New day... same story... but with hope for the future

Another week has ended without a single day of real exercise. I wish I could convice myself that shoveling my driveway today will make a difference on the scale tomorrow but I'm guessing that the Tiramisu from last night's dinner might have something to say about that. UGH! I have heard so many people say they have so much energy because of their regular exercise regimen. I guess my issue is gathering enough energy to start the exercise program so that it can start giving me more energy. Hmm...that's sounds an awful lot like a chicken or egg problem. Funny, just as I was typing that last statement I realized I know the answer to the chicken or egg question. God created the chicken...just like he created us first. I guess I'll just need to suck it up and start with the exercise. I have a complete change in my work schedule this week. I start working from 3:00 - 11:30 pm this week. I plan on using some of my daytime hours for exercise as well as blogging more often than just the weekends.

Better than expected

So I weighed in again this morning with my friends via skype. Thankfully I weighed in at 252.2. I was very surprised because although I did not eat terribly, I did not eat perfectly and even more surprising because I have not exercised AT ALL. I want to, I know I need to, I have the best of intentions...... but after getting up at 4am and getting home between 6:00 and 7:00pm about all I am interested in is dinner and the couch. Ugh! I am trying to figure out how to make this work but have not come up with a solution yet. The easy answer, of course, is to simply get on the elliptical or treadmill anyway. Unfortunately, I have not yet convinced myself to do it however tomorrow is the start of a new week.

A Refocusing

I am so thankful for a blog post written by my friend Diane. It really encouraged me!!! I have not done well this week at all. I have not exercised at all and I've not made perfect food choices either. I find it very frustrating because I see it happening in my head....I want it to happen in real life...but by the time we get home I am so hungry and tired all I care about is dinner and the couch. I have been feeling really bad about it and beginning to hit that point where I throw up my hands and eat whatever I want. Her post has really helped me see that God desires me to succeed and He is not sitting in heaven looking down and beating me up (which is great because I think I probably do enough of that for the both of us) He loves me unconditionally and He is for me. He will also help me refocus when necessary and keep moving forward to my stronger, healthier and fitter self.

Another week

Unfortunately, it's been a VERY DIFFICULT week of long days arriving home basically in just enough time to make dinner, eat and head to bed. The scale reflects the reality of another week without working out. My weight only increased by .2 lb but clearly that is headed in the wrong direction. Thankfully, I have been hired on a temporary contract by a title company. Wow, what a relief!!! This coming week will still have it's challenges as the schedule will still be very long days...but I will make a concerted effort to not let the schedule overcome my need and desire to get my body moving. Also, I read a book called "The Writing Diet". It caught my eye at the book store right away. I mean, if I could "write" this weight off...I'm all over that! As I'm sure you have already figured out, it's not quite that simple. It is, however, still a concept I really like so I will be implementing at least some of the tools the author writes about. I'll let you know how it goes.

I had ice cream...

There is surely a reason why everyone suggests purging your home of tempting foods when embarking on a healthy eating plan. I was pleased yesterday to have made it through my birthday without cake and ice cream but then this afternoon I was having a sweet tooth and remembered the ice cream still sitting in my freezer. I know many people hold the opinion that you must allow yourself to satisfy cravings but what I really should have done is get on the elliptical until the feeling went away but I didn't. I will try my best to make that choice next time.

Reality

Reality is a tough thing and this week has been a painful reminder of that fact. There is always that point where you must transition any quest from visualization into action. Of course, that is the point where all the pictures in your mind can begin to lose focus.....you may have experienced this point yourself at some point in your journey. It's the point where the pain begins!! The point where you realize what the contestants on the Biggest Loser were feeling when they just couldn't seem to convince their body to stay on that treadmill, elliptical or stairmaster. Well I hit that point this week and although I am confident my performance would have brought on the wrath of Jillian (and Bob for that matter) I still got on that elliptical 3 times this week and that's 3 times more than I did last week. It was a rough week emotionally..... starting a new eating plan, a new workout plan, changing companies (AGAIN..3rd time in a year), feeling the financial pressure of needing a paycheck. That's alot to handle all at one time particularly the financial pressure. Thankfully, I was able to stick to eating only things that are on the plan even though I did not take in as many calories as I should. This morning I weighed in at 252.6 so that is 3.4lbs lost this first week. This coming week my goal is to be on the elliptical at least 5 times and do a minimum of 45 min. each time.

Today is my birthday so I will be going out to dinner with family and friends tonight. So we'll see how that goes.

Day 1

All the plans have been laid and all the preparations have been made so the only thing left is the pain. :-)

That became abundantly clear shortly after getting on the elliptical. Ugh! I made it 30 agonizing minutes, took a few minute break and got back on for another 17 minutes. I am sure I could have done the other 13 minutes I intended but my biggest problem is becoming more mentally tough and pushing through the pain. My only consolation being that I got on the treadmill for 10 minutes. Yesterday I read an interview with Lance Armstrong in Outside Magazine where he once again mentioned the fact that he likes the suffering that goes with training. I wonder if I will come to enjoy the suffering? Hmm I guess only time will tell.

Today was also the first big weigh-in. Although you will only be hearing from me, I am so glad to know I am not on this journey alone. A couple of my friends and I set up our computers and did our big weigh in via Skype which actually made it kind of fun. You know, the kind of fun that includes standing in very few clothes, in front of a video camera and standing on a scale in front of a few of your closest friends. Yep, that kind of fun! At least it wasn't in front of 10 million television viewers...that would have been the hardest part if I had been chosen to participate in the show.

I have taken the precaution of having subjected myself to a health screening....and the dreaded blood draw so I thought I would share the "before" numbers. Thankfully the news was not all bad....I am not diabetic and my cholesterol, although borderline, it not sky high....just my waist!

Weight - 256
BMI - 42.6
Waste Measurement - 51 in
Resting Heart Rate - 67
Blood Sugar - 71
Total Cholesterol - 203
Good Cholesterol - 33 (this is low so I will begin Omega 3 Supplements to increase it)
Triglycerides - < 50
Bad Cholesterol - Could not calculate due to low Triglycerides

I guess it's a good thing to know where you are starting....even if it's hard to see in black and white. Come to think of it, it's easier to see it in black and white than in the mirror!

To Our Success!