13-15 weeks- Just Keep going

Keep going, trust the program, trust the healthy habits I am building.  This is my mantra- what I tell myself all the time.
I only weigh myself once a week because I don't want the scale to control me.

And then I get on the scale on Saturday 5/31 which I was expecting not to be good because it was the last week of school...and it's down another 3 lbs!  WOOHOO!

41 lbs and 34.6 inches lost in 13 weeks.  It shocks me EVERY week!  And I have a spreadsheet where I keep all this data so I can see where I started.  I have lost 8 inches off my chest, 6.5 inches from my waist, 9.5 inches off my hips, 5 inches off each thigh!!!!  Holy crap!!!!  Do I say that too much?  But seriously!  I am a third of the way to my goal!  80 more lbs to be where I was in high school and what's crazy is this is actually "doable" with the help of my new best friend Take Shape for Life (and my health coach) My goal is to be there by Christmas!  What a present to me- getting my life back!

But the next week, 6/7, the first week of summer, I get on the scale and it hasn't moved.  Bummer! But I have lost some inches so I call that success! I'll take it.  I try to analyze the week and what I did differently to get my results.  So my evaluation of this week- I got totally sick (fever, ear infections, sinus infection), worked 2 days, didn't sleep well, didn't track my water or eating every 3 hours...so yeah that explains it.  I have also been really stressed about Tom not having a job.  I try to stay positive and hopeful but man it's hard.

Depression sucks.  I am really having a hard time right now.  When your spouse is out of a job for months and months and months and frequently over the last 8 years...it really starts to take a toll.  Trying to save change to put a gallon of gas in the car or to get a gallon of milk REALLY hurts my positivity. I hate being poor!  I remind myself of all the things in my life that are blessings- like my family, my faith, friends, a roof over my head (for now) and those ARE the MOST important things, so why do I let myself get depressed and stressed?  I get mad at myself for not being positive.  I'm sure not having my anxiety meds for a few weeks is affecting my mood ;).  I just wish I could get this darkness out of my head.  It also affects my weight loss. AND it's compounded by my husbands' stress and depression, we're quite the pair.  I really want this to end, I hope I hurry up and learn whatever it is I am supposed to learn so we can all move on and finally start living a normal life- whatever that means.

Just keep going, one day at a time.  I am feeling good physically, now just need to fix my head and my life.  Haha.  (I'm not really laughing) I'm sure things will look better next week. 

6/14- my weight loss is now...43 lbs  :) I put on size 16 pants today!  AHHHHHH!!!!  That's 4 pants sizes smaller!  :)

We are completely in control of our own happiness! We have all known someone who appears to "have it all", yet is perpetually unhappy...nothing is ever good enough! On the other hand, we have probably all known someone who appears to be completely destitute of positive circumstances, yet beams with happiness.

We can start by wearing a smile, offering gratitude, focusing on those we love and those who love us, and actively looking for opportunities to display happiness.

 

Just keep going!  Just keep going! 

And here's a thought on how to tell if you're physically or emotionally hungry...

Here's to another week!  One week, one day at a time! 
#watchmelose  # committed  #escapefromobesity

Non-sick vs. Healthy

"It's never too late to be who you might have been"  George Eliot.  I love this quote!  Tom shared it with me. 

Being part of a healthy, supportive community is making a difference in my life.  I learn something new each week, it inspires me and I will start sharing things.

My current weight loss is 38 lbs and 32 inches in 12 weeks.  I still have a lot to lose.  Often the negative talk slips in and when I see pictures of me all I see is a fat girl instead of where I came from just 3 months ago.  I am on the right path and I just have to keep going and trust what I am doing.  It is working!  Each week I see positive results with the scale and measurements and that keeps me going.

The negative part of me says, "Ugh, look at you, still have a tire around your waist, look at how much the scale says!  Gross!"

So I am going to be brave and tell you where I started.  The scale said 253... 12 weeks ago.  Disgusting, despicable.  It now says 215.  I should feel good about that right?  But it makes my stomach turn and makes me cry to tell you those numbers. I slip into thinking, "I will never be healthy so just eat whatever I want, why keep trying... you'll just gain it all back anyway...like every single time before."  But then I say, "No!  Look at how far you have come!  Look at the path you are on!  Look at how you feel 110% better and stronger and healthier already!"  I really have to try hard to not feed the negative thoughts.  If someone compliments me I usually say "thanks, but" Tom just told me I look awesome and I said, "Thanks, but I still have SO much to lose!"


It takes commitment to keep making healthy choices and sometimes I feel weak but still in control.  Being in control feels better than giving in to cravings, but I need to give myself an escape when I feel cravings.  So instead of eating the oreos and chips (which my family ate in front of me Friday night) I got a sugar free jello and fat free whipped topping, or I go DO something.  Cravings go away if you just acknowledge you have them and don't give them power.  It just IS what it IS.  They go away after 15 minutes, did you know that?  I didn't.  But I've tried it a few times now and it's really true.  Tell yourself you can have it in 15 minutes and go get busy doing something else, I bet you won't give in to the craving. 
 
My kids have watched me and said they wish they were doing the program with me (even though they are not heavy) and I worry about their self image.  So I try to focus on being healthy and not skinny.  Just because the scale says a small number does that mean you are healthy?  No!  I need to listen to my own advice! 

Here's something I learned and have been thinking about- just because you're not sick does that mean you're healthy? Just because you are skinny does that mean you're healthy?  Nope

This is from the habits of health in my program-

"If you are not sick, you are healthy, right?

That’s often how the medical world sees it. But in reality, these two states—non-sick and healthy—are vastly different.

Health is a state that requires active maintenance. It is not something you achieve and get to keep forever without additional work, even if you are at a healthy weight and not currently faced with any health challenges. When you treat health as a destination, you are in danger of yo-yoing. You put in the effort to reach your goal, but then you drift back into unhealthy because you are not continuing your healthy lifestyle indefinitely.

Non-sickness is like purgatory—simply surviving, as opposed to a healthy state of thriving. It is caused by eating an excess quantity of nutritionally barren food, which overworks the pancreas and facilitates your body’s storage of fat. Non-sickness is a state in which your muscles become weak and flabby, a state of not enough sleep and way too much stress. It’s a state that leads you to progressively depend on medications to relieve your symptoms—symptoms that are merely your body’s way of telling you that you are not healthy.

To put it another way, maintaining your health is like maintaining a car. If you lock the newest, nicest car in a garage for 40 years, it will not run like a new car if you suddenly take it out for a drive. The engine may have rusted. That battery will likely be dead. The oil probably needs changed. The rubber on the tires may be old and rotting. The dust and dirt may have damaged the paint.
Keeping a car running at peak performance requires diligent maintenance. You take it in regularly to be serviced. You change the tires. You wash and wax the exterior. A classic car may not have the glitz and glamour of the models coming off the production line, but the engine can still roar, and the body can still look great if it has been properly cared for.

Your health is similar. You have to first decide that your health is a priority and then organize your daily choices to support a new healthy lifestyle to truly maintain optimal health.
Being non-sick often leads to life-threatening illness over time, just like driving a car without ever taking it to a mechanic for an oil change will eventually lead to serious engine failure. This state on the road to obesity is sometimes referred to as pre-obesity—a more apt description of the corresponding negative health effects than the innocuous-sounding overweight.

In a state of non-sickness, time is against you. It may go unnoticed until one day you are so fatigued that you finally go to your doctor and find out you have diabetes. Your health path has led you from non-sick to sick. The bad news is that close to 90 percent of us fall into this non-sick category. The good news is that the non-sick can usually reach optimal health in a relatively short amount of time.
Your goal should not be to achieve non-sickness but to achieve vibrant, thriving health. There is a difference."

I do love seeing my before and now pictures, so here's the most recent one-

I can almost see my collar bone!  Yay! 

And I can't get over the difference in my face!

I am 1/3 of the way to my goal!  Only 6 more months to lose the rest of my weight.  I can do this!  This is the last week of school before summer starts, I hope I can be as good as I have been when my kids are all home.  Wish me luck!



#committed  #watchmelose

Motivation

I lost 2 lbs last week and 1 lb the week before.  That's 32 lbs total and 30 inches in 10 weeks!  That's pretty dang motivating!  8.5 inches off my hips!  5 inches off my waist!  Amazing!  I fit into pants that are 2 sizes smaller!  In 10 weeks!  I could cry!

What motivates us? Why does something work where others have failed?  Is it mindset? Commitment?  The right program?

I've been pretty committed to my health program.  It's been easy for me because of my commitment and the desperation that I came from.  It continues to be easy because I see results every week and I feel so good.  I'm not stopping until I'm at my goal weight!  I'm SO incredibly thankful for this experience to get healthy and to stay healthy!!

I have learned some things watching my hubby (and others) do the program.

Lesson 1- that we all have our own experience.  It's easy for me because of my commitment.  And most days it really is easy.  Sometimes I want to eat chips or have a dessert from Kneaders but I can resist.  If you stick with the program it works, for anyone.  Tom was a little upset with me because it was harder for him, he kept saying, "You made it look so easy!!"  I think if you can make it through the first 2 weeks it does get easier.  Your body fights you the first week and the sugar detox is rough.

Lesson 2- What makes the difference is the mindset, commitment, and taking responsibility for your own health.  What are your motivations?  Why do you want to be healthy?  Are you doing it for you or someone else?  Think of your ultimate health and what it would look like?  How would your life be different if you were healthy?  What would you be able to do? 

For me I was doing it because  I was scared of dying young and missing out on my kids lives.  I was sick of how my weight held me back from so many things- spiritually, temporally, mentally.  I also saw the effects my eating habits were having on my family and was feeling guilty.  I knew something had to change and since I am mostly in charge of shopping and meals it had to start with me.  I am just thrilled I found something that works for me and my busy life! (and benefits my whole family)

So the basics of the program I'm doing is this-

* eating within an hour of waking up
* eating small meals (balanced with protein and carbs) EVERY 2-3 hours
* drinking 100 oz. of water a day
* moderate exercise 30 min/day
* getting 7-8 hrs of sleep a night


I keep trying to figure out why I feel SO good?

Why do I feel like for the first time in 20 yrs I can get up early and exercise?

Why do I not need naps anymore? (my babies still wake me up in the night 60% of the time)

Why do I wake up BEFORE my alarm goes off? (that hasn't happened in 15 years)


I love doing the program with Tom.  He is starting to see the benefits himself- more energy, sleeping better, feeling better.  It's awesome!

Hopefully you don't get sick of hearing me be so happy about all this!  ;)  I just love having ME back!! 

8 weeks

We don't succeed (as well) in isolation.  People tend to do better when they have someone working toward a goal with them.  Correct?  Yes!

The times I have exercised the most and consistently was when I had a routine with a friend. 

So I have my beautiful parents, a few friends, and now the hubs doing this program with me!  It is SO helpful and I am loving it!  One of my daughters might start soon too. 

This week- week 8- I lost another 3 lbs and 3 inches!  That's 29 lbs total and 25.5 inches!!!  I love this program!  I love that it's pretty easy (or I wouldn't be able to do it), I love that I see results every week!  (pounds AND inches) I love eating every 3 hours!  I love the variety and that I don't feel deprived.  I love the energy I have! I love that it's safe!  It's no magic pill, it's eating right and lifestyle change.  I can't say enough about this.  So thankful to have help getting the weight off.  I NEVER thought this would happen, I was sentenced to be big my whole life.

No more!  :) 

8 weeks 29 lbs and 25.5 inches GONE forever! 

I don't think I will get the exercise really going until after school is out, things are so incredibly busy right now, but I am trying to "move more" take the stairs more, park far away etc..

 #watchmelose  #committed  #escapefromobesity

Week 7- Excuses

I lost another 4 lbs this week!  26 lbs and 22.5 inches total in 7 weeks!  WHOA & YAY!!!!  I am amazed!  I am so happy!  This is working!  It is easy for me to have success, it is easy to follow, it is easy for me to NOT cheat.  I am not hungry- ever, I don't have cravings (maybe occasionally but nothing I can't control).  I am lovin' it! 

We all have excuses.  They're not invalid, they are real for most of us.  I think my excuses for being overweight are pretty good.  (though they don't comfort me)

~ having 6 kids

~ working full-time

~ haven't slept well in 15 years

~ can't afford all the healthy food/snacks

~ thyroid condition

~ gain weight no matter what I do

~ serious stress/trials in my life

~ survival mode

~ no time, no energy to exercise

~ sometimes depression

These are valid and real for me.  My priority has shifted to getting healthy and that helps with most of the excuses.  If you really want something you will find a way to get it.  If not you find excuses, we've all heard that.   But I think you need to recognize and validate the excuses for them not to have power over you.  

What are your excuses?  What's holding you back?  What has control over you?

I cannot express the freedom I feel now that food does NOT control me.  I control food.  I still enjoy things but it doesn't send me into an eating frenzy. Food is NOT my friend, it is fuel, that's all.

I have not eaten any Easter candy!  It's my favorite too- I love mini eggs and cream eggs and jelly beans...but I HAD NONE!  Success!!!  I said I wasn't cheating and I'm not, I won't.  I have lost SO much time being overweight, I cannot do anything to slow down my progress. 

Ugh, I still cringe at these pictures, but I have come so far and I LOVE where I'm going!  :)  And I SO need my hair done!

#watchmelose  #committed  #dailyhabits  #escapefromobesity

CONTROL

Just finished my 6th week on the program.  It was spring break and I didn't do much this week so I wasn't expecting to lose much, if anything.  But I lost 3 lbs and 4.5 inches.  That's a total of 22 lbs down and 21.5 inches!  Oh my goodness!  :)

More exciting than the weight loss is how I feel.

My last post started with how much I love food.  It controlled me- completely.  I never realized how much.

Guess what?  Food DOES NOT control me anymore!  Diet Pepsi doesn't control me anymore!  It's an amazing feeling!  It hasn't controlled me since week 2!!!  That's how I can say "no thanks" to cake, ice-cream, chocolate, Easter candy, chips, french fries... AND I don't even care, I don't even WANT it!  Wait what?!  Yep, no desire for it.  A few times I have wanted it emotionally, but not physically.  I wanted to treat myself in response to a stressful situation, but I didn't.  I had control.  Awesome!

I love being in control.

I love this program.  It works.  It's creating optimal health.  I still have a long road ahead.  But I love each week I get closer to my goal.  I can do this!  

22 lbs gone!  Forever!  :)

#watchmelose  #committed  #dailyhabits  #escapefromobesity

www.sallycannon.IChooseOptimalHealth.com

FOOD

I have a love/hate relationship with food.  Mostly, I love food and then hate myself in the morning.

I love food 
I love food so much 
I love to eat when I'm with friends or family
I love to eat junk- ice-cream every night- chips and dip- candy- chocolate- fast food
I love food when I celebrate
I love food when I'm sad
I love to go out to eat- Olive Garden, Texas Roadhouse, Zupas, Cafe Rio, JCW's
I love food when I'm stressed
I love food when I'm bored
I love food when I'm happy

Obviously, I love food but it doesn't love me back.  Haha.

But that is all changing.

My life is changing

One habit, one day at a time.

If I can do this health program then ANYONE can do it.   Seriously ANYONE.  I am the girl who has no self-control, no stop button, no feeling full, no getting sick when I over ate, would eat whatever I wanted, when I wanted.  I was at a point where I said, "Who cares!  I'll never lose this weight. Why try?"  I totally enjoy candy parties with my family every once and a while.  "Movie Parties" consisted of double stuff Oreos, chips and dip, candy, ice-cream.  No control.

You don't realize how much being overweight restricts your life and not just physically.  I can see now that it affected me mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.  It held me back from my potential, it affected my relationships.

Tom keeps saying to me, "I'm so glad I have my Sally back."  I didn't realize I was such a zombie.  I feel SO good!  I can't even believe it.  It's such a small miracle that I don't "need" Diet Pepsi anymore!  I wasn't even trying to quit it.  It just happened naturally.  SO AWESOME!

This week I only lost one pound.  BUT I lost another 2 inches!  That's a total of 19 lbs. and 17 inches in 4 weeks.  I'm trying to think of it differently, and not say "Only one pound"  Have you seen one pound of fat?

Gross!  Goodbye and good riddance one pound of fat!  I will NEVER see you again.

I LOVE this program.  LOVE!
I love that it's working!
I love that I can do it!
I love that it is easy!
I LOVE having energy!
I love how I feel!
I love drinking water!
I love feeling like "me" again!

One month down and 8 more to go until I am at a healthy weight, then a lifetime of optimal health.

#watchmelose   #committed  #dailyhabits  #escapefromobesity