Tuesday 13 March 2012

Little Accomplishments!

     Hey, I thought I would talk about some of my little accomplishments. I have written about my weight loss so far, but there are more things happening besides the scales dipping down. Actually I have to admit that I  have had a bad food week. I seemed to have a bad beginning and it kept following me throughout the week. It really is a battle every day.
     On a positive note, I have been going to the gym, walking and generally trying to be more active. This week we are starting aqua size, I cant wait!! Since trying to become more active I have noticed some subtle changes. This week I had to have my eyes tested, and if you know anything about Corner Brook, you know its a city built on a hill. To get any where you either have to go up or down. So since I have started driving a standard I avoid hills at all cost. I drove to my appointment, parked on the bottom of the hill and walked up to the office, (in the pouring rain). When I got to the top of the hill I saw a sign in the window that said open in fifteen minutes. So i walked back down the hill, only to walk back up a few minutes later. I was sitting in the waiting room before i finally realised that I wasn't winded from the walk. My face wasn't red and I didn't feel like I could collapse. Little accomplishment #1.
     You all know that I find it difficult to admit just how far I have gone when it comes to my health and what shape I am in. One issue for me was going to church. I have suffered from a bad back for a while now and I assume it is connected to my weight. One problem this brings with it is standing for long periods of time. I get a horrible pain in my lower back, causing me to sit down when everyone else is standing. I would find this very embarrassing. This week I went back after being away for a few weeks, and noticed that my back didn't get bad while standing. I still felt the beginnings of the pain that caused me to sit down all the time, but it never got bad enough for me to actually have to sit down. Little accomplishment #2.
     We have a new car which I have mentioned several times, and I had been having difficulty reaching the clutch because I had the seat pushed way back because I felt tight sitting up too close. In the past week I have noticed that when i get in I pull the seat closer and closer to the steering wheel. I have noticed that I can pull it ahead way further and reaching the clutch is becoming a non issue. Little accomplishment #3
     Still dealing with the car, I have noticed that I have much more slack in the seat belt. Small accomplishment #4.
     I am seeing differences, If i can keep telling myself to keep on keeping on it should be all good. I do have trouble with night time eating... its been a struggle to avoid night time snacking, any one have any suggestions to offer? Any way, I thought I would keep you posted on my small accomplishments!


Tuesday 6 March 2012

Mini... Actually Massive Melt Downs!!

     OK, I have come to realise that honesty is really hard. I planned on being open about every aspect of my weight loss journey this time, and had good intentions of telling the whole story, whether its pretty or not. But to be honest with you, that is really hard! I have secrets about eating and exercise that no one knows about but me, and to break down and tell some of those secrets is really disturbing, because then they aren't secrets any more. But I'm getting ahead of myself now.
     Not all of you know but I have been really sick for the last two and a half weeks, which meant my exercise would have to wait until I could actually breathe. Not a problem I told myself, Ill just follow the calorie plan and exercise when I was feeling better, but a strange thing happened, I didn't feel better. I was still coughing and wheezing and having trouble getting my breath. Yesterday I actually felt a little bit better. So I got ready, and with some encouragement from a good friend, went to the gym. I just used the treadmill for twenty minutes but I felt great, getting from the car to the house, that was another story. The cold has been really hurting my lungs, seriously this flu is getting the better of me. But I did go to the gym and I did feel great. So today I was supposed to walk outside, for ten minutes, (a couple of times throughout the day)  that's like five minutes up and five minutes back... seriously who can't do that... me apparently.
     When you leave my house there is a little hill, this hill really gets the better of me whether I am driving my new standard or walking. I have stalled there both in a vehicle and on two legs! Bill graciously agreed to come with me, I say graciously because he already knew it wasn't going to be a pleasant experience for him... i was not in a good mood. I was armed with bill for support, and my ipod for time... I planned to turn around at the five minute mark. Five minute mark! It sounds ridiculous now that I couldn't do it. As soon as I walked out the door I felt the cold hit my lungs, and it didn't feel good, but I kept on going. I got to the end of our driveway and started on the little hill that is my nemesis. I wasn't walking for two minutes when the thought came screaming in my head "I CANT DO THIS!!" so I turned to bill and said, "I can not do this." My chest was hurting, I couldn't get my breath, the hill looked like mount Everest, and I saw with perfect clarity just how far I had to go, not the top of the hill, but the mount Everest of losing over a hundred pounds. With that thought came the tears, on the side of the road I had a melt down. I cant walk five minutes up a small hill, yet I'm going to have to do this day after day, after day. I had that familiar feeling again, I give up. Its too hard. There is too far to go. And I don't have the strength... now get me a chocolate bar!
                                          (you will have to excuse bills thumb in the pic... oops!)

      Luckily bill was there to bring me back to reality. He managed to talk me into walking the rest of the way. So panting, coughing, and wheezing I made my way up the hill. I cried all the way home, I moaned on our little drive around town that I cant do it any more, I've done it so many times and it gets harder each time. I had quite a self pity party during that drive, talking about every past failed attempt to lose weight, how far I had to go, crying, and listening to every sad song on my ipod. So bill let me vent and cry for a while, then told me that from now on when I walk I will walk down the hill on the other side and walk for ten minutes and he will pick me up if I need him to. Ill bring the cell phone and call him, but ill still get my walking in.(I love him) I'm very lucky. So I'm feeling better again, and ill go out again, armed this time with an ipod and a cell phone. Just that little hill got the better of me... made me want to quit and of course eat chocolate. But I'm not going to, no matter how much I want to... here's hoping the next time is easier. Ill let you know.

Oh and I have an update for you, since seeing a personal trainer and being put on an actual plan I have lost eight pounds!