"Before" picture and weigh-in

I was going to post this cute picture of me and my boy eating sushi for my birthday, but then I saw the picture. Yeah, that's not going on Facebook. I had already been planning to start this program, but this really cemented my goal. I don't like looking like this. But the boy is cute. :)

Weighed in this morning, and I've lost another 1.2 lbs. Total loss to date: 2.2 lbs. I was really hoping the first 5 lbs would come off faster than this, but at least it's progress. This is going to be a long, slow process. But worth it in the end. It's already worth it. I just have to remind myself of that every so often.

42 Days: Week 3

Pep talk from the booklet: "This 42-day thing is no fad diet. It's not get-slim-quick regimen. It's about putting in the time, the commitment, the effort, the mental shift, all of it. Because at the end of the day, and at the end of the challenge, and someday at the end of our days as we know them, we'll look back and have to answer one question: What did we do with what God gave us while we were here on the earth?"

Way to bring in the heavy, lady. Thanks a bunch.

But really, that's what this is all about: all of the things I want to do and experience that I can't right now because of my limitations. Because I haven't taken care of my body like I should. I want to hike. I want to travel. I want to have the energy and strength to do and see the beautiful things in this world.

I'm still having trouble with my ankle, but it's going to hurt whether I exercise or not, so I might as well exercise. I'm going to make an appointment this week for a cortisone injection, so we'll see how well that helps and how long it lasts.

Here are the official questions:
Am I starting to lose my motivation? 
Yeah, maybe a little. I'm not seeing big results, and even though that's what I expected, you always hope for more. Plus the psychology of weight loss is sometimes self-defeating. I've been this size and shape for a while now, and I haven't always liked it, but I was ok with it because I knew I wasn't ready to do anything about it. Now that I'm ready to do something about it, I want it to change NOW. I'm no longer apathetic about my situation, so I'm more impatient.

But I'm actually getting MORE excited about exercise. The plan has you just do cardio three days and just do strength with a short warm-up two other days, which means you're getting some kind of exercise 5x a week. I combined the two, so I'm getting a solid cardio AND strength workout three days a week, which is an extra strength workout. But I haven't done anything the other days, so maybe the cumulative effect is less. Dunno. But this works for me.

I've started watching Magnum P.I. on Netflix when I'm on the elliptical machine. I workout longer and dread it less. Magnum is just for a workout--I'm not going to laugh out loud, and I'm not going to miss any major plot points (because there aren't any) if I look away to take a drink or check my progress. It's also funny to see the beginnings of feminist television--the lady cop (parole officer) is described as a no-nonsense "barracuda," but in a fight she still cowers back and tries not to get hurt.

But I digress...

Food challenges
This week wasn't much different for me, as I was already eating breakfast. I still don't crave sweets, and I'm ok passing them up. Starting tomorrow we are allowed one dessert a week, and I'm not sure I want to open that door. I've been thinking about making something special for Easter, but portion control is the hardest. I only get ONE dessert per WEEK, so having cake or cookies lying around for three days is not going to go well for me. My VT has figured out how to make half a cake mix so there aren't any leftovers when her family has dessert, but (1) I don't like cake mix, and (2) her family is bigger. Still, the concept applies. If I can make a really small batch of something James also likes, we might be ok. Pinterest, here I come. :)

If I have changed my diet and exercise in a positive direction, I have made progress. Is this progress visible yet? Can I admit to myself that it is still progress, even if I can't see it today?
Thanks for the reminder. Yes, positive change is progress. Not bingeing on chocolate every day at 3 is huge progress. Going from no exercise to three solid workouts a week is progress. Even if the scale doesn't budge, even if my pants are still too tight, I have made progress.

What are some of the positive changes I feel?
I'm less bloated and uncomfortable. I have more energy. I enjoy healthy food more. I look forward to workouts.


So there's my progress for this week. Next week the food challenge is to have a food "curfew" three hours before bedtime. I'm glad that starts tomorrow, because it's 7:45 and I'm about to eat a bowl of granola. :)

42 Days to Fit: Week 2 Begins

This morning was my weekly weigh-in. I lost exactly one pound, and my waist measurement is the same. Not the fireworks I was hoping for, but about what I expected.

I'm a little worried about today because I'm feeling stressed and anxious. This is when I normally crave chocolate and caffeine. I've packed a healthy lunch and snacks, but if I can't turn my mood around, this is going to be a rough day. So what do I need to do to feel better?

Figure out the problem.
I thought I was doing well this morning. I got into the shower on time, but somehow the rest of the morning got away from me. Atticus was taken care of, but I was still doing my hair when I realized we needed to be out the door. I thought I would have time for breakfast. I thought I was on schedule. Can I blame Atticus for suddenly having a million questions about the Titanic? Where did that come from?

Then I realized spring break is next week. How did I let that sneak up on me? It's been on the school calendar all year--how did it not make it to my calendar? What am I going to do with Atticus? I can't take a whole week off, which means I need to set up play dates and such. That means I have to call people. I hate calling people.

Then there are my general frustrations about work. Not excited to be here, but I have lots to do.

Figure out a solution.
I got the boys to school on time (barely), and I have microwave oatmeal at work. Let today go and figure out how to make tomorrow better. Win for today: I packed my lunch last night, so I didn't have to worry about that this morning. Focus on that drop of awesome and let the rest go.

One friend's mom works at the Snowbird kid's camp, and she offered to take Atticus up with her son next week. That takes care of one day. James will be home Thursday and Friday--two more down. So it's just two days I need to worry about. Veronica has Wednesdays off--maybe she can take him that day if I take Kaden for another. I really don't want to take Kaden, but maybe we can go to a movie or something. I can take one day off.

Work stress... right now the only way out is through. Just dig in and get it done. Be grateful that my very nice but very chatty neighbor is out today. I feel bad for being relieved, but I'm just not in the mood for him today.

Ok. I'm feeling a little better. Back to the diet.

Here are my goals for this program:

• Lose 10 lbs. That's 1-2 lbs a week, which is reasonable and maintainable.
• Clean up my diet. Get rid of most of the junk and increase produce intake.
• Get in the habit of exercise. Do something every day.

Thought questions for this week:

How did I do with week 1? Was it too hard? Too easy?

It was a little on the easy side, but overall it was just about right. I could increase the intensity of my workouts a little, and I could eat more vegetables.

Who am I doing this for? When working out, do I remember why this is worth it?

I'm doing this for myself. I'm tired of feeling "blech" and out of shape. I'm tired of being out of breath after one flight of stairs. I'm tired of hurting all over. 

You've been recruited.

If anyone still reads this blog, this is to inform you that you are now my "accountability partner" for the next five weeks of my new diet/fitness program. Yea! Lucky you!!

I'm following the 42 Days to Fit program, which slowly cleans up your diet and gets you focused on exercising 5 days a week.

I'm not going to post my weight and measurements here because they horrify me, but I'll keep you posted on the ups and downs.

Tomorrow will be the last day of week 1. Here's how it's gone so far:

How I Feel

• I started the week feeling like I'd swallowed a balloon. That hasn't changed much.
• I've had heartburn for more than a week. It doesn't seem to matter what I eat or don't eat. This is annoying.
• I'm motivated to make real changes gradually. This is a good program for gradual diet change.
• I've had more energy this week and slept a little better. 

Food

The challenge this week was to eliminate all sweets/desserts and to drink only water. Unsweetened herbal tea is ok, as is one glass of 100% juice with breakfast. 

• I had no problem with limited drinks. I have some favorite herbal teas I drink at work, plus plenty of water. I didn't even have the allowed juice. 
• Sweets were actually not a temptation. There were a few days when I wanted chocolate around 3 p.m., but it wasn't hard to redirect my attention. We went out to dinner Friday, and Atticus got a scoop of chocolate frozen custard, and I had two bites. It was really good, but I was able to stop and not miss it.
• The rest of my diet didn't change much. I made sure to eat breakfast every day (that's next week's challenge), and I brought my own lunch and snacks to work.
• I tried to increase my intake of produce.  
• I discovered that fat satisfies sugar cravings. Full-fat greek yogurt, even unsweetened, is incredibly satisfying, and you don't need a lot of it to do the trick. 

Exercise

The plan is to do 20 minutes cardio three days and two days of strength training.

• I did it! Elliptical machine and stretching at the gym Monday and Wednesday, two sets of the prescribed training circuit Tuesday, one on Thursday (no abs), and today I did 10 min on the elliptical machine and an extended training circuit. 
• My ankle hurt so bad after my workout this morning that I used my brace and a cane for half the day. Everything I'm doing is low-impact, and my PT even had me doing squats and lunges in my sessions, so I don't think the program is the problem. It's just my ankle. Time for cortisone. We'll see how long it lasts.
• I need to find a cardio exercise I enjoy. I'm going to get a bike for my birthday (when I can get up the nerve to drop a lot of money on a decent one), so maybe a ride around the neighborhood will do me more good than trudging on a machine. We're also close to the Jordan River Trail.

Goals

• Continue with patterns established this week: breakfast, pack lunch, exercise daily, make healthier choices.
• Pay closer attention to what upsets my stomach.
• Increase my strength training. While I'm tired after each set, I'm not sore later. Does that mean I'm not working hard enough? Or does that mean I've hit a "sweet spot" where I work just hard enough? I don't want to overdo it and not be able to walk or lift anything for three days, but I can probably increase the intensity a bit.

So there's my download for this week. Tomorrow I'll start prepping for week 2. :)

What else we've been doing: August update

 James spent his summer as a stay-at-home dad. Atticus loved having him all to himself, 

especially when James agreed to built him a fort downstairs. 

We went to the Ogden Temple open house. (Yes, that's the Ogden Temple. It got a major facelift.) Atticus complained the whole time and really tried our patience. The temple was beautiful, but at the end Atticus said, "I didn't feel God there." Yeah, that's what happens when you complain the whole time. He does remember the sealing room mirrors, though.

Taking deep breaths after the tour. We then went to the exhibit tent to check out the historical exhibit I helped put together in three days. Talk about last-minute projects, but everyone seems to remember that the marble used inside was quarried in Egypt and shaped in China. 

Yeah, I totally wrote those labels.

And Atticus lost a tooth. He pulled it out himself.

And that's been our August so far. School starts on Monday. We find out which class Atticus is in on Friday. First grade will be a big change for us. I'm used to walking Atticus into class and helping him get started on his daily work, but that's a big no-no in first grade. You drop them off, they line up outside, and you wave goodbye. Each teacher decides how parents can get involved in the classroom. So we'll see how it goes. It will probably be better for both of us.

Garden Photos

Project for Saturday: build support for blackberries. It's hard to see with the chain link fence and weeds behind it, but it's really quite impressive. Our vines are still small, but I have great hopes for next year.

Project #2 for Saturday: Try to kill this tree. Again. This is one of those weed trees, and it has made itself one with the fence, so it's not so easy to remove. James cut it back a the beginning of the summer, and it's just as bushy now. We bored holes and filled them with epsom salts, but the tree has survived. More on this later.

Our happy trio of garden boxes. James made these in the spring and figured out how to get water to them.

Beans! Our most successful crop so far. I planted whole packets of carrot and beet seeds, but the response has been spotty. Very disappointed in the beets, and the carrots are almost spicy. Weird.

Tomatoes, and more unsuccessful carrots. I swear they've been that same size for a month. Our tomatoes are Hillbilly and Early Girl. They've been tasty.

Our one tiny melon! We'd given up hope on that vine when this little globe suddenly appeared. I took this photo Saturday, and when I checked today there were three more little globes. We can't remember what variety they are--our neighbor gave us the packet of seeds.

Our pumpkin vines have gone nuts. Here's the smallest of the three.

And the biggest, though it's hard to tell. It's a lot more orange today. There's a third, medium-sized pumpkin hiding to the left of the big'un.

The back lot (I'm standing in the garden). Not sure yet what's going to happen here, but we might put a peach tree in the sunnier half.

Another view of the same plot.

James has made considerable progress on the nasty tree, and Atticus decides to help.

If all else fails, bang on it.

We should have taken some of the wood-splitting wedges Dad offered us...

Today's garden haul. Did I mention this is our second crop of green beans? We've had a lot of rain lately, so they've been producing like mad. I might have to pickle some this weekend.

Atticus's portrait of me de-meating a crock-pot roasted chicken for dinner.
I guess it's only fair to include a picture of myself here.

Work Worth Doing

So I've had this scripture rolling around in my head for a while: "Do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy" (2 Nephi 9:51). What is of worth, and what will satisfy? Where will my time and efforts be best spent?

I'm still figuring it all out, as I believe the answer changes depending on your circumstances and stage of life, but last weekend was very satisfying. A friend in the neighborhood offered us the cherries from her sour cherry tree, so we spend a couple hours picking a cooler full. I then spent the bulk of the day processing them: most went into cherry pie filling, and the rest were dried or frozen.

The work was long and tedious, but ultimately very satisfying in a way that's hard to describe without being trite. It felt real, and practical, and worthwhile. My family would not have starved or suffered if we had not done these things, but I like knowing how to do these things, how to be resourceful and self-sufficient.

Plus it was physical work. I spend so much of my time at a desk in what is a very mental work. Physical labor like gardening and yard work and pitting 20 lbs of cherries is a refreshing change from that. If my work were primarily physical, would I crave mental labors? Probably.

I feel very blessed that I have both options. Balance and variety makes for a happy Heidi.