February Weigh In & Goals

January Weight: 263 lbs

February Weight: 260 lbs

Monthly Loss: -3 lbs

Total Weight Lost: 35 lbs

Total Inches Lost: 24.5

January started out pretty well! I got down to 257 lbs and was posting my weekly weight on my Instagram account. Then for some strange reason, I just stopped. Like I told you all before, I suffer from seasonal depression and sometimes I just mentally shut down. It's like this alter-ego comes in and takes over my brain and I just don't care. About anything.

I had Friday off this week, and I was down. Depressed. Sad for no reason. I had some things to do in the morning, but after that I basically turned into a zombie. I drove around town and stopped at a few stores, feeling like I was completely alone in the world (even though I took Eli to lunch, and we had a great time.) I finally stopped at Macey's and bought a giant bag of chocolate covered cinnamon bears, then stopped at KFC and got a large popcorn chicken (even though I had eaten a chicken sandwich like 1.5 hours prior to that.) I took them home and ate the chicken while watching Grey's Anatomy, and also managed to throw half the cinnamon bears down. I felt even more disgusting afterward, but I just didn't care. 

I am not telling you these things for you to feel sorry for me, or think I am a slob, or judge me. I am telling you because, more than likely, some of you suffer from this same disease. Some of you can probably relate to this exact scenario. Depression is real, and hard!

So where do we go from here? The answer is so different for every single person that suffers from it, and I wish that my plan worked for everyone. 

Luckily that night I came home, looked on Facebook and saw and ad for Weight Watchers. I was a very happy member of WW last year, and actually lost the majority of my weight so far while on the plan. I don't know why I decided to ruin a good thing because from the moment I cancelled my membership, losing became almost impossible. My Fitness Pal is an amazing free app, but it just doesn't cut it for me, There is something that happens in my brain when using the Points Plus program; it yields such greater results for me. They have a wonderful support group and hundreds of challenges to compete in, which help me stay motivated and focused! 

I joined Friday night again, and haven't looked back! I am excited about eating healthy; I have also made some new weight loss goals for the next 6 months! Everything just fits right now.

I struggled with my phone goals for January. I didn't engage as much as I wanted to, and I looked at my phone too much. For February and March I am going to do something a little different. 

 I want to become a morning person. My morning usually consists of me taking Eli to work, coming home and getting back into bed, and sleeping again until about 30 minutes before work. I then  jump in the shower and get ready so fast that I don't even get breakfast in. I want this to change! I want to wake up and get a workout in. Exercise in the morning gives me so much energy. I also want to make a healthy breakfast to sustain me through the morning. I feel that if I can get into this routine, things will change for the better in my life! 

I am choosing to take this goal seriously, so that is why it is a 2 month goal for me. I really want to make this into a habit that will eventually turn into second nature for me.

I know I have made many empty promises these last few months, but I am so grateful for all of your support through my journey. Thanks for not giving up on me! 

We can do hard things!  

January Weigh-In

December Weight: 257 lbs
January Weight: 263 lbs
Monthly Loss: +6 lbs
Total Weight Lost: 32 lbs
Total Inches Lost: 24.5

Here's to the first weigh in of the new year! I am choosing to embrace this number without anger or judgement. I gained 6 pounds. I'm still in the game. I'm still me. I'm grateful that 6 wasn't 60. Life is too short to berate myself about a number. The bottom line is that I still feel amazing compared to where I was last January, and I'm celebrating that.

If you didn't see my post yesterday, I've decided to weigh in weekly on Instagram. If you want to follow me there, it is where I post the most about my journey. There is a link on the top right side of this page to take you there. I believe that it will definitely help me stay on track, and keep me more motivated to share my weekly ups and downs.

I will also be giving myself a goal to accomplish each month that will help my overall growth. I am so excited for this! I just know that there are so many things that I can do to better myself alongside my fitness goals. I want to look back on 2015 as rewarding, challenging, and enlightening!

For the month of January, I am going to challenge myself to truly listen to people around me, and give them the attention they deserve. Along with listening, I am going to refrain from using my phone/other media devices when I am in social situations. I have become very attached to my phone, and it is hard for me to not check it! Even when I am out on a date with my husband, or with friends and family, I find myself reaching for it. So, I've decided that this month I want to become more mindful and really focus on each individual I come in contact with. We all have so much to teach each other, and I don't want to miss out on a learning experience because I am checking my Facebook every five minutes.

If you want to work on this with me, please do! Let's spend a little more quality time with the ones we love this month without all of the distractions.

The Hard Things, and A New Approach.

Hello, stranger! I have been out of commission, and I have not been updating.  The one regret I have over these past couple of months is that I didn't post during the hard times. I let the struggle and expectation of it all get the best of me, and I hid away. One of the many things I learned in the past 3 months is that this journey is so REAL.The successes are real. The tears are real. The struggle is real.

The past six months have been quite a roller coaster ride for me, and I must say I haven't handled it the best that I could. I began to really struggle at work, and genuinely hated going in every day. My work ethic diminished, and I felt defeated constantly. I work in a customer service area, and the daily negativity was bringing me down to an all-time low. Add being sick the majority of the time, and you have an unhappy panda.

Fast forward to a month or so ago. I have been truly blessed, and have been given the opportunity to shine in a different area at work. My hours, pay, and general surroundings are so much better now, and I can finally find my way back to the happy girl I used to be. I will be able to have normal weekends with my husband for the most part, and I will be home at a decent hour now. My emotional and physical plateau have finally come to a halt, and I am finding meaning in all of the little and big things again. I am truly excited to detox and get rid of the negativity in my mind and body. Sometimes the Lord has a truly great plan for you. I am so grateful to Him for giving me this opportunity to reclaim my happiness and light.

All of these things being said, I have decided to do a few things differently. As this new year is bringing about so many new changes for me, I feel that I need to make this journey about so much more than just weight loss. I am going to give myself a goal each month to work on that has nothing to do with fitness. Some will help me mentally, some emotionally, some professionally, etc. I will announce each month's goal on the first Friday as a part of my monthly "weigh in." I will also post about the previous month, and what the outcome was.I will continue to work on my weight loss journey, and make my usual posts, of course. I just feel that all of these changes need to be embraced and given the attention that they deserve.

As far as weight loss goes, I am going to begin weighing in weekly on Instagram. I feel like the public accountability will give me so much more motivation. I have slacked off a little and put on a few pounds, but the important part for me is that I am getting everything back in check and pushing through.

Life is truly beautiful...even with all the hard things.

Come back tomorrow for my January weigh in!