Yo-yo no more

I just found out last night that I have a new mini-goal before the one in October.  My 10 year high school reunion will be September 20! I am SO excited to be able to see everyone that I went to high school with.  Most of them I haven’t even seen since graduation night.  Now, I was never popular in high school, I had 1 friend, never went to dances, rarely talked to anyone - however I never had any enemies either.  People from high school remember me.  So I’m excited to go back and see everyone, unveil my new body (clothed of course…haha) and let them see my new personality that has developed over the last few years.  I am nothing like I was in high school, and that’s a good thing.  I’ve often said that if I could go back and re-do high school, knowing what I know now, I would do it in a heartbeat!  I would pay more attention in class, and I would be a lot more outspoken.

I do know that the reunion falls on the same date as a wedding shower for the wedding I’m going to be in in October.  oops.  My husband told me last night to not even worry about that.  He also asked if I have plans to take him to the reunion, too.  That made me even more excited as I didn’t think it’d be something he’d be interested in.  So, I’m SUPER happy.  My mini-goal for that weekend (Sept. 19-20) will be to be 175.  Ready……. set…… GO!!!!

Today was my first “weigh in” on Weight Watchers. Granted, I’ve only been back on Weight Watchers for 3 days - but I want Friday to be my Weigh-in days. That means I’ve lost 1.2 pounds since I started WW. Yes, I know all about water weight. But, a loss on the scale is still a loss on the scale!!!

I edited my “Weights” chart to include new mini-goals. It’s all current. YAY!!! I also made note of my highest weight. In 2005, I weighed 252 pounds. I have lost 64 pounds!!! I’m just astonished. amazed. EXCITED!!! My first real mini-goal is to weigh 169 for a friends wedding that I will be in in October. That will just be un-real for me. I already met my goal for next weeks weigh-in. My goal was to weigh 188 on 08-08-08 (get it… all 8’s). But I did that this week! YAY!!!! I don’t mind that at all!

   So where have I been for the past 2 months….?  BUSY!  Our Photography business is really starting to take off (not to the point that Brett can quit his job, but busy enough that any spare time he has or that I have is spent editing pictures).  So, that’s part of where I’ve been. 

   I’ve stayed clear of the blogging because I didn’t feel as if I was making enough progress to warrent writing.  I just haven’t been as excited about working out and my diet for the past few months.  So…. I have now thrown the “trainer-preferred” diet out the window and have decided to pick up Weight Watchers again.  I lost 40 pounds in about 5 months on Weight Watchers.  I loved Weight Watchers.  I was happy with Weight Watchers.  But I let other people influence me into thinking that Weight Watchers wouldn’t work as well as a different diet would.  So… I’m back to Weight Watchers and SO excited about it!!!

   Another change is a comin…. we found out that our personal trainer and her hubby are moving to Colorado (we live in Oklahoma) in August.  So….. it will be up to ME to exercise.  Yikes!  This scares me.  Although a couple of the ladies who I’ve been training with have all vowed to keep it up together.  It’s a blessing in disguise because that will be extra money a month that we can put towards camera gear. 

   I have also resigned as the Black Team Leader on the Biggest Loser challenge at 3FC.  It was a HARD decision because I LOVED doing it so much.  But I felt like to continue doing it would be so selfish on my part as the people on the team deserve a leader who will be SO much more involved than I have been able to be. 

   I have a lot of updating to do on my blog.  Mainly the “weigh-in” tab.  I need to re-measure myself too.  I dropped doing those things when I became unhappy with my diet…. amazing.  But, now I’m SO excited to be back on Weight Watchers and want to keep track of my progress.  So….here I am!!!!

MY 28th BIRTHDAY (Feb.4) GOAL:

Well, today starts a new TBL Weight Loss Challenge on 3FC.  I am the PROUD Black Team leader!  So, it’s time to buckle down and get busy!  My goal for the challenge (which ends on April 7, I believe) is 170!  With Jessie helping me, I don’t know why I can’t reach that goal!  I’m still trucking along and loving it.  I think this week may post a gain…. I’ve changed my eating (still on WW, but eating differently) and with the up in working out (and the pace we’re working out….. and having someone pushing me when I would normally give out) - I think my body may go into WTF mode again.  But, we’ll see.  Weigh-in’s for me will be on Friday mornings.  My weight this past Friday morning was 195.8.

Ready….. set….. GO!

And GO BLACK TEAM!!!!!

***PRE-WORKOUT*** 

Le hubby and I have hired a personal trainer at the gym we go to to whip our bodies into shape.  Part of me is scared to death of what she might do (she is SUPER sweet, but so is Jillian on The Biggest Loser), but the other part of me knows that with the help of someone pushing me really hard I will succeed even faster than I have been!

At our first consult yesterday, we talked about my goals (goodbye arm jiggle, I shall never see you again!), my nutrition (YAY, I can keep Weight Watchers as long as I modify it a bit to her liking), and exercise (have you ever heard of a kettlebell?)

However,  right now it is 6:30 am (I am SO not a morning person), I’m hungry, cranky, and sleepy…. all great components for a first workout with a personal trainer, huh? *giggle*  I am still excited though - but wonder how much yawning I’ll do this morning that will in turn make her make me do even more……. maybe I’ve watched Jillian too much on TBL.  Oh well.  I will write more after our first session.  We’re supposed to be at the gym at 7. Stay tuned….

Starting weight with a trainer: 195 (I weighed this morning, in fact)
Starting Body Fat %: 35.3 (*YIKES*, I wish I knew what it was when I started - alas it is on its way DOWN)
Starting BMI: 31.5 (but I knew this already)

***POST-WORKOUT***
     Ouch…. ouch…. and ouch again….wow!  As I write this, I’m sitting in a hot bath with Epsom salt (I shall transfer this to the computer when I’m done in the bath), hoping that it helps me to walk again! HA!  Okay… it’s not THAT bad… but it’s pretty bad.
     So, I was begrudgingly up at 6:30 this morning.  Our gym is a 24 hour gym, so the lights are always on.  We were supposed to be there at 7 to start our warming up.  When we pulled up at 6:45, it was still dark outside and….wait a minute… dark inside too?  Yep.  Apparently they were doing electrical work on the building next door and in turn had to shut off power at the gym for a few hours this morning.  There were 3 cars in front of the gym, all of which had their headlights facing the gym to shine lights inside.  Luckily everything still worked except for the treadmills.  I was quickly thrown into the episode of The Biggest Loser during “Green Week”!  How fitting!
     I introduce Brett to Erica.  She’ll be training with us on Saturdays also.  She’s really sweet, and a mommy just like me!  The three of us start our warm-ups.  Erica and I on bikes and Brett on an eliptical.  We find out that the 3 of us are the “pioneers” in the “Boot Camp Saturdays” for Jessie. 
    Jessie then introduces us to “KettleBells” (that’s Russian for PAIN and TORTURE!!!!…. okay, maybe not so much).  However, check out www.russiankettlebells.com to find out what they’re all about.  Apparently this form of exercise was used by the Soviet army to keep their soldiers in shape.  And, it is r-o-u-g-h!  Now, I have witnessed a Kettlebell class there before.   I thought it looked so easy and wondered how on earth it could possibly help you to lose weight… and why was it so popular at our gym?  HA! Did I ever find out.  For an hour I never once ran, walked, did sit ups, push ups, jumping jacks, etc…. but I ended up sweating more than I ever have before! The kettlebell is like a cannonball with a handle and you use it in conjuction with your body in different motions and movements.  Let me tell you, I feel muscles in my legs that I never even knew existed!!!  It is truly insane.  But, I loved it!! 
     So Brett and I are set up to train together on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays @7am with Jessie.  I can’t wait to see where we are in a couple of weeks.

My diet has also been modified by Jessie.  I eat 6 small meals a day.  Each mean contains 50% protein, 20% fat and 30% complex carbs… but I can also follow WW while doing this.  It’s so awesome!

More later!

Okay, today I start for my Halloween Goals!!!  Here are my new exercise and walking goals to be completed by Oct. 31, 2007 (new weight goal coming Friday)

 Exercise:  2,100 Minutes
 Walking :  115 Miles

These are very much attainable seeing how as I walked nearly 50 miles in 20 days! Just gives me something to push for!

Tomorrow I start on my new goals for Halloween (they will be revealed when my weight loss mini goal ticker is revealed - when I weigh in Thursday or Friday).  However, today is the final day for my walking & exercise goals for Labor Day.  I am happy to report that since August 15, I have:

Walked : 47.5 Miles (more than double my goal of 21)
Exercised:  921 minutes (again, it was almost double my goal of 480)

I am really proud of myself for this, and I can’t wait to set my new goals!! Even if I don’t meet my goal of 215 by Friday, I am so happy that I went above and beyond my other goals!

Lady J

When I get under 200 pounds.  I’m thinking of throwing a “Farewell Party” to the 200 pound mark… this idea just hit me as I was reading my last blog about it being 10 years since I was under 200 pounds.  So, I think I’ll make a cake (low fat, low cal of course… and use some of my extra WW points so I can eat a piece) and I’ll invite all my friends over - and we’ll have a “Going away and better never damn return” party for the 200 mark…. I think at that time, I’ll reveal to my friends how much my starting weight was (235….. my highest was 262 the night I went into the hospital to have my youngest daughter).  None of my friends know how much I weigh, they know I’m trying to lose weight.  I just told my own mother how much I weigh - she has the same reaction as everyone else “you’re kidding!!  you carry your weight very well, I would have never guessed you weigh that much” …. THANK YOU GOD FOR MAKING ME TALL!) 

 So, at that party, I’ll reveal how much I started at, and that I’m under 200 pounds and that it’s been 10 years since I’ve been under 200 pounds….. yeah, that sounds like a great idea for me! Yay, I now have something to plan!  I plan on being under 200 by Halloween…. so I can have it the first part of November…. yeah, that sounds good.  In case you can’t tell, I’m practically going nutso over here just thinking about this….lol

I’ll keep you all updated on the party though - I’ll tag every blog that has to do with it with an “under 200 party” tag.

Lady J

I passed my exercise goal last night!!!  So, I’ll just keep adding to those totals until Labor Day - and then it’s time to start my Halloween Goals!!!  I already have them written out.  I’m not sure why I get so excited about setting mini-goals.  I think that it’s the fact that it means that setting a new mini-goal means that I’ve accomplished one mini goal.  I like having little attainable goals that are within reach and I like seeing the ticker move down too! So, I’ve met my Labor Day walking and exercise goals!  My mini-goal for my weight is still…………. there. 

We walked with Kyle & Marisa again last night.  So, I walked a total of 6 miles yesterday!  I have the blisters to prove it.  So - I’ve got to do something about my shoes.  I get blisters on the bottom of the tip of my pinky toe, and in between my big toe and the toe next to it.  I wore 2 pair of socks last night and filled my socks with Corn Starch to help with the moisture……. I’m not sure what else to do and I’m really getting into this whole walking 6-7 miles a day thing!

Anyway - OH!!!!  I have applied to go back to college in the Spring!!  My husband and I have both applied.  This is HUGE!!!  We’ll be able to do everything online through a state university here in town. I am SO excited!!!  I’ve got this overwhelming urge to learn again!!! 

Anyway - I’m off of here for now, we have pictures to edit!!

The Lady