Happy February!

It's month 2 of 2014 (wow, January went fast), and things are officially on a roll in my life. Piano lessons are starting back up after a hectic holiday season, subbing calls are slowly coming back (even though we've been in school for what...5 days since January 5th? Thanks, bitter, nasty winter), accompanying is back on a regular schedule, and church responsibilities are picking up as we get closer to Lent. I don't know if any other readers have seen the harsh winter we have. Maybe you've had worse, but Ohio's governor has asked the state to extend calamity days from 5 to 9 for this one year because that is just how bad this winter is. We had 3 "arctic plunges" in January, where temps dipped into the negatives, and wind chills dipped to the -40s. A lot of our school closings are because of temps, not snow. I think there was one REALLY bad storm where my county was on a Level 3 road warning (driving was illegal except for emergency crews), but that was over in a few days. I think we're all ready for spring....

EXCEPT FOR ME!!! I LOVE WINTER!!!!!!! Make it snow EVERYDAY, PLEASE!! I really do love winter. I could live in this climate. This is my favorite season, mainly because I have a TON of winter clothing (sweaters, 2 pairs boots, long-sleeved shirts, etc...) that I love wearing and I LOVE snuggling up to a warm fire with a cup of hot cocoa.

Ok, start of a new month, start of some new goals. 

I know it's not Sunday yet, but I thought I would get a jump start.

First of all, an update on my "resolution" to lose 50 lbs by the end of the year. So far, I have dropped 8 pounds! Not bad for one month...not bad at all!

Next up, I have decided that weekly goals are good, but now I'd like to add more: monthly goals.

February's monthly goals: 

Aim for 2 DAYS OF REST; that means I am striving to work out 5 days a week.

Try new post-workout snack: Fruit & yogurt

My new weekly goal:

Give up 1 fast-food meal/frozen mocha per week

Start: 2 Goal: 1

Have a good week!

Life goes on

As I get further along in the year, I am beginning to realize that this is not just a "weight loss journey", as I named this. It's more of a "lifestyle chan...learning experience". You thought I was going to say "lifestyle change", didn't you? I've heard that phrase, "lifestyle change", used many times. It's what people say when they don't want to go on a diet. I've used it as a motivator before: "I'm going to start a lifestyle change! I swear, it'll be different!" "Lifestyle change"...I remember in recent years that this phrase became the new buzz word (phrase) of the health world. "Diets" were out; "lifestyle changes", in.

I don't know if I could call what I do a "lifestyle change" as much as I call it a life-long learning experience. I posed this question to my parents (warning: don't EVER try to ask a fashion question to a father if you're a girl...it won't bode well for you): Now that I'm finally moving DOWN in weight, I'm beginning to imagine life at a normal weight. One concern I have is...where will I go shopping for clothes? I've been going to Lane Bryant, Torrid, and Catherine's for as long as I can remember...

My mom's response: Just go where anyone else your age goes. JCPenney, Macy's, H&M, Forever 21, etc... you just adjust to your size.

I guess I didn't realize that. I've been stuck in this rut, thinking I will always be this big. But I won't. I know that now. And as time changes, I'm learning that I will have to adjust to new experiences and feelings. But that's just it. Life will go on, no matter what weight I am...

Time to get to my point, huh? I'm learning so much about working out, eating healthy, and becoming a better person, but that won't stop when I reach my weight goal. This will take literally my whole life to work on. And surprisingly, I'm ok with that (even though I have, like, NO patience and demand results NOW).

PS: My dad's answer to my shopping question: I don't know. Where clothes are...no really???

Weigh-in Wednesday

Hey, I haven't weighed in a long time (or at least it seems like it). Since roads are still a solid sheet of ice, I most likely won't be going to the gym today. But at home, I do have a BOSU ball and 2 5-lb. dumbbells to work with.

Starting weight: 430.0 lbs.

Previous weight: 424.2 lbs

Current weight: 422.8 lbs

Weight loss: -1.4 lbs

Total weight lost: -7.2 lbs

Percentage of weight lost: -1.7%

DO YOU SEE THAT?!?!?! Because I sure do. I just lost 7 lbs. SUPER EXCITING!!! And finally, for the first time since I started this weight loss, I am almost 2% down in weight lost! Nearly 2% of my weight--gone!

This is, as I'm sure you can tell, great news for me. I literally gasped when I took my weight this week. THIS is what happens when you track your food, cut back on calories, cut back drastically on frozen mochas, and ramp up the intensity slightly during cardio sessions.

TOO HAPPY!!

Arctic freeze, New Goal Sunday, and Motivation Monday

A three-topic title would suggest a long blog post, but it won't be too long.

There's not much to blog about at this moment in terms of weight loss...

My goal this week is to cut down from 3 fast-food meals and frozen mochas to 2 fast-food meals and frozen mochas, and so far, so good. Last night, the family went out to a local pizza restaurant. We were going to do delivery, but then you have to wait for it (hopefully on time with bad driving conditions), then clean up, etc...too long for us! So we went 5 minutes east(ish), but it ended up taking us nearly 20 minutes because of the awful road conditions. Other than that, I haven't had ANY mochas (a miracle!!).

In case you live under a rock or anywhere not in the path of this massive winter storm "Ion", this thing chugged its way across Ohio yesterday evening and last night/this morning. Last night, the family went to dinner around 6, and already the roads were slick. By the time we finished at 7, the ramp to go out the door down to the parking lot, albeit small, was so slippery that I just glided down it. We got home, and I haven't left this house since. I would've had work today, but school was cancelled. I could've gotten a call for tomorrow, but my school was the first to cancel for tomorrow! The wind chills have dropped from 0 at 6 a.m. to -35 currently, and the wind is blowing so hard our windows and doors shake! It is so bad that our county and all others around it have issued a "Level 3 road warning": only if it is an ABSOLUTE emergency or you have a GOOD REASON should you be out on the road. If drivers go out on the road for...well, not "good reasons", they have a chance to get arrested.
*Fight that craving for a frozen mocha, Morgan, you can't go out and get it anyways...*

Dad, of course, had work today; he said the roads are sheets of ice.

No gym for me today/tomorrow....I guess I have to get creative with what I've got...it's times like these that I wish my Dance Dance Revolution game pad hadn't broken.

Lastly, my motivational quote. It's a bit long, but a good one:

"Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let the pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place."--Kurt Vonnegut

Have a good week, and if you are amidst winter storm "Ion", stay warm!

New Year's Resolution

Here it is, the morning of the last day of the year...and I have yet to come up with a solid New Year's Resolution. I find myself questioning the whole idea of a 'New Year's Resolution'. What is it for? Is it an opportunity to 'start over'? Or do people make these annual resolutions just to feel better about themselves, knowing that they have 'set goals' for themselves to become better people? Now I'm wondering how many New Year's resolutions truly fail...

I researched this, and according to the University of Scranton's Journal of Clinical Psychology, published December 13, 2013, the top New Year's resolutions are:

1. Lose weight
2. Getting organized
3. Spend less, save more
......
(Click those dots to see the webpage)

Looking over the top 10, I can remember trying at least 7 of them (I don't smoke, so that's out, and I've never set a 'goal' to fall in love).

Scroll down, and you'll see that only 8% of people who make New Year's resolutions are truly sucessful. 49% of people setting New Year's resolutions have 'infrequent success', and nearly one quarter (24%) of people who set New Year's resolutions never succeed.

I can honestly tell you that I am in that 24% who never succeed. Many years, I set lofty goals: lose 100 lbs, become a better person (yeah, that makes sense), get organized, save money, etc...I have a rough time following ANY New Year's resolutions!

This is why I abhor this time of year. Now people want to know: what are you going to focus on bettering in your life? My answer: I don't know! There is so much in my life I want to better!

After this rant (thanks for listening), I don't know if I have a specific New Year's resolution in mind..Here is a general New Year's resolution:

My goal is to lose 50 lbs. by January 1st, 2015. That means I should be 380 lbs. by 1/1/15. That's approximately 1 lb. a week.

This might not be specific, but it doesn't need to be; my weekly goals during the year are more specific for me, and I will use those to strive toward my New Year's resolution of -50 lbs.

Good luck on your New Year's resolutions!

Motivation Monday

Happy Monday! 2 busy weeks ahead of me, but I will continue to blog as much as I can.

My motivational quote of the week is:

~Love yourself for who you are right now~

This couldn't be more true for what I'm going through now... I am a self-deprecating person with very low self-esteem. One important lesson I need to learn is that no matter my weight, my situation in life, or my personal struggles I go through, I need to start being nicer to myself. I'm tired of putting myself down, whether it be for laughs or just because I feel awful. I need to learn to love and respect myself for who I am. 

Have a good week!

New Goal Sunday and Happy December!

Happy Sunday and happy December! Hope you are ready, or preparing for, a wonderful holiday season. I have already started decorating my room, but that is about it. In past years, my family has already had cookie doughs prepared and decorations down from the attic. This year is much different. The whole family has been very busy and we have not had much time to focus on Christmas. However, we always find a way to be ready for Christmas, no matter our schedule. It's Christmas, after all!

So, if you can see a pattern in my past few months of blogs, I haven't blogged much. Or...as much as I would like to. I can honestly say that I really fell off the bandwagon. Bad. I guess that means I have to just pick myself up and start over, doesn't it? It does.

So. I guess my new starting weight is...430 lbs.

But good news. I was really mad when I saw that number. Like furious. I didn't want that in my life. Out of the blue, I started making better food choices, both at home and in restaurants. I got back into SOMEWHAT of a routine of going to the gym. And BAM. Like that, in 2 weeks, I dropped 5.8 lbs.

Which means I am already down to 424.2 lbs!!!!

I am gonna knock this weight off! This is good motivation!

"New" goal this week is the same as always:

Give up one fast-food meal/frozen mocha per week

Start: 4 meals/mochas

Goal: 3 meals/mochas

Lastly, this is my 100th post!! It only took me nearly 2 years...oh well. Here's to 100 more!

Enjoy the happy holiday season!