Challenge

It has been a difficult start to the new year to say the least. I was supposed to start a job on January 12th and it "fell through." I don't really want to get into the details, but I was depending on it and the fact that I now will not be working there has put me into a bit of a depression (bit really doesn't begin to describe it). I have literally ate my way through my feelings. The last two weeks alone I have been in such a downward spiral. Of course, this had to happen just when I was ready to get on track with working out, eating right, and getting healthy.

I decided that this shouldn't take away from my goals though. Matt and I talked tonight and we are going to get back on the figural horse. Monday we are BOTH starting the 21 Day Fit fitness program and we are going to start logging food on MyFitnessPal as well. I am going to spend the evening making next week's meal plan and go grocery shopping this weekend. I am hoping that because Matt seems so on board with everything it will make it easier for me to stay on track. Here's my UPDATED fitness board star goals:


My Healthy Choices Reward System
1 star for each completed 21 Day Fix Workout
1 star for completing 7 straight days of the 21 Day Fix Workout Routine
3 stars for completing the entire 21 Day Fix Workout Routine
2 stars for drinking 64 ounces of water or more per day
1 star for tracking my daily calories and staying at or below my limit
1 star for every 5 pounds lost


Harry Potter Candle when I reach 100 stars
$20 Lush Purchase when I reach 200 stars
Pedicure when I reach 300 stars
Massage when I reach 400 stars
Facial when I reach 500 stars
$75 Makeup purchase from Ulta/Sephora/Mac when I reach 600 stars
Tattoo when I reach 700 stars

It's just a bit different than what I posted before, but I figure I may as well keep the blog up to date. Well I'm going to get to work on our meal plan and shopping list so I can get to bed.

Here's to getting on track,


Mel <3

Goals, Ideas, and a schedule

Here are some of my goals and ideas for this month:

1. Log all meals and snacks in MyFitnessPal.
2. Eat out only ONCE per week. 
3. Pack lunches in advance and keep them in brown bags in the refrigerator.
4. Read Fast Food Nation (already downloaded).
5. Try out Meatless Mondays.
6. Plan meals and grocery lists every Sunday.
7. Wear my Fitbit EVERY DAY.
8. Weekly Once Upon a Time workouts (I'll detail this a little later in the blog).
9. Log inches in addition to pounds (keep track in MFP).
10. Meditate 5-10 minutes EVERY day!
11. Start going to yoga again.
12. Doing the Runs for Cookies Virtual 5k on January 25th.

Once Upon a Time Workouts
I love Once Upon a Time, it is definitely one of my "guilty pleasure shows." I decided that if I'm going to watch it, instead of fast-forwarding through the commercials, each week I would use that time to get in a little workout. I'm already planning on doing walks/runs earlier in the day, so the fact that it's not a crazy difficult workout isn't a big deal. Here's my plan:

During each commercial break, do the following:

• 10 Jumping Jacks
• 10 Crunches
• 10 Lunges (5 on each side)
• 10 Pushups
• 30-Second Plank

**EDIT: Unfortunately, I was under the impression that Once Upon a Time would be back the second week of January, and it will not return until MARCH 1ST. So this plan will be on hold until AFTER we get back from our Florida vacation. 

Ideas for Meatless Mondays:

• Meatless Lasagna
• Homemade Pizza with Veggies
• Veggie Omelettes with Hash Browns and Toast
• Mac and Cheese with Grilled Veggie Skewers
• Veggie Fried Rice with egg
• Stuffed Baked Potatoes and Veggies
• Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

Ideas on how to reach at least 64 ounces of water per day

• Drink ice water while cooking or before starting to eat any meal/snack
• Track H2o intake on MyFitnessPal app
• Find someone who wants to do a water challenge with me
• Download a reminder app

Meal Ideas

• Pesto Penne with Chicken
• Tostadas
• Stirfry
• Tacos

Fitness Schedule

• Monday: Walk/Run 1 mile and do 30 minutes of Cross/Strength Training
• Tuesday: Walk 3 miles
• Wednesday: Walk/Run 1 mile and do 30 minutes of Cross/Strength Training
• Thursday: Walk 3 miles
• Friday: Walk/Run 1 mile and do 30 minutes of Cross/Strength Training
• Saturday: One hour of Archery
• Sunday: Long walk (4 to 9 miles) 

Well that's all I got for now. I am going to work on my Strength Training Schedule and my meal plan/shopping list for next week.

Melissa

A New Year

Well another couple of months have went by and I have yet to really make a true effort in my weight loss. I have spent the last few months in a bit of a frenzy because I haven't been able to find a job. I finally (after four interviews) was offered the position at Kaplan. I start on January 12th. Finally getting things in order made me stop and really think about why weight loss is so imperative. I want so many things out of life and continuing to be unhealthy is not going to get any of them for me. The reasons just seem to be mounting and yet still I haven't been able to make the changes I know I desperately need to make. We are currently in Michigan visiting for Christmas, but I have put some plans in place for when we return home. On Monday, I'm going to our local gym to sign up for a membership there. I have a new reward system, which I will type up below and I am really ready to continue my weight loss journey. I have so many reasons and 30 is approaching so fast. I will be in Florida in a little less than two months where I'll be walking approximately 9 miles a day for 6 straight days. We will be starting to try for a baby once we get home from that and with my current weight and just the way my body feels pregnancy will be difficult, if not impossible. I know that we probably won't get pregnant right away or anything, so I'll still have time to work on weight loss. I want to be as healthy as possible during my pregnancy so there's no reason not to start that now. I have never been able to stick with anything before, but I'm starting to grasp the concept of time and I think that is giving me the kick I needed. This new reward system is pretty great too.

I am going to do a "star chart." I purchased a black poster board, some markers and some star stickers and I made a list of all of the things I can do to earn a star. Then I made a list of rewards I can get when I reach x number of stars (it's basically a reward for every 100 stars I earn). I have the potential to earn about 27 stars a week, which means I can get a reward about every month (IF I stick to the program). I didn't want to make the rewards about the pounds I lost, but instead I wanted to focus on making healthier choices. I did throw in that I'll get a star for every 5 pounds I lose though. So here is my new plan and we will see how things work:)

My Healthy Choices Reward System

1 star for a 30+ minute workout

1 star for working out 4+ times in one week

1 star for walking outside in temperatures below 20 or above 80

2 stars for drinking 64 ounces of water or more per day

1 star for tracking my daily calories and staying at or below my limit

1 star for every 5 pounds lost

Harry Potter Candle when I reach 100 stars

$20 Lush Purchase when I reach 200 stars

Pedicure when I reach 300 stars

Massage when I reach 400 stars

Facial when I reach 500 stars

$75 Makeup purchase from Ulta/Sephora/Mac when I reach 600 stars

Tattoo when I reach 700 stars

I know I have said it before, but things feel different this time. I feel as though I'm going to make this happen. The things I really want in life seem to be hinging on me getting healthy and I am starting to run out of time. The good thing about this system is that I can still keep to it if I do get pregnant (obviously I would take out some of the star earning choices, like the star for weight loss and the walking outside), but its great to know I don't have to just stop doing it if I get pregnant. Well I hope everyone has a wonderful day! :) 

xoxo, 

Melissa

The Why

I have spent the majority of this evening crying. I was texting Matt for a while and the basic overview is that I'm so tired of saying and not doing. I have lost all determination and motivation. I have forgotten the WHY behind the weight loss and have been drowning my depression in chocolate, cheese, and soda. I have pasted below, a portion of the blog I wrote on April 23rd of this year to remind myself of the WHY and help with my DECISION to become DETERMINED again. 

When I was on my last vacation I did not take one photograph of myself, I was uncomfortable on every ride I went on, and there were things I couldn't do simply because of my weight. My weight makes me self-conscious, unhappy, and causes me to miss out on so many things in life. I want a baby. I want to be able to climb a flight of stairs without feeling like my lungs have collapsed. I am doing this so I will be able to enjoy life. 

Here are a list of my most compelling reasons and motivations: 

•A baby•I want my kids to be healthy, and I want to be a good role model•A better sex life•Going to HP World and Disney in February 2015•Be able to walk around at Disney and Universal and walk around without DYING!•Feeling better about myself/ Not being so self conscious•Enjoy the moments I have with my friends, instead of worrying about how fat I look in the pictures they are taking•Being able to keep up with everyone else

I am going to make a "Vision Board" and make it my computer background. I plan to use it to remind myself everyday WHY I am doing this.

[Pause]

Okay, created. See below. There will be a change in me. I am determined to become the person I want to be. It starts now. I will never see this weight again, I will never feel this way again, and I will be happy with who I am.

Photos in order from top to bottom, left to right: 1. Runsforcookies went from a size 24W (where I was not too long ago) to a size 4. 2. The seats at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter's Forbidden Journey. I could BARELY fit when we went on our honeymoon and I was 25 lbs lighter then. I don't have a clue how I'd get on them now... and those were the outer seats made for big people. 3. A map of Disney World... Going to be walking all of that in less than four months. 4. A map of Universal... walking all of that in less than four months too. 5. Matt and I at my Graduation. I hate how HUGE I feel, but worse than that is how UNCOMFORTABLE I was taking the picture. This was such a monumental occasion for me and I should have been so happy to take pictures, but because of my weight I just dread them. 6. Me at the start of this journey. 7. A candid shot of me at graduation. Even worse. I cringe when I look at it. 7. Runsforcookies before and after (she lost 125 pounds) 8. Skinny Jean Dreams before and after (she lost over 100 pounds). 9. A baby. At my weight, I don't think it's smart to get pregnant (if I'm even able) and I also know that it will definitely exacerbate my back condition. 10. This one is two-fold. The first and most important is that this is my husband and I on our wedding day. I love him with all of my heart and he is one of the main reasons I want (us both) to get healthy. I want to have a long, wonderful life with this man and I know if I stay on the course I've been on, I won't have one. Also, this is one of the only good pictures from our wedding. I actually don't have many pictures with him at all and we have been together for over seven years. One day, when I feel comfortable enough with myself to get photos taken, I want to ask my friend Jessica to take some professional pictures of the two of us. I would like to have some photos that I enjoy looking at instead of cringing away from.

There was one more pic that I didn't put on here because I wasn't able to find it, but the story behind the picture is that I was out with a group of friends who wanted a photo taken of us, so, of course, I obliged. When they texted me the picture afterwords, I thought I was going to die. I looked HUGE. I hate that. I want to enjoy the pictures that are taken with my friends. I want to capture those memories. I want to be able to look back on them and be happy.

I blogged all of this to say: Things will be different moving forward. I will be different. I am ready. So "Hold on to your butts" because here we go (that, my friends, would be a quote from Jurassic Park).

Xoxo,



Missy

The big move

I know that it has been a few months since I have written anything, but life has honestly been quite crazy. Matt got a promotion/transfer for work and we moved to Wisconsin. I quit my job (which was possibly the hardest part) and I still don't have another one. Matt left the last week of September and I came out to join him on October 18th. It's been almost two weeks, my house is still in shambles and like I said, no job, which makes me super concerned on the money front.

There are a few great things about the move. Matthew LOVES his new job (though he's still in the learning phase so he's not super confident). He gets along with almost all of the guys he works with and he's moving around, which is good for his health. We also are in our own place, which is wonderful. Once it's organized and in order, I know we'll enjoy it even more. Its actually really nice here, everyone is friendly and there are lots of fun places to explore. The biggest news is that we got a puppy! :)

His name is Bentley and he is 6 weeks old :) He's absolutely adorable. It is, of course, like having a baby because he wakes me up every few hours to go outside (though I am incredibly thankful that he doesn't just go to the bathroom in his crate!) It is hard to adjust to, but since I'm not working right now, its working out okay.

Then, of course, there are the downsides of being here. I miss my family and friends, I miss my job, and I am a bit concerned about the lack of income (Matt's raise was good, but it does not cover my salary, of course). I was also doing really great working out with Ashley and everything, but I have completely fallen off the wagon since I've been here. I haven't worked out once and I have been eating like garbage. I think that once this weekend is over and the house is all set up and we have everything organized, everything else will start to fall into place. At least that is the hope anyway. 

This Sunday is Matthew's birthday. I ordered him Forza Horizon 2 for Xbox and NHL 15 and MLB 14 for PS3.  I really hope he likes them. They are going to be at the store for pickup tomorrow so I'm going to get up early, put on the chicken noodle soup and drive out to Onalaska to pick them up.

I am really excited for tomorrow, it's Halloween! :) I'm going to make homemade chicken noodle soup, watch the Halloween Tree, give out candy to some adorable Trick-or-Treaters, and then make some cookies. I guess if I'm planning to do all of that I should get to bed as it's 12:30am. I'll write again soon.

Xoxo,


Mel

My return

I know it's been a while since I've posted. I have been completely out of sorts as of late. While I've been working out with my personal trainer twice a week my diet has been utter shit. I've been depressed and I haven't been motivated OR determined to do anything other than try and gather myself up just to get through the day to day. I don't know if it was my cousin's death that tipped my depression over the edge or if it was just something that has been waiting in the wings for a while. What I do know is that I'm tired of letting it control my life. I have goals, I have ambition, and I am going to gather myself up this last time and I am going to forge ahead. I am not going to give these excuses or thoughts another second of my time. I'm sick of wallowing in them and doing nothing to find my way out of it. I know what I want out of life, I am a hard and dedicated worker so it is time to go and get it. All of it. Starting today.

Moving forward....

It really has been a rough couple of weeks. I can't seem to get back on track since Timmy's death, even though Matthew and I have made a few family decisions that should really have propelled me on my way, but they haven't. I've been struggling with everything in life coming at me at once and I can't seem to get a handle on it.

Matthew and I decided we would start trying for a baby in March when we get home from vacation. By then I need to be down at least another 70 pounds. That means I really need to refocus and get on this. I think I was making a few unrealistic goals with working out, but I'm going to take it down to three to four times per week. This way I don't beat myself up because I missed a workout, but I'm still going to put in a lot of work to make it happen. Once I have a full set of workouts (Shoulders and back, biceps and Triceps, legs, and core) I'll be able to schedule my workouts in a way to get everything in.

I'm really excited for this next step in our lives and the next few months are really going to show the commitment I have towards having a happy and healthy family. 

<3 Mel