Days 71-77 of My Journey- 5/24- 5/30, 2010

I had a good weigh-in this week- down 2 lbs! Of course, I always wish it was more, but I am learning to be more patient with this process.

I tried something new this week (compliments of Joe, of course). He had me try the abs workout from P90X. You may have seen the infomercial for P90X. It is a really intense total body workout regimen. I had been teasing Joe recently by telling him that P90X couldn't possibly be that hard and would poke fun at him when he would say how sore he was. So, he challenged me the other night to do the abs section with him. It is a 16 minute workout. I thought I could suffer through anything for 16 minutes- right? WRONG! I was able to do some of the exercises, but not very many and even then, I didn't keep up with all the reps. I wasn't able to do the other exercises at all. Yes, Joe officially schooled me here- I admit it. Remember this, Joe, I may not ever admit this again :) Here's the funny part-- I was still incredibly sore for about 3 days after. I'm talking very sore- from my chest to my hips and side to side. Now I am hooked. I am more determined than ever to conquer this, too. Why do I struggle so much with the abs? I don't know the answer to this, but I do know that I need some major work in this area. Honestly, I was still proud of myself for being able to do as much of the workout as I did. After seeing how hard these exercises are, I was surprised I was able to do any at all. So, all in all a great experience.

I hate to keep patting myself on the back, but I have done so good with my eating this week. I could have been really bad given the fact that my parents ordered pizza one night and I had my family over for Memorial Day. Needless to say, we had tons of food and dessert available. I actually managed to refrain from dessert completely and ate very reasonably all week. I find that encouragement from other people makes all the difference for me in this area. When I feel like others are involved and rooting for me, it makes me want to stick to the program even more. Thanks to Joe and Allison for encouraging me and working out with me. It means the world to me.

Days 64-70 of My Journey- 5/17- 5/23

I had another great week with my workouts. I continue to train and work toward my 5k race. This may not sound like a big deal to some people, but to me it represents a huge challenge and I know I will feel a huge sense of accomplishment and pride after I run the race.

I also joined a new gym that is opening in my local area. It is a brand new facility, has much more to offer than my current gym, and is about half of the price than I am currently paying. I can't wait to try it out once it opens in June.

My blog entries so far have mainly focused on my workouts. As I have stated previously, I really thought that the exercise was going to be my biggest challenge in this weight loss journey. How wrong I was!!

For me, the diet/nutrition part of this process is my biggest nemesis. Over the course of many years, I have developed a very unhealthy relationship with food. I don't simply eat to live. I also eat when I am feeling sad, happy, stressed, anxious, bored, etc... There really isn't an occasion or emotion that doesn't make me want to eat. This is a constant battle every single day. Unfortunately, when I feel like overeating I don't crave healthy foods. I am usually craving some type of fast food or pizza and lots of it.

In order to get on the road to real success, I needed to learn different coping skills that didn't involve food. Depending on the particular situation, I use different strategies. The most common one is prayer because I can pray no matter where I am or what I am doing. I have also given myself a manicure because it feels nice, but also it's pretty hard to cook or eat when your nails are wet with polish! At other times, I read a book, play a few games on my Wii or Nintendo DS (again, keeping my hands occupied). The bottom line is, I had to learn alternate coping skills to avoid overeating.

Also, I continue to take a real hard look at myself to figure out what has caused me to develop such unhealthy habits in the first place. One of the major problems I had was that I did not love myself enough or have enough confidence to avoid/change my unhealthy ways. It is not always pretty when you peel back the layers of your life and examine the emotions and experiences that have led you to develop certain habits and coping skills. It is not an easy process, but a necessary one. I think that once you really get to the root of these issues, you can then feel empowered to change them.

I have never been a fan of Sex and the City, but came across this quote from the show. It speaks volumes to me about the journey I have been taking to learn to love myself again.

"The most exciting, challenging, and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you find someone to love the you you love, well that's just fabulous."

I am so incredibly proud of how far I have come physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I feel the need to publicly acknowledge Joe. I would not be where I am today without you. Not only on this weight loss journey, but also in my career change, and many other things as well. Thank you for always believing in me, encouraging me, and loving me even though I didn't always deserve it. You are truly one of a kind and I am so thankful for the privilege of having you and the girls in my life. You are such a blessing to me and you continue to teach me so much about life and love. I will always be grateful.

Days 57-63 of My Journey- 5/10-5/16/2010

I had another good week with my workouts at the gym and had a really good run on Saturday. I was able to run my farthest distance so far and was also able to pick up my pace a little more (thanks to Joe). My legs were really tired after this run on Saturday. I have also tried a few new things at the gym, like doing my cardio sprints on the elliptical or treadmill instead of the stationary bike. I tried a few different leg machines too. This has added a little variety to my workout and has helped me use some different muscles on occasion.

On the subject of food...I heard about a book on Oprah last week called Women, Food, and God. They talked about some interesting concepts like how to have a healthy relationship with food, emotional eating, etc... I might see if I can find it at the library. Seemed interesting on the TV show. It sounds like it had some lessons/workbook that you could complete as part of your personal study. I think they are having a follow up show in 2 months to follow a group of women that are reading the book together and completing the lessons. I'll be interested to hear what they have to say.

Looking forward to improving my running even more this week. I have to say, I don't always love it during the actual workout, but it feels so, so good when I'm done!! That is what keeps me going some days.

Days 50-56 of My Journey- 5/3-5/9/2010

I had a really good week in terms of my workouts. My friend and I have continued our 5k training. We have increased our distance and I have been able to pick up my pace a little. I am really excited about our progress and can't wait until I run a race. I am trying to figure out when I will be ready and then I will choose which race to run.

My legs and knees have been holding up very well so far. Some days my legs feel really tired after having run the night before, but I have not had any pain or injuries so far.

In terms of my diet, I am amazed at the fact that I really don't crave all of the bad foods anymore. In the past, I could hardly drive past a fast food or pizza place without having to fight from turning my car into the parking lot. It seems that the more I exercise and see my body changing, the less I desire the junk food. Thank God for that!!

Days 42-49 of My Journey- 4/26- 5/2/2010

I had another good week with my workouts. A good friend of mine has decided to train for a 5k with me. It makes such a difference having a training partner. We push each other, but it is also nice to have someone to talk to and the time goes by much faster too. The training is going well. We go a total of 3.3 miles and are currently running about one mile of the route. We are slowly increasing the amount of running and decreasing the amount of walking. I can't wait until we are able to run the entire course. The workouts at the gym felt good this week also. I have increased the weight on a few of the exercises and continue to get better at the ab machine.

I am starting to notice that some of my clothes are fitting a little better and I have even gotten a few compliments, so I know the exercise and diet are doing me good. This is the kind of encouragement that keeps me going.