E2E Update 13 - Oh my, what have I done???

This is what I did!!!

This is my Ready for Summer Exercise Chart (that's why the weeks are numbered). Why didn't I do this for the E2E Challenge?? Hindsight is perfect, they say!
So, Monday, Joseph was sick and I couldn't go to Pilates in the morning nor the aerobics evening class. So, Leslie Sansone and I had 30 minutes together! :)
Tuesday, Thursday and Friday I did the C25K with my 10 year old. She jogs so much better and faster than I do. Louder, too. She kinda stomped the first time, but I've been teaching her to run quieter! :)
Wednesday and Saturday, Jillian and I shredded it! WOW! That is so intense. But felt good. Some exercises were really hard, and others I could have done more of.
Tomorrow is rest day, but I'll probably go for another C25K or even just a walk. We'll see!
I'm so happy that I'm finally enjoying exercise. Also, a friend has invited me to play volleyball on Tuesday nights. We'll see if that works out for hubby's schedule as well (so he can put the kids to bed). I hadn't played in a long time and when I go into the court a few months ago, I remembered how much I enjoyed it.
Onto the food... I'm doing better with the snacking. I'm only allowed to snack if it's a fruit or a veggie. (My rules!) Not perfect, but much better than in the past.
I'm still not doing very good at tracking everything. I'll be tackling that habit next.
I've been reading a bit on the MyPlate website, just about nutrition and how much we need. A lot of basic information, good stuff!

And now onto the weight:
Weight chart:

12/31/11 - 122 kg         268,9 lbs
01/07/12 - 121,1 kg      266,9 lbs (-2 lbs)
01/14/12 - 120,5 kg      265,6 lbs (-1,3 lbs)
01/21/12 - 119 kg         262,3 lbs (-3,3 lbs)

01/28/12 - 118,7 kg      261,6 lbs (-0,7 lbs)

02/04/12 - 118,6 kg      261,4 lbs (-0,2 lbs)
02/11/12 - 118,2 kg      260,5 lbs (-0,9 lbs)

02/18/12 – 118,3 kg      260,8 lbs (+0,3 lbs)

02/25/12 - 117,2 kg       258,3 lbs (-2,5 lbs)

03/03/12 - 117,5 kg       259,0 lbs (+0,7 lbs)

03/11/12 - 117,7 kg       259,4 lbs (+0,4 lbs)

03/17/12 - 116,9 kg       257,7 lbs (-1,7 lbs)

03/25/12 - 117,1 kg       258,1 lbs (+0,4 lbs)

03/31/12 - 116,8 kg       257,5 lbs (-0,6 lbs)

And my measurements:
Waist beginning: 48 inches
And today: still 44.4 inches

Still not moving:( Oh well, it will eventually.

My buddy, Julie got back from her trip, but we haven't had time to catch up yet.

And my guiding quote for this next week is something I experienced this week!

"You're just one workout away from a good mood!"

Have a great weekend!
And make good choices!
Casey

Midweek update for the Eve to Easter Challenge

Well folks, only a week and a half left to this challenge. I'm hoping to finish strong!
I'm so glad to have been a part of this challenge! I've gotten to know so many wonderful people, and I think I ended up with the best buddy! ;) And I've been motivated by all of you to get up, start moving and start losing.
Last year was difficult for me, not any particular reason, I had just lost my motivation for anything. Ok, yeah, I was depressed.
Two years ago we had a death in the family almost monthly. Two of my mom's uncles, my husbands aunt,  my grandma, then one of my dad's sisters and then another, then my mom's brother, my husbands uncle and finally my grandpa. That was 9 deaths in 11 months that affected my family. It was so hard, but I was not in a depression like last year. Maybe it was delayed? I had been on anti-depressants for a few months after our youngest was born. I don't think they helped, but I don't know what would've happened if I hadn't been taking them. So...
I had seen Betty participate in the Christmas dress challenge that Mir had hosted and was not brave enough to participate. And when this challenge came up, I was so hesitant. I still wasn't motivated to lose weight, but I knew I had to do something soon or I'd gain back the 26 lbs I had lost the year before. (I did regain 15 of those)
So, I signed up, and I faked it! I did not have the desire to do the work, I just did it. I did not lose the 15 I had regained, but I'm almost there. I still have not come up with the best meal plan for me and my family.
But every day I know I'm being held accountable for the goals I've set myself. At times I find myself doing this for you, because I don't want to disappoint. I don't want Mir to regret letting me join this challenge. I don't want Julie to be sad that she doesn't have a better buddy in this challenge. You know, all those people pleasing things that you other people pleasers worry about.
But I also want to be the best I can be, not for you wonderful people, not even just for my family, and really not even for me. I want God to find pleasure in me. I want to please Him with the choices I make. I want to be glorifying Him with my body.
No, I'm not at a place where I can say I'm successful in that area, but I know that I'm never going to be done. I'm always going to be a work in progress. But I want to be a WORK in progress. That means I'm going to have to be working, too.
I remember Chantel Hobbs saying something about going about this whole weight loss thing as her job. She had to go there and do the work, or it was not going to be done. That's the attitude I'd like to have. And I'm so pleased to have some co-workers  (co-bloggers) making the job fun, rewarding and challenging along the way.
So, I guess the moral of this longwinded post is... don't wait til your ready, or motivated or have to want-to to lose weight. Just start, just do it. Every day. Look for the reasons you want to lose weight. Make the good choices. Do the work like a job. Somedays it'll be a job you hate and want to quit, other days you'll get a promotion, and will have reached that goal you never thought you'd make.
These are the words I need to tell myself daily. I don't want to quit. And when I want to, I won't, because... well, I hope I won't because I have found a bunch of friends who are holding me accountable and are encouraging me and inspiring me.
So, thank you!!
Casey

Ready for Summer - Week 1

My challenges for this week are:

Weight:  lose 1 lb (SW for this challenge is  - 258.1 lbs)
NSV: Stop the snacking
Exercise: C25K week 1
Nutrition: 2 liters of water
              
Mini challenge: try 1 new fruit or vegetable this week.
Our market here is very limited, but I think I'll try Eggplant. Recipe suggestions are welcome!

Ready for Summer Challenge - Goals

I'm ready!!!

My goals for this challenge are in the following 4 categories:

1. Weight loss -   I'd like to lose 10 lbs, that's a lbs a week. Totally do-able!!
2. NSV (Non-Scale Victory) - I have a dress! While the size fits me, I dislike the way it looks around the waist and hips.  Will try to do some exercises to reduce these areas!

3. Exercise - I printed out my exercise calendar. It includes C25K training - which is my goal for this challenge, to be able to run it! I also have a pilates class on Mondays and some exercise dvd's for other days.

4. Nutrition - Make sure I get at least 2 liters of water in daily. Go for 1200-1700 calories a day. Also, I want to reduce my sugar and carb intake somewhat, not quite sure how I'll track that yet, gotta do some research.

Ready??

Casey

Weekend update E2E Challenge!

Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend!
We've got a few sick kids at home, so we're staying home from church. Hubby is on a run to the pharmacy and I'm finally doing my weekend update. Our oldest has been feverish and congested for a few days, now the others are complaining about sore throats.
On to the weigh in...
Weight chart:

12/31/11 - 122 kg         268,9 lbs
01/07/12 - 121,1 kg      266,9 lbs (-2 lbs)
01/14/12 - 120,5 kg      265,6 lbs (-1,3 lbs)
01/21/12 - 119 kg         262,3 lbs (-3,3 lbs)

01/28/12 - 118,7 kg      261,6 lbs (-0,7 lbs)

02/04/12 - 118,6 kg      261,4 lbs (-0,2 lbs)
02/11/12 - 118,2 kg      260,5 lbs (-0,9 lbs)

02/18/12 – 118,3 kg      260,8 lbs (+0,3 lbs)

02/25/12 - 117,2 kg       258,3 lbs (-2,5 lbs)

03/03/12 - 117,5 kg       259,0 lbs (+0,7 lbs)

03/11/12 - 117,7 kg       259,4 lbs (+0,4 lbs)

03/17/12 - 116,9 kg       257,7 lbs (-1,7 lbs)

03/25/12 - 117,1 kg       258,1 lbs (+0,4 lbs)

And my measurements:
Waist beginning: 48 inches
Waist has been moving a smidgen here and there but today is at   44.8 inches

The book I chose for this challenge is Made to Crave, by Lysa TerKeurst. And I'm finally reading again. The chapter I'm on is about Emotional Emptiness.

She also recommends a verse to help "park your mind in a better place"when we are having a rough time dealing with certain memories or situations.

"We must deal with our triggers. We must identify our places of emotional emptiness and admit how futile it is to try and fill those places with food."

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Philippians 4:8

Buddy, Julie, is on a trip with her son Mike! She'll be back soon though and will give us an update on her weigh-in and on her trip, and I'm sure she'll have lots of pictures.

Speaking of pictures and trips... Since my camera batteries died within 5 minutes of replacing them, I actually have no pictures of my trip to Asuncion, so I asked my lil' sis if she'd send me the ones she took. She didn't take many either, so I'll just leave you with a few of some favorite people!!

My Mom, and my youngest sister, Andrea!

Me and Andrea. And what are we doing, you might ask... We all put on some fake tattoo's! Being silly runs in our family!

Andrea lives in Asunción and had invited us to brunch. Quiche, lots of fruit, rye bread and...

...cinnamon rolls!



After sticking our tattoo's in place we didn't want our oldest sister, Daniela, to feel left out, so the paper towel roll took her place in the circle (or square;) 



And this is Josephs Birthday cake from 3 weeks ago....

...and Raquel's cake from last week.

We've only got 2 more weeks of the Eve to Easter challenge! Boy did that go by fast!
I am a little disappointed in my lack of success. Yes, I did lose 5 kg, but I know I could have done better! On the other hand, if I hadn't had my fellow challengers and a great buddy as accountability, I don't think I would have lost anything. I just would not have felt the push to do as much as I have done - though, like I said, it could have been much more.
I've gotten back into exercising, I've been fairly regular with tracking my food, I've been watching what and how much I eat.
These last few weeks have found me with little motivation though. I've been going up and down with my weigh-ins. And the tracking has not been daily. The food I've been eating is not always nutritional. Change in my aerobics class schedule has left me with very few class options.
I have been dreading the end of this challenge so much. I've been so afraid that if no one holds me accountable, I'm going to fail. Have I been depending on this
challenge to lose weight instead of on my own strength? Or God's help? No, I don't think so, because it is still me that has to do the work. And being a part of this challenge has been fun and has given me a reason to do better.
So, since this challenge is almost over, I've been looking for something new. Some of you have already joined this new challenge (and I do look to you for inspiration), and so I'm in as well! For the next 10 weeks I'll be doing the ready for summer challenge, hosted by Maren. It begins tomorrow and I'll be writing a separate post about that. But, though I don't know how the overlapping of challenges will work for me...there is no break!
 So... wishing you all a great week!
Looking forward to reading all your updates.
Casey

Midweek blues!

Just not feeling any motivation right now.
My Exercise instructor is changing her schedule again, so it's not as convenient to go to her class anymore. Will I really have to quit her class again? (I had to quit last year because of schedule issues, too!)
My buddy, Julie, is away til next week. This is me reminding you all!! :)
She probably won't be able to update this weekend either, just so you all know. Keep her in your thoughts and prayers as she will be doing A LOT of traveling in the next 5 days!
I like this quote I found on Pinterest! Great reminder!

Keep moving! Casey

Weekend Update - E2E Challenge

Well, people,  I'm back from the big city!

We had a great time, and got back at 9 last night. This morning I did some shopping and baking for Raquel's birthday party, which is just now winding down. Now, to get everyone showered and ready for a meal at church... busy, busy!

So, my update is going to be weight only and then I'll be sure to post about my trip next week.

Weight chart:

12/31/11 - 122 kg         268,9 lbs
01/07/12 - 121,1 kg      266,9 lbs (-2 lbs)
01/14/12 - 120,5 kg      265,6 lbs (-1,3 lbs)
01/21/12 - 119 kg         262,3 lbs (-3,3 lbs)

01/28/12 - 118,7 kg      261,6 lbs (-0,7 lbs)

02/04/12 - 118,6 kg      261,4 lbs (-0,2 lbs)
02/11/12 - 118,2 kg      260,5 lbs (-0,9 lbs)

02/18/12 – 118,3 kg      260,8 lbs (+0,3 lbs)

02/25/12 - 117,2 kg       258,3 lbs (-2,5 lbs)

03/03/12 - 117,5 kg       259,0 lbs (+0,7 lbs)

03/11/12 - 117,7 kg       259,4 lbs (+0,4 lbs)

03/17/12 - 116,9 kg       257,7 lbs (-1,7 lbs)

Yeah!

See you next week!

Casey

Midweek update - and going on a trip!

Today, I get to go on a trip to the big city!
Since we all don't like driving in Asunción and I'm the only one who has ever driven the distance before (and that was 12 years ago), we decided to take the bus. The trip can take anywhere from 5 - 7 hours. Then we'll spend 2 days shopping and visiting my little sister.
I know the food will be different than what I've been eating at home, but I know I'll also be getting a lot more walking in. I'll do my best!
I got in three workouts already this week. 1 pilates class, 1 regular aerobic class and 1 step aerobic class.
So, I've gotta run and pack... See you on the weekend!
Oh, and I'm taking Betty and Jenny's advise. I'm leaving my computer at home.
Casey

E2E Update

"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the goal." Henry Ford

To be honest, my eyes have been on obstacles this week. The convenience of not tracking my food has its consequences...

Weight chart:

12/31/11 - 122 kg         268,9 lbs
01/07/12 - 121,1 kg      266,9 lbs (-2 lbs)
01/14/12 - 120,5 kg      265,6 lbs (-1,3 lbs)
01/21/12 - 119 kg         262,3 lbs (-3,3 lbs)

01/28/12 - 118,7 kg      261,6 lbs (-0,7 lbs)

02/04/12 - 118,6 kg      261,4 lbs (-0,2 lbs)
02/11/12 - 118,2 kg      260,5 lbs (-0,9 lbs)

02/18/12 – 118,3 kg      260,8 lbs (+0,3 lbs)

02/25/12 - 117,2 kg       258,3 lbs (-2,5 lbs)

03/03/12 - 117,5 kg       259,0 lbs (+0,7 lbs)

03/11/12 - 117,7 kg       259,4 lbs (+0,4 lbs)

And my measurements:
Waist beginning: 48 inches
Waist 03/11/12:  44.4 inches

My mini goal this week was to exercise 5/7! And I did it... no I surpassed my goal! Yeah!

I exercises 6 out of 7 days. And each time was about 45 minutes. See, I can do it!

I did lots of reading and commenting on Friday. I keep telling my kids not to leave their homework for the last day...

Julie and I have both been super busy lately and we haven't gotten in touch this week other than to comment on each others posts.

I started reading my book again... Today I read about how we often play the victim. Like when we eat for comfort. And then we are haunted by the consequences of this "comfort".

She encourages us to stop circling the same mountain over and over again (like the Israelites in Deuteronomy 2:3) and to "Go forth!"

For me, I need to figure out how to go forth in a way that suits my daily life. And a big thing for me needs to be planning. I love having an organized life and some people think I am very organized. But that is something I long to be... not in a perfectionist  sort of way, because that is just not me. But I know when I take the time to plan my meals and my days things tend to go smoother and I can be more successful at whatever I need to do.

There are of course those days when the teacher calls for me to pick up my daughter from school, my mother in law calls because she needs help dealing with something or my husband calls to say he needs me to pick up cow feed... now. That's life and it's ok, but if other areas in life can be planned and I work according to this plan, those little things can be worked around and won't cause chaos.

Ok, enough! :) This coming week has me on a trip to Asunción! My Mom, sister, Brenda and friend, Hope, are going for a ladies trip, for 2 days. Up until today, I felt guilty to be going. About spending the money, leaving for 2 and a half days and not being there for the kids. This morning my husband was telling the kids how he was happy that I was going on this trip... I was floored! And suspicious! Well, he said he really needed to get a few things done around the house and me going gave him an excuse to take time off work to get things done! Hmmm, maybe I will put up my "Honey-do" list.

So, I'll be away from home from Wednesday afternoon til Saturday. I'll try to take my computer with me and do my midweek update from there.

Have a great week, everyone!

And make good choices!

Casey

Busy, busy, busy... Midweek update

Today has been one of those crazy days, and since my hubby will be home any minute now, I have a few things to do for Joseph's birthday party tomorrow, supper to prep and a parent teacher meeting to go to tonight, this will not be a long post.
Exercise has been 4/4 and I'm SO happy with that. And I'm sure I'll get in another 1 and hopefully 2 work-outs.
Food has been a struggle. I've not been tracking well, I get breakfast written down and then the day gets away with me. If I don't write it down right away, I'm sure I'll forget.
I don't think I've gone over my calories, but since I don't track I can't be sure.
Gotta run, hope to write some tomorrow....
Casey

E2E Weekend update #9

12/31/11 - 122 kg         268,9 lbs
01/07/12 - 121,1 kg      266,9 lbs (-2 lbs)
01/14/12 - 120,5 kg      265,6 lbs (-1,3 lbs)
01/21/12 - 119 kg         262,3 lbs (-3,3 lbs)

01/28/12 - 118,7 kg      261,6 lbs (-0,7 lbs)

02/04/12 - 118,6 kg      261,4 lbs (-0,2 lbs)
02/11/12 - 118,2 kg      260,5 lbs (-0,9 lbs)

02/18/12 – 118,3 kg      260,8 lbs (+0,3 lbs)

02/25/12 - 117,2 kg       258,3 lbs (-2,5 lbs)

03/03/12 - 117,5 kg       259,0 lbs (+0,7 lbs)

A small gain, I was a little upset because I had been down to 256,1 lbs on Wednesday.

Waist: Inches have stayed the same.

I've been feeling blue most of the week. My kids were home for a long weekend and one of them has been in pick-a-fight mode. It's been hard.

I keep telling them that no matter what the circumstances are... you can't control them. The only thing you can control is your reaction to the situation. And this week that's been put to the test for both of us!

My exercise was 2/7. That is just not good at all! I will do better!!

I've been tracking my food a lot better this week. I've been over my calories once, last night! We went out to eat, which is a rare occasion for us, unless when we are in Asunción, and I had fried fish. It was piping hot and delicious! But so greasy. I don't know if it was greasier than usual or if I'm just not used to greasy anymore.

TOM will be over soon, so I'm hoping my mood will improve.  I just don't have a lot to say today.

Here's to a disciplined week!
Casey