Renew Your Mind

It's only 6 more days until my first ever 5k and I'm excited! There are some nerves, but my goal for entering this 5k isn't to gain acceptance from others. I don't have to be the best and I don't expect to be the best. My goal is to have fun and prove to myself that I can - to stop letting fear and doubt control my life. It will soon be an entire year since I started on the journey to living a healthier lifestyle. Gosh, I cannot believe it's already been this long and that I've come as far as I have. I may not be where I ultimately want to be, but I am so much further than I have ever been. I can say that I am finally proud of my accomplishments and thank God for helping me get this far.

For the month of November, I am posting what I am thankful for in my Facebook status. Here was my status for yesterday:

Day Two: I am thankful & praise God for positive changes!  It's 2 months away from a new year and will be 1 year since I started on the journey to living a healthier lifestyle. I was miserable, heading down a dangerous path and badly in need of some positive change in my life. I never believed I could make it as far as I have. I was full of negativity - so afraid and doubtful. I had only ever failed in the past and figured that would be the same pattern I would fall into again. However, something had changed in me. I finally reached a point where I was done giving up on myself. I won't lie. It hasn't been easy. I've had bad days, days when I've slacked off and there have been plenty of days when I felt like giving up; yet, I never quit. I learned how to push through all of the negatives and get back on track. I'm still human though and this life will not be perfect. Stress, frustration, disappointments and bad days will still come. The difference is that I've been learning to allow the circumstances of my life to make me better not bitter. That's not to say that I still don't have negative emotions arise, b/c I do. I just don't dwell on them. I've learned to drown out the negatives with positives. I may not be where I ultimately want to be, but I am closer than I have ever been.  

Runner, Runner

Despite the title of this blog, this is not a post about the movie Runner Runner.

However, this post is about running.

Recently, I've started training for a Run or Dye 5K that's coming up on November 9. This will be my first ever 5K and I thought it'd be a good one to try out first. In no way would I call myself an excellent runner. I'm definitely still a beginner and it's been challenging. I've actually always hated running, but secretly desired to love it. Too bad I was awfully unhealthy, obese and too out of shape; nor did I ever believe in myself enough to ever even try. I missed out on a lot because of that. Yet, I've always had this desire to just go out and run. I'm not even sure where that desire comes from, but it has been there for a really long time. However, any time that I've ever even attempted to run, I've always given up way too easily because of different reasons or excuses.

At the beginning of this year, I tried following a training program but gave up on it. Summer came and so did all of the gnats, mosquitoes, snakes and humidity - and even rain. It's not very enjoyable to run with all of those things. I guess I could've used a treadmill but I don't own one. I've actually never even been on one because they kind of scare me. All I envision is faceplanting and breaking my nose or something. However, now that it is Fall, it is much more enjoyable to be outdoors. I'm glad that this 5k is going to be in the Fall.

Training Schedule:

Week 1: 15 sec run/45 sec walk for 30 minutes (M/W/F) 30 minute walk (T/Th/Sat)
Week 2: 20/40 for 30 (M/W/F) 30 minute walk (T/Th/Sat)
Week 3: 30/30 for 30 (M/W/F) 30 minute walk (T/Th/Sat)
Week 4: 30/30 for 30 (M) 35/25 for 30 (W) 40/20 for 30 (F) 30 minute walk (T/Th/Sat)
Week 5: 40/20 for 30 (M) 40/20 for 30 (W) 45/15 for 30 (F) 30 minute walk (T/Th/Sat)
Week 6: 45/15 for 30 (M) 50/10 for 30 (W) 50/10 for 30 (F) 30 minute walk (T/Th/Sat)
Week 7: 30 minute run (M/W/F) 30 minute walk (T/Th/Sat)
RACE DAY: November 9

I also do other workouts and stretches to help prevent injuries and strengthen my body. I am trying to do strength workouts M/W/F prior to my runs. The following is what I've been doing post runs.

Post-Run Yoga: http://www.runnersworld.com/workouts/essential-yoga-for-runners-with-rebecca-pacheco

 

This morning my run was a 20/40 for 30 minutes. After my first week, I was feeling pretty good. However, halfway through my run this morning, I wanted to quit. I was tired, felt like I couldn't breathe and kept hearing a voice in my head saying "I can't do this". However, instead of giving up and quitting, I started speaking positivity and telling myself that I CAN and WILL do this! I prayed and kept repeating the name of Jesus. There's power in the name of Jesus!  

 

I CAN do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me!

Seek God First

Recap: Since the beginning of the year, I have been on a journey to live a healthier life. I started off this journey at 265 lbs, feeling terrible and in need of a big change! Thankfully, I wasn't experiencing any serious health problems - praise God - but I was heading down the path to them. I knew that things would only get worse if I continued down the path I was on. That is what ultimately set me on this journey. However, I had tried making this change so many times in the past and always gave up. Therefore, when I started out on this path for the one billionth time, I was doubtful. Yet, something was different this time. I started making changes and progressing more and more. Even though I faced some challenges and set backs along the way, I never gave up! By July, I had lost a total of 68 lbs - weighing in at 198 lbs. I was finally under 200 lbs! I can't recall the last time I was under 200 lbs so this was a huge accomplishment for me. I was on a high by the end of July. At the beginning of August, I weighed in at 194 lbs and was expecting more progress throughout the month. However, when I weighed in on September 1, I was at 195 lbs. While I didn't make the healthiest choices at all times, I thought that I would have at least lost 5 lbs so I was bit disappointed to learn I had gone up a pound. Instead of letting that get to me, I decided to get buckled back down. I set my goal to lose at least 10 lbs in the month of September.

I'm not going to lie. I didn't buckle myself down every day like I hoped I would and was feeling that I wasn't making any progress. I needed some reassurance so I decided to weigh myself in this morning instead of waiting til the end of the month.

I weighed in at 184 lbs!

That means I am down 11 lbs and have already made it past my goal for the month. I believe some of that weight was water weight and bloat, but it's gone! Also, I wanted to point out that I've noticed more tone in my muscles, especially my arms. It's not a large difference, but it's progress! I have lost a total of 81 lbs and have 34 more pounds to lose before I reach 150 lbs - my goal weight. However, I don't want to get caught up in the numbers on the scale because my ultimate goal is to just be healthy. I still want to reach that goal weight, but I know how much weight can fluctuate. I don't want to be too set on a number knowing how easily it can change. As long as I am making healthy choices, I don't have to worry about the numbers.

Also, while working on my physical self, I need to pay more attention to my spiritual self because God should always come first. I want all I say and do to glorify Him. I don't want to get healthy only for myself, but so that I can do more for the Lord. Also, I want to take any wisdom and insight that I have gained in any area of my life and pay it forward.

"One"derland

I'm in "One"derland!!!

If you have never watched The Biggest Loser, you may not know what that is. "One"derland means that you have finally made it to being under 200 lbs. 

I weighed myself this past Thursday morning and the scale read 197 lbs, which means I am FINALLY under 200 lbs and have reached my first big goal!!! I am not at my ultimate goal, but achieving this goal is HUGE for me! I cannot remember the last time I was under 200 lbs and never actually thought that I would ever be there again. It's a little hard to believe I actually am there now.

I have been pushing myself a little bit harder in my workouts and cleaning up my eating a bit more. I cut back on doing as much snacking in between meals and I really try to not eat after 7 or 8 PM. I slipped up once this week but got back on track the next morning! Learning how to shake off a bad day and keep moving forward has made a huge difference. I use to have a bad day and just give up, but I have really been pushing myself to stop giving up. I still have my struggles but I don't let it keep me down.

I am aiming at getting down to 150 lbs because I think that is a healthy weight for me. I have 47 more lbs to lose to reach that goal. While I am working on losing those 47 lbs, I want to focus on building up my strength and toning my body. Currently, I don't go to a gym. I mainly do all my workouts at home and alone. Also, I have been trying to cook more and plan my meals out. I would love to go full organic but I simply cannot afford it. I have tried researching different tips and strategies on fitting an organic lifestyle in with a small budget. It's stressful and challenging, but I am trying. I don't think I'm going to get any higher income anytime soon so I'm still going to be working with the same small budget, but hopefully I can work out a strategy to fit a more organic lifestyle within my budget.

Weekly Workout 

This past week I tried out Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown. I wasn't great at it but I did try my best. The rest of my workouts were kind of on my own. 

Weekly Recipes

1. Egg Scramble with spinach, kale, garlic, onion, jalapeno, Italian seasoning, cayenne pepper, paprika and olive oil. Bowl of frozen blueberries and coconut milk.

2. Tropical Salad with papaya, pineapple, mango, 1 kiwi, 1 sliced up banana, and coconut milk.

3. Baked Fiesta Chicken with Kiwi Jalapeno Salsa
*For the chicken I just used Olive Oil and Fiesta Lime Blend from Mrs. Dash on it and baked it.
*Salsa recipe here http://www.theblackpeppercorn.com/2013/03/kiwi-jalapeno-salsa/
*I saw another recipe where they added mango to the salsa too.

4. Egg Scramble 2
Same as 1 but with tomatoes added and no blueberries on the side

5. Sweet Potato "Fries" with Avocado Dip
*recipe here http://www.shutterbean.com/2013/spicy-sweet-potato-fries-w-avocado-dip/ 
*For the "fries" I added cumin. Also, I didn't use Hot Sauce in the dip. I added Fiesta Lime Blend and Cilantro to the dip.

6. Egg "Pancake" with Veggie Toppings (pretty much like making an omelette but I left it flat like a pancake and added the veggies on top - you can choose to add whatever veggies you want)

Others (not pictured)
- Tropical Smoothie (papaya, mango, pineapple, kiwi, banana, spinach, coconut milk, chia seeds)
- Turkey Spinach Salad with an apple (turkey, Spinach, olive oil, cayenne pepper, Italian seasoning) 

- Blue-Flax Coconut Smoothie (blueberries, banana, coconut milk, flaxseed, chia seed, coconut oil)

- Avacado Banana Smoothie (avacado, banana, coconut milk, almonds)

*Some of these don't have measurements b/c I didn't follow a recipe. I kind of just eyeballed and guesstimated. 

WHOLE 30

If you've never heard of the Whole 30 or don't know much about it, you can check out more information here: http://whole9life.com/2012/08/the-whole30-program/

I first heard of the Whole 30 Program a while ago through a friend and it sparked my interest, so I did some research on the program. After reading through what the program entailed, I was still interested. However, with my small budget, I felt that I would not be able to follow this program. I still wanted to try it out though. Then I went grocery shopping ....

I hate grocery shopping! It stresses me out so badly because I am trying so hard to be healthy and stay on track within my small budget. It was already a challenge even before trying to buy foods from the Whole 30 approved grocery list. I changed my mind about trying the program after that shopping trip.

Even though I didn't make choices based on the Whole 30 list, I still purchased healthy items. I continued to eat healthy, exercise and lose weight. I had let the idea of doing the Whole 30 go until the same friend who "introduced" me to the program decided to give it another go. Once again, it grabbed my attention so I thought I would give it another shot also!

While my budget hasn't changed and I still get stressed out when shopping, I guess I still wanted to see what I could do this time around. I went shopping yesterday and my budget was cut even shorter because my deposit hadn't gone through yet. That did NOT help my stress levels at all! Thankfully, my dad loaned me some money to go and buy food. However, even with the set back, I somehow ended up making Whole 30 approved choices without much stress at all this time around.

Let me clarify that all my choices are not 100% organic, grass-fed or wild-caught. However, I do make those choices where I can. While I may not be able to follow the program 100%, it's still a great guideline to use. For the majority of my shopping I am sticking to the Whole 30 approved list which you can find here http://whole9life.com/book/ISWF-Shopping-List.pdf

Below is a list of my menu and workouts for today! I will try to post more of my daily menus/workouts throughout the week!

TODAY'S MENU

BREAKFAST

1 Egg scrambled with Spinach, Kale, chopped Jalapeno Peppers/Onions/Garlic, and sprinkle of cayenne pepper and Italian Seasoning
Blueberries on the side

 

SNACK

A few walnuts and almonds

 

LUNCH

Salad with 1/4 or more cup each of the following: Spinach, Papaya, Pineapple, Mango, Kiwi, (I want to add sliced bananas next time) and drizzle canned unsweetened Coconut Milk on top
**there's another recipe that adds lime juice, brown sugar and some other items to the dressing but I only used the coconut milk**

 

SNACK

1 banana

 

DINNER

Grilled Chicken with Avocado Mango Salsa
(recipe found here http://cookeatpaleo.com/grilled-chicken-with-avocado-mango-salsa/)

 

TODAY'S WORKOUTS

 

Healthy Lifestyle (Update)

Well, I didn't lose the 10 lbs I was aiming to lose for April. I ended up only losing 5 lbs. My weight decided to fluctuate a couple of lbs here and there. Also, I didn't workout as much this month. I'm not going to beat myself up about it though. I am down 53 lbs now!

The first time I lost a lot of weight I got down to 216 lbs. Currently, I am at 212 lbs. I've surpassed where I was by 4 lbs! This is the lowest weight I ever remember being. Even as a teenager, I believe I weighed more than this. I think I may have been at a lower weight as a kid, but I don't remember.

I may not have lost the weight I wanted to lose this month, but I have progressed so much! In the past, I would give up and quit. It is a huge achievement to have made it this far and not have given up!

I have been very frustrated many times and felt like giving up. I have struggled this month and haven't given as much attention to my diet/fitness, which is why I only lost those 5 lbs instead of 10. However, I still lost 5 lbs and have lost 53 lbs in 4 months! How can I be upset with that?

My goal now is to get back to being more disciplined, getting my rear end up and moving again. I need to up my workouts and clean up my eating a bit more. I would love to lose about 10-15 lbs for May.

Healthy Lifestyle



 

Since the beginning of this year, I have been on a mission to change my bad habits and live a healthier lifestyle. I have been taking one step at a time by making small changes in my eating and exercising habits in order to improve my overall health and fitness. By making those changes and reprogramming my mind, I have found success in weight loss.

This is not the first time in my life that I have lost weight. My weight has been a constant burden in my life for as long as I can remember. I have always been a "big" girl! I was never very active growing up and my eating habits were always horrible. It wasn't until I moved away to college that things began to change. From the time I went away to college until the year of 2010, I lost a good bit of weight. I wasn't exactly doing anything to lose the weight. My life happened to become busier and more active. I believe I was at about 216 lbs at my lowest. Then the Winter of 2010 came and Jacob died. :( After losing him, I started constantly gaining weight.

I tend to eat when I am upset, mad, stressed, bored, etc. EMOTIONAL EATER HERE! Well, I was most definitely going through a crazy roller coaster of mixed emotions over the years following that loss. I ate and ate and ate! The more I ate, the more the weight piled back on. Gaining all of that weight back made me feel absolutely miserable and gross. Fortunately, I had never suffered from a lot of health issues. However, that doesn't mean I wasn't in danger! Plus, I was feeling more lethargic and depressed with every pound I gained.

Something had to give!

I was at 265 lbs! I am not sure if that is the heaviest I have ever been, but I knew I would surpass that number if I continued on the path I was heading down. Finally, I reached a point where I had to take a stand against continuing down that path.

It was difficult to get started but I began making those small changes here and there. Along the way I have struggled with the mental battles of unbelief, doubt and negativity. I've wrestled with all of the voices in my head telling me that it was too hard and I couldn't do it; and I've fought all frustrations that have made me want to give up and quit. There have been days of disappointment and days when I have gotten off track/failed. Yet, I NEVER GAVE UP!

 

Currently, I am at 217 lbs and have lost a total of 48 lbs. I'm aiming at getting down to 150 lbs. I am not looking to be a size 0 or 2. My desire it to become healthier and stronger. Once I am at my goal weight of 150, I will have lost a total of 115 lbs. My goal now is to lose 10 more pounds by the end of the month. Overall, I still have 67 lbs to lose before I reach my goal weight.

It isn't always easy to stay on track. Changing old habits definitely takes a lot of self-discipline and motivation, There are still days that I am frustrated and feel like giving up. As I just confessed, there are times I do fail and there are disappointments along the way. There is not only a physical battle at hand, but there is a huge mental battle as well. The mental battle is the toughest! If I can overcome my head, then I can do so much more!

 

I have a long way to go still, but I'm heading in the right direction. I believe that God is leading me to have victory in this area of my life.

 

 

Since others have learned of my weight loss, I have been asked to share some advice/tips. The following are some tips based on what I have been doing.

 

TIPS

 

 

* EAT but EAT HEALTHY!

-- eat more whole foods (fruits & vegetables, nuts/seeds, beans/legumes, whole grains)

-- canned/frozen fruits & veggies are ok if they're not packed full of sugar or sodium

-- eat leaner meats

-- eat 3 meals and 1-2 snacks a day

-- don't skip meals

-- use portion control and eat slower

-- no late night snacking (try not eating after 8 PM)

-- watch sodium/sugar intake; cut the greasy and fried foods
-- cut back on eating out and try steering clear of fast food if you can
-- use healthier oils, dressings and sweetners

 

* EXERCISE!

-- 5-6 days a week for 20-30 minutes a day

-- alternate between doing strength & cardio  

-- switch up your workouts (don't do the same thing all the time)

-- do some Yoga
-- go walking 30 minutes a day
-- get outdoors
-- don't forget to stretch

-- take time to rest

 

* DRINK WATER

-- drink lots of water throughout the day
-- drink 1 cup of water before meals

-- if you want flavored water, use Crystal Light or something like that
-- also drink Green Tea (I drink a cup first thing in the morning and usually sweeten it with Stevia).

-- no sugary beverages

 

*SLEEP

-- try to get at least 8 hours of sleep

*OTHER

-- make realistic goals
-- reward yourself when you reach your goals

-- pray