Thursday, May 6, 2010

Results.

You and the weekly WW meetings have become my accountability partners in the Chubby Bride Workout Plan.
Results:  lost 4 tenths of a pound....
    good news:  I lost and didn't gain.
    bad news:  this could be a really long journey to a 20 lb. loss at 4 tenths of a pound each week.

So I went home and had a low count dinner - 2 chicken legs and green beans and whole wheat bread.  Then I took one bite of several different things Donna brought back from Texas.  She has absolutely the best smorgasborg of food in her pantry.  She always buys different and interesting things like Bluebonnet jelly, cocoa roasted almonds, things from the bakery,...she buys things I would never buy because of the calories.  I am kind of plain jane when it comes to buying food because I know I will just eat it.
 
Weight watchers tells you to write it if you bite it.  Well, I bit it and I am just going to write it off as a hungry girl moment and let it go.

My goal for this week starting today is to:
     Write it if I bite it.  Everything.
      Have a perfect 19 point a day week
      Add cardio to my already intensive workout.
      Try to have a 3 lb loss (well really I need a 4 lb one to stay on goal but I don't know if I can do it.)
Measure my body.

85 days to the wedding day.
The Chubby Bride.

Chubby Bride Work-out Plan

Scott and I - okay - Jaye decided she wanted to get married in October in an aspen grove during the beautiful, fall color.  hmmmm....December to October (2nd) - that gave me a good eight months to get ready.  Ready as in looking good in a wedding dress.  And it will take every bit of eight months.

How is it you can look at yourself in the mirror day after day and not see yourself?  Like, see yourself as, "I am FAT!"  My FAT revelation did not come with my clothes fitting tighter or clothes not fitting at all, or having to buy bigger jeans and tops; it came with looking at some pictures of myself back in the fall and at Christmas. There it was- this - this - this belly roll over the jeans - not a muffin top - a mushy cake roll hanging right over the top of those jeans!  How did THAT get there?  I have NEVER had a belly roll....and it didn't go away when I stood up either....holy moly...and then I measured myself.....Holy Shamoly!  where did THOSE numbers come from????   Say it isn't SO!  Something must be done....

Then I got engaged!  And I refuse to be a chubby bride! So I began my Chubby Bride Workout plan and signed on with Weight Watchers in January.  Only on-line. I was sure my determination would overshadow any need to go to weekly meetings...with weekly weigh-ins.

Scales scare me.  Really they do.  And now when I weigh and see numbers I have never seen before - I am terrified.  But weighing in is pretty much of a part of the weight watcher plan, so weigh I must - so I weighed on my scales and got one number.  Then I weighed at my daughter's and got another number; and then finally on a doctor's scales...that is when I fainted. 

Weight Watcher's on-line with the e-tools worked for about two weeks.  I loved getting up early in the morning and logging in and filling in the blanks for what I was going to eat that day.  I even lost about 6 pounds - just enough for me to think I could slack off and I quit tracking my food.  I worked out pretty regularly but had some haphazard weeks.  On top of that, the weigh-in was not working.  I didn't have a scale at home (I moved and threw the scales away - they were about 5 pounds heavy......yes, I could have bought a new one, but I don't think the accountability for weighing would be there) and going to church to weigh wasn't working either so two weeks ago I joined Weight Watchers "land side" where I go to weekly meetings and weekly weigh ins.

My workout plan has become very focused and rigid.  I exercise everyday unless I absolutely cannot - like Sunday - driving home from Denver all day.

And Scott and I decided (yes, both of us) to get married in Belize instead of the aspens.  What have I gone and done now?  Upped the anty - not only do I have to get in shape for a wedding dress - but now I have added the beach to the picture!

So - so far here are the results:

April 28th - lost 2 lbs.

I have purchased the Physique 57 workout (Kelly Ripa swears by it) and am working out to it 3 days a week and then doing other DVD workouts on the other days.  sometimes I walk during the day if I can.

I will measure and tell you how many inches I have lost since Christmas.  Even if the scales don't show it, I know I am losing inches because it is getting fun to try on clothes in my closet....Or pull pants out of the dryer, put them on, and they not only fit, but the pocket lining is no longer bulging out the sides.

Today is weigh-in.  At 5:00.  Why can't there be a 5 AM weigh in where you haven't eaten anything since the night before and you could remove all clothing behind a curtain and step on the scale.....  My blood pressure is already rising in anticipation of the results -good or bad. 

I have worked out really, really hard this week, and I have had the bare minimum to eat today in anticipation of my meeting with the scales this afternoon. I stuck to the plan except for Saturday night when we had early birthday cake for Scott at the Cheesecake Factory - I did have Low Carb if that helps - and I did walk all day in Denver Saturday.  ...5:00 is coming....

Ok, results to be posted tomorrow.

PS.....Wedding date is July 30th...and there is a story behind that too....
The Chubby Bride

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Delighting Myself in the Lord!

I said I would follow this theme until the end of May, but I think I can close the theme out now.  Delighting myself in the Lord...what an adventure - although sometimes it has been kind of ho-hum, you know - the everyday stuff- but then! there were the really BIG days... like Christmas night!  So what HAVE I learned from this adventure?

The first thing would be - "don't sweat the small stuff."  Learning to just go with the flow and not spazzing out when things don't go the way you plan.  The scripture "Do not be anxious for anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, present your requests to the Lord. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:6-7 

Not having a 'steady' job is a great way to put this verse into practice.  As I write the word "steady", I have to smile to myself and ask myself to define steady.  I have had the most steady, full-time, part-time job ever by substitute teaching.   Seriously!  I have consistently averaged 3-4 subbing jobs per week - well not counting post-Christmas!  A little 'skinny' there but you know what?  It all worked out.  For the times when it was a little 'skinny', I reminded myself that God knew my needs, and had exactly the right amount of jobs, on the right days for me.  And He did. 

Learning to appreciate a flexible job schedule.  I have learned to love my schedule.  Sometimes I work all day, sometimes half-days, and then sometimes have days off in the middle of the week or the end of the week...long weekends...oh! and I have shorter work days!  Out of school at 3:30 or 1:30 on Fridays....plus the schedule has been a god-send for working on my masters degree.  which brings me to my next point...

Learning when to let go and having the courage to do it.  I am postponing the master's program for a while.  The bachelor's program with University of Phoenix was a great experience; however, the master's program has been nothing but stressful with the learning teams from the get-go.  During spring break, after a particularly frustating experience, I cried "uncle" and withdraw from the program - mainly because
I was not having the time to plan for my upcoming wedding, much less get excited about it.  What a relief to let school go for a time and concentrate on what needs to be priority.  With our school's budget cuts, I am not too hopeful that  a job will be available any time soon, so why continue the "killer" push to get done?  Aside from the fact that that is my personality!

Another thing I let go of was my condo.  I have tried selling and renting with no luck selling and worse luck with some of my renters! Ugh!  Anyway, after struggling to hang onto the barbie townhouse, I decided to cry "uncle" on that one too and handed it back to the bank.  Although I felt a bit of shame not fulfilling my mortgage agreement, I also felt a tremendous sense of relief.  A huge burden was lifted from my shoulders and the release of a stress I did not realize I was carrying. 

Everyday I continue to feel myself decompressing. I have been on overload for a long time and did not realize the daily pressure I have put myself under.  I think a layer lifts each day as my schedule is freer and responsibilities are lighter.

As I close this phase of Delighting Myself, I know I will continue to use the things I have learned and subconsciously, if not consciously, continue to delight myself in the Lord.

Once again, God has been so very good to me as I struggled to find my way.  I am grateful for the time I have had for this venture and all of the lessons the Lord has had for me. 

I challenge you to have your own "Delight Yourself In the Lord" project.  Who knows what God has in store for you! 

Coming next:  The Chubby Bride Work out Plan!