Sunday, December 2, 2012

Lazy weekend

So, this past week was not a good one workout wise. I started feeling bad on Tuesday and ended up going to the dr on Friday. And I have another upper respitory infection. I even missed church this morning. But the antibiotics are finally kicking in and after a late afternoon nap, I'm feeling better and not coughing as much! So I'm planning on going to the YMCA tomorrow. My gym bag is already packed and ready.

My next goal weight is coming up on the 10th, and right now I'm not sure I will make it, but I'm going to be doing everything I can to get as close as possible. I also have to consider that I may have to adjust my goals because of being sick and not working out during that time. But I want to come as close as possible first.

I also need to sit down and work on my menus for the next week. I saw a recipe for a "green monster smoothie" on Pinterest tonight that I'm thinking about trying, at least once. It's made from banana, peanut butter, yogurt, milk, and baby spinach. Interesting, huh? I figure it's worth at least one try.

I'm excited that Christmas is coming up because Elizabeth and Jon will be coming and possibly Adrian, Derek, and Danny! I can hardly wait to see them all! I know I will want pictures, so I'm trying to keep that in mind so that I will stay motivated to keep working out. And then after Christmas, we have the new babies coming!! And I definitely want to be in better shape for that! I always go and stay to help out and with a newborn there's lots of interrupted sleep. So I need to be at my best for that!

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Thanksgiving weekend

As the Thanksgiving weekend comes to a close, I have much to be thankful for. We spent some wonderful time with family and friends and enjoyed much delicious food! I gave myself permission to enjoy myself this weekend without recriminations. And that actually made it easier to restrain myself. I did gain a couple of pounds this weekend, which is certainly not my goal, but it was only a couple of pounds instead of 5 or 10. So I can live with that. And tomorrow I get back into the pool and get back into a good exercise routine.

I did keep a close eye on my blood sugar levels and kept them in the proper range. But with a little planning, I was able to enjoy many of my favorite holiday foods. And I bought myself some new pants this weekend at the Black Friday sales, and that is a BIG incentive to not gain more, but to continue to lose.

Tonight I will get my bag all ready for the YMCA tomorrow, then enjoy watching football and crocheting some hats. Tomorrow I will also post some updated pictures to show my progress. I didn't reach the first weight goal that I set for myself, but I'm going to do everything I can to reach the second one!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, with much to be thankful for. I know I did!

Good night!

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Finally....a new post!

I am not a good blogger. I go for months without posting anything. But, here I am, finally, with a new post. There have been quite a few changes in my lifestyle since my last post. So, here's the update:

At the end of June, I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes and put on 4 different medications to control my blood sugar and blood pressure. I had to start testing my blood sugar levels and really get serious about my diet. I went to see the Diabetes educator and that really helped me a lot! I learned that I can still eat just about anything I want, I just have to be smart and do some planning.

When I saw the dr. in June I weighed in at 224 lbs. Today I weigh 202 lbs. My goal was to be at 199 by today, but as you can see, I didn't quite make it. But I think I should be there within the next week. I was also in a size 20 jeans, and today I can easily fit into a size 16. I have pretty much cut out all soda, altho I do still have to have a small one when I go to the movies and have popcorn. I have cut out most sweets, or have found a sugar-free alternative. I am eating a lot more fruits and veggies and cutting back on starches, which was very hard for me! But I am slowly getting there!

I will post some pictures later, to show my progress. I need to go run some errands with my mom right now. And I will try and be better about posting more often. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! We're going to try and get some things done around the house before the weather changes.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Starting over....again!

I began this blog on Valentine's Day of 2011. Since then I've blogged in spurts, and that's pretty much been my approach to my diet and exercise. Right after I found out about the kidney issues I was dealing with, I got better about being more consistant with what I needed to do. But not consistent enough. So, here I am again, facing yet another health issue. So once again, I am facing a major lifestyle change. And this one has to be permanent!

I've had a lot of stops and starts, "do overs" if you will. I am so thankful that God allows "do overs", or I would be in serious trouble! So, rather than beat myself up at everything I have failed to do, I am committing myself to begin again to get to where I need to be.

I went to the dr. today and after reviewing my history, my test results, and my meds, I was told that several of my levels were not where they were supposed to be and that I am developing diabetes. My pancreas is only working at about 15-20%. My renal panel showed that my creatine levels have gone back up and that puts my kidneys at risk for more damage. So, the dr. took away 2 of my meds, and added 5 new ones. Plus I have to eliminate sugar from my diet and stop drinking soda. I can't have anything with aspertame in it, because that causes me horrible headaches (ones that make migraines seem so tame!), so I will have to explore a diet that relies on natural sweeteners. Basically, I am going to need to follow a diabetic diet. I love starches like rice and potatoes, so this is going to be a challenge. I am fortunate that my family will give me lots of help and support! And I know I can count on our small group to pray for me, as well as some of my other friends and family.

I know that this isn't going to be easy at first. Especially learning what I can and can't eat anymore. But I don't want to develope full blown diabetes, so I am determined to make the necessary changes. I look at the faces of my grandkids and I want to be here to watch them grow up. I want to be able to play with them and take them on fun adventures. I want to spend another 30 years with my husband. I want to see my kids become grandparents, too. So I have to make these changes now. And with God's help, and the support of friends and family, I can do it!

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Another great workout!

I made it to the YMCA in time for the Express Fitness class this morning, but just barely. That class almost kicked my butt today! But I made it thru it, then headed downstairs to the pool. I did a new class this morning called Deep Water Circuit. It was a pretty good workout in the deep end of the lap pool. By the time I finished it, I was almost ready to call it a day, but I stuck it out. After that class, I did my laps. Yesterday I only managed to do 6 laps, but today I did my full 9. After that, I went to my arthritis water class, and then headed home.

I stopped at the Neighborhood Market and picked up some extra lean ground round and came home and made myself a taco salad. I was tempted to stop at Taco Bell (it's just 2 doors down from the Y) and have lunch, but I resisted. I'm glad I did and lunch was delicious! I'm almost ready for my afternoon snack. I have fresh strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and bananas for that! I haven't decided what to fix for dinner yet. I've been going over some menus on MobileFit. I'll keep looking at them and figure out what to fix for the rest of the week. Terry and I are both trying to eat better, so this is good for both of us.

I've been looking at the pool schedule and am thinking about doing an all water workout and see how that goes. The only thing is, I would need to be at the Y by 8am. I've been really rushing to get there by 9:30 this week. I would like to try it, tho. I'm going to really try to go to bed early tonight and get up early tomorrow. We'll see how it goes.

But for now, it's time for my snack!

Monday, April 2, 2012

great morning!

Woke up a little late this morning, but still made it to the gym in time to go to the Express Fitness class this morning. After that 30 minute class, I headed downstairs and changed into my swimsuit. Next I went to Aqua Zumba for an hour. Next, I swam 1/4 mile in the lap pool, then finished up with 45 minutes in my water arthritis class. Busy morning, but I'm very happy I went!

After I finished my workout, I went upstairs and logged in my workout. I have received enough points now on MobileFit that I have earned a certificate for a one hour session with a trainer! Tomorrow when I go to the Y, I'll take it with me and set up my hour. Then I can check with the trainer to make sure I'm on the right path in my goal to both lose weight and get in shape.

Now, I'm getting ready to log onto MyMobileFit from home so that I can go over the nutrition section so I can make up menus with healthy foods. And I am going to make sure I have plenty of healthy snacks on hand. I love fresh fruit and am so glad summer is coming so the Farmer's Market will be open and I can get all I can eat!

So, time to go make up some nutritious menus!

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Time to get back at it!

Didn't get to the gym these past 2 weeks with the kids here and traveling, so I'm ready to get back at it tomorrow! I was up to 1/4 mile a day in the lap pool, and I am wanting to up that to 1/2 mile by the end of April! Hopefully I haven't lost too much of the progress I was making. Tomorrow I'm planning to do the cardio workout I have been doing, and add back in the weight workout I used to do. I have got to get really serious this month so I will be ready for our anniversary trip in May!

So, with that in mind, I'm heading to bed so I can be up early to head to the gym in the morning! I'm sure I will be a little sore again this week because of the break I took, but hopefully I will get back in the groove fairly quickly! And the only traveling plans I have for this month are a weekend over to NWA to celebrate the girls' birthdays. So that should help me stay on track.

I also want to really go over the nutrition guide on the Mobilefit website. I know I need some serious help figuring out what to eat and what portion sizes. So I will be spending some time on there tomorrow before I make out my grocery list for the week.

So, now it's off to bed so I am ready for my workout tomorrow! Yay!!

Friday, March 23, 2012

TGIF

I haven't been to the YMCA this week, so far, because I've had Syble and Banyan here. We did go to the zoo on Sat. and walked around for several hours, and then I've been playing with the kids all week. I know it's not as good a workout as  I get at the gym, but at least I haven't just been sitting around. I'm going to take the kids swimming this afternoon, altho I won't be able to swim my laps since I'll be watching them. But it will feel good to get in the pool!

Next week I will be at my mom's for the first part of the week and at Bailey's for the rest of the week. I'm going to take my hand weights with me and try and make sure I get a workout in every day! And just as importantly, I have to make sure I eat well. I've been trying to eat smaller portions this week and make sure I eat some fruits or veggies each day. I made the mistake of letting myself have a dr pepper the other day when we went out to eat, and now I've had several over the past few days. I am going to have to really watch myself to make sure I don't get back into my old habits of having several a day!

Now I'm going to go get some things done before time to go to the Y!

Thursday, March 15, 2012

sucess!

I found a swimsuit and joy of joys, I had to get a size smaller than my last one! This one is a size 18! It's stll bigger than I want to be, but it's a step in the right direction! And that's what matters! I really, really, wanted to stop at Little Cesar's and get a pepperoni pizza, but instead I am going to fix myself something healthy. I still have a little grilled chicken from last night, and some lean deli ham. It's easier to resist and make good choices when I can start to see some results!

I smell like chlorine!

Even after I shower and wash my hair, I still smell like the pool! Maybe because I'm spending almost 2 hours a day in the pool, ya think? But it's okay, because I know that the more time I spend in the pool working out, the better shape I'm going to be in eventually!

It felt really good this morning when I got into the water for my arthritis class. We do a lot of range of motion exercises in that class, using the water as our resistance. We also walk back and forth and do some aerobic exercises, too. It is a great way to warm up my body before I swim my laps or hit the track. It's also a great way to finish up a workout. So whether I do the rest of my workout before or after class, I always want to do my class! I just feel better on the days I go.

I'm still a little sore today. I woke up a couple of times last night because my knees were hurting. But it's also a little cloudy today, so the weather could be playing a part in that. I thought about getting into the hot tub at the Y, but the last time I did that my swimsuit faded a lot, even tho I washed it after I got home. Plus, there's always a lot of foam on the top of the water, and the sign next to the hot tub says that comes from sweat and body oils, so please shower before getting into the hot tub, but no one does. So I would just rather come home and take a soak in my own bathtub!

I'm getting ready to head to the store and go swimsuit shopping. Since I wear my swimsuit every day, it's wearing out pretty fast. Of course, it's one of my old suits, so that also contributes to the wear. My problem is that I'm so picky about my suits. I don't really want anything with fancy decorations, because this suit has to be in the pool daily and get rinsed out daily, and washed a couple of times a week! So it has to be able to stand up to all that. Plus it has to stay in place while I'm swimming. I can't be constantly tugging my suit back in place.

So, I'm headed out to brave the stores, then coming home to watch Abduction and play with some new weaves with my paracord. It's a great day!

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

I am soooo sore!

Swimming is such a deceiving exercise! I glide thru the water and feel like I'm not making much of an effort at all, and if I'm sweating, I can't tell because I'm surrounded by water! But after a few laps, it gets harder and harder to kick my legs, and lift my arms. But I still did 1/4 mile again today!

I also did my water class and 20 minutes on the treadmill. Tomorrow I'm sticking to the track. I just don't like the treadmill. It just doesn't feel right. But boy was I sweating! But I was also sweating on the track yesterday, so I'm sticking to it!

I am so sore, but I'm determined to stick with it! I also stopped at the store and picked up some lean ham and I have all the salad fixings. I had a ham sandwich for lunch, and am going to grill some chicken on the George Foreman grill and have a grilled chicken salad for dinner tonight. I'm also going to dig out my notebook that has my healthy menus so that I can eat the proper amount of calories, along with the proper foods.

I'm so determined to be in the best shape I can be by the time we head to Texas. And I know that once I'm seeing a difference, it will give me more incentive to keep going. But today, I am sooo sore!

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

7 weeks, 4 days until the beach!!

In 7 weeks and 4 days I will be on the beach in South Texas! We have already made our reservations at a campground in Fulton, TX and I have already started gathering up the stuff we will need to take with us. We have made a list of all the places we want to eat at while we are there. And there will be plenty of beach time, along with visiting friends and going to see the Hooks play. I am sooo excited about our trip, and I know it will be so hard to leave and come back to Kansas, but I am going to enjoy every minute while I'm there!

But along with the anticipation of the trip, there's the consternation of hitting the beach weighing over 200 pounds and wearing a size 20. Do you know they don't make all those cute swim suits in size 20? Or if they do, they're not so cute when you put them on. I know that I am not going to be able to get down to a size 8 in just 7 1/2 weeks. But I think a size 16 is completely doable! And to keep myself motivated, I'm printing out some of my favorite beach pictures from when we lived in South Texas and I'm going to dig out my smaller swimsuits and hang up the pictures and swimsuit where I can see them everyday and stay motivated!

Since I haven't been consistant with my workouts, I started slow last week, with some exercises I got from Pinterest. This week I headed back to the YMCA to my water workout class and swimming laps in the pool. I swam 1/4 mile yesterday and today, in addition to my arthritis water workout, and today I also walked on the track for 30 minutes. Then I came home and had a good lunch, with a bowl of mixed berries for dessert. I'm getting ready to go finish up my workout with the exercises from Pinterest.

Tonight I'm going out to eat with our Small Group and we're going to Sumo, a Japanese place. I'm really looking forward to it! I'm not sure how healthy it will be, but I've tried to be really good all day to help make up for tonight.

So, I better go finish up so I can jump in the shower before I have to leave. I'm moving a little slow today because I'm not used to working out this hard. But I know that that will pass in a few days and it will be worth it when I feel better!

Monday, February 27, 2012

tired legs

Went to see my nephrologist this morning and got a good report! My creatin levels dropped from 1.4 to 1.2 over this past year, so now I can just have my regular doctor check my levels! I only have to go back to the nephrologist if my levels go back up.

So after my appt, I went to the gym. I started out with a 10 minute warm up on the bike, then went to Aqua Zumba. After that I did 10 lengths in the pool, which is 1/8th of a mile. That's not much, but it's a good start! I finished up with my regular water exercise class, then headed home. My legs are tired, but it's a good tired! The goal is to get up and do it all over again tomorrow! And then the next day, and the next.....

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Motivation

Sometimes it's hard to find a motivation to keep getting up and going to the gym. I have printed off some posters to put up on my wall, I have marked goals on my calendar, I have brought out clothes in the size I want to be and put it where I can see it often. But when that alarm goes off in the morning, I just want to keep hitting the snooze button as long as I can. I know that I will feel better after I actually get up and go work out, but it's actually getting up and walking out that door that is the hardest thing to do. And why is that? When I know it's good for me, and I know I will feel better! I don't know. But I need to find that motivation and get up and get going because in 10 weeks Terry and I will be heading home to South Texas to celebrate our 30 year anniversary. And I want to be able to enjoy myself on the beach and fishing on the pier and jetty. I want to be able to wear a swimsuit and not worry about looking fat. I want to feel good about myself. So, somehow, somewhere, I have GOT to find the motivation to walk out that door every morning!

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Happy New Year!

So, last Valentine's Day, I began this journey. It has been an up and down year, as regards my weight. I am still over 200 lbs, but I must say, I am in better shape than I was when I started. When I first went to the YMCA last year, I could barely complete my weight workout, and now I go to my water class, swim at least a 1/4 mile, do 20-30 minutes on the bike, and then 3 days a week do my weight workout! There's no way I could have done all that a year ago!

It is a little depressing when I realize that 11 months later I am still a size 20. But I had a talk with my dr and was reminded that with the medication I am on, it is very hard for me to lose weight. It can be done, but I will really have to work hard at it. So, with that in mind, I am changing my mind set.

I'm still going to be trying to lose weight. And to get to a smaller size. But more importantly, I'm going to be working on being in the best condition I can be in. I am going to set goals on how far I can swim, and how long I can go on the bike, and how many miles I can do on the track, and how much weight I can do in my workouts. I think if I focus on those goals, rather than a number on the scale or the tag in my clothes, I will achieve more!

I haven't set "New Year's Resolutions" since high school because I never knew anyone, including myself, who ever kept them. But I have decided that for 2012 I need to set some goals. So, here are the goals I am setting for myself this year. Some of them have to do with working out and getting healthy, and some are from other parts of my life. But I'm going to list them all here, because being healthy is just a part of my life.

My 2012 goals:

1. To be more consistent with my Bible reading--I want to read my Bible everyday and keep up with my reading schedule.

2. To walk more closely with my Heavenly Father--I want to draw closer to God and seek His will for my life in all things.

3. To be more consistent with my workouts--I want to get to the gym everyday day and get in my workout. I want to set monthly goals and achieve them so that I can be in the best physical condition I can be in.

4. To spend more time with Terry--I want to spend more time doing stuff with Terry, not just watching tv together, but to actually get out and do things, and spend more time interacting with each other.

5. To spend less time focused on myself--I want to spend more time focused on serving others this year and less time focused on myself. I want to find more ways to volunteer and serving others.

6. To spend more time with my parents--I don't know how much time I have left with my parents and I want to spend more time with them this year. They are in their 70's and both have health issues, so I know they will not be around forever. And I want to spend as much time as I can with them, because I don't want to look back someday and wish I has taken more time to be with them!

These are my goals for the year. They are realistic and achievable. And they are goals that I will probably continue to set every year, because there is always more that I can do in each area!

So, I may not get into the box containing the size 8 jeans in my closet this year. But I'm not going to beat myself up about that this year. As long as I am being consistent with my workouts and I feel good, I'm going to be happy with that. My workout goals for Jan. are to be consistent with my workouts, swim 1/4 mile everyday, 20-30 minutes a day on the bike, 1-2 miles on the track, my water workout everyday, and my weight workout M/W/F. I'll set my Feb. goals at the end of Jan.

Happy New Year!