Sunday Weigh In #28 of 45 in 2014

Sunday Weigh In #28 Aug 31 2014

Today was 201.5

Finished August Walking Challenge

Our first crop of 'Honeycrisp' apples!

On My Fitness Pal, I joined the "Leslie Sansone Walk at Home" group and there's always a monthly challenge. I joined for August and I'm happy to report that I finished the month walking over 80 miles!

Five Miles

Leslie Sansone's 5 Day Slim Down DVD

I lived in harmony with those chocolate Bark Thins today. Amazing. I weighed my portions and stayed within my calorie range, but I know in reality I'm playing with fire. Sugar on fat on salt. Yum.


I didn't have a chance to walk this morning, so when I got to bedtime, I was really excited to walk. I put in a new DVD and the first mile seemed slow and boring. I wanted to ditch it, but I felt I owed it to myself to do the next mile. Not bad, so I did the next mile. By mile four, I was diggin' it! And mile five was AWESOME! I feel FANTASTIC and can't believe I did FIVE MILES tonight! Whoohooo!

Cannot even wait to wake up tomorrow morning and do this one again! Believe it or not, but since August 4th, I've walked SIXTY miles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAAAA?! This is making the most humongous difference, my body feels great and I can tell things are a shifting around! I think this is a bonafide breakthrough in the exercise department.


I've also been reading the older version of "Thin Within" by Judy Halliday and I've been believing that I'm "thin within". I like thinking that and I know it is true. I am leaving Ms Fatty behind and becoming the real me!

I Had No Idea

Your Food is Fooling You by Kessler

I've never connected with the idea of "emotional eating" and never have considered myself an emotional eater. I always thought it meant eating a tub of ice cream when feeling depressed (though I'm sure I've done that in the past!) but I don't think that's the entire picture.

In the past, I used to attack my plate, quickly gulping down my food uncontrollably for every meal as if I hadn't eaten in days. The delicious meal gripped me and I felt ravenous to consume, chew, swallow and shovel more in. It's been a long time since that was my habit of eating. I haven't really struggled too much with binge eating recently...except for the past two days.

I started asking myself...why do I do this? What happens? Why all of a sudden do I feel out of control and could eat the entire house? Why do I struggle with wanting more helpings of certain foods and with others I'm satisfied with one portion. WHY DO I NEVER want more of my yummy salad? I love my salad, it tastes soooo good, I love the crunchy sunflower seeds and the moosh of the craisins in my mouth...but I never lose control and want to eat seconds or thirds (like I do with some meals). I never dream about it all day, wanting more, More, MORE! WHY?

In the past, I've held a belief that some foods stimulate something internally (like a trigger) and this big scary monster builds up and wants to eat pounds and pounds of it. So my way to cope is to simply avoid these foods since they aren't vital to my health and nutrition requirements. For some reason, I have a very difficult time with these:

GA! These must have some kind of powerful drug in them that makes them irresistible! It would be nearly impossible for a bag to last more than 24 hours in my home (sick). I haven't had them in at least a year and don't struggle passing by them in the store anymore. They are off limits because I feel so gross after I eat them. It's really almost laughable they have a "nutrition" label. They really aren't FOOD! But now I know WHY, because this book tells me there's a very good reason I react this way to these sugary+fatty+salty crunchy triangles!

I have completely enjoyed reading this book by David A. Kessler, MD "Your Food is Fooling You" and would highly recommend it to anyone who struggles with controlling themselves around processed foods (yeah, cause who wants MORE salad!?! Do you ever really crave ANOTHER apple?!) It is the "teen" version of "The End of Overeating", which is a thick book that sat on my nightstand until the library demanded it back. But this thin paperback version is awesomely readable!

He has put words and expressions to my suspicions and I feel really empowered knowing that my hunches about some of my favorite (non)foods (especially from restaurants) are valid! I read this book to my children and we now joke about some of the products that are out there masquerading as food, but that's really not a joke! More and more I'm choosing foods that nourish my body-ME!-that's so exciting!

Sunday Weigh In #27 of 45 in 2014

Sunday Weigh In #27 Aug 24 2014

WOW! Welcome to Onederland! This is pretty exciting! But I do realize that it is very likely I'll bounce around on my way down through the 190s and I expect to see 200s for awhile as I do. BUT I'm encouraging myself because this is the first peek at 199! YAY!


Today was 199.3

Walk Walk Walk Walk

I've been walking almost everyday!

Back in October, I tried Leslie Sansone's home walking videos. I stopped doing them because my hips really hurt, but I decided to try again. MFP has a Leslie Sansone group and they do monthly challenges. I decided to give it a try in July, but didn't really connect with the group.


Enter August. Why not try again? I'm sooooo glad I did! Wow, something really good is going on here! I've walked 42 (FORTY TWO!) miles since August 6th! And I'm LOVING it!

This is so easy! I walk in front of the computer...two (sometimes three) miles in the morning and then another two before bed. I love logging on the MFP group (thanks for the encouragement, ladies!) every night before bed and updating my own spreadsheet. This is a way better workout than my meandering walks outside...and I'm doing it twice a day! I think this is sustainable! I'm getting some good exercise! Finally breaking through that 204/203 and moving into the 202s! YAY!

Sunday Weigh In #26 of 45 in 2014

Sunday Weigh In #26 Aug 17 2014

WOW! Lowest so far! I know it's the walking!

Today was 202.1

Take Up My Cross

Recent trip to Mount Rainier (Paradise)

I was thinking about some women who post on a Facebook group I joined. They want good fruit in their relationships, but they don't want to die to their self-centered ways.

This made me think about me...in my process of seeking better fruit in my personal relationships, I CHOSE self-death, I went after it, I found ways to invite it, I ran headlong into it, I sought it out! I took each "incident" of selfishness and examined it and turned away from my flesh and repented.

In doing so, I experienced the weakening of my flesh and the strengthening of my spirit. I could see how the battle, though it looked SO DIFFICULT, was really just a vapor. The struggle was real, but my victory was certain if I chose to die. Looking BACK over each struggle, each incident battled, I can see how I thought I was up against a thick brick wall, but in reality, it was a curtain of fog, without substance, without mass, without power. I was giving it so much power by cooperating with my own selfishness. All I had to do was shove against it...and I fell to the other side without any struggle after the initial effort of shoving (or choosing to die and repenting).

But in contrast (in my weight loss journey), I have NOT wanted to die. I've done everything possible to make things easy on myself with the least amount of effort toward giving up my own self-centered ways or dying to my own fleshly appetites, attitudes, intentions and motivations. I have allowed the Lord some measure, I've been open to His ways, but I haven't had the willingness or eagerness to SEEK self-death. It was a revelation today (probably again) that I don't really want to die with regards to this process.


But Self-Death is the Way to Life.

I want to change my mind, I want to hurl headlong into self-death...there's SO many opportunities! Each time I want to eat, but I'm not hungry is an opportunity for dying to my fleshly appetites (literally). Moving my body when I don't feel like it, drinking extra water, doing these healthy things because I know I've been convicted about them in the past...

I look forward to more LIFE as I put to death the deeds of my flesh.

The fog rolling in just a short time before the previous photo was taken.

Sunday Weigh In #25 of 45 in 2014

Sunday Weigh In #25 Aug 10 2014

Up and down and all around.

Today was 203.7

Awesome New Workout Routine

This is so exciting! Today a whole new workout took shape.


Calf Stretch
Fitness Blender Easy Cardio Warm Up
Leslie Sansone Walking Down the Blood Sugar 2 Miles
HIIT Rebounder (only 3 sets 10 seconds intense/15 seconds rest) I can barely breathe!
3 minute Health Bounce
Calf Stretch


Whoohooo! I LOVE this! The inside DVD walk is a way better workout than my outside walk, though I plan to walk outside two days per week. This is so sustainable! I feel AWESOME!

HIIT Rebounder Workout

Visit to Museum of Glass 8/2014

I'm SO excited! I do actually need to DO this workout, but after I blog first!

I can't help but laugh and giggle when I do HIIT on the rebounder! It just makes me laugh because it's so...BOUNCY!

I have a few resources to get started...my online HIIT timer to use with the rebounder and there's a few YouTube videos to explore and my favorite Fitness Blender has a couple HIIT workouts that I might be able to do. The whole idea is to 1)start somewhere and 2)build on that foundation and 3)challenge myself to do more and more and more, little by little and day by day.

I wanted to have a photo of me bouncing, but that's just too difficult for today! We went to the Museum of Glass in Tacoma the other day and we LOVED this interactive room.

Now I Know What Get Strong Means

Homegrown Strawberry Backyard 08/2014

WOW! Thank you Marilyn!

The Lord told me to "GET STRONG" back in April 2012. I have not really figured out that principle yet...I thought it meant lifting weights. I understand the body will burn more fat when it has mor muscle. At my friend Christi's suggestion, I bought "Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle" by Tony Venuto. But in all the different things I've attempted in order to "get strong", I haven't really connected with anything (and I've tried a lot of things). That caused me to put "get strong" on the back burner...

until today.

Marilyn has told me in the past, that I need to do intense bursts, even when walking. I haven't really implemented that in the past when she's mentioned it. I get the idea of anaerobic activity and read about it in The Gabriel Method and I did fartlaks in high school track practice oh so many years ago. But today when she described that she only does this for seven minutes, a light bulb went on.

Since I started my new walk in July, I've been feeling like there might be something...MORE. I haven't been sure what to think about this, since walking was the very first thing the Lord told me to do. When Marilyn started talking to me about what I really NEEDED to do (strengthen my body), I really listened. I know that burning calories through exercise (not just diet) creates a caloric deficit, but I've always viewed my diet (what I eat) and exercise (what I do) as independent areas. I've never walked to lose weight, I've walked to move my body and have better health. I've never eaten back my calories burned from exercise and I don't track my calories burned from exercise. When she said I needed to strengthen my heart through intense bursts, I knew she was talking about GET STRONG!

...and strengthening my HEART has huge meaning for me! I haven't blogged about this topic on this blog, but I maintain another blog of heart photos. I find hearts everywhere! I consider them little love notes from God. It's almost hilarious how I sensed when she was talking that the Lord has been telling me "it's your HEART" through all these hearts I find (and photograph)! My husband and I had a huge hoot over it, I just couldn't see that the hearts and the HIIT was related! COOL BEANS!

I am going to do 10 seconds of intense bouncing on the rebounder/trampoline with a 20 second rest. I did five of these last night and I thought I was going to die (PERFECT!) By the 5th one, I was done as I couldn't breathe! How's THAT!? Here's the online HIIT timer I used. More blogging to come on this new found inspiration!

Next Check In August 18th

Glass Bridge/Museum of Glass 8/2014

For awhile, I've been checking in every two weeks with my friend Marilyn. The past two weeks have been good...and not so good. I did lose .3lbs in 2 weeks but the bad is that I'm not tracking my calories consistently. I seem to gain momentum in one area and then another area suffers. Maybe it is always going to be this way and I just need to keep juggling it all without expectation of mastery. I can see though how I am refining areas and that's encouraging! I'm so glad I haven't GAINED!

So for the next two week cycle, I'm going to track my calories more honestly. I don't know what's happened to my mindset about this! My goal is to fill out each and every cell in my spreadsheet, no blank ones.

I'm also going to try increasing my cardio, stay tuned for that!

Having goals certainly helps me and I really like the two week iterations between our visits. I use MyFitnessPal.com and my pen & paper notebook to keep me on track, too. My goal for 8/18 is 199. I can do it!

Sunday Weigh In #24 of 45 in 2014

Sunday Weigh In #24 Aug 3 2014

I haven't updated my blog in a month (I often back publish my posts) and when I come here I get encouraged. I held back this gaining post until I've lost again. The past two weeks I've been SO OFF, not logging my calories properly, not being honest, giving up late in the day, overeating during dinner. I need a course correction!

Today was 203.9