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Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Focused in February

I am happy in my life. So happy, in fact, that sometimes I can't believe this is my life. God is so good! That's not to say that there aren't daily struggles or trials etc. but I am remembering more and more that we have a Lord and Savior that holds us in his hands every single day. He knows what He is doing, even if we can't figure out what is going on.

In February I want to focus on a few particular things. Things that are important to me and that I feel need a little more attention than I have been giving them. It's like I know I should be giving it more attention but I am waiting for it to happen on its own. It is said that after 3 weeks (or 21 days), something becomes habit. I want better habits in my life.

*God: reading daily devotions and spending more time in prayer
*Jared: praying for him daily and encouraging him as much as I can
*Nutrition: Saying goodbye to processed sugars. i.e. cookies, candy, cakes etc.
*Cross Training: working out 6 days a week. Whether it is push ups and sit ups at home, a long run or hitting the weights at the gym

What are some things in your life that need more of your attention than you've previously been willing to give? I challenge you to focus on those things during the month of February.

To remin myself of what I need to focus on in the coming month, I've written myself little notes. One to put by my bedside , one in my wallet, one on my fridge and one in my bathroom on the mirror.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

The 50/50 Plan Update: Week 3

This week didn't shape up exactly how I wanted it but I am ok with that. The important thing is consistency. Whether the numbers go down or not, I feel great and I know I am working hard. I still struggle with sugar cravings. Especially this week. PMS can really put a wrench in your healthy eating plan.

I am happy to say the sugar cravings are waaaaayyyy less than they used to be. I simply feel healthier and strong. I am loving it. So, the number isn't what I wanted but that's ok. I'm onto a new week and it is all about looking forward, not back.

Thank you , dear friends, for  your constant encouragement and support!

Week 3 :
Starting weight: 191.5
Ending weight: 191.3
Total weekly loss: 0.20

Total weight lost: 4.7 lbs

Thursday, January 26, 2012

The 50/50 Plan Update: Week 2

Week 2 wasn't stellar for me. I slacked quite a bit, wasn't diligent in watching what I ate and definitely didn't work out as much as usual.

Honestly, I didn't feel guilty about indulging at Bucca Di Beppo. It was my guy's birthday celebration and I wasn't going to eat celery and brown rice while he chowed on Eggplant Parmesan. We ate and enjoyed.
Wednesday was the worst food day by far. The other days were ok but not great.

Mentally I feel clear and ready to keep going on this journey. I am happy and proud of myself. I still have confidence in myself that I will reach my goal of 50 pounds.

I decided that I need a reward system for myself. At first I thought maybe pedicures and a massage. Maybe a new shirt or new pair of pants. What I finally decided on was a new wardrobe. After I lose 50 pounds I want to toss out all of the clothes I have (donate, not throw away) and start a new wardrobe. By that time none of my current clothes will fit me.

I've opened a second savings account and I am putting $10 in for every pound lost. So for week 1 I put $50 in there. During the weeks that I gain or lose 0, no extra money will go into the account.

So here it is... the numbers:
Starting weight : 191.00
Ending weight: 191.5
Gain: 0.5lbs
Total Lossed: 4.5lb in 2 weeks

I am not stoked about that half pound gain BUT that just keeps me going. I can't change anything from week 2.What's done is done. Now I move on and keep pressing towards the goal.

Iron Mountain


A few friends/co-workers and I decided we wanted to hike Iron Mountain. Most of us had never done the hike so we were excited (and a little nervous) to give it a try.


Suzy brought her dogs, KME and Layla. The pups were so excited to be out and about. We figured they would pull us up the mountain if we got too tired. Much to our delight the guys in the group, Clay and neil, took the dogs and set off on their fast pace up the trail.

Suzy, Ali and I took our time and really enjoyed the conversation and the view along the way. We were relieved to know that if things went bad, there was a designated helipad on the side of the mountain...

About 3/4 of the way up, we noticed a bunch of guys running down the mountain. We figure they were Marines or Army. Something along those lines.

The trail is very rocky and the type of dirt can be somewhat slick. I don't know how anyone could run the trail without tripping and bashing their head open! I tripped plenty of times but never came close to falling. Thank goodness!

The trail is 6 miles round trip, 3 in and 3 out. We were about to the 2.5mi marker when Clay, Neil and the pups came back down the mountain to meet us. In the fire service (namely wildland fire) they do hikes most days. Whoever gets to the top first turns around and meets the person that is last in line, whether they are 1/2 a mile behind or 2. They encourage them to keep going and remind them they aren't alone. It was pretty cool that the guys came down to where we were and went to the top again.

The view from the top of Iron Mountain was beautiful! We could easily see Poway and Ramona.
Here's a view of Mt. Woodson from the top of Iron Mountain


This is Lake Jennings:

The control burn on Cuyamaca Peak that day:



And the boys being... well... boys:

We had so much fun! It took us about 3 hours, including the time we took at the top to rest and refuel with water and snacks. We can't wait to do it again!

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Happy Birthday, Love

For Jared's birthday I surprised him with a trip to the Discovery Center in Santa Ana to check out the Star Wars exhibit and get our nerd on. We didn't have a ton of time there but we were able to look around at all of the displays and read many of the placards.



Afterwards we went to Bucca Di Beppo for dinner and ended up sitting at the exact same table we did two years ago when we were in Anaheim. our waiter had a very thick hispanic accent and he was somewhat difficult to understand. His name? Billy.
We got all fancy and ordered dessert and everything. Neither one of us had tried Cannoli so we ordered their Chocolate Chip Cannoli... so.freaking.good! If you've never tried it, you should.


Dinner was enough to put un in a food coma until I took Jared's final gift out of my car. Wrapped in a small box he found an Anaheim Ducks authentic practive jersey and tickets to not one but THREE Anaheim Ducks hockey games! The Ducks had a great holiday bundle pack that I just couldn't pass up! We loved every minute of the game that night. Normally hockey is a low scoring game. Each team will usually bring home 1-3 points per game, max. The Ducks won that night 6-2. It seemed like we were jumping up and cheering more than we were sitting in our seats. The game was a blast. In fact, the whole day was!



Jared,

Three days ago you turned 29. Almost one week ago I took you on a surprise date to celebrate your birthday. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. From the smiles at the discovery center and the cheers at the Ducks game, I think you did. You make my life complete and you love me so fully. Happy 29th birthday my sweet sweet love. You deserve all you have and so much more!

Peyton turned 4!


On January 8th, 2012 my youngest niece , Peyton, turn 4 years old. I am just wondering how she went from this tiny little bundle on the day of her birth:
 To this hip one year old :
 To this angelic 2 year old:
 And this cheesy 3 yr old (who was so sick on the day of her birthday party but kept smiling anyway!):
 And has ended up this 4 yr old little lady:
How is this possible????

Peyton, Auntie Shannon loves you so much! You crack me up every time I am with you. You come up with the most random and funny things to say, you still like to dance around my living room to music and take naps on my "big bed". You love your brother the way I love my brothers and that makes my heart so so happy. I love your hugs and giggles more than anything. You really really love your uncle Jared and often ask where he is if he isn't with me when I visit. happy 4th birthday sweet girl! Quit getting so big! :)
Love,
You favorite Auntie Shannon

Monday, January 16, 2012

The 50/50 Plan Week1

Week #1 January thru January 14, 2012

I always think week 1 is the hardest. This is also the week I feel I have to be the most diligent. Z-E-R-O sweets!. I know this is a weakness of mine so I try to stay clear. I actually did really well this week.

I started off my first week on Medifast. I needed an extra little push to get my body back into weight loss mode. To be honest, the food isn't great. Actually... it kind of sucks. That is my own personal opion of it. I know other that have done it or are currently doing it and they think it is just fine. By the end of the week I desperately needed real food.

I didn't eat all that great over the weekend but you know what? That's ok. I am learning it is ok to cheat once in a while. Not go overboard and eat a whole pizza or get super sized anything but something is ok. I had a couple slices of pizza on Saturday after helping Jared move all day and I had a cupcake at Peyton's birthday party Saturday night. That's the worst it got. I don't plan on doing that a lot but it will take me a few weeks to really get into the groove of it all. Back to the place where I can say "no thank you" when things are offered.

I felt great this week! The ffirst few days I struggled with being hungry but I know that is nornal. I supplemented with water best I could. I was diligent and it paid off. I took my first Turbo Kick Boxing class on Friday and I loved it! The instructor moved fast and it was hard to follow her but overall I loved the class. I am going to try another one with a different instructor.

So here are the results:
Starting Weight on Jan 7, 2012: 196.0 Lbs
New Weight on Jan 14, 2012: 191.0 Lbs.
Total weight lost in week #1: 5 Lbs!
Current size: 14

You know what seems crazy but exciting to me? I am looking forward to blogging my journey and logging my weight and size every week. So here we go... onto week2 !

Thursday, January 5, 2012

The 50/50 Plan

On my Christmas "wish list" was the book "Reshaping It All" by Candice Cameron Bure. Yep, DJ Tanner! I don't know about you but I loved the tv show Full House. I still do.

Confession: If I see Full House is on a channel, I will watch that before any other program offered.

I am 4 chapters in and I love the book. She talks about balancing out your Physical and Spiritual Fitness. In Chapter 4 she talked about having a plan. Her dad taught her five important steps in reaching her goals:
1) Envision Your Goal
2) Formulate a Plan
3)Consider the gain
4) Count the cost
5) Do the necessary work to achieve it.

I've come to realize I have an addiction to food. I love it. Too much. I eat when I'm not hungry, I have very little self control when it comes to breads/crackers/sweets. This needs to change. Now. I need a healthier outlook on food and have control.

Candice states in her book " Setting a goal to lose slowly is not something most of us want to do, but it's a good way to go, and the truth is that time does go by fast. Imagine being fifty two pounds lighter next year at this time. That's only one pound a week. Likely one frustrating, hair-pulling pound at a time, which calls for plenty of patience, but imagine the difference it would make."

That got me to thinking. I'd love to lose 50 pounds. I need to lose at least 45. So, I am going to do a 50/50 plan. 50 pounds in 50 weeks. I will focus on one week at a time. It is not just a matter of I can do this but I will do this.

1) Envision your goal: I want to be thin. I want to find clothes at the store and feel good about wearing them. I want to continue to be healthy and I want to struggle less with running. I want to lose 50 pounds in 50 weeks.
2) Formulate a plan: 50 pounds in 50 weeks. The first two weeks I will be doing the Medifast program. I seemed to have hit a plateau and I am determined to break it. I will diligently follow my half marathon training plan. I will weigh my food again and eat 3-4 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Turn to friends and family for accountability.
3) Consider the gain: More energy, better stamina when running, healthier body, thinner.
4) Count the cost: Less food that I really enjoy ( not gone all together just less of it), cravings that will want to pushing me to the breaking point. I may even get cranky.
5) Do the necessary work to achieve it: I will diligently stick to my training plan. Including cross training, weight training etc. This means doing it even on the days I really don't want to!

Oh and here's a kicker... My friend, Brooke, willingly posted her weight and current size on facebook. It is keeping her on track and accountable. So my dear blog readers, I will be doing the same. On here (the link always gets posted to facebook anyway). I will post my new weight every Sunday. I'm not going to lie, I am embarrassed by my weight and it is humbling to share it with everyone. This will give me that final push to make a big change.

Current Weight: 196 lbs (as of 1/4/12)
Current Size: 14
So who out there is going to do the 50/50 challenge with me?