Six pounds

Six pounds……..

Doesn’t seem like much but that is how much I have lost in 2 weeks time.  In some ways I feel like it is so little of an amount and in other ways it seems like quite a bit in such a short time.

So let’s think about this….what is six pounds?

Well I found a picture on Google of six pounds of fat, and it looks like this:

Gross huh?

What else is six pounds (approximately)?

A brick

A gallon of milk

All of the skin on your body

A Chihuahua

Five loaves of bread

24 Quarter Pounders from McDonalds

A baby deer

Both of a woman’s size C-cup breast

A Yorkie

A lap top computer

Well, when you put it that way, six pounds does seem like a lot……

 

Tuesday Truths – Weight

Has something ever scared you so bad that even with all the fear and knowledge that you have to overcome that moment you still are in a sense of shock?

Has something ever been so clear and obvious to you that you knew it was the truth even with out being told but still were overwhelmed when that one thing was brought straight forward to your attention?

Has something ever been so “in your face” that even though there was no denying it, you still did?

I am guilty of all of the above.  I knew my weight was an issue. I knew my weight was unhealthy. I knew it was there, hell it is all of me. Yet even with me saying I knew these things, and knew changes needed to be made; I denied it to myself when it came down to actually doing something.

Sure, I changed the way I was eating….sort of.  Sure, I was going to the gym….sort of. Sure, I was walking the dog, having “dance parties” in the living room with my kids, walking during work, dancing in the car…sort of.

It all tumbled down and smacked me in the face when I was going through paperwork from when I was in the hospital in February for dizziness and passing out. I went through every test imaginable, saw every type of doctor I think they could send my way, spent five days in the hospital, final diagnosis: Meniere’s disease (which runs in my family).  Not so bad, it is manageable and treatable.  Not one single time did anyone say to me the words “blood sugar” or “diabetes”.  Not one single time was it an issue at all.  Neuro or Cardio perhaps, but all of those tests came back “normal”, “negative”, “with in range”.

Now as stupid as this may sound, it never dawned on me to look at the papers they gave me from the hospital at the time of check out. I did my due diligence, called my primary physician to tell them I had been in the hospital. Spoke to him and he stated since the paperwork they received mentioned the possibility of the Meniere’s disease, he didn’t need to see me and to proceed to an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist since Meniere’s is an inner ear thing. Never once did he say to me “blood sugar” or “diabetes”.

So, upon finally looking at the discharge paperwork from hospital, almost two months after discharge, I noticed that it said Hemoglobin A1c test was done and that mine was a 5.9, fasting glucose tests were within ” 108-114″ and above normal. Again, called my primary care physician and was told to see an endocrinologist. So I did just that.

The result was borderline diabetic.

So now I am on a real mission. I know I have talked about losing weight and needing/wanting to but now it is an issue of my health. Plus being heavy like I am feeds into my depression, which is a matter of my health as well.  I know I might get some grief about this because I am supposed to love my body the way I am or love myself for who I am. I don’t. I am not happy with anything about my body. I am not trying to say that losing weight or being thin is for everyone or even trying to push any type of body image or eating disorder. I need to be healthy, and my healthy weight according to my doctor is 135 pounds. So it will take some time to get there but slow and steady wins the race.

Music Mondays – Work Out Playlist

I was working out today at the YMCA and usually I just let whatever movie they are playing in the background dictate my workout. I realized today that I have to stop doing that. Depending on who is the “floor” person determines if we listen to Top 40 or Easy Listening…and let’s just face it, easy listening doesn’t suit well for a workout.

So my current “Work Out” playlist consists of the following:

  1. Jessie J – Domino
  2. Gotye/Kimbra – Somebody That I Used To Know
  3. David Guetta/Nicki Minaj – Turn Me On
  4. Kelly Clarkson – What Doesn’t Kill You
  5. One Direction – What Makes You Beautiful
  6. Calvin Harris – Feel So Close
  7. Breathe Carolina – Blackout
  8. Gym Class Heroes – Back Home
  9. Chris Brown – Beautiful People
  10. Outasight – Tonight is The Night
  11. LMFAO – Sorry For Party Rocking
  12. Train – Drive By
  13. Maroon 5/Wiz Khalifa – Payphone
  14. HOt Chelle Rae/New Boyz – I Like It Like That
  15. Foster The People – Pumped Up Kicks
  16. Jennifer Lopez/Pitbull – Dance Again
  17. Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe
  18. Maroon 5/Christina Aguilera – Moves Like Jagger
  19. Britney Spears – Toxic
  20. Gym Class Heros/Adam Levine – Stereo Hearts
  21. Foster The People – Don’t Stop
  22. Yolanda Be Cool/Dcup – We No Speak Americano
  23. Estelle/Kanye West – American Boy
  24. Cobra Starship/Leighton Meester – Good Girls Go Bad
  25. Dev – In The Dark
  26. Havana Brown/Pitbull – We Run The Night
  27. Alexandra Stan – Mr. Saxo Beat
  28. Afrojack – Take Over Control
  29. LMFAO – Party Rock Anthem
  30. Cee Lo Green – Forget You
  31. Chris Brown – Turn Up The Music
  32. Hot Chelle Rae – Tonight Tonight
  33. Cobra Starship/Sabi – You Make Me Feel…
  34. Kanye West – All Of The Lights
  35. Luke Bryan – Country Girl (Shake It For Me)
  36. Neon Trees – Animal
  37. Get Cool – Shawty Got Moves
  38. Marianas Trench – Cross My Heart
  39. K’naan/Adam Levine – Bang Bang
  40. Animotion – Obsession
  41. Junior Senior – Move Your Feet
  42. Jason Derulo – It Girl
  43. Chris Trousdale/Nevermind – Not Too Young
  44. Groove Armada – I See You Baby
  45. Tina Parol – Who’s Got Your Money

So, I ask you….what do you work out to?  What should I add to my Work Out playlist?

Tuesday Truths – Resolutions

We are four months into the year and my resolutions have both been kept and broken.  Here is where I stand now with them. My resolutions for 2012:

1.  Blog More – Well you all know how this one has gone….basically it hasn’t gone well. I say all the time I would honestly like to blog more and then I don’t. I am the only one to blame for that. There is plenty I could blog about to fill up at least four to five of the seven days of the week if not all seven.

2. Be better to myself – this is another one I have broke and I am paying for it. I take weight off, I put it on, I take it off, I put it on. I get active, I get lazy. I feel good about myself, I fall into depression.

3. Priorities - I am going to blame this one partially for why blogging more has fallen off my list. I have been trying to spend more time with my family, and have been. I have not kept up on some of the other priorities on my list such as being good to myself and incorporating faith and God more into our lives.

4. Give Back More – I have done some volunteering but not as much as I would like to.

5. Make new friends and reconnect with old ones – Reconnecting with old friends just seems to keep happening and reoccurring constantly for me. I am reconnecting with people I haven’t seen or spoken to in years and it feels good. Now to work on the making new friends part.

6. Take a family trip/vacation – I am working out a family trip (plans, budget, saving) for a trip to Hawaii in the summer of 2013. I am hoping it will all work out so that I we can go, looks good for now.

7. Put myself on a budget and STICK TO IT!!! – Still saving and investing, still not on a budget!

8. Be more organized and efficient – This has not been an easy one for me. I have become more efficient and organized at work but not at home or in my own life.

9. Date Night – Still keeping with weekly (or as often as we possibly can) lunches with one friend. Have spent time out with my girls. Try to go out with my husband (just us) or go out as a family for dinner. Sometimes we go to dinner as a family then the boys go to one movie and the girls go to another.

Redesigning Me

I use to take time and pride in my looks, how I dressed, my nails, my hair, wearing jewelry, picking out purses and shoes that matched just so. I always thought I had a decent sense of style even if it wasn’t the best sense of style out there (others may beg to differ with me though). I cared about how I looked and took pride in it. But a lot of that changed when my depression got worse because I frankly didn’t care, and even when I did….I didn’t.

That has been hard for me to do over the few last year. I have tried but with the extra weight it is hard to feel comfortable in any clothes, and the large the size I have to get; the less uncomfortable I feel shopping. I have a set of things I wear and have pretty much worn out because they are the only things that fit me. I’m tired of seeing the same things on me and I am sure other people are as well.

I want to redesign myself with my style, my clothes, my hair, my looks; pretty much all of it. I started recently with cutting and styling my hair more regularly then once a year. I have taken the time lately to get pedicures done on a more regular basis (although I still go too long in between) and want to get the Sally Hansen Salon Effect nail color strips for my nails because it is a waste to spend the time and money on a manicure when my nails chip and break as much as they do now that I am typing all the time at work.

I have a closet (and 2 totes) full of clothes that I cannot wear because my size is too big for them. Do I expect to be a size 0 again, no I don’t. Do I want to be a size 0, no I don’t. I want to be a healthy weight that I am comfortable and happy with. A weight I can honestly say I love my body and mean it. Is that 10 lbs from where I am now? 20? 30? I don’t know. I won’t know till the weight starts coming off and I start feeling healthier.

And as the clothes start to fit again it will definitely feel good to be able to wear some of those things I see hanging in my closet that I don’t dare touch because I know how I will look in them. Or to be able to open those totes (that have been packed since before we moved to California from Texas almost 3 years ago) and be able to wear the things in there I saved because I promised myself SOMEDAY!

Well SOMEDAY is NOW!

I have started the Body by Vi 90 Day Challenge (for more information about the program see here) through my friend Genny.  I did all of my measurements today, took my weight down and am ready for a transformation. I am only doing one shake a day (probably lunch) and am going to eat healthy the other meals. I am also going to return to working out at the YMCA since I have a membership.

I am determined because I know I feel better, look better and am healthier when I eat better and exercise. My energy is better as well.

So I am going to track my progress both here on my blog and here.

Tuesday Truths – Tired

Tired

I am tired.

Tired of …

…feeling overweight.

…being overweight.

…feeling unhealthy.

…being unhealthy.

…not being able to buy a piece of clothing I want because it doesn’t come in my “size”.

…having to get the next size up so it will fit.

…having clothes I cannot wear.

…being depressed over my weight.

…seeing the numbers 180, 190 and 200.

And I am the ONLY one who can DO something ABOUT it!

So I am, cause as I said…..I am tired of it all.

And I am not calling myself ‘fat’ but I AM overweight. I AM unhealthy. I AM uncomfortable. I AM unhappy with my body. There is no getting use it or loving myself. I can’t do so when I know that the weight I am at is unhealthy for me.

 

Fat Tuesday is today……so I celebrated. Last time in a long time I am going to eat like I did today. I am going to do a junk food challenge for 21 days. A fast food challenge for 30 days. I have work outs planned, a work out buddy. Going to try Body by Vi shakes. I am going to change what we eat (because I know how to), be more active (because I should) and make a life change not only for me but for my whole family cause we could all use the healthy side of this.

I’ve talked about it too much, now is the time for action. I am going to track my progress on my blog (pictures and all).

So, Kelli, let’s do this!

Tuesday Truths – Following Up On Resolutions

My resolutions for 2012:

1.  Blog More – this is one I say I am going to do all the time and then fall behind on it. This year I would honestly like to blog more and want to make an active effort to do so. I enjoy blogging even if I don’t do it that well. – Well, let’s see…..I certainly have not stuck to this one. I honestly do want to blog more and would like to make the effort to do so.  But I know I can say that and until I do it is nothing but words.  Maybe I am still afraid of what people will think of what I write and I need to just stop that.  

2. Be better to myself – how I feel, the way I eat, how much I exercise, taking care of myself, making an effort in my apperience (nails, clothes, hair). – I have made a small effort at this one.  I did change my eating habits for a while but fell back into eating junk cause it’s just easier and let’s face it, it does taste good. This needs to be an effort that I put more into because if I don’t my health will pay for it.

3. Priorities - Get my priorities in order: God, Family, Myself, my friends, etc. – I can honestly say that I have done the most with this resolution, aside from taking better care of myself. I am making an effort to spend more time with my friends and family, and enjoy myself while doing so. I am not dealing with people’s drama, and instead avoiding people who bring drama into my life. I have a great family, a great set of friends who are like family and I have God in my life.

4. Give Back More – Volunteering, donating – I have not done anything on this resolution.

5. Make new friends and reconnect with old ones – Being back in Sebring has helped me to reconnect with my old friends and through them I have met some fantastic new people. I have also reconnected with a great group of girls that I love even though we are all in different parts of the U.S., I feel like they are my soul at times.

6. Take a family trip/vacation – A trip with Richard, the kids and myself to Hawaii? NY? Texas? California? – This might not happen till next year because of saving money to do so; however we are spending more time together as a family. 

7. Put myself on a budget and STICK TO IT!!! – Set a weekly/monthly budget for myself to stick to, invest more and prepare for the future. – I am actively putting money away for retirement, however I have not put myself on a budget yet so I have yet to stick to anything. 

8. Be more organized and efficient – in my life, at work, at home – The procrastinator in me will not allow this to happen for what ever reason and it is both sad and sickening. I need to be more organized, my stress would be so much less if I was.

9. Date Night – make regular “Date Nights” with my hubby and my girls, even if only once a month. - This is probably one of the only resolutions I have done anything with. My hubby and I have taken time to go out together. I have a friend who we try to do lunch every week. Now I just need to get a girls night together with my girls here in town and this resolution will be almost perfect.