Febraury 6th, 2013  Back At It! Blog #4

Hey Gang!!!

Well today is the day! I hit the gym. I have my iPod sync'd, gym clothes packed, lunch packed, everything I need to be successful just gotta drive to the Gym after work. I am not even coming home! :) Back At IT!!! (the GYM that is!) I have 2 pounds to go to be in the 220's!!! Can you believe I am really that excited? but yeah I really am! Every pound is like a mini goal for me :)

Life is about setting goals and meeting and exceeding them right? So here are mine:

1. Hit my goal weight and be healthy. Currently that number is about 165. However that being said, when I get near that I will re-evluate myself and determing to lose more or maintain
2. Grow my hair long again...I really do miss it!
3. Get at least 7 hours of sleep a night ( not happening tonight because I am typing this to ya'll)
4. Get my PMP Certification
5. Get my Masters
6. Possibly look at buying another home... on the fence on that!
7. Stay positive as much as possible in the face of adversity. (kill em' with a Bless Your Heart!)

Below is a sample from todays meals. This is fromt the MyFitnessApp! Pretty cool little deal. The only thing it doesn't "really" count is Carbs/Net Carbs. So actually I had less carbs but its all good! I set my goals kind of high so I can measure my eating and hunger. It you look at the bottom lineS:

You can see my Daily totals on line 1
My Goals on line 2
and my remaining counts on line 3

I am religious about logging things in here. Every meal every thing that goes in my mouth goes in this app. Its pretty easy adn a great way to judge what you are eating and if you should or shouldn't ( hence Chicken selects...)

Stay Healthy and thanks for your support!!! <3 you!

sample from today's menu from MyFitness Pal app

Breakfast	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein
Atkins - Advantage Meal Bar - Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar, 1 Bar	240	22	12	19
	240	22	12	19
Lunch
Mcdonald's - Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips (5 Pc), 1 serving	640	36	38	38
	640	36	38	38
Dinner
Home Baked Cod Fish, 6 oz	160	1	6	36
Green Giant - Just for One Broccoli and Cheese Sauce, 1 tray	40	7	1	2
Pictsweet - Asperagus Spears Steamables, 6 spears	20	3	0	2
	220	11	7	40
Snacks
Totals	1,100	69	57	97
Your Daily Goal	1,400	70	31	210
Remaining	300	1	-26	113

January 13th, 2013 Perseverance   Blog #3

Good Morning!

OK so this blog is about putting it all out there (and it's long SORRY!!!). First, I am going to relay some embarrassing and personal information that every woman cringes at. In order to keep this blog real and credible I feel that I have to be real and credible with myself.

I went to the doctor Friday because I felt like I was going into bronchitis. Caught that in the nick of time! However, while I was there I asked him to check my highest weight during 2012. WOW what a realization that was. (Numbers to follow, I promise and no skipping ahead :) ) So he said Wow what are you doing? You look great! I blushed because he is kinda cute! Anyway, I told him my plan and what I was doing. He approved 100%, I asked him to be on the safe side that I would like to get a complete blood work up done to make sure my numbers were where they should be. He agreed and that is coming up.

Now, most of us see the scale as a enemy and in a lot of cases it is, It is a number that represents your gravity level on earth, However, it is also a good indicator of if our lifestyle style is working or not. I have had many challenges in the past 90 days. New job, deaths, extreme friend drama, family, holidays...but this is life. Right? And if those events are not happening then its something else, other dramas. What I am saying is that life happens, it's up to you whether you use it as an excuse or look at it as a challenge to overcome. I choose the latter and decide to persevere!

My highest weight last year was (ready?) 282. Many say "OMG I would have never guessed you weighed that. But I did and that is extremely unhealthy. That put my BMI at 44.2. I currently weigh (ready ?) "235" (yay) and that puts my BMI at 36. My BMI has dropped over 8 points! By the table below you can see how bad 44.2 is. However if you look at the positive side of this, I am within 12 points of being "Normal" which is a weight of 191 or lower. I am 40 pounds from being healthy by the BMI standard. For more information on this go to this link. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/risk.htm#limitations

If you read that does it scare you? It did me. I want to be healthy and not just so I look better but so I feel better and lessen my risk for something I can possibly control. This link has several good key points that are useful in this journey. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/recommen.htm

Now if you are stuck on a number (like me) and you want to set numerical goals( like me) then this link will calculate a range of what your ideal weight is. It does not take into consideration your body build. Some people have a larger bone structure (like me) and this is a GUIDE. What is important is how you feel. Are you happy healthy and when you look in the mirror are you realistic about what you see. http://www.caloriescount.com/Mod_my_plan_assessment.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

Alot of my issues is low confidence and horrible self-esteem. I remember being in high school at 148 and being told I was fat, Moo Cow (was one of the popular phrases for me) Fat Frye etc. I rarely if ever wear shorts or dresses to this day because people made fun of my large (then very muscular because I played sports) legs. I still hear those voices. When I walk into a room I still measure myself up against everyone there. Because of my own distorted self image I cannot see what others see. Warren is constantly telling me he thinks I am beautiful. I completely suck at taking compliments. All because of some bully's and cruel words that were said to me very early in life. This is where psychological perseverance comes in. I am trying not to see the physical me so much as the healthier me. So here is the low down - raw numbers ...

                     Beginning          Current          Goal           Current Loss     Goal Loss
Weight          282                     235                160              47                     122
BMI              44.2                     36                  25.1             8.2                    19.1

I will be re-assessing my goals as I go. Like I said, its just a number at this point. I have set mini goals along the way. Such as I wanted to be:
235 by my birthday on January 24th. HIT IT!!!
I wanted to be in a size 16 jeans. HIT IT!!!

So my new goals are:
I want to be in the 220's by February. (hey that's only 5.1 pounds)
I want to decrease my fat intake by 5 grams a day (set to 50 currently)
I want to increase my water to 1 gallon a day.

Warren has a great quote from Tony Horton, it goes like this....
"Don't say "I can't, say "I currently struggle with..."

PLEASE READ THIS- DON'T DO ANYTHING EXTREME & CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR

Please note you should not go below 1400 calories per day, as this is the minimum amount necessary to meet your daily nutrient requirements. If the calorie level determined for you is below 1400 calories, you may want to consider increasing your exercise. However, if you are unable to do that, you will still lose weight, it will just be at a slower pace (approximately 1/2 pound or .25 kg per week).
To lose one pound (.5 kg) a week, a person must burn 3,500 calories more than are consumed (500 calories per day over the course of a week). For example, reducing calories by 300 per day and increasing daily activity to burn off an additional 200 calories should result in a weight loss of one pound (.5 kg) per week


http://nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

BMI Categories:

• Underweight = <18.5
• Normal weight = 18.5–24.9
• Overweight = 25–29.9
• Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater

January 8th, 2013 - The TEST! Blog #2

Wow what a few days it has been since my last post! As many of you know I lost my beloved Mother in law (MoM) on January 2nd. So, with that being said, I'm sure you can imagine the amount of food that was around. I stayed true and disciplined. On Wednesday January 2nd, I had to take Whitney and Raphael back to the airport to head out to France. Yep my baby leaving again. After I sopped them off I was planning to go to Deb in Wilmington to return a dress that I had purchased. Of course I had lost the receipt but I had the tags on it and they gave me a store credit. On my way to Deb after leaving the airport I had a complete hysterical breakdown in the car... you know a real ugly cry. It needed to happen. So I get out of the car, go in Deb and return the dress. The lady was more than helpful and even looked a little scared of me... it was strange. So I am looking at jeans and I thought ... ya know I am buying a size 16. If they don't fit they will soon enough right? I leave the store get back into the car and then looked at myself in the rear view mirror. OMG I was a MESS! Mascara streaks, raccoon eyes, blotchy. No wonder they gave me a refund LOL
Well I got home and knew I needed to pack for the trip. So I was hesitant to try on the jeans because if they were ridiculously small I would most likely cry again :) THEY BOTH FIT! From a size 20 to a 16! I am like OH HELL TO THE YES!!!!

When we got to Western PA, I realized I had forgotten my coat.So we went shopping. I found my Hydraulic jeans and they were not on sale for $59. I waited...Then Maurice's sent me a 20% coupon. They knew I needed some retail therapy. Well Saturday I needed some of that!
In the Indiana mall there is a Maurice's. Now those of you that know me know I LOVE my Hydraulic jeans. So Anita Brahosky and I went shopping. So I am looking at my Hydraulics. And I am looking at the 16's...then I spot the 14's. I know right what the hell am I thinking? Well I love these jeans so much I knew that I would stay motivated to get in them. So I take them and I am going to try them on when I spot the Juniors section. I said Oh let me tempt fate! So I grabbed the 15/16 and 17/18. All 3 pair fit! Now I ma not gonna lie even a little, I bought the 14's and I may wear them with the tags on them! LOL However if I have a quarter in the back pocket you can tell what the date is LOL they are tight but, my goal is to have them loose by March 1st if not sooner :)

The reason I went through all of that story was to say this... It takes determination, strength and a sincere want to change. I have made it through going back to WV (no hot dogs, no Cam's Ham, no good ole southern cooking) during Thanksgiving, several parties, Christmas, New Years and a funeral and traveling. New Job, etc. I have stayed 95% true to this plan. I had some sugar free chocolates, ½ a pizelle, etc. Very few cheat items have made the cut. You have to want it. It's hard saying no to what I would so easily put in my mouth without regards to my weight. I am getting stronger everyday and now it is time for phase two. (drum roll)

THE GYM! - I am really excited to enter this back into my life. I know that my number may fluctuate and that's OK. I will adjust my diet accordingly. But my goal is to have dropped 100 pounds by June (ish) I will re-evaluate my goals at that time. My main goal is to get healthy and the number is just a metric to keep me going! :)

I hope you enjoyed this. If you know anyone that is struggling with weight loss, self image or whatever .... link them to this blog. I am going to try really hard to be regular with this, if life allows me :)
<3 you guys thanks for reading and keeping me inspired

~Kel

January 1st, 2013 Happy New Year Blog #1

Happy New Year everyone!

Well I am EXTREMELY happy to post that I have lost 38.5 pounds since October 29th. I have not been to the gym, this is just by diet. I head back to the gym on 01/03/2012. I am going to try to faithfully update this on the daily, or a few times a week at the least. Thank you for following! I will post my food diary adn tips and tricks that I find are working for me. As with any type of diet/Exercise plan please consult with your doctor first.

OK with the disclaimer out of the way let me tell you briefly what i am doing. The simplicity is actually pretty amazing.

What am I doing?

1. As few carbs as possible
2. Lean meats (Organic when possible)
3. Water, water water...did I mention WATER? :)
4. No Sodas, Chips, Chocolate, junk of any kind
5. No Bread Pasta or Starchy veggies
6. Less than 1500 calories a day
7. Les than 50 Carbs a day (this is not the rule but what I strive for)

Sounds pretty tough right? IT'S NOT! I have not had one piece of bread, no potatoes, no pasta, no chips, no junk and no soda since 10/29/2012. I have been VERY disciplined and if I can do this through the holidays, you can do it now!

Massive carbs are just purely evil and I have found that this is what is working for me. Also, track everything that goes into your mouth! "Oh Kelly that is too much work!. STOP BEING LAZY AND JUST DO IT! My only resolutions for this year is no clutter & no excuses. By clutter I mean I am cleaning out my body, my mind, my house and no negativity is allowed. Its actually a very simple way to think. But, I digress! So I downloaded a new app called My Fitness Pal. You can google or bar scan any food and it will tell you the sugars and carbs. Now today has not been a typical day of food consumption for me but believe it or not I have only eaten 494 calories. This is not a good idea and I do not endorse doing this. Just being honest!  I had 2 cabbage rolls for lunch which had about 234 calories and then I had a 30g Protien shake for dinner. That was 4 hours ago and I feel fine! You can log your exercise and calories and it keeps you on track. DOWNLOAD THIS APP!!!! ITS AWESOME much like you are :)

So that' it for today.  Please leave suggestions or comments I welcome everything you have to say :) Till next time...be Healthy

~Kel