10 Year Picture

Tomorrow is my second meeting for the "Everybody Wins" fat burning contest that I joined. I can tell you now that I don't think I'll win this one. Sad for me but this isn't really what it's all about.

Before I go to this meeting I wanted to "do" my homework. Last Thursday we were asked to draw a picture of where we would like to see ourselves in ten years. I thought about this through out the week, and I think I may have a pretty good picture.

Just to forewarn you, some of the things I've thought of may seem silly, other's weird, and yet some even weirder. My picture, right? Right.

*Also I jump from third to first person. I know it's breaking the rules, but rules are meant to be broken if you understand why they're there in the first place. I hope it isn't too annoying and you see how I'm using these points of view to tell my story.

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Picture a mother. Tall and thin- YES! I can say this because I will be thin and remain thin ... and it's what?! Oh yah- my dream! Continuing on...

This mother is sitting with her arms folded and her head bent. She's in a skirt, teacup style that comes just below her knees. To the right of her is an eleven year old girl giggling quietly trying to be reverent herself. She too is dressed up; however she's in a pretty purple dress with her hair in a chick pony tail. The mother looks up and gives her daughter, Shaylee the look. Immediately Shaylee casts her eyes down and covers her mouth.

Infront of Shaylee and I sits my 12 year old son on a chair facing me and our close loved ones. So handsome he looks with his gelled hair and new black suit from Sears. He's smiling with great anticipation. Today is the day he becomes a priesthood holder. With the help of me and his daddy, whom is standing behind him placing his hands upon Aiden's head, he has grown to be a worthy young man. He is now ready for more repsonsibility. A tear escapes and slides down my cheek.

Now fast forward to a Friday, after school. I've just pulled into the ...hmmm? Elementary school? Wait... 6th grade is now middle school isn't it? Ok ... I've just pulled into the Middle School parking lot with my 2020 HUMMER (shush! My dream- and at least I didn't make it a flying Hummer! HAHA!) I step out of my super cool car with a sway to my hips. A sway that comes naturally I might add! ;) The bell rings and out run hundreds of derranged and excited pre-teens charging their way through the doors, pushing and shoving.

"Hey Mom!" Yells Shaylee coming at me from the left and from the right yells Aiden, "SHOT GUN!!!!"

"Great!" I think rounding up my two monkey's and hearding them back to my fly Hummer. Now to pick up my two younger monsters from the 2nd and 4th grades. (I kind of have to leave this thought open ended seeing as I don't actually HAVE two other children...)

So here are just some other things I'm anticipating:
-the "talk" with both of my children
-puberty. Yes believe it or not I want to see my children grow from awkward adolescence into beautiful people. I don't want to just imagine it, I want to live it.
-girl talk
-sports
-plays
-shopping
-sleepovers
-awkward questions
-MORE CHILDREN!
-Josh and I playing sports with our children
-Josh and I having our 10 year anniversary

I want to own our own home somewhere back in the Columbia Basin. I want to be a part of the PTA and volunteer in my kids classrooms. I want to be the "cool" mom that takes the kids out in the wee hours for goodies.

But most of all... I want to be there. I want to be alive. I want to be healthy and strong. I want to enjoy life with my children. I want to have the good and the bad, just as long as I'm the one that gets to experience it. I want to be happy...

... And the only way I'll get there is by getting this weight off. Heart disease runs through the women on my mom's side of the family. Infact it's a lot closer to "home" than most of us even realize. I don't want to be next, but it's definitly a real possibility if I allow myself to continue indulging in my "crack," ... also known as junk food.

Now that I have drawn my picture, I find I have an actual destination where I'd like my life to go. Once I've met either some or all of my goals I will sit down and once again draw a new picture for myself and my family.

I hope you all do the same as well.

Week 15 Weigh-in...

I have to say I'm pretty excited about this week's weigh-in. I did wake up this morning super excited to go on our hike up some small mountain just an hour away; however because of the rain we weren't able to go. Then I started messing with BOTH of my ears, and not too long after that I realized my lymphnodes in my neck are super swollen. My measurements show this to be true as well.

But before I go into my weigh-in, let me explain my pictures (posted follwing this weigh-in) and what I can notice myself. I almost look as if I'm starting to turn boxy! My hips/ love handles have practically DEFLATED in just one week!

Also there was a roll just under my right breast from where I had some back boobage going on. This seems to be disappearing as well! I THANK VERY STRONGLY the water aerobics I have had the privledge to do by myself this week due to the heat. Yay! So the change is G.R.A.D.U.A.L ... but I can honestly say I DO see one this time!

This weeks picture (week 15) was taken today and like I said I have swollen lymphnodes and I'm also sun burnt. LOL! Needless to say it isn't the most flattering shot of me, but I think I'm getting to the place in my own heart that I DON'T CARE! haha! Is this a good or bad sign???

So to my weigh-in results!

Started out at: 269

Weight today: 244 (lost 2 pounds)

Total lost: 25 pounds!

Totaly fat lost: 32 lbs.


This week was a pretty good one for me! Technically I lost 3 pounds of fat this week and gained one pound back in muscle, which appears to be in my hips, thighs, and calves. This excites me because I'll look better in my clothing if I'm solid underneath!

Neck: 14.75 (gained .5 in. due to lymphnodes)
Chest: 45.25 (lost .25)
Upper Arm: Remained the same at 13.25
Lower Arm: Remained the same at 10.25
UPPER WAIST: 37.5 in. (lost .5 in.)

LOWER WAIST!!!!!: 40.5 in. (LOST 1.25 inches!) Total inches lost on my waist: 6 INCHES!!!

Hips: 49.25 (gained .25 in. due to muscle)
Thighs: Remained the same at 23.5 in.
Calf: 16.75 (gained .25 due to muscle)

So I'm feeling pretty good about my loss' this week! I ended up having to buy new clothing to workout in yesterday. I've now gone from a 2X to a XL! WOOH HOO! :)

I have also noticed that clothing is actually really hard to find for me because it seems my post-partum stomach is "growing." (sagging.) It's pretty disturbing how the extra skin is moving South. Dan said give it a year or two and it should tighten back up. Perhaps I'll have another baby before this happens so Josh can give me that tummy-tuck he's promised me! ;)

How are the rest of you doing on your journey's thus far?
ps. Don't forget to check out the pictures right after this!

Picture Comparison!!!

WEEK 15 WEIGH-IN

Week 1 (left) Week 11 (right)

Week 14 (right) Week 15 (left)

Friday Loves ...and Not So Lovely III

Well once again it's Friday! Time to fill you in on some things I've come to love this week:

I love that I have extra room while sitting in the car now.

I hate that I seem to flop around more often when my husband drives.

I love that I fit in the backseat now with my children.

I hate that I almost up-chucked everthing all over my daughter because I got car sick!

I love that I need to buy new clothes now!

I hate that it will all be from goodwill! BOOH!!!! (Since I still have 60 pounds to go Josh won't let me buy cute clothes until I stop losing.)

I love how thin my face is looking.
I hate how much hair I seem to have all of a sudden ... I look like cousin IT!

I love that I can jog every other power pole now.
I hate that I return home with black eyes. (If only I was fortunate enough to be happily perky like this lady here!!! Pfhfhfahaha!)

I love looking fit and tone!

I hate that when one muscle is tight in my body, somewhere completely unrelated gets jacked up. (For example. My hamstrings are sore and tight, therefore my big toe is sprained??? HAHAHA!)

I love getting compliments!

I hate being told I used to be sooooo big! (REALLY? Like I didn't know it!)

I love working out with people in better shape than me- makes me more motivated!

I hate when I fall behind! (Apparently motivation isn't the only thing that can keep you going!)

I love walking to Wal-mart!
I hate walking home with all my junk!

I love SPANX and how they flatten my post-partum jelly belly!

I hate how they give me back boobs! (Don't ask me- it's just wrong!)

And in conclusion:

I love early morning walks after a wet night!

I hate sliding around on the sidewalk and hearing crunching noises because I didn't realize an entire block of sidewalk is COVERED in snails! EUW!!!!

Week 14 Weigh-in ... a little late!

On Monday after Dan did my weigh-in I had Josh take some pictures of me to post on here. I'm was super excited to have more accurate photo's showing the "change" my body has begun to go through. (No I'm not speaking menopause- I'm only 26! C'mon people! haha!) If you noticed I wrote that past-tense- was excited. YUP. That's because the pictures were taken on my camera's memory instead of our memory card. Apparenty SOMEBODY forgot to push it in all the way ...hmmm... ?!

Well, sad story short I lost the cord that connects my camera to a computer so I'll have to figure something else out. I may have to take pictures again this Monday. *sniff sniff*

So now that I'm getting ready to have my week 15 weigh-in I should definitly get these results posted for all to see.

Was: 247
Now: 246

Goal weight (changed!): 180 (used to be 169 but my body fat percentage has changed so drastically in the last three months it wouldn't be practical (or healthy) for me to go any lower than 180 lbs.)

Leaving me: 66 pounds to go!!! YAY!
Total pounds lost: 23
Total fat lost: 29 lbs. Woo hoo!

NECK: stayed the same (14.25)
CHEST: stayed the same (45.5)
UPPER ARM: stayed the same (13.25)
LOWER ARM: stayed the same (10.25)

Big changes? I know right?! It WAS 4th of July weekend and I was retaining water from chips that I splurged on. According to my numbers I was retaining 2-3 pounds of water.

BUT WAIT!- WHAT IS THIS I SEE????...........

UPPER WAIST: 38.0 in. (.75 in. lost) Started at: 42 in. (these ARE ribs right??? haha!)
LOWER WAIST: 41.75 in. (1 full inch lost!) Started at: 46.5 in. (I've lost 4.5 in. total ...)
HIPS: 49.0 in. (.25 in. lost) Started at: 52.25 in.
THIGH: stayed the same (23.5)
CALF: 16.5 (.25 in. lost) Started at: 17.5 in.

So there you have it! I lost A LOT off of my torso area. I'm super excited about this and hope this weeks weigh-in shows good numbers too.

Oh- and I have to leave you with something. No bathroom humor this time- sorry guys! :)

Meet Cathie Jung (born 1937) with the World's smallest waist! I wonder if this is what I look like? HAHA!- OK... Hopefully I DO NO look like this because ... not to be mean ... she looks like an ant! To see more pictures of Jung click www.funnyphotos.net.au/thin-waist/

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Side note:

I joined a Get Fit contest with Dan's gym. It started last week and today is our second meeting. The contest ends in September and the prizes seem pretty exciting.

According to my weigh in there I'm now at 39.2% body fat. I don't think I ever posted this but I started out at 50.5% body fat. WHAT A HUGE LOSS! Or should I say gain? Because I've gained that much muscle! I may still have large numbers on the scale but I'm healthier now than I was when I weighed this after I had my son 2.5 years ago!

So cheer me on and hopefully this new motivation will get me some free gym workouts! :)

The Hill From Hell

I've always been big into setting goals and achieving them. It helps me steer my life to where I want it to go. Now I'm not saying I always achieve my goals. I am only human after all. HOWEVER- I finally achieved a big goal of mine that I set a year and a half ago. To walk to the grocery store.


I've done the walk to Wal-Mart several times and it no longer holds any difficulty (other than keeping my double stroller from falling completely apart on me!). My big goal though was to go the opposite way down a large busy street near my home. This way looks very daunting, almost a straight shot down large HUGE hills.


To clarify though, it wasn't the walk to the store that I was concerned about. It was the walk back home. Now I can walk down hill all day long with only a slight tightness around my knees and thighs. Walking back UP hill is a completely different story. So when Rachel came over and we took our children out to go on our walk we decided to finally make this dream goal become a reality.

...And this is our journey!

Wednesday July 1st

Me and my babies walking up a hill!

The second hill down this busy road. What are we thinking? Will we make it back up???

We went shopping at QFC and bought ourselves a pic-nic redneck style! ... On the side of the road!

Rachel and her family!:

Me and my itty-bitty's!

Not going to lie... Aiden DID try to get run over.

Sad for him he ended up being strapped in for quite a while!

Rachel stretching for the big bad hill...

I had to take a picture cause her knee freaked me out!

HAHA!

So here I am trying to not bust out laughing.

Rachel MADE me take an awkward picture too...

OOOOH ...

Isn't it daunting?
Not only did it feel like a 90 degree angle-
it was a LONG walk-
and my stroller was probably a good 110 pounds
with all the stuff inside it!


OOH!- I'M SOOO SCARED!

Rachel-

after the hill.
She looks great doesn't she?


AND THEN....
There's me.
Not so pretty.

Pretty sure I almost died!


I may have not looked very appealing afterwards,
but I'm super proud of myself!

The only thing I would change was having a FAT old man
pass me up while pushing his bike.

Talk about an ego burn!

And to top it off...
he tried to give me tips.

I mostly just bared my teeth at him
while sweat cascaded down my face.

Probably the true reason as to why he passed me up,
eh?

NEXT GOAL!: Fred Meyer off of Alderwood Mall Parkway.
This route goes across three hills of this magnitude
and crosses the freeway exits twice.

I can totally do it!!!

**Friday Loves**

It's been awhile since I've mentioned some of my loves (and maybe some not-so-lovely) moments. I thought I'd give it a moment since tomorrow is my week 14 weigh-in already!:

I love that my slip fell off my body last week in public ...I hate that it had to be underwear that was around my knees for all the World to see.

*I love that I can walk 6 miles in a day now ...

I hate that fat old men on bicycles feel that they need to give me pointers while passing me up shirtless. (More to come...)

*I love early morning walks ...

I hate holding onto my shorts the entire time so that they don't decide to fall right off on a busy street.

I love the new found energy I all of a sudden have ...I dislike strongly being expected to play for 10 hours straight! lol!

I love a hard workout ...

I hate the sluggish feeling the day after.

I love exerting myself ...

I hate sweating and turning purple!

I love reaching new milestones! ...

I hate people that still say I'm losing my weight SLOWLY!!!!

I love my new hair cut ...

I hate that I look 12.

I love having a double stroller to go on walk's with ...
I hate that the left back tire is now parallel with the sidewalk.

*I love wearing my cute brown dress that now hangs on me ...

I hate that a friend told me she thought it was tight. GRR.!

And most of all ...

I love that I'm not on this journey alone ...

but hate that all my dearest friends and family live so far away to enjoy the success with me.

*All pictures were found using google