, because my head didn't forgive me, but... what'dya do?

As I was putting on my shoes, I noticed a message on the insole of my workout shoes. It says, "Training for the future...." I think that's quite appropriate for me and my endeavor. I am watching my mom deteriorate with horrible headaches and other problems. If I don't get my health and fitness under control now, I'm going to be IN for it.... That's part of why I'm trying so hard to be in the best shape of my life by my 30th birthday. It seems like that number is a turning point. Like I'm all of a sudden going to be old... Me? old? Not gonna happen. I'm going to be fit and trim and feel wonderful in my life AND my clothes!

Blogging from bed....

Well, I forgot to take care of this before I got all snug as a bug in a rug! So, here I am now, blogging from beneath a nice, warm blanket, typing on my iPhone... It's amazing what technology can help us do.

I had a great day today! My final count for today was 2459 cals burned, and I succeeded at eating just less than I'm allowed. This gives me a 1110 calorie deficit for today!! I had a great workout and ate clean.

It feels good to have done this for myself today. Have a great night, all!!

Lazy Day Sunday

So that I can gauge (over the course of the next 8 mos) how much my resting calorie burn increases, I've decided to take it easy the first few days I'm wearing my BodyBugg. I have gone about my normal schedule doing normal things minus my normal workouts. I've discovered that I burn about 1.5 cals/min. when I'm at rest and while I'm sleeping. (Yay for burning while sleeping!) When I add in all the activity I do throughout the day, my BodyBugg tells me I've burned around 2000 cals. Thus, I can figure that on days I don't work out, I have to eat no more than about 1000 cals in order to achieve my proper caloric deficit. (Ouch!)

To burn 2 lbs of fat per week, you have to have a 1000 cal deficit every day. So, obviously, the higher I can get my resting metabolic rate, the more food I can eat! =0) And I like to eat! The more muscle one has, the higher that resting metabolic rate will be.... Fit girl muscley muscles, here I come! 

Monday morning will see my workouts resume. I'm looking forward to hitting my burn tomorrow, eating clean and getting lots done around the house!

212 days to go 'till the big 3-0!

Conscience

I discovered shortly after waking up this morning that I have a new conscience. Apparently this new one works a lot better than my old one did, because I was very careful to watch what I ate today (even though I didn't WANT to) and move more than I normally would've on a rest day.

The Bugg doesn't make sound and is incredibly comfortable to sleep in and wear all day, even under long sleeved shirts. But the best part is that it speaks to me! It's the weirdest thing....  All day today, I was making good food and drink choices without questioning them. I wasn't mindlessly snacking; I chose fruit that had to be washed and peeled and prepped over the open bag of sugar cookies that beckoned me from the counter. At dinner, we totally prepared to pig out while watching the big game. I justified the pig out with the fact that I haven't OFFICIALLY started my new meal plan. A good idea? Not if I want to get into the best shape of my life....But did I cheat? A little, yes. I'll be honest.  But did I eat my weight in cheesy pizza and chips and queso?!? NO! Now, normally, after dark, when I start to get sleepy and bored, I START to EAT!! (That's why I'm 60 lbs overweight.) Tonight, I didn't! Instead, I'm drinking water and blogging. =0)

Am I feeling deprived? No. I feel good. I've made good choices, and I'm getting more and more excited that I may actually be able to achieve this goal I've set for myself!

BodyBugg Heaven!

Yay! My Bugg came today. I am SOOOO excited!! =0) It was a Christmas present from my mom and dad, and the shipper was very slow in getting out. I got it on eBay (my mom would NEVER have known what to look for....) for a really great price. So, if you're looking to get one, too - check there.

For those of you who don't know, a BodyBugg is a personal calorie management system worn by the Biggest Loser contestants. Research indicates that it is the most accurate way to measure your caloric output during the day. (Outside of a clinical setting, of course....) My experience with it is limited of course, but what I have done - I love!

I got it out of the box and all charged up. This took a couple of hours, because I had to get the battery to full charge before being able to wear it. Duh... (This seemed like an eternity....) Once charged, I was ready to go! I put it on (very comfortable) and wore it for about 10 min. Because I didn't want to wear it for a full 8 hrs only to find out I had done something wrong, at this point I download my info to the computer, and blammo! There's my caloric output for the time I had it on.

Okay, so I get a graphic timeline of the day. It charts my output on the graph. I can see just in that 10 minutes, when I did something that burned more than at rest. AWESOME!!! Based on my height, weight, age, etc, it estimates my burn for the rest of the day when I didn't have it on. Very cool. I'm going to wear it 24 hours/day for the first few days. I'd like to get an idea of what my burn is for an entire regular day, including sleep. I'm sure I'll take it off for sleeping after that.

The online program allows you to input goals, i.e. x number of lbs at x number lb/wk, then gives you a target date by which you should achieve that goal. THEN, it provides a number of cals/day you should be eating and burning. When you plug in, it graphs your deficit and lets you know how close/far you are from your burn goal.

I can't believe someone took the mystery out of cals burned! I am so excited to see how that number keeps me motivated! Stay tuned..... Results are sure to follow soon! =0)

In the Game - NOT the football game

The game, of course, is this morning's workout which I just completed. (AFTER making sure my house was company ready. Are we having company? NO! That's what makes what I did an accomplishment for me. It's clean for US, and that feels good.)
So, back to the game. What was in the game, you ask? My head was in the game. It got me to push play. My heart was in the game. It made me do it. My body? Yeah.....not so much in the game today. Chalene wanted me to punch, kick and shake my way to that "million dollar feeling." You know, that feeling you get after you do a kick butt workout? You're so proud of yourself that you feel like a million bucks!
Ok, so I'm trying to shake and shed and rock my way there, but my body is SOOOO not cooperating. I can really tell my nutrition has been off. When you're eating clean, you can feel your body respond to the requests you make. This definitely makes me want to be good and eat clean today!

What will you do today to create the future to which you are committed? Let's find out!

Reasons I deserve a New Me

I've had a rough past couple of days. I want a new me, but how much am I REALLY doing to uncover that person? Not much. I haven't eaten clean, and my workouts have been weak. My heart's not in it - I'm not sure why. I've already decided I have a limited number of days to "get fit and fabulous." I don't want to still be uncomfortable in my skin when I turn 30; I don't want to be uncomfortable in a dress at my little brother's wedding. I don't. I don't. I don't. 

But wanting that is apparently not enough for me to dip deep to give it all I've got. For a long time now, I've lived like a stranger, someone I really didn't know... a person I never thought I'd become. Now that I'm me again, on the inside - that is, my head is ready to change the me that people see on the outside. My heart needs to follow. 

It seems a good Facebook friend has addressed this in her blog at some point. She said "when motivation fails, commitment takes over." 

What am I committed to? I'm committed to Christ and blessed therein. 

                                       I'm irrevocably committed to Brian. 

                                       I'm committed to my boys. 

                                       This spot should be me..... Am I committed to me? I used to be.

There's a skinny, fit person in there that I think everyone deserves to meet. Brian deserves to have a wife who feels good about herself... My boys deserve a mom who loves life and can play and have fun. I DESERVE IT, TOO!!! Why can't I get my head around this?

You know what? Screw this. I sound like a whiny I-don't-know-what. Forget motivation, it'll come later. I'm saying it now. I AM committed to me. Tomorrow is a new day. What I do, I'll be doing for me. I will truly see that I have to take care of myself before I can even THINK of taking care of the rest of my family OR my business. 

So, tomorrow, here I come. Early wake up, Andy to school, followed by a workout, then my Weekly Home Blessing Hour. I WILL check back in. I WILL have good news. I am accountable to this. I know if I'm on it. I know probably no one will read it, but that's ok. It's here for me. I'm here for me. 

New Year, New Me??

Alright, so it IS a new year. Yes, I intend for there to be a new me. Have I blogged every day? No, but I'm okay with that. I've not failed already. I'm just a little late, that's all.... =0)

The purpose of the blog is to help me achieve this new me; to help me stay committed to this new weight loss journey upon which I've embarked. So that's why I'm here. That's why I'm writing. I don't think anyone really will care what I have to say. I tend not to be a terribly profound person. It's part of my charm I think. ;0)

The last day or two have not been great eating days. I've done a couple of workouts. TurboJam is one of my favorite cardio sessions. I'm currently waiting on a new series from Beachbody. I'm very excited about it, but I'll let you know how it goes after I get it. I'm going to keep it under wraps for now.

That's all for today. Not much to say. I'm getting of the couch now.... Later!

New Year, New Me

Welcome to 2010, self!

I'm glad to be here, but a little bit nervous about what lies ahead. Ok, so I WASN'T nervous until I got an email from a friend last night about reaching goals in 2010. You know, the goals that I failed to reach in '09? Yeah, that kinda shook me up a bit. Because there were a LOT of goals I didn't reach in '09, and that was kind of hard to face.

1. Didn't blog.
2. Didn't lose weight and get fit.
3. Didn't get my house in order.... and the list goes on!

But you know what? That's ok! I've decided that who I am is not wrapped up in how much weight I've lost or not lost, or how clean my house is or isn't. Who I am is wrapped up in Jesus Christ. No man can condemn me. I am a new creation in Christ. My marriage is a new creation thanks to our Lord and Saviour.

And THAT feels good!

Back to feeling a bit nervous about the year ahead. I'll be turning 30 in August, the 11th to be exact, and, well, I'm not okay with meeting that day as the person who looks back at me in the mirror. That day - where it seems that a mere number will tell me that I'll no longer be young and vibrant - is JUST a day! Yes, it's just another day, and 30 is JUST another number!

BUT, this is IT! I've had it with flaking on myself and my fitness commitments. As it stands now, I do not like what I see in the mirror. What I see is the result of what has now become my past. I'm no longer afraid to wake up in the morning. I AM still unsure of myself, though, because I'm uncomfortable in my own skin.

I don't really care so much any more what OTHER people think of me. I've decided that everyone will always have something he or she doesn't like about me. But having things I don't like about me is not cool.

To get to a new me, I'll be working out and eating clean 6 days a week. Yes, I've tried things in the past, and never stuck with them. But I really think I caved because of all the "life static" that was errupting in my ears and interrupting my groove. I had allowed myself to be pulled in a million different directions. I guess what I've learned is that when you're not centered and focused on the God, you seem to focused on EVERYthing! Boy, that was a hard lesson learned, and such a simple one, too....

So, here's to 2010, and creating a new me -a new me that I want to be. The much smaller me that beams back from the mirror every day. The joyful me that feels great and loves life and has tons of energy to do things with and for my family.