26 days

I just pulled my January calander off the fridge today and counted up my workouts.

26 workouts since January 1st!

Not to shabby, since there were only 31 days. That's five days of rest, one of them happens to be today because my body was screaming "GIVE ME A BREAK TODAY LADY!!!"

And, I haven't had a diet soda in about three months. But, I still really miss it and I am thinking really hard about jumping back on the diet dr pepper band wagon. What do you think? How bad can it really be? I think, that because I don't get my sugar fix from it, I eat more other sugar. Husband says I am just trying to justify a bad habit, and he might be right. But I really really really love diet dr pepper and I miss it a whole whole whole lot!

Dear Body

Dear Body,
Im sorry I talked so mean to you yesterday. I shouldn't have, but you kinda gave me a complex. Here I have been working out so hard, and eating less unhealthy food, thinking you are going to drop some weight... and you throw me a curve ball and gain almost a pound. I feel a little better today, not quite so fiesty with you so I thought I would let you know.
I can feel you getting stronger. I am thankful to you for that. I wanted to say thanks for all you do for me really. I mean you carry me around everywhere and anywhere I feel like going. Though knees, sometimes you protest a little... and I can't say I blame you... I know its not a tiny amount of weight to carry. You let me push you to the max, like I did today. I know you wanted to stop at 2 miles, but you kept going for me til 3. I was really proud of us. I mean, it was half you body, but the other half was definitly brain. My brain wanted to stop right along side you, but you both put up with me and went a little further. Thanks for that. You have given me two beautiful kids, body. I know that was no easy task to go through 18 months of pregnant heck, and then a few hours of labor to get those kids here. It was rough, but you pulled through for me and we made some really great munchkins.
You may not be the skinniest body, but you are a healthy, strong body. You put up with me, when I fill you up with crappy food, and then when I take you to the gym to repent. You really have done so much for me.
I promise to be a little nicer. Treat you a little better now. I promise to talk a little nicer, and be a little more thankful for all that you do.
Love,
Your Owner
Ps. maybe you could just hook me up with a big weight loss for the next few weeks, I mean, we are trying to win some cash here!!

Crying a River

SO so so sad to step on the scale this morning and see 152.1. Yep, that's a gain of almost a whole pound for me this week.
I worked out harder work outs, ate fairly well, cheated on a bad day to cheat I guess.
It's hard to swallow. Gaining. I feel yucky about it. I am the "blog leader" and I was not a very good example to everyone else this week. I am sorry. I promise to do better this week. Like Jessica said in her story, she didn't get fat in one day, and I didn't get fat in one week, so I can recover. I mean, I WILL recover from this weeks weigh in.
I promise myself I will not gain again. I will continue to work out, I will continue to drink a lot of water, and I will make better food choices. I will not splurge on a Thursday again, either. I will splurge on a Saturday if I am going to so I have a bit of time to recover if I need it.
And I will run downstairs right now and take my measurements to see if that might perk me up a little bit. I hope that some inches are falling off, as a couple of other pinchers have said their's are. Otherwise, I will just keep at it and hope the pounds start falling off one of these days!

Have my cake and eat it too

Guess who decided to eat a piece of cake with ice cream the night before the weigh in????????

Man I'm an idiot.

It looked soooo good I couldn't resist. I had been planning on making cupcakes for the hubby to take to work for his workers tomorow, but didn't get it done. So we went to my moms for dinner and she made the very same kind I had been planning to make, but not eat.

Needless to say, I told the hubs I am not responsible enough to make him and his friends a treat... yet. I know I could make them and partake of them, but who knows how many I would enjoy before I sent them on their merry cupcake way. So, no treats for them this week, and realistically, probably not for a few weeks.

I worked out this afternoon, I did a P90x pliometric DVD. It was pretty hard and I know I will be feeling it tomorow. I decided to do another mini cardio session tonight before I hit the sack, hopefully redeeming myself before I step on that scale tomorow morning.

Good Luck everyone on your FIFTH weigh in! Only FOUR to go!

Healthy Food

I didn't find any healthy food web sites to advise you to check out. Sorry! I am kinda starting to wonder if anyone is even reading this blog... but for my own benefit and my cousins I am going to share some healthy food ideas.
It is hard to get motivated to eat healthy, especially when your brain is saying "chocolate, chocolate!" I do both, I eat healthy- but I definitly haven't been limiting my sweets a ton either. My pound pinching is about a life style, not dieting... so I eat normal food that I will eat the rest of my life, not things I will eat for 4 months, til I get sick of them... then go crazy and gain my weight back. Like I said before, I have done weight watchers and truly believe in their program because I still get to have chocolate, or a soda or whatever it is that I really enjoy, as well as I get to eat healthy food too. With weight watchers everything has a point value. I try to limit my snacks to 3 points each and my meals around 7. Here are some examples of food I am eating lately that are matched nicely with my daily point allotment.

Breakfast
Yogurt with fruit
honey bunches of oats with milk of course (3 pts... this is a steal because it is
tasty and filling)
old fashioned oats with little milk, 1 tsp brown sugar few craisens
1 egg, 1 egg white, scrambled with cheese and salsa. Piece of toast
2 pcs of toast with 1 tbsp penut butter

lunch (this one is harder for me)
easy mac n cheese with turkey hot dog
turkey sandwich with baked lays
smart one frozen meal (I try not to eat these often because even though they are good and easy on the points system they have so many preservatives)
chicken nuggets with baked lays (1 pt per nugget)
2 chicken tacos on corn tortilla
can soup with grilled cheese sandwich

dinner
I eat whatever I cook for the family... here is what we have had lately and I rarely know the point value
taco soup
big lettuce salad with chicken breasts grilled(I chopped up a ton of different veggies, had boiled egg, craisens and sunflower seeds with it.... really yummy!)
chicken enchiladas (I limit myself to one because the white sauce isn't good for you, but I like it so I eat it)
Roast beef sandwiches with sauteed onions, mushrooms, green peppers
Chicken noodle soup (homemade)

snacks
apple
banana
yogurt
celery w cheese or peanut butter (I try to eat a healthy snack before I eat a unhealthy one like the below choices... but I love the below much more! ;o)
cheese stick
baked lays
cereal
100 calorie packs all the way! I love these oreo bars you can only find at winco
skinny cow
trail mix (1/4 cup)
popcorn (I eat this a lot because only 3 or4 points for whole bag and its filling
red vince licorice (1 pt a piece)

*As you can tell, these are normal foods that I will be able to continue eating for the next ten years. Not things that are more expensive, or harder to find.

What are you eating?!

I ran across a girl named Jessica's blog a while ago. I was so amazed and impressed I had my husband come see what I had blog stalked. Jessica is a normal mom, lives in Idaho, and I don't know her at all. I left a comment on her blog to see if I could share her story with you. I think it will benefit everyone to read it.
SHE HAS DONE IT. SHE HAS MADE IT, SHE HAS ACCOMPLISHED EXCELLENCE!!
She has lost 90 pounds in just one year I think, she said. Has ran several races, one being 13 miles... a half marathon. I believe she said she will be doing a full 26 mile marathon soon.
I wanted you all to be able to read this. Let me tell you she is a beautiful, skinny, courageous mother to have accomplished this. And if she can do it, so can we!

"The price of excellence is discipline. The cost of mediocrity is disappointment"

My weight loss seems so simple to me. Not that it was easy, but the concept was easy. Calories in, calories out. I had my first baby when I was 20. I gained 50 lbs. during the pregnancy. When I got pregnant with my 2nd baby I weighed the same as I did when I was 9 mos. pregnant with the first. Four babies later, I was 25 lbs. over that. For a few years, I didn't really care to do anything about it. I had just decided that being bigger was who I was, and that I needed to buy clothes that actually fit me and just love who I was now. I really had no interest in dieting. In my mind, nursing was making me gain weight and I was having babies so close together that I used the "I don't have time to lose weight" excuse. One day I just realized how miserable I was. I couldn't be a good mom because I was so fat! I couldn't play with them and run around with them. I didn't even like to go on walks because I hated how I felt when I was walking and breathing so hard. I knew that something had to change. I joined weight watchers in Sept. '08. I had a pretty bad attitude at the beginning. I was still nursing and I had convinced myself that I couldn't lose weight when I was nursing. Well, a week later I proved that thought wrong. I lost 7 lbs. the very first week. I went to my meetings and weighed in EVERY SINGLE WEEK. I think I have only missed 4 or 5 since that first meeting. After about 20 lbs. I remember telling my husband that I wanted to quit and that it was just too hard. But I didn't. I remember telling my mom one day as we were shopping in the mall that I just couldn't picture myself skinny. I can now. Weight Watchers is what kept me going. Their plan is simple and easy and once you get going on it, you don't have to think very hard. After about 40 lbs. I knew that I felt different. I had to buy all new clothes. I was starting to feel pretty good. It wasn't until I hit 50 lbs. that I decided that I wanted to start working out. I got really mad at my kids one day and just wanted to get out. My husband had done the "Couch to 5K" program before, so I decided to try it out. I ran a 5K on the 8th week of the 9-week program. At first, that's all I wanted to do...run a 5K. I ran a few more and then little by little I would start tacking on more miles. Before I knew it, I was training for a half-marathon. And this was me...a girl who had never exercised a day in her life!!!!! I was running about 25 miles a week for a few months and I loved it. Something that I never thought I would love. I also started loving my body. I had muscles and bones under all that fat that I had carried around for so long. I could see my hip bones and my collar bones. It was an incredible feeling. I believe I accomplished all of this because I was consistent. I went to my meeting and I set running goals. Without goal setting, there's no way I would have made it. On days when I didn't want to run, I did it anyway. On days when I didn't eat good, I reminded myself that it wasn't one day that got me fat and I got up and did better the next day. When I hit maintenance, I found myself wondering what to do next. I was a little lost because I had accomplished my goal that I had been working on for so long. That is one of the reasons that I decided to do a marathon this May. I have proved to myself that I can do hard things. Yes, a marathon is going to be hard. So was losing weight. I wouldn't trade it for anything. So really it's that quote that was my key to weight loss. "The price of excellence is discipline. The cost of mediocrity is disappointment". If you're not going to commit and be consistent....then what are you going to be?????

What to Blog?!

I just got an email from a cousin in Salt Lake who wants some healthy eating ideas.
I was super excited to get the message, because I have been struggling with what to post all the time. So I have two new posts for the week, one from a different participant too.
Let me know if you have questions or things of interest to post to help all of our pound pinchers out!!

Classes

I got up and went to the gym today for only like the third time since I got my membership renewed. I did something different today and it felt SO GOOD!
I went back to my strength training class that the world's greatest trainer Teresa, teaches. It is an hour long class of lifting weights. It works your whole body and you use free weights to your liking, as well as your own body weight resistance. I used 3's and 5's and a 6 pound bar. These were small weights, and didn't feel extremely hard to me, but since I haven't lifted weights, basically since the last time I went to this class, a year ago... I wanted to start out light. My muscles feel fatigued so far, but I know Sunday and Monday I am going to FEEL THE BURN! I can't waite.
If any of you are trying to get into working out more, I highly highly recommend the Idaho Athletic Club and any of Teresa's classes. She kicked my butt into shape after my first daughter, and I know she will do it again... and I can't waite. The classes are a great way to meet people, and a great way to stay motivated to keep going. The trainer notices when her people are gone, and eventually the other people in the class notice if you aren't there too.. and we check up on eachother. I don't know a single person's name, but I recongnize a lot of faces and we chit chat here and there.
If anyone ever wants to try out a class, let me know. I can get you a free 7 day pass, and you could come with me to try it for yourself, I bet if you do... you will become addicted like "your's truly!"

Sweat Session

I just got a new interval cardio machine workout from my Fitness magazine. I thought someone else might want to try it. I am dripping with sweat as I type this so I think it is a keeper.
I always workout with intervals, regardless of what machine I'm on. I do this because it helps burn fat faster I've heard. Plus, it changes things up and I don't get as bored going the same speed, at the same intensity, on the same level for 30 or 40 minutes.
This list goes off of RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) which means how hard you think you are working. So a 1 is barely moving, a 9 is a sprint.
Minutes-Intenisty in RPE
3-------3 (Easy going pace)
4-------5 (Half your effort)
1-------7 (Brisk cruising pace)
3-------5
1-------8 (Push it pace)
2-------5
1-------9(SPRINT)
2-------5
1-------9
3-------5
1-------9
4-------5
1-------9
3-------3
I did a ten minute warm up and five minute cool down to burn a few extra calories... and get 45 minutes of cardio in for the day.
Those sprint sessions were killing me about 20 seconds in but I pushed through and went for a solid 60 seconds each time. Depending on your level you may not be able to go that long, if it is easy for you, you aren't doing a high enough RPE... so go faster!!!!
ps. my computer isn't letting me into my gmail account, so I will post our weights as soon as I can get in my email to view what you sent me!

What the H-E-Double Hockey Sticks!!!

I started running like three weeks ago, and everytime have had some moderate to severe knee pain. I have run in the past, much faster and farther than I am running right now, and never had trouble with knee pain. I ran the past three days in a row, and last night did 2 miles in 20 minutes, which is a pretty good pace for me. I just ran through the pain, I'm thinking one of these days I will run and the pain will just be gone. Maybe it's the extra weight I am carrying around.
Went to bed last night, was up about 50 times with my daughter who had a feaver. Turns out, my knees were killing me too. I took a ibuprofin and that made them feel better.
Then I wake up again at 4 am, realize I have friggin PINK EYE for the third time in less than one month!!
Man, this is so annoying!
I went to the dr, came home to waite to go back to the eye dr, and am taking some garbage out to the dumpster... when I slip on our concrete and land right smack down on my sore.........
KNEES!!
I am so annoyed!
I think I better rest on my workouts a few days, my knees are really hurting. Now I am soooo nervous for my weigh in, because I haven't been eating that good, but the working out seems to be balancing the scale ok.
Now, I'm a super duper scared to see Friday morning.

How's Your Week?

My weeks is going extrememly well in the working out department. I have worked out every day for I think a week now. And my goal is to make it to an abs class and a run tonight at the gym. Eating on the other hand, could use some sprucing up. I just like to eat junk food. It tastes better I swear! I need to stop complaining the weight isn't falling off until I am ready to commit to eating healthy, nourishing foods most of the time.
Each day it should get easier, but it is still a big struggle for me. I am hoping one of these days I will wake up and just not want to eat that "bad" food, like I don't want to drink the soda anymore. Until then, I will just keep fighting with the bad angel on my shoulder.

Healthy Weight Ranges

Here is a brief example of healthy weight ranges for several different heights. According to the BMI Chart. The BMI takes into account your height and weight.

5 ft- 100-120
5'1-100-120
5'2-100-130
5'3- 100-130
5'4- 110-140
5'5- 110-140
5'6-110-150
5'7- 120-150
5'8- 120-160
5'9- 120-160
6'0-130-170
6'1- 140-170

Guest Writers!

SOOOO.... I am kinda having a hard time thinking of something to post everyday. I don't want to bore anyone to death! So, I was wondering if anyone wanted to be a "guest poster"
We all can benefit from different people's ideas, tips, successes and even their failures. I was hoping that if anyone had anything interesting, (or not that interesting) that realated to a healthy life, and healthy choices, they might email me and let me post it on the blog.
Let me know
jtgyhoeksema@gmail.com

Looks like everyone is still doing well with their losses, and nobody gained again this week! I am like a kid at Christmas and get excited with each new email I receive of good news! Thank you for making my day and making me feel like the time I am putting into this blog is worth it. I know how hard it is to make the healthy choice to eat right or exercise. I know because I struggle with it every day, several times a day. It is rewarding to see our progress however small or large it is!

Have a healthy weekend!

My Exercise for the Day

I learned some new moves last night from a friend, Tammy at church. I added them to my at home work out routine today and so I thought I would share what I learned.
I started on the floor and did 2 sets of 12 on each leg. I layed on one side with legs stacked on top of one another, elbow bent holding my head, lifted the top leg up and down slowly. Then I got up on my knees and put elbows and forearms on the floor. I extended one leg out behind me and lifted up and down slowly. Then I bent the same leg and lifted it up and down slowly. So my foot was facing towards the cieling. (I am sure these have names but I don't know them) (I did both legs of all exercises.) Then I did a foward lunge. Stand straight feet next to eachother, move one leg foward and bend back leg. I lunged down for 2 sets of 12 again. My legs were feeling fatigued. Lastly I did the fire hydrant move and thats kinda hard to explain so I hope it makes sense. I get on hands and knees, bend one leg so it is at 90 degree angle from the floor and lift up and down, kinda like a dog using the restroom against a hydrant. (visual is better here right?)
My abs aren't very strong at all yet so I layed on my back and placed my hands under my bum. I lefted my shoulders off the floor and both legs to do tiny scissor kicks or kicks like you would if you were swimming. I did 3 sets of 30 of these. And that made my abs very tired.
I came upstairs and did 30 minutes of intervals on the eliptical. No matter what type of cardio I do, I always do intervals. I have read that it burns fat fastest. So I start out on level 1 to warm up and proceed to level 4 through different amounts of time. I go foward and backward and do small increments (like 30-45 seconds) of sprinting every few minutes.
Then my munchkin woke up and I had to feed him so I didn't get time to stretch. Julie told us last night that it's important to stretch when your muscles are warm so I waited until I took a shower and did my stretches in there and it felt good to lengthen my muscles!

What are you doing to work out? Anything new and different helps us all shuffle up our routine so let us hear what you are up to!

New Shoes

Soooo... I ran my two miles tonight, for the second time.

Looks like the hubby's taking me shopping for some new kicks!

Got back to the gym, finally. It felt so good! The machines going, people everywhere, sweat, my ipod. I was feelin' it. The energy is good for me. I get to feeling through the day anxious or stressed and I realize that I really have to take that 30 -60 minutes for myself to get my blood pumping and relieve the anxiety. I wanted to push harder and go another mile, but I had prior commitments I needed to make so I had to quit. But it feels great to realize my body can remember how good the running feels. My stamina is coming back quickly and I am really excited to get back to my classes and my longer runs. I think the farthest I have ever gone is four miles. My goal for the end of February is:

TO BE ABLE TO RUN 4 MILES IN 40 MINUTES!

Headed to church and learned some new exercises and stretches. More to come on that soon....

Guilt Party Over Here

I may or may not have had a little rendevous with 5.. ok 7 peanut butter cups tonight.

WHY DO I DO THAT TO MYSELF!?!?!?!

They tasted so good at the time. Now my stomach is bulging, I feel like I could hurl, my workout was ruined and I feel major major guilt. The scale is probably going to go up in the morning, and now I am annoyed-- with myself for being so weak.

I thought I could eat one peanut butter cup and feel satisfied, one turned into three and the next thing I knew it was seven. I have learned this about myself before. I do better if I just DONT DO IT! If I just don't eat the one, I can stay away from them all. But I allow myself one and I turn into a chocoholic. It's like sinning, you sin once... it's so easy to keep going. Eat one, and then I eat twenty thousand, and deal with guilt later.

I am off sugar again. I am going to get on the eliptical for half an hour... even though I really really don't want to. And tomorow is a new day, a new day with zero candy or baked goods for me. I can't control myself, I can't have it. I am the boss of me and that's the new rule. Atleast for now, until I can gain better control of my eating emotions.

Breathe

Take a moment to breathe! We are half way through our second week of Pound Pinching! How exciting! I bet you are finding that making healthier food choices are getting easier. I know it is for me. I am craving less sugar, and am satisfied with less food. I am thirsty a lot and have been filling up on lots of water. It is said that you need half your body weight in ounces of water each day. So I weigh around 155... I need about 75 ounces of water. (More because I am a nursing mom though!)
One of our groupies had this to say last week and I thought it was important that everyone see it.
" The thing that's helped me the most is monitoring my eating habits and really listening to my body. I'm discovering that not only do I not require nearly as much food to be full as I thought I did, but I also know about when I need to stop eating too. Don't be so busy enjoying your food that you can't hear yourself saying stop! That's the biggest thing that helped me lose weight this week."
-Rachel
Thanks for sharing that Rachel. How true it is. I get so busy sometimes loving whatever I am eating that I think "I need to eat all of this, it is soo good!" After which I feel lousy and uncomfortable that I stuffed my face so full. I have to remind myself "leftovers!" I can eat whatever I love so much at my next meal or snack. There is no reason to overfill myself.
For me it is a consistant thing that I talk to myself. I have to remind myself of healthy choices and not let my mind overrun what I have worked so hard for. (To lose the weight)
I tell myself this often:
Nothing tastes as good as being healthy, strong and fit feels!

Fill the Pound Pot

Hey Everyone! Hope your weekend is going well, and your weight loss is going great!
I wanted to put down who has given me their "pot" money, so we can know exactly who is in our group and exactly how much money we are working for!

I have 5 dollars from these people:
Teresa
Steve
Kendra
Joanna
Teri
B
Christine
Kara
Melissa
Bryce
Rachel

There are supposed to be 15 of us total which is 75 dollar pot!! That is so exciting! I want to make sure though because I don't want everyone thinking they are working towards 75 bucks, and then be disappointed at the end that not everyone put in their money.

So, email me at jtgyhoeksema@gmail.com and I will send you my address so you can mail your cash or check. Or swing it by my house if you live close by!

Thanks!

Facing the Music

I was so excited to get everyone's weight's today! Great job! It looks like almost everyone lost, a couple people stayed the same and..... NO ONE GAINED!! That's so great, a huge accomplishment!
That means, everyone is making good food choices(or better ones), and maybe even exercising (I hope so, for your weight loss, heart health, and mind health!)
They say that for the average person a healthy weight loss is 1-3 pounds per week. It means you are losing it the healthy way. Your body is able to adjust to your new weight and your new life style without being thrown into shock, wondering what's going on with lesser calories and more exercise.
A couple people dropped big numbers too.. that's great! Don't be discouraged if you don't maintain that loss over each week. It would be hard to do. Sometimes you see a big loss at first and then maybe nothing next week, then you will lose again. It kinda goes in cycles it seems! So remember how great you feel today with such a big loss!
And if you didn't lose, don't be discouraged. Your body may just be trying to catch up with your changes you are making, and the scale didn't reflect that, yet. Don't worry, the scale will notice sooner rather than later I am sure.
Remember the idea is to be healthy, to make healthy choices... that is the important thing!

My tip for the week: Record what you eat!
Someone commented on the blog that you can eat too little calories. When you do that your body then goes into starvation mode and holds on to the fat that you do have. I picture little mucinex bugs holding on to the fat. DON'T GO HUNGRY! It is so hard to always remember everything you eat. I find it extrememly helpful to write down the things I eat as I eat them. It holds me accountable and I find myself asking "Do I really want to right down, I ate the rest of Gracie's PB&J")
When you record the things you have eaten for the day, over a period of about a week it puts into perspective if you are eating too much or too little. Both cause problems for weight loss. It also helps to show times of day you are eating. I seem to eat more in the afternoon before my daughter goes down for a nap, my stressful time of the day I turn to food more than I do any other time. I now know that, and I can help myself make a better choice like drinking a big glass of water and BREATHING... instead of letting myself get worked up.
Thanks for all your comments on the blog... it's nice to know if you are reading, liking or disliking what I put on there!
Good Luck this week!!

How's It going?

Hey Everyone.... How is your week turning out?!
Admit it!! You have been on the scale every morning to see what your progress is!
I know I have, and I am pretty proud if I don't mind saying so myself.
I have worked out every day, so I am giving myself a break today. I have made good food choices, some bad ones... but mostly good ones!
And I can't waite to rip my clothes off in the morning to see my final score for the week!

Run into any troubles? Had any great successes? Have some tips? Let's hear them. And let's cross our fingers for our weigh in tomorow!!

A little laugh...

So I bought a body shaper spanx type thing this week. I have heard that as you lose weight they help train your skin to go back to where it belongs (like since my stomach isn't supposed to hang down that low... it helps it remember to go up and sit firmer), I know it sounds kinda crazy- but my stomach can use any help it can get!
Anyways, I get it all pulled up, while Jared is laughing and asking if I need him to help me pull it up. Of course I don't need help, they are supposed to be that tight!!!!
He looks at me (Still laughing) and says "Wow your chest looks bigger!" Of course it does, I just scrunched all my belly fat up to my boobs.
RuDe! But, kinda funny.
I guess I better stay on the weight loss train!

Look in the Mirror

I think it is important to talk about the way we speak to ourselves! I have always had a hard time when I look in the mirror. Since I was a young girl, even elementary age I remember looking in the mirror and thinking negative things. Sometimes even bursting into tears at the sight of my big stomach or my thighs that rub together. I remember always wishing to have a flat tummy like so and so, or a space between my thighs like her, or arms that didn't bulge in every picture.
I learned somewhere that it is important to look in the mirror and instead of being negative about what I don't like, to be positive about what I do like. Like my long beautiful hair, or my thin legs. When I am about to say something mean to myself I try to remember to instead compliment myself. To say something positive about yourself isn't bragging or being egotistical... it is teaching yourself to have confidence in your strengths, and teaches you to work on your weaknesses.
We are all very hard on ourselves. Our own worst critics I would venture to say. I know that when I look at other people, I see beauty. I don't see perfection, but I see beauty and can think of many things to compliment them on. A person can sit and tell me how insignificant they are, or how unattractive they feel and I get a sick feeling in my stomach. I always wonder why they can't see the beauty in themselves that I so clearly see in them.
And then one day, I realized I was one of those people. I am plain mean to myself sometimes! We all see something when we look in the mirror, and I think more often than not, our reflection is a distorted picture of what our mind sees, not what our eyes see.
Remember the importance of speaking kindly to yourself. It is something that I think most of us learn to do, not something we naturally do. It is SOOOO important to me to train myself to think this way. I am so hopeful that as I get back in shape, and my confidence in myself grows I will be better at this, and better able to model for my daughter a healthy body image.
Beauty is not perfection, skinny isn't necessarily beautiful, what is truly beautiful is confidence in oneself; and the recognition that we are who we are, for a very important reason.

Tips for a week

I threw together a pile of tips I have learned over the years of trying to be healthy. These are eating tips, I will do exercise tips another day.
1. Eat first thing in the morning, a healthy breakfast to get your metabolism going. If you waite too long between your meals, your body thinks you are starving it so it holds on to your fat. That is why it is recommended to eat 6 small meals a day... to keep the metabolism going!
2. Drink ice cold water. It burns calories.
3. If you feel extra hungry, drink a glass of water. Sometimes our minds tell us we are hungry, when really we just need a drink. Chewing a piece of gum also curbs hunger.
4. If you make a bad food choice at one point or another in the day, make a decision to not let it ruin your day. Do better at your next snack or meal.
5. Eat your fruits or veggies first when you sit down for a meal, that way you fill up on those and eat less of the foods that might not be as healthy.
6. If you eat, don't lay down or go to bed for atleast 30 minutes. You don't just want the food to sit in your belly.
7. If you are craving something sweet, try a cup of fat free hot chocolate with low fat milk.

Rough Day

Today was a hard day for me! My baby started to sleep through the night a couple days ago, and each night my precious sleep has been interrupted by something or another (besides him)! Last night was the most frusterating of all however, I woke up at 4am to yet another case of beee-u-tiful pink eye. I just finished my antibiodics for my last case of pink eye on Wednesday. Needless to say, I was a lot sad. Good thing I still have extra antibiodics so I could treat my eye until I can see the dr on Monday.
We also have family visiting in our home because our little boy is getting blessed tomorow morning. Then, this is the kicker... my husband said he wanted to go to a "boy" movie with his brother and dad while they are here. This was most upsetting this morning, because I had just asked him to go to a movie with me like four times in the past two weeks and he never wants to go. (nope, they didn't go... I am such a brat)!
Hubby took our little girl and the visitors away so the baby and I could rest and hopefully heal my eyes up a little. As soon as they left, all I wanted to do was eat anything I could get my hands on. Cheetos, pizza, bread, if there had been a soda in sight it would have been gone. I ate, and of course felt guilty right after.
I am an emotional eater! I didn't hurt anyone but myself, but at that moment that is what felt good.
I got back on track for the afternoon and evening and made healthy food choices, and the best decision I made was forcing myself to get on the treadmill for 15 minutes. I didn't want to exercise, or do anything for that matter-- I just wanted to sulk and feel sorry for myself, but after about 5 minutes I felt better. I felt better and I was able to walk further. I wish I just would have been able to turn to a healthy choice earlier in the day and I would have eliminated the guilt I felt after I gorged myself at lunch time.
It's encouraging to me, that I can make a poor choice in food or choose not to exercise-- but that doesn't make my whole day. I have the opportunity to make a better choice at my next opportunity. I am allowed to have a rough meal, a rough day, or even a rough couple of days... as long as I strive to do better I can still be successful!

January 1, 2010

Day one of the challenge!

I have never been so excited to rip off my clothes (ok, maybe I have been a couple of times), and get on the scale!

The magic number for my first official weigh in 157.4.

I took my measurements too and had Jared snap a front and side view picture. Feel free to do your measurements (You typically lose inches before pounds), if you want, and take a picture. You can send them to me if you want and I can include them... or if you prefer just keep them in a journal or other safe place so that you can see how much progress you have made at the end of February! (Make sure you weigh in, and take your picture in the same outfit each time. Your weight is most accurate that way, and it is easiest to see results in the picture).

It is very motivating to me to do this, because in my experiences before, I didn't see the wieght loss right away. I saw my inches going down. I couldn't see the difference in myself because I see myself everyday. But when I looked back at pictures it was obvious that my body had changed for the better. So if you do all three, and you are eating right and getting exercise in, one of those three things will be changing, and that will help motivate you on the day you just don't want to make the GOOD choice anymore. And there will certainly be days ahead where each of us feel that way!

Teri Starting Weight 157.4

Right Upper Arm 12.5 inches (midway between the shoulder and elbow)

Waist 37 inches (one inch above the belly button)

Hips 42 inches (at the maximum width of the bum)

Right Thigh 25 inches (just below the bum)

Email me your results!!

jtgyhoeksema@gmail.com