Week one of my weight loss adventure was anything but regimen and perfect. It was not at all what my first week on The Biggest Loser Ranch would have looked like.
It started with the fact that our food stamps allotment did not come through, so I could not go grocery shopping. We did not have very much food in the house and trying to eat six times a day at 1200 calories was a challenge. My husband went to a food bank to get food and luckily we were given fresh vegetables.
(If you don't know this, my husband has been unemployed off and on for the last 5 years)
My biggest issue with losing weight is not the eating or exercising, it's the long term follow through. My history of trying to lose this 100+ pounds of weight has been so discouraging that I have literally lost all interest in trying.
There was a 6 month time period when I was on weight watchers and training for a triathlon, and I only lost a total of 7 pounds!
I continued to work out and watch what I ate, but was not really interested in losing weight, because I didn't, no matter what I did.
I got test done on my thyroid, I had blood test done and everything came back fine.
After my mom died, I stopped exercising. My kids were all in school for the first time in my motherhood (I am a homeschool mom) and I became depressed. As a result of eating, sleeping and doing nothing I gained 15 pounds and hypertension.
I was so discouraged...
Then Season 14 of Biggest Loser came on and my family watched it together. One of the contestants was a friend of my friend, and so I watched her journey on Facebook.
All of a sudden it hit me... I am going to do this! So I decided to apply for the show. It was an amazing experience. I made a video, shared my struggle and asked people to nominate me.
I was so sure I was going to be picked that I started making plans and arrangements to help my family while I was gone.
I didn't get picked.
But it was too late. The mindset was already set in motion, the adrenalin was already flowing through my veins and I had already seen myself 100 pounds lighter and stronger.
I decided to do this at home!
First week...
Monday
I worked out for 3 hours.
In the morning a 3 mile walk (1&1/2 hours)
Afternoon .25 mile swim
Evening
Tuesday
Walked 3.5 miles (1&1/2 hours)
Swam .5 miles. (1 hour)
Water aerobics (45 minutes)
Sit-ups for 15 minutes
Wednesday
Swam .3 miles (45 minutes)
Walked 1.5 miles (30 minutes)
Threaded water (30 minutes)
Water aerobics (45 minutes)
Thursday
Walked 2 miles (45 minutes)
Swam (40 minutes)
Jillian Michaels video (45 minutes)
Friday
Today I did not work out at all... I was so discouraged! I had some friends come over
at 12pm swim and we talked and laughed until
6pm. I had a meeting
at 7:30 and had to get dinner ready and pick up my house, so I did not workout then either. Then I got a phone call from a distraught friend, whose husband had just told her that he is divorcing her. She was on her way over at the same time.
I had to reschedule with the people who drove all the way to Easton to meet with me and the talked and comforted and prayed with my friend until
11:30pm. At midnight I considered working out, but I felt like God wanted me to spend time with Him instead. I did and discovered something amazing about myself and my weight loss journey these sixteen years:
I am an extremist. I can do nothing without going to extremes. When I don't reach the lofty, extreme goals for myself, I stop or give up because it feels like failure. The Lord told me to consider being more balanced, more forgiving of myself.
I decided that was going to be my motto for this journey... Balanced.
Balanced in everything in my life... Spiritually, physically and emotionally.
An ah-ha moment of breakthrough!
Saturday
Last Chance workout with my son
1&1/2 hours of non-stop intense workout
1 mile walk/jog/sprint
15 seconds walk
20 seconds jog
30 seconds sprint
Repeat for a mile
10 bear crawls for about 12 yards
Threw 50 bricks one way alternating arms
Three them back the other way alternating arms
Zigzag sprints around cones for 12 yards there and back under 25 seconds
10 times
20 Jump squats
Swim laps
There and back in under 40 seconds
10 times
Sunday
Church, going to my dads house, taking a long 4 hour nap to make up for my lack of sleep the night before. Dinner, recording food I ate, back to bed! Another day of not working out!!! Ugh!!!
Was I going to lose any weight? I set my goal low , so I would not be discouraged! I only wanted to lose 2 pounds!
Monday
I walked 2 miles, swam, aerobics and working in the backyard on my shop...
Weigh in time:
I step on the scale, hopeful of any little morsel of lost weight...
Family and friends around....
The scale said 251...
251!!!!
That means I lost 4 pounds!!!
2 more than my goal!!!
I was speechless, almost in shock!
Week two... Here I come!
