Rain or Shine

The last few days it has been raining and cold. BUT I am super proud of myself for getting out there and taking my dog for her walks regardless. I have one walk I like to take her on and it is just under 2 miles. Yesterday as we opened the door to leave it started raining. Now the old me would have just went back inside but not the new me. Instead I got the umbrella and away we went. Good for me and good for her. Smelly wet dog is a small price to pay for my health and her happiness for getting to do one of her favorite things.

So as fall continues to arrive and the wet weather here in the Northwest becomes the norm Belle and I will be out there. We may turn in to ducks but we will be out there.

Make the Right Choice, Don't Get on That Scooter...

Let me tell you something that really REALLY annoys me. When I see people at the grocery store, target or wherever that feel the need to use those motorized scooters to get around the store just because they are overweight. I almost think you should have to have proof of a medical reason you cannot make it around the store before they allow you to use one. You know, like checking out a book at the library. You go to customer service, show your card from your doctor and then they give you a key to one of the scooters. I wonder what the percentage of people who use these carts are actually unable to walk more than the distance from the parking lot to the entrance.


I must be sure to point out that I am not judging anyone for being overweight. I too am clearly a fatty. But you don't see me zooming around Safeway on a scooter. While I admit that does sound a little fun i would never unless maybe my foot was broken. Even then I would probably just send the hubby to the store. But whether or not I secretly want to be on a grocery store scooter racing team is not the point of this blog. So, I digress.

Last night while waiting outside a store for Chris (we had the dog with) I saw a very large woman get out of her car. Now first thing I would like to point out is that she was walking just fine. She was wearing her bath robe and fuzzy lion slippers but other than that seemed perfectly stable on her feet. But of course she enters the store and immediately plops herself into one of those scooters. It really just made m sad more than anything else. And it really make me realize how easy it could be for any of us to get to that same place.

I mean think about it. I think people somehow believe that if you are overweight you can't exercise because you will keel over from a heart attack. Or if your too big you physically cannot exercise. I just shake my head. I don't get it. I hear people say "I don't know how I got this big." I think to myself how do you not know. I know how I became overweight. I ate crap and I sat on my butt. Plain and simple. It isn't rocket science. I think my issue is more with the companies that cater to overweight people so they don't have to lose weight. Or all these fad diets that try and convince people they will lose weight if they just take this magic pill. My favorite was when Shape ups came out and advertised that the shoes alone would help you lose weight. If only it were that easy.

Ok so now my rant is going off track. The moral of my story is that that woman I saw last night was like a welcome slap in my face. I don't ever want to be that person that is so big I just give up like that. I am worth every minute of hard work I put into this. Every drop of sweat, every aching muscle and every tear. I am worth it and I own it.

"Why choose to fail when success is an option?"
— Jillian Michaels

AMEN to that.

So come on people get rid of the scooter, stop making excuses and get out there and change your life. WALK around the grocery store, take the stairs. One step, one pound and one day at a time. I can do this and so can the rest of you.

Ok rant over. Better take my own advice and get off the couch!

Balance

That one word defines the key to success when it comes to weight loss. At least for me. But I am pretty sure if you went and surveyed a bunch of people who lost weight and been successful at keeping it off you would notice that the word balance would show up a lot. For me balance is more important than "dieting" or spending hours on end in the gym. Without it I WILL fail.

When we lived in Boston and I was walking dogs I never gained any weight because of how much I was walking. But I never lost any weight because I didn't have balance. I was getting plenty of exercise but was eating way too many calories so in the end all I was doing was staying the same. Which I suppose is great once I get to a maintaining weight but I am nowhere near that. I need to be eating right AND working out.

Now the other part of it for me is not obsessing. I see too many people so wrapped up in their "diet" or the 8 billion hours a week they spend in the gym. Obsession to me is just going to set you up for a big fat failure. Pun intended. Obsessing is one reason I have never believed in diets. Especially all the fad diets out there. Atkins, South Beach and so on. They work when you are on them but the minute you go back to being a normal person you are going to gain the weight back. When I first decided a few years back I was going to get my butt in gear and lose weight (back then I lost close to 50 pounds) I knew "diet" was not a word i was willing to live by and I knew I would be unsuccessful if I went that route. So, instead I decided to set a calorie limit for myself  and stick to it. If I wanted cheesecake, I had it. If I wanted pizza, I had it. If I wanted cookies, I had them.  I just made them fit into my calories for that day. I adjusted so I could have them. Having them made me feel like I wasn't being denied and made it more likely that I wouldn't sit down and eat 4 cheesecakes all at once. It worked for me and it is working for me again now. What is the point in dieting?A diet you will eventually stop and if that is what is making you succeed then eventually you ARE going to fail. Make a life change. Make the choice to eat fruit sometimes instead of chocolate. CHOOSE to eat more veggies and drink more water. CHOOSE to eat what you need and not over stuff yourself. CHOOSE CHOOSE CHOOSE. Every day I need to wake up and CHOOSE to eat better. But I also need to choose not to deny myself the things I love. Having a treat isn't going to make you fail if you can control how much and how often. For example, last night I had a Sonic Blast from Sonic. This morning I am 3 pounds down since my last weigh in and I still have 3 more days to go before my next. It doesn't mean i am going to have that every day but it is just proof you can have treats and it is OKAY.

By balancing my food intake and working out I KNOW I will succeed at this. I have before and I will this time. The trick for me will be too maintain it once I am at where I want to be. But for now I will just worry about getting to the point I need to maintain. One day and one pound at a time.

Almost 20 pounds down! YAY!!

Here We Go Again

As most of you know by now, Linda and I have decided to extend this through September. It was then brought to my attention that October is breast cancer awareness month so we figured it would make sense to go through October and have our finally weigh in be November 1st. My hope is we will be able to use breast cancer awareness month as another tool to raise more money.

I clearly have not done yet what I set out to do when I started this whole thing back in January. 6 months have passed and I have just in the last month or so really gotten things together. I am not going to sit here and list all the reasons I haven't done more up till this point. The truth is some of it is just excuses and I am not interested in making excuses for myself anymore. Excuses are a lot of the reason I am where I am in the first place. No more.

This is my life and my journey and only I can take it in the right direction. I have to wake up every day and make the choice to eat well and exercise. The choices are MINE and I am choosing to make the right ones. And when I make the wrong ones I am glad to know I have support of awesome people who will help push right back on track.

For those of you who have already donated, THANK YOU! For those donating based on pounds lost, please keep checking here, facebook and your email for updates. I am going to try my hardest this next 3 months to keep you updated on a weekly basis.

So here we go, one pound at a time.

I Always Was a Slow Learner

It is obvious that I have gotten off to a very crappy start in this little challenge of mine. In my defense, right after I set this in motion I got caught up in life, Between moving, Chris switching companies, me having to start my dog walking venture all from scratch again, looking for a place to live and preparing to move 3000 miles back to the west coast I sort of forgot about myself in the midst of all of it. However, NO EXCUSES!!!!!

This is a perfect example. For any one struggling with weight issues you have to find a way amidst stress and the busyness of life to make time for yourself. Otherwise we just fall back into old and convenient patterns. Regardless of how busy I am I NEED to set aside that hour a day to work out. I need to make that better choice when we are in a rush and have to grab fast food for dinner. Just because I am at Wendy's or wherever doesn't mean I have to have a Baconator. There are better choices even at those places.

With all that being said. I feel the last few weeks I have really hit my stride. Which is good for me, but probably very unfortunate for those in a weight loss challenge with me;) I am finally getting to that place where I am making the time for me regardless of what else is going on. I feel like I am finally getting my head in the game and my hope is that this is the turning point in the direction I need and so desperately want to be going in.

My hope for all of you out there that are struggling with the same issues is that you also find your direction and what works and doesn't work for you and that you stay on that path.

New Beginnings

I figure it is time I get to blogging on here. I think I have been avoiding posting on here because I have gotten off to a slow start on this journey. BUT that is okay because the ship is now headed in the right direction.

I have struggled with my weight for a long time. Maybe not as long as some but for a good portion of the last 10 years. It wasn't till 2007 I really decided I needed to do something about my weight and realized how unhappy I was in that body. At the time my weight was at it's highest at 248 pounds. I didn’t do any crazy diets or work myself to death at the gym I just made better decisions. As a dog walker I was getting plenty of exercise whether I had time to go to the gym or not. I set a calorie limit for myself (1500) and tried my best to stay within that range. I never denied myself anything during that time. If I wanted cheesecake I had it, I just made it fit into my calories that day. There were days I went off grid and ate what I wanted; pizza etc and I NEVER let myself feel bad for it. By not putting limitations on myself and telling myself what I could and couldn't have it made it easier for me. In about 4 months I had dropped almost 50 pounds and felt amazing. I found what worked for me and I was successful. However after a 2 week vacation in Seattle over the Christmas holidays I fell off the wagon and at one point I am pretty sure I also ate it. Once we arrived back in Boston I stopped counting my calories and before long I had gained half of what I had lost back. In the last few years since then I have lost a bit here and there but have never really committed to it. I am grateful for my job as a dog walker because it has at least balanced things out for me. While I haven't lost much I never really gained either.

Fast forward to 2010. I came up with the idea of using my weight loss as a way to raise money for breast cancer because I felt if I had a good cause behind it (aside from myself being healthy) it would be that push I needed to make the changes I needed to once and for all. Why now and not 5 years ago. I think a lot of it has to do with my health scare this past year and also wanting to be healthy for when Chris and I decide to start trying to have kids in the next few years. Add to that I am just ready to feel more confident and probably one of the things I am most excited for is to be able to walk into any store I want and be able to buy off the rack. I know that might not sound like a big deal but believe me I grow tired of not being able to buy and wear the clothes I love.

I am so thankful my mother-in-law Linda is doing this with me. It gets us both on the right path and hopefully raises a good amount of money for breast cancer research. Please keep checking this blog from time to time as Linda and I both update you along the way. Your comments and positive feedback for both of us will be greatly appreciated.

For those of you already committing to donating, THANK YOU so much! For those of you needing more information about how and where you can donate please email me at micmash57@hotmail.com.

Till next time...

INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION

Don't you just love the title for this blog? Very creative, Evey!

I'm inspired not only by Evey's dedication to lose weight and get fit, but by her committment to helping find a cure for Breast Cancer, the disease that she tragically lost her mum to a few years ago. Even though we are separated by nearly 3000 miles, we are united in spirit, heart and purpose!

I am personally motivated to lose some pounds and get in shape for a trip that is coming up at the end of April! I will be spending three weeks in the United Kingdom, visiting London (for the first time, if you can believe that), Scotland, the Scottish Highlands, Isle of Skye, Glasgow, the Lakes District, WALES (VERY excited, since my part of my heritage is Welsh), and most of Ireland!

More importantly, three HUGE motivations are present in the picture above...my Grandsons, Gavin (10), Trevor (8) and Avery (18 mo.)!!! I want to be able to run and play with them and live a healthy lifestyle in order to see them mature as adults!!

The tools I am using are...diet...in particular, the Flat Belly Diet and the Sonoma Diet, because I like really like Tuscan-style food and then there are the MUFA's...more about that later.

and...for physical activity, I am the proud owner of the "wii fit plus" system, and now find working out FUN!!! Yes, it's true! Somehow, when you're playing games and watching your little 'mii' run around, it makes it fun!!

So far, I have lost nearly 5 lbs. in two weeks!! Stay tuned & thanks for visiting!!

Evey's mom-in-law, Linda