***Ok, first of all guys, just want to send a quick apology because it has been a few days since I have done a post, but we have had a crazy few days with illness and broken bones and hospitals, etc. etc. etc. Yes, the three “etc.” were completely necessary. Thanks for staying awesome and being patient!***
A few weeks ago, I started on a fitness journey. All of my life I have struggled with my weight, although I somehow managed to keep myself at an average, healthy weight growing up. As I transitioned from adolescent into adulthood, then got married, then had a baby, and then struggled with depression, plus the regular stresses of work/parenthood/life in general, I steadily lost complete control of my health. This resulted in more weight gain, continued depression, worsening of my Acid Reflux, extra health problems, feeling like crap regularly, and a complete and total loss of self esteem and self respect. And then it came, an epiphany if you will, and I decided that things are going to change. Now, I have said this a MILLION times before, and where I am still in the beginning stages, there are a LOT of people around me who still don’t believe I can do this, but I am determined. We only have one life, this is our only body, and I want to spend my life enjoying it without the restrictions that being overweight and unhealthy brings. This is my first “official” update post since the beginning of my fitness journey, and I promised that I would document it for everyone to see and let everyone hold me accountable so that I can be super embarrassed if I don’t meet my goals, haha! Really though, hopefully if anyone out there is in my same shoes these updates will inspire you and you can do this with me! So, here goes nothing!
Total Weight Loss: 10 pounds
Amount of Time: 5 weeks and 3 days
Inches Lost: None, sadly. Unfortunately I have SO much weight to lose that 10 pounds seriously is like nothing.
Differences Noticed: Most of these aren’t actual visually noticeable, again I still need to lose a bit more I think before I SEE anything…
- I am having less headaches- maybe from eating more healthy foods and less processed stuff?
- My skin is starting to look really good. My conclusion is that I am putting less toxins in and that makes the skin look better.
- I have a LOT less heartburn than before. Having had acid reflux most of my life, I think I will always struggle with heartburn a little, but I still can’t believe how much better it has been.
- My feet don’t seem swollen at the end of the day.
- My ring is no longer squeezing the life out of my finger like a boa constrictor, in fact it is now loose enough I can spin it around my finger again! Yay!
- My boobs are getting smaller……Oh wait, no they’re not. D*** it. Maybe if I think it enough times it will come true
Struggles:
- I am CONSTANTLY grazing. I don’t even realize when I do it. It has been THE hardest habit to break, and after five weeks I am still really, REALLY struggling with it. All of the sudden I will just realize that I am shoving things in my mouth and eating and not even notice. I think I might try to keep a food journal where I write everything down that I eat and see if it helps remind me to stop eating mindlessly.
- I don’t just dislike working out. I physically can’t. I am at such a whale status that seriously every time I try to work out I have to be super careful because I could seriously hurt myself with all of this weight. I literally have ZERO strength and flexibility right now, so I am starting small.
- Stress eating. I have a serious stress eating problem. If I get the tiniest, little bit stressed I throw all ambition to be fit and healthy out the window and eat. And I still haven’t figured out how to control that, so if anyone has suggests let me know! In the comments, or email me, or instagram me, whatever- this is my biggest struggle right now.
- I feel emotionally drained. I know that I have lost 10 pounds, but it seriously feels like nothing because I have so much to lose. And with the amount of weight I need to lose I would have thought I would lose a LOT more weight in 5 weeks than just 10 pounds. It is the most frustrating, depressing thing to see when I get on the scale and it has barely moved from when I started. I am trying to remember that it took me 3 years to put on all of this weight and it isn’t going to come off overnight, but it doesn’t make me feel any less sad or frustrated about it unfortunately.
Helpful Tricks Learned:
- I am striving to drink at least 64 oz of water daily. It about kills me to get there some days, but I feel like this has made the biggest difference for me so far.
- Reading inspirational quotes and stories. I know this is kind of cheesy, but I really do feel so inspired by hearing other people’s stories and successes and it is seriously the only thing that keeps me going.
- Brownie Brittle. Holy…best stuff ever. It takes care of the chocolate craving, tastes JUST like a brownie, is crunchy and wonderful and it is my absolute favorite treat when I crave something sweet.
- Setting goals. At least for me, it has helped me to keep focus and perspective. I have my ultimate goals that I want to reach, and every day I just set one little goal to achieve that will take me one step closer to my ultimate goal. Overall I really don’t want this to be about losing weight, then going to normal life. What I really want out of this is to learn about and adopt a healthier way of living, a change in lifestyle. I will post more about my goals and my goal setting process next week for you!
If anyone has tips, tricks, advice, inspirational stories, etc. for me I would absolutely love it! Just leave it in the comments or email me directly! I am going to try a few new things in the next few weeks and will post another update soon!
