Day 14 - 7 Month Focus

Yesterdays stats were OK. Out of my 6 goals, I Blogged, got my water in, and journaled my food. Missed my exercise, calories came in at 1957 and  I got in 6161 steps. Thankfully that day is over! Today I am already off to a great start!!

59 pounds ago, I would have never done this...

Last week while looking at my email, at work, I saw this woman's name that just beckoned me. I was prompted to call her. Not just an inkling, like it would be nice to talk her. No, it was CALL HER NOW!!! Well this woman is not a favorite among the office. She causes a lot of extra work for many of us and every time I see her name I would bristle. Lets just say, she's not my  favorite person! Anyway, I said to to the voice in my head, "No....I'm not calling HER!"  Well the urge just kept coming, the intensity was pushing me to make the call, an intensity that was making me very uncomfortable!

So finally I said, "OK...OK...if I still feel this way in 1 hour, I will call her!" Well guess what? One hour later, I'm calling her....

I said, "Hey this is Joy, from...., this is going to sound dumb, but you have been on my mind a lot today and I just wanted to know if you are OK? She kind of giggled on her end and she said, "Yeah, I'm OK." I said, "Well good, I don't know what came over me today, but I just had to call." Then she said, "Hey, do you want to go to lunch sometime?" To which, I said, "YES!"

What in the world???

Anyway the lunch was yesterday, we had a great talk, I learned a ton about her. After hearing her life story, I thought, I really do need to pray for you! Anyway, she's a little over weight, so I shared some of my tips that have helped me so far. After about an hour and a half, we leave. As we were walking to the car, she says, "Hey, why did you call me that day?"

Then I told her that I had, had this overwhelming urge to call her to see if she was OK. I asked her if she ever got that feeling before that she needed to do something. She said she did. Then I said that I had just gotten the news that my Sister In Law was told that she does not have long to live. I told my new friend, that that's what really prompted me to make that call. That I no longer wanted to let life pass me by, that when I get the urge to reach out to someone, I'm going to it. I'm not guaranteed tomorrow and I don't want to miss out on anything or waste another minute. Then I told her that I did not want to miss out on making a new friend. Then she said, "Agreed!"

Next big fear that I'm going to tackled is going with a new acquaintance who is a Christian author. She's taking me to book writing workshop. I don't know if I've shared this before, but I have a book in my head and I can't get it out. We are both hoping this will ignite me and get me started on my journey to author!

How about you? Are you prompted to do something, but stop yourself from doing it? If so, the next time it happens, take a chance, do it and see where it leads you. It just might change your life!!

Keep focused!

Day 13 - 7 Month Focus

Life...it happens! Geez no matter what great planning I do, things just happen. Yesterday, I was so sore from my workout on Monday, I hardly moved. I got in only 4629 steps. Not even half of what I need to accomplish in a day. I did get my water in, Blogged, journaled my food, exercised and the calories came in at 1678. So a lot of good things happened. I had success!

My frustration is and maybe I'm waaaay too hard on myself, but I wanted another day like I had on Monday. It's no longer good enough to just barely do what I need to do. I want to hit my goals every day!!

Sadly, this morning, I woke up and found that I'm just as sore and tired as I was yesterday and I did not get up until 6:30am. So no exercise today and no chance of getting a workout in. Frustrates me.

I have to remember.......I don't have to be perfect.....I don't have to be perfect.....I don't have to be perfect!!!

Just focused....Consistent.....Diligent.....and stick with it!!!

I will make my goals!!!

How about you? Doing OK?

Keep focused!

Day 12 - 7 Month Focus

On the way into the gym yesterday, I over heard a mom and son talk about his swim lessons and about the next thing they had to do on the list. She was over weight and he was slightly overweight. I heard her tell him, "Sorry, we can't go home right now, we have to go to....." Then she said, "We will just pick some fast food up to eat." Then he said, "Ah....again....Mom I want something healthy!"  Wow! I remember being that busy mom, always rushed and on the go! I remember one time I told my kids that were were going to McDonald's for dinner. I thought it was a treat! Then my son pipes up and says, "Mom I just want vegetables!!" I about fell off of my chair. I thought, "Who is this kid?" Little did I know then that we really need a good healthy balance of food, real food that is healthy, to help us feel good. My son knew that and he was little! Thank goodness I'm learning this truth now!!

I had a blast with my trainer last night. First thing she says is, "I'm going to kill you tonight ~ you aren't going to like me!" I simply looked her in the eye and said, "Bring it on!!" Got on the Elliptical and did 15 minute intervals of regular and super fast speed. Then she had me doing walking lunges with 10 pound weights. Do a lunge...lift the weight. I am sure she was ready for me to fall all over the place as I have not been the most coordinated person lately. Nope I lunged and lifted like a pro. Only wobbled a couple of times. Something kind of happened and I could feel this fluid motion and got into this rhythm. It just helped me do this exercise without any problems. Then we did leg presses. I now press 80 pounds! Lat pull downs at 62.5 pounds, bicep curls at 20 pounds and triceps pulls at 30 pounds. Then we did Scorpions (I can't explain what these are - but it looks really funny when you do them), then planks and push ups. Ended the night with 30 minutes on the Elliptical Bike. The cardio part I burned over 400 calories - no idea how many I burned with the other stuff. I left a sweaty mess, but I felt great!!! I saw her raise an eyebrow a couple of times. I think I'm finally showing her what I've got!!

Yesterday's stats....Overall I burned 2867 calories, took in 1740 (40 calories over my goal), with a deficit of 1127 calories. Besides the gym, I did a half hour on the treadmill in the morning, I logged in my food, drank all of my water and then some, I blogged and got in 12850 steps.

Successful day!!

How about you. Was your day successful ~ Are you working your plan?

Keep focused!

Day 11 - 7 Month Focus

Can't believe 10 days have gone by already ~ Time is flying!!  I had a pretty good day yesterday, very restful! I did get on the Treadmill for an hour, calories were 1660, water, food journal and Blog done! Missed my steps - only got to 4940 steps for the day. I'm OK with that!

The focus for today is ~ Do Your Best!

I am always looking for perfection. I get so down on myself when I can't achieve it. Well nobody can! Today, I'm going to do my best! I'm going to be the best employee, the Best daughter, Mother, Baboo (as my Grandkids call me), I'll be the best student with my trainer, the Best wife to my hubby and I'm going to be the Best person to myself. I am going to reach for my goals and make them happen. I'm giving today my Best!!

How about you? Will you give this day your Best?

Keep focused!!

Day 10 - 7 Month Focus

Have you ever had days where nothing works out quite like you had planned? I know I've had many....and I just had another one yesterday.

I woke up out of time!!!

First thing right off the bat, I was late! Got up too late to get my workout done. Was rushed to get ready and ran out of the door without my Body Bugg. Oh that really bummed me out!  It's the first time I'd forgotten it since December. So already, the hopes of tracking my activity and steps was out the door. I did not get back to it until after 4:00pm. In the mean time....Because I was late, and really tired, I forgot my water bottle. So I only got in 50 oz of water instead of 100 oz. I did get my Blog done, recorded my food and good news ~ I did reach my calorie goal ~ I came in at 1622. Whew!

So far, I am pretty pleased with my 7 Month challenge. Eleven days ago, I had no idea, really, what I was getting done. I was really inconsistent in what I was doing. Could not quite get all of the pieces of my plan together. Since I started my challenge, I have had 3 days with all my goals reached. The rest of the time, I got the majority of things accomplished. (Yesterday - not so much!) Over all, I did OK. At least I was focused!

Now for the next week.....I hope to increase my focus and accomplish more! Seems anytime I start something new, it takes me some time to get in the groove of it all. I can't be too hard on myself for what happened last week. Well....it's over now, I can't do anything about it anyway. The only thing I can do, from this moment forward is to.......

ReFOCUS!! Push through the hard stuff and MAKE SOME STUFF HAPPEN!!!
How about you? Are you with me!! Lets get this done!!

Keep FOCUSED!

Day 9 - 7 Month Focus

Having some fun with my 7 Month Focus. It's really  hard to focus...but very rewarding if you keep at it!! I get all the math that comes into losing weight. I get it, but my imperfect self wants to rebel a little bit. Which can be frustrating when you hit 5 of  your 6 Most Important things that need to be done. Unforutnately I keep missing one ~ And it's the most important one. Calories!

Up again yesterday. My goal is 1700 calorie intake. I came in at 2049. For the most part, I made really good choices, except for one and that one pushed me over the edge! Yesterday we had a little bridal shower for this gal at my work. And one of the wonderful bakers, in our office, brought in these amazing cupcakes. Fortunately it was early in the day, so I figured in a cupcake into my calories for the day. All went well, I got past the cupcake incident and then lunch time...I'm doing good...And then I go into the Cafe again and there they are. Beckoning me! More amazing cupcakes!! I think I even saw some flashing lights and arrows pointing to the delicious goodness. I may have even heard tiny voices saying, "Pick me, pick me"! OK that's not real....or was it?

A.N.Y.W.A.Y....I lost my brain and had another one for my afternoon snack! Augh!

Then my sweet hubby cooked an amazing meal, that I also could not pass up. Not too high in calorie and if I would not have had the extra cupcake, I could have had the meal without any problems and still made my goal. But I did not!! I missed it by that much!!!

Oh well...today is another day. I WILL MAKE GREAT CHOICES TODAY!!

Other stats....I got in my water and then some, I tracked my food, I Blogged, I exercised and got in 14278 steps. Plus I had a great attitude yesterday! Bonus!! Even though my calories where out of line, with the extra exercise I did, I still had a calorie deficit of 953. Can't beat that!!

Last night I went to give blood for the American Red Cross. The intake technician who got me signed in was very, very heavy! I think her name was Stacie. Anyway, as I was sitting with her, she was sweating (the room was very cool), and she emitted a familiar smell that made me want to cry. It's that smell that you get, when the folds of your fat are infected with rashy, open sores. I've had that happen to me many times. For me, it was because I did not clean myself well enough and those areas were a great place for bacteria to do its thing. I remember one of the last times that happened to me, it was on Christmas Eve just before I started my health and fitness journey. I was so depressed!!! Here I wanted a day where I did not have to think about me being so fat and I had a lovely reminder the entire day, that not only was I fat, but so fat, that I could not clean myself properly. I felt like everyone could smell it and would know my ugly secret!

Anyway, back to Stacie. She was taking my blood pressure and it came out at 127/77, which for me is awesome!! Stacie let me know that she too had high blood pressure and she was on a low dose of medicine to control it. I told her that I too was medicated and I've been trying for the past 1 & 1/2 years to lose weight and get fit so I could get off of the meds. She let me know that she recently had dropped about 12 pounds. I congratulated her, as I know how hard it can be to lose weight. She said, that she had to lose weight as she was 5 months pregnant with gestational diabetes.

Poor thing!! Here she was already really large and pregnant too. She was so large, she did not move very fast. She totally did not feel well....you could see it in her eyes.

Please pray for Stacie!!! Pray for a healthy birth...pray Stacie will work on her health and get fit and raise her family in a healthy and fit home. I hate that she is experiencing this wonderful time of new life and she is in such poor health! Please pray!!

How about you? Are you doing every thing you can to reach your goals?

Keep focused!

Day 8 - 7 Month Focus

Thank you so much for your comments and prayers for my Sister In Law. I spoke with her yesterday, she has a great attitude!  One of the things she said that impressed me so much is, even though the doctors says, There is no hope, she says, "I hate statistics, I have hope, I want to beat this!" Don't know if it's possible, but with God anything is!! So I'm believing with her!! We need a miracle!!

Yesterday was not so hot! It was a rest day, so no exercise. However, I did walk around my office building and got in extra steps where I could. Logged in 5677 steps for the day. Everything else was done, except I missed my goal of 1700 calories. I logged in 1897. Darn Easter candy...it's getting the best of me. Normally we don't have it around the house, but with the grand babies here, we have little treats for them. Ahem....

OK I'm having fights with my dinner napkins. When I was 274 pounds. I had the best napkin trapper ever!!! To keep track of them, I would always wedge my napkin between my large protruding tummy and my leg. It was awesome! My tummy was sooo big, at times, I would have to really search for my napkins, as they would get lost. So recently I could not figure out why I was having so much trouble keeping track of them. Most of the time, my dinner napkins, are found on the floor. Last night, I tried to put my napkin in my napkin vault and I found that I don't have much of one anymore. My tummy just does not hang over my legs like it used to. Woo hoo!!!

Now I have to retrain myself to sit like a lady and simply lay my napkin over my leg. Weird!

Anyway, are you finding you have to retrain yourself now that you are thinner?

Keep focused!!!