Showing posts with label perserverance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label perserverance. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Update #2746378467348

I couldn't think of a catchy tune this week, but I feel like I have sooo much to share. For starters, I recently moved. With my ENTIRE kitchen boxed up, eating healthy was one of the toughest challenges I would face last week. I made it, though. Only because I was determined to do so much exercise that it would counteract all of the junk that I was eating. It worked....well kinda. I only gained 1 pound last week!! Who is excited by 1 pound of weight gain you ask? Me of course. Consider the following menu from my week o/gluttony: Saturday= CiCi's pizza, Sunday= Domino's Pizza, Monday= Domino's pizza, Tuesday= Subway AND McDonald's, and Wednesday= I honestly don't remember but I can guarantee it was something bad.

Through it all, running through the apartment complex, lifting weights (or boxes as they are commonly known), and consistently hitting 8000 plus steps a day seemed to really pay off. I am EXTREMELY proud to say to you that I am OFFICIALLY back in my old size 10 pants! I feel great, I look great, and I'm happy with what I see when I look in the mirror! What more can I say?! BTW, for those of you keeping track, I have re-lost that 1 lb from last week, so I am still at 24.6lbs of total weight loss. My goal this week, is to finally surpass the 25 pound mark. I know that I can do it! I know that you can too!!

Until next time.......

Friday, May 21, 2010

It's been a long time, I shouldn't left you...

Without a dope beat to step to..step to, step to , step to, step...baby girl! LOL. Okay so for those of you who didn't know me that long ago or simply have forgotten, there was a time in my life where I thought I was Aaliyah (Nesha can testify to that one, lol). I heard that song yesterday somewhere, and it kinda fit since it's been so long since my last entry.

I didn't write anything last week because I was so frustrated. I was almost ready to quit. It wasn't that I didn't lose any weight; it was simply that I missed my goal by 0.2lbs. I know right...who gets upset over 2 tenths of a pound?! Apparently me! Well, either way, it really bothered me. I wish that I could tell you that I decided to buckle down and work harder this past week...but I would be lying. As a matter of fact I did the exact opposite. I tried to eat horrible...but my body wouldn't let me.

I truly believe that I am starting to experience the change that I wanted to see. I wanted so badly to change my beliefs about eating, and now here it is manifesting right in front of me. Even when I wanted to eat junk, and lazily go about my day something wouldn't let me. Some of you may think that something was my will power, but I know that it wasn't. It was nothing but the Holy Spirit. The Word tells us that He will never leave us or forsake us, and I am living witness to that this week.

I am happy to report that since my last entry, I have been more successful in my weight loss endeavors. Last week (when I was complaining) I lost 2.4 lbs. This past week I lost an additional 4.6lbs. This brings my total weight loss count to 24.6lbs!! I'm so excited. All of my clothes are too big. In fact, some fortunate person is going to be rocking some new duds soon; I gave away everything that I could not fit!! That was really hard for me, but I am proud of myself for letting go of my "fat clothes". It means I don't have any room to gain any of this back.


On an even more exciting note......I will be starting graduate school in less than 2 weeks!! I'm so excited! All of my materials have arrived. This is it. I can't believe it's finally happening. But I'm glad that I got these good eating habits down before it was time to do this. Otherwise I may have ended up in a really bad place.

I'm now the weight I was after I had my 1st child. Next stop..pre-baby weight. Not too far past that though. That would just make me look kinda "cracky"!!


Until next time.........

Monday, May 3, 2010

Learning How to Fish

Well, I listened to all of my fans (all 4 of you, lol) and decided not to sing this time. Sorry to disappoint anyone. I can make arrangements for next time! Anywho, this weeks goal was all about healthy eating. Read on for more details.

So I'm trying out this new eating strategy. Instead of focusing on a weight goal, I'm aiming to eat according to the good health guidelines every day. You remember those right?? That little thing the FDA sends out every year...it looks like a pyramid?! That one! So far so good. I can't say that I hit an exact number EVERY day, but I'm getting pretty close. I have been doing this since last Friday, so today makes day 4. I wish I could say that it is becoming easier as the days past, but I find myself always missing something. I will say this: having 2-3 servings of milk, 5 servings of fruits and/or vegetables, 2 servings of lean protein, whole grains, and 6-8 8oz. glasses of water everyday leaves little to no room for junk. Seriously! Even though I want something junky, I don't have time to eat it because I too busy counting fruits and vegetables. I'm too full from chugging water and working protein into every meal. On a bright note, my husband has fallen in-love with grilling again, so I get my lean protein AND he gets to have fun!


Right now, I am at a training for summer school. The group I am with is REALLY nice. As usual, everyone piled up and went out to lunch. But not me! No, frugal Fran packed a lunch. So when everyone else left, I decided to blog. It's not as fulfilling; especially as everyone comes back with food. The room, though, smells HORRIBLE; too many different mixes of smells. That's my consolation. Also, it's that when I get home, I can have almost whatever I want; it's that at the end of my road, when I reach my ultimate goal, I know that I will still be on this journey. I know that this is not a diet, but rather a life style change. I am praying that the longer I stick this out, the deeper the change will go. It will move from being behavioral and environmental; it will move from the surface and begin to change my beliefs.

I know that this can work. All of the principles of God work if you work them. God's word does not work because you are perfect. It works because He is perfect. II am reminded of an old proverb said by someone who was important, but obviously not famous because I can't remember what his/her name was (LOL):

If you want feed a man for a day, you give him a fish. If you want to feed a man for life, you teach him how to fish. This is what I am doing; I am learning how to fish!


Until next time........

Monday, April 26, 2010

Awwwwwww Bounce........awwwwwwww Skate!!

OMG!! I forgot how much fun roller skating could be. I went to a birthday party last Saturday, and it took me back....way back....back into time. I'm talking circa 1994-1996. That's right, 6th grade; back when we went roller skating EVERY SINGLE WEEKEND; back when we thought we were cool because when we hit 8th grade our parents let us stay for the 8pm-12am session! It was so exhilarating! And then I went home......and then I realized that I had completed an Insanity workout that morning. That's when it all cam tumbling down like a pile of bricks. What was tumbling you ask?? Me, onto the couch, onto the bed, onto anything that could hold my weight. My legs were on fire! But it was such a great burn. All I could think about was how now I could have an extra hamburger off the grill at Michael's birthday party on Sunday. That made it worth it. Now here we are; it's Monday, and guess what! My legs, thighs mostly, are still sore. I know one thing though...it better show up on the scale on Thursday!

That brings me to the real point of this blog. My current weight loss total is 17.4 lbs!! That is So exciting! I have set a new goal: to lose between 6-8lbs more by June 1st. I'm secretly hoping for 8-10lbs, but I felt I should set an attainable goal and not get too crazy. What if this high I'm on wears out and my numbers start dropping?! Gotta be careful not to set myself up for failure. Plain and simple, I need to lose a pants size by the end of the month. That will be tricky since I carry most of my weight from the waist down. But anyone can fit a dress...it's pants that show the true measure of progress.

One last thing. At Saturday's party, I saw the parent of one of my old students. It's probably been about 8 months since we have actually seen each other and one of us wasn't sitting down. When she saw me, her face lit up. The first words out her mouth, after Hello and my name (LOL) were "WOW! You're losing so much weight! You look amazing!" That absolutely made my day. I don't understand how I can be down almost 20lbs and the ppl that I see everyday (i.e. those I work with) don't bother to mention it. I have several theories about why (some of which include ingesting MASSIVE amounts of 'hater-ade'), but in the middle of forming my last one I decided that I don't care. I am growing up ppl! No longer does the opinion of unimportant ppl matter to me. What does matter is that the ppl I love and the ppl who love me have noticed a positive change in my life.

BTW, for those of you who love to hear me sing, I'll try my best to come up with a catchy yet clever tune for my next post =D

Until next time.......

Monday, April 19, 2010

I will survive!

At first I was afraid, I was petrified. Just thinking I could never live without you by my side. But then I spent so many nights, just thinking how you did me wrong; and I grew strong. And I learned learned how to get along......Oh now go, walk out the door. Just turn around now; cuz you're not welcome anymore!! Weren't you the one who tried to hurt me with your lies? Did you think I'd tumble? Did you think I'd lay down and die? Oh no not I!! I will survive.....I've got all my life to live, and I've got all my love to give. And I'll survive; I will survive! Hey Hey! (dancing around the room)

I didn't forget the words, lol! Anyone who knows me knows that I could sing that song in my sleep; but I didn't want my entire blog to be the song, so I had to stop there. Now by now you are probably wondering what I am singing about this time. Last week it was chocolate, then then there were the odes to my workout, Insanity. Now, I'm singing about my beloved Doritos. That's right ppl. If there were ever a potato chip that I thought I couldn't live without, it would be the crispy, crunchy, cheesy Doritos. Not the knock offs, the generic brand, but the big boys. I am proud to say that I have not had in in such a long time, that I don't really remember the last time that I ate them! I wish that I could tell you it was because I am eating so healthy that I don't have the desire for them at all. Sadly that is not the case. It's as simple as this: I don't liked the baked version. Sorry, I'm not as deep and wonderful as you thought. I simply made the decision to only eat baked chips, and the baked Doritos are gross!! I love the baked Cheetos, crunchy or puffed; but there not the same as my beloved Doritos.

Now all this talk about food has got to be making you look at me, or the computer screen, sideways. I know what you're thinking....or at least I'd like to believe so. You're wondering what this has to do with anything. Well I promise I am getting to my point.

Part of my decision was based on my goal to fit into my magical dress on April 17th. Well, on the 17th I forgot to try the dress on. But here comes the best part.....I tried it on on the 18th and

IT FIT!!!!!

It fit so well that and decided to try on all of the dresses that I had been hiding in the back of my closet and

THEY ALL FIT!!!

It's now official; my new dress size is a 10!! I worked so hard to get to this point, and I am soooo proud of myself. I would be remiss if I did not thank God for giving me the strength to get through and for placing all of the gifts on the inside of me that I would need to get the job done. For example, all that time I thought my stubbornness was a bad thing, but I have now learned to use my powers for good and not evil and look where it got me!! I have to thank my husband, Maurice, for his unconditional and unyielding support. I have to thank my dad; just by reading my blog and commenting on it I am able to feel your support and that to me is priceless. Thanks to my buddy, Karen, for giving me accountability to someone other than myself. Thanks for having me write my goals out plainly, and for making me email them to you so I couldn't change them later, lol.


I feel like I look like a million bucks. As soon as my personal photographer get on it, I will have a picture to post to update everyone.

I'm almost there everyone. 13lbs down, 37lbs to go. Now it's time to get to thinking about a new short term goal. I'm still open to suggestions!

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

If loving you is wrong.....I don't wanna be right!!

That is the story of my love affair with none other than........chocolate! Something about the smooth creamy taste, the way it melts in my mouth, the way it satisfies me like no other food I know. It is for this reason that I am writing this entry. For all of my fellow chocolate lovers out there, let me introduce you to my new best friend, Skinny Cow! I love Skinny Cow; she and I are a match made in heaven. Packed with fiber, low in fat, and easy on the calories; Skinny Cow and I will be friends for a long time to come. I can see her in pictures from birthday parties and family events and celebrations. She and I are a match made in heaven: chocolate heaven that is.

I don't have any weight loss updates for this post; I don't weigh in until Thursday. I REFUSE to buy a scale to keep at home. I know already that it will only be the source of agony and stress. This post is mostly a chronicle of my eating...the good, the bad, and the ugly. I have been doing a good job of eating healthy; I have even made healthy choices while eating out of the home, which most ppl know can be a nightmare when you are trying to accurately keep track of what you intake. I have also overcome one of my biggest struggles: emotional eating. I know and recognize that I eat mindlessly, yes mindlessly...you know when you just want something to snack on or you put something in your mouth even if you're not hungry; it could be just because you know it will taste good. Or it could be how you have to eat while you watch a movie, or if you're like me it could be that you "taste" everything before you give it to your children. My how all that "tasting" adds up so quickly!

Anyway, back to my point, the mindless eating. Well I do this mostly when I have some sort of emotional upset: be it disappointment, sadness, loneliness, or frustration, I tend to eat when those situations arise. Well this week.....I didn't. It's just that simple. NOT!! No one kicks a habit overnight, but I did learn how to better control it. I have stopped and literally asked myself, "why do you want to eat this?" If I am not satisfied with my answer, or if I don't really have one, I know that I don't need to eat it. Also, I have started keeping better things around for those moments where I don't feel like asking myself any questions, and if I did "myself" probably wouldn't like my answer! These things include reduced fat popcorn (which is surprisingly good), baked chips, peanuts, jello, yogurt...you get the point. No more Doritos and chocolate pudding (Although I did find a great pudding for not nearly as many calories!).

And best of all, I found Skinny Cow. For those of you who don't know Skinny Cow is a brand of delicious frozen treats made from skim milk. There is minimal sweetener (NO ASPARTAME!!) and plenty of variety. She makes ice cream, ice cream sandwiches, and much more. Okay, enough of my plugs and free advertisement. But seriously, if you are a lover of all things chocolate and "ice creamy" you will definitely benefit from a relationship with Skinny Cow. I buy mine at Walmart, but I am sure she is sold at most grocery food chains as well.

One last update...I have OFFICIALLY dropped 2 dress sizes!! It is possible that it is 4, but I am not going to try on the other dress until Saturday. I have a goal date that I am sticking to, and I don't want to do anything to make me feel discouraged! I hope that in some way this window into my world has inspired you, informed you, or at least made you laugh out loud!

Until next time........

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Guess who Bizz-ack?!

It's me again. I must admit that since my last entry I have faced a massive amount of discouragement that at times seemed insurmountable. However, I have come out on the other side; I am better for it. I promised you numbers, so here goes......

I have lost a grand total of 2lbs!

That's right ppl, I said 2. You would think that I would rejoice in losing 2lbs, but so far that has not been the case. I have never weighed this much before. My father and my husband told me it's because the work out is building up my muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat. (Shouts go out to T-Pain whose encouragement helped me not cry about it one night!)

While that is true, it still feels like I am making an excuse. So today, I took the first step towards changing that. I need to learn how to eat better, how to control my portions, and most importantly how to transition that into a lifestyle change and not just another diet. Funny how I say that like I have EVER been on a diet before. I honestly have never, primarily because I have never had a need for it. It's for that very reason that I eat so poorly; it's never mattered before. I am not going to say what program I may or may not be using; I have already given Shaun T and Insanity enough free publicity. I promise to reveal my secrets at the end, when it works. Notice that I said "when" and not "if". I have purposed it in my mind that it will work. It is my confession of faith, and I have put action behind my words. I am set to do my measurements on Saturday, so I will have a new report then. In the meantime, I will stay encouraged and focused on the plan. I have also set smaller goals to help me reach the bigger goal so that I won't feel so far behind. New short term goal is 10 lbs in 3 weeks. Here goes....

1 more shout out, to a very dear friend of mine who wishes to remain nameless. They have embarked on a lifestyle change that began in January, AND kept going through the discouraging times where the numbers on the scale don't line up with the effort being put forth. They persevered, and lost 25 pounds!! Hats off to you sweetheart. You have been a tremendous inspiration, and I am rooting for you all the way!!

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Day 13 & Day 14

Day 14 was by far my favorite day so far....it was a day of rest. It was a much need rest, especially considering the fact that day 13 was a beast. I am proud to say that after I watched my Colts blow the Superbowl, I still managed to pull myself together and get a workout in. It was hard, but it was a good way to blow off some steam and stress. Not only did I have the complete Pure Cardio workout, but he added in another workout as well. Abs are not my thing, not lately anyway. In high school and college that was a different story, but now, 3 kids later, they don't mean as much to me. I can say this, I was definitely excited by the changes I can see in my body in just 2 weeks. This workout is no punk!! It was worth the money, though.

My knees are not very happy with me right now. It's funny how they never gave me any problems before...I guess jumping 200lbs up and down everyday isn't really their idea of fun! LOL! I have taken a few days to rest them. I wrestled with it for quite some time, saying that i was a wuss and that I was making excuses for myself. Then I realized that all that was the enemy; I have to take care of my body or I will not be able to continue doing this madness. Then I will have no one to blame but myself. So I will start back up either this evening or tomorrow (Thursday) evening. My fit test is the next workout. Hopefully my number will have improved; if you consider the fact that my last numbers were "0" for the last 3 exercises I guess I have no other way to go but up!

I have not had as much time to blog as I would like to lately; grades are due. It's that end of semester crunch. As soon as I get done with the Fit Test, I'll be back on to let you know my results!

Until next time....