The End of 2014 and New Year's Resolutions

So as I finished my workout this morning it felt good to be done working out for 2014.

I've taken some time over the day to reflect on my year.  I still can't believe all I have accomplished in the year.  Haven't missed a single day of my workout (not even a broken toe stopped me!) which in it's self is no small feat.  I still wake-up every morning hoping I really don't need to get up yet but do and push myself through the workout coming out on the other side feeling much better for having done it.  I have pushed myself with the workouts by adding time or more challenging exercises (plank anyone?), shuffling the order around and adding more resistance through the use of wrist and ankle weights.  The hard work is definitely paying off as I'm starting to see sculpted areas on my body and find myself saying "is that me?" to my reflection.

Some other things I have accomplished as part of this quest is no longer needing to buy plus size clothes and my BMI is now within the overweight range.  These are two major steps for me and I am very happy to have accomplished them.  I find I have more confidence and am standing up for myself more.  This has not only been a body transformation but also a bit of a mental health one.  Still a bit to go on both fronts but I know I can succeed.

I want to talk a bit about New Year's Resolutions.  I tend not to make them anymore.  I have in the past and they all normally centered around losing weight.  Ready to attack the issue head-on.  Although this is a very good goal to set it's usually gone about in the wrong manner.  You have to start slowly and make manageable changes.  Start slowly with the exercising.  Start with 15 or 20 minutes and slowly increase and add stuff to it.  Don't start with an hour workout and burn yourself out quickly, you won't want to continue if you're too sore to move (been there, done that!).  You have to think of it as a lifestyle change not a diet.  A diet most people will cheat on or end at some point.  These changes have to be permanent and something you can live with.  Find food alternatives you enjoy and substitutes for favourites you love just as much.  This takes time but you can do it if you take the time.  You have to think of this as your lifestyle with no end.  Trust me, if I can do this anyone can!

Weigh-in and Survival of Christmas!

So it's another week and Saturday is here again.

Here it is, I lost 2 pounds this week and have now lost a total of 132 pounds!

I feel very happy with that considering this week was a ton, and I mean a TON, of family dinners.  Between Christmas and Munkee's birthday, it was a busy week.  As I stated early this week I have been jumping between the obese and overweight line on the BMI scale but I'm ok with that.  I really tried to not stress a lot about what the scale was saying as there were many times we ate later than we normally would have.  We were sure to plan ahead and really watch what we ate.  We stuck to our plans and ensured we were eating the right foods.  Filled our plates with veggies and enjoyed visiting vs. focusing on the food.

I really feel that we survived the holiday season again this year and am ready to get back to routine.

This week I also hit another milestone, one year without missing a workout!  In the 16 months that I have been doing this I have only missed one day of workout due to a power outage last year on Munkee's birthday.  I still can't believe I get up every morning and workout.  Last weekend I added another 5 minutes of cardio to my workout and shuffled my routines around to push myself a bit further.  I am now up to just under an hour a day for my workout.  Crazy!

This week I will be focusing on getting back into the routine.  Eating at more normal times.  Most importantly, this week I will be relaxing and spending time with Munkee.  I'm not expecting many challenges this week, just a nice quiet week.

Weigh In Day - The Post Christmas Version

It was a long and wonderful week this week, just very busy.  Bee and I tried our very best to adhere 100% to our routine but there were some days where that was next to impossible.  Today's weigh in in spite of all that was respectable at 184 pounds. The additional weight and cardio is definitely making the workouts tougher as they should be. I am sweating more and I am starting to notice some changes in shape.

I feel a little more sculpted than I was just a week ago. The definition is coming along quite nicely. I do find after my workouts now there is a period of greater tiredness that follows. I can definitely feel each day's focus in that target area, today definitely in my shoulders and arms.

Christmas is a great time for family but its definitely a challenge to eat, sleep and hydrate properly compared to regular life. As much fun as it was I am definitely looking forward to a week of holiday from it all, and a much slower pace.

Bee spoiled me as she always does and I have a nice collection of wicked medium t-shirts to go with the new body, and they fit nicer all the time. Its a complete change to look in the mirror and not want to look away immediately. I was never the mirror looking sort before, that has changed slightly.

Tuesday - Raised the bar again

I added more resistance today, things are progressing nicely. I notice that adding the cardio has the unintended side effect of raising my heart rate before doing the muscle building exercises. Not sure if it is just due to me being more tired. I am noticing that after my workouts, my muscles feel more "hot" and I have felt a definite immediate change in my arms.

Perhaps cardio was a missing ingredient all the way along. I am glad I added it. So far so good with christmas/birthday stuff not interfering with our routine too badly. Bee had a great day yesterday and so did I . It was one of the nicer birthdays in recent memory for me.

This quest has been a challenge for both of us, and one that I feel we have rose to.  Its been a bit of an adjustment but I can definitely see this being the grounding principle in my life for years to come. I feel so much better inside and out that I can't see stopping now for any reason.

Did you hear it?

I can barely contain my excitement as I write this blog post!  I never though this day would come.  It's been 16 months of hearing "that's obese" every single morning.  Trying not to through the Wii Balance board out the window after hearing that for the millionth time.  This morning was different though!

I had my eyes closed (I don't like to look and let Munkee break it to me easily when I am up a little bit) and hear a different noise followed by "that's overweight"!  You would have thought I had won the lottery!  I could barely contain myself!  I don't think I've stopped smiling since.  BEST DAY EVER!!!!!

I know that my weight may fluctuate a bit and may hear "that's obese" again but I know that it won't last and soon I will be leaving the line between obese and overweight in the dust and heading closer to normal.

So I have survived the first two events of the holiday season and have come out feeling stronger.  On Saturday I had 7 kids between the ages of 2 1/2 and 15 over to decorate sugar cookies and Christmas ornaments.  I made sugar cookies, icing and rice krispy squares (some with red and green candy coated chocolates)!  I had Christmas M&M's and licorice for the kids.  I did put out a cracker, fruit and cheese tray as well.  I made it through and sent all leftover treats home with the kids.  We then had Swiss Chalet for dinner and then went to look at Christmas lights.  A wonderful start to my holidays!

Yesterday we went to Munkee's parents' house for lunch to celebrate Munkee's birthday.  My in-laws eat healthy normally so I know going there for a meal isn't overly stressful and they are good about sharing what they're making ahead so I can plan ahead.

Today, we celebrate Munkee's birthday.  For the first time in two years we will be able to go see The Hobbit on his actual birthday as last year we had the ice storm and power outage on his birthday and the year before I was very sick.  Today and tomorrow I will be in more control of our meals and be able to follow our routine a bit closer.

Weekly Weigh-in and some other stuff

So here we are again, it's Saturday and it's time for my weekly weigh-in (and I'm actually posting on Saturday!)

My weight loss total for the week is..... 130 pounds down!  That's another 5 pound sticker and 10 pound ribbon for my success board!  So happy!

This week I had great intentions to talk more about what I'm eating, give a bit more insight into the food I use to show how much I am eating.  I had great intentions but I am still adjusting to the new work situation and shaking off the stresses I was dealing with.

This past week I did have a Christmas lunch to deal with but I stuck to my resolve and ordered a garden salad with chicken, I did have some extra snacks back at my desk to balance the points of the meal out.  I have also been dealing with all of the treats popping up in the office.  Now some of that is my fault as I did bake for my new work area.  What better way to introduce myself to area?  I have successfully avoided the Christmas goodies from work and am now on holidays.

This next week will be challenging as there will be lots of family dinners and activities.  I plan on organizing the food the best I can, trying not to sweat the small stuff (as much as possible!) and to enjoy visiting and being with my family.  Between Christmas and Munkee's birthday we will be busy but I will try and blog a bit more to talk about how we're dealing with the family meals and hopefully help you succeed in coming out on top of Christmas!

Saturday Weigh In - Time to add the cardio

Stayed the same weight wise this week. I am fine with that, I can't always gain pound after pound of muscle especially since I am likely reducing my body fat percentage at the same time.  To that end I have added some cardio exercise to each of my routines starting tomorrow.

Nothing huge really, about 5 minutes per workout but it should help to elevate my heartrate and perhaps continue the sculpting effect of lowering my body fat percentage.

This is an interesting time to be doing this being that we are leading up to Christmas, there is going to be many family gatherings, eating abroad etc. It should be a fun time but a tricky balance. Last year we made it through it unscathed so I don't expect any problems this year either.

I am definitely starting to like how I look in clothes more. Right after I lost the weight I found myself to look a little too skinny, just dorky and thin. Now I am a bit more filled out. Its a bit different to have tightness in the chest of a shirt from pectorals rather than manboobs. I can definitely accept it better. I never thought Id be wearing a medium t-shirt. Most of my teen years and adult life up until now have been spent in an extra large minimum if not a double XL. I still find it strange when I see the M on the tag.