END OF MONTH #1 --- Weigh-In Report

Welcome to weigh-in Wednesday Week FOUR. I have officially completed one full month of this lifestyle change and I feel great! Thanks again to everyone for the growing support I've been receiving.


The Weigh-In Today.... IS .... 2-8-5.0 !!! That's 285. That is a 3.4 pound loss this week. 


End of Month 1  Total Weight Loss = 9 Pounds

I am especially happy because I was able to meet my goal loss of 9-10 pounds here in this first month. 


Many of my shirts are starting to fit much, much better. And I'm finding it easier everyday to avoid random cravings and big time cheating traps. 


I've been telling people how much I've enjoyed this so far, and it's true. It's been challenging but also fun and rewarding so far.  I have had ups and downs, but that's life. The important thing is that I haven't given up and I'm still going strong. 


I had a great call from my Grandpa Bowen aka Popsy this week with lots of encouragement. We always crack each other up, and it feels so great to know that you have the support of all the people you love the most. 


I have had people tell me that it's all uphill from here, and I've also had people tell me that once you make it past the first month, then it just gets easier to stay consistent from there. I think both are valid, and I know it's going to require consistency and preparation from here on out.  As Popsy likes to say, "Anywhere, as long as it's forward."


Anyways, I'll have more later this week, but I wanted to give my weekly weigh-in update. It's been a great week and I'm so excited about what this next 4 weeks will hold. 


Keep up the support, encouragement , and accountability everyone. It is much needed and appreciated.


Thanks, 


I like this quote alot. I think it captures what this first month has been all about. 


“You will never change your life until you change something you do daily.” ~Mike Murdock

Phil is Losing it ....

OK I kind of stole that from these YouTube videos I saw called "Pete is Losing it" where this guy does a video diary every single day tracking his weight loss. Pretty cool to see someone else out there doing it and seeing success. I found his vids when I did a Google search for the weight that I saw at weigh-in today....Which is .... 


288.4 pounds. One more pound lost. 


Three full weeks in. Total Weight Lost - 6 pounds--- 2 pound loss per week


I really was shooting for 2 or 3 this week so that's kind of disappointing. But hey, a loss is a loss. 


I did like how 4 separate people asked me today..."Hey isn't today weigh-in day?" Support keeps growing and that really helps so much. 


Here are a few highlights of things I experienced this week. 
1) There was one day I wanted to just quit altogether. I have no idea why, and it didn't last that long. I just had this frustrated feeling that it's hard to explain. Good news though , I didn't quit.
2) I had two nights where I snacked later than I should have and for no good reason at all. granted the snacks were things like fruit and nuts, but it was still bad. I think this also slowed progress. Snacking is probably my biggest hurdle. Good snacking is going fine, it's the off-schedule snacking that needs to stop. 
3) Good things are that I have done much much better with exercise this week. Tonight I did some laps in the pool, some water aerobics , and 250 jumping jacks lol
4) My friend Alex is doing a cardio class a few days a week and I'm going to be joining him tomorrow to check it out. Should be exciting. 
5)I am getting much more immune to seeing people around me eat what I can't and being OK with it. Last night, we went with some friends to Buffalo Wild Wings for Tuesday Wing night. There were altogether about 40 wings on the table. I had a grilled chicken wrap totaling 600 calories. I was full. I survived lol. 


I keep reading places where rapid weight loss is not realistic and that slow and study wins the race. Also I've heard that sometimes the first few weeks or even several weeks are the hardest and give the slowest weight loss. I've also heard "you will plateau, you just have to stick with it." I hope this is true, because I feel great, and  I just wish the scale was showing more progress. 


Things are going well, and I wore a shirt today that fit much much better than it did 3 weeks ago. I want more and I am always finding more things I can work on and improve. I am going to shoot big for next Wednesday. I would like to have lost  a total of 9-10 pounds in my first month. That means 3-4 pounds next week. 


Let's do this thing .... 


I really like this quote today. Very true and very inspiring... 
“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” ~Robert J Collier

I love the 80's !

It's Wednesday so you know what that means. WEIGH-IN DAY!!! 

                                                                                    

Cheesy Graphic .... CHECK

Weigh-In today ..... 2-8-9.4 ! Down to the eighties. Sure it was just another pound. But it feels big to see that EIGHT on the scale where the NINE used to be. 

Not bad considering I traveled over the weekend (and cheated a couple times). But I bounced back with some solid exercise, right back on the tight diet, and overall lifestyle change. 

Went for the slim-fast shakes for breakfast and lunch today with healthy snacks in between. For dinner I did some homemade tuna salad with crackers and some fruit and nuts.


After that I got about 40-45 minutes of cardio in to complete the daily exercise. 


I'm excited to see what this next week brings. My goals is 2-3 more pounds, so we'll see if I can make it happen. God has been really good all the way through  and I'm just praying that I can keep my commitment going strong. 


Once again thanks for the encouraging messages, emails, and posts. This is what keeps me accountable and motivated so thanks to all. 


“There are only two options regarding commitment; you’re either in or you’re out. There’s no such thing as life in-between.” ~Pat Riley

The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing...

2-9-4

That’s 6 away from 300. Yikes.

That is a high number.  Really high. Wow, that’s way way way too much, high.

That’s what I saw when I weighed myself at Publix last week on 7/19/11. The day before I started this blog and this lifestyle change. The day I determined once and for all to do something.

I really don’t think I look the part of 2-9-4, or maybe I do? It’s out there now. You know it and I know it lol. Either way it’s changing and that’s the last time I will ever see that number. 2-9-4. Whew.

So as you saw on the last post I was planning to buy a scale yesterday,  and I did. And I used it.
I literally closed my eyes when I used it and was nervous about whether any progress was made.

God is so good.

After a week of effort.... I saw..... 290.2 :-)  I checked and triple checked. And I know it doesn’t seem like much when I have so far to go. But, 4 pounds really feels like a big deal.  And it’s a start right! 290.2 

Had a nice workout tonight and am just trying to establish a good routine and be as active as possible.
Here are some great message clips from friends and followers. THANK YOU for your encouragement! These are just a few of many and it really is a HUGE help so thanks!

“You'll succeed if you want, you just have to remain strong. One piece of chocolate at work is in fact a big deal when you're trying to accomplish something so don't let any one get you off track.”

“I will be supporting Phil and i just want to say that i think the Lord used his post to support me. “

“Phil, if anyone I know can do it, you can do it. I think this is really cool. Once you get past week 3-4 it will get much, much easier.”

“You have a few more pounds to lose than I did, I understand, but it is a very attainable goal to achieve, and you will be so happy when you start looking in a mirror and seeing a new, smaller, more fit you! Let me know if I can help in any way. “

“Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will find that they haven’t half the strength you think they have.” ~Norman Vincent Peale

"I think you are slimming down!"

Weekend Success!
I think the challenge with weekends is that it is much harder to stay on a set schedule.

Therefore, I had to find a way to plan things out and just make my own schedule, and try and stick with it.

Things actually went really well. We went out with our friends Matt and Sara to celebrate their getting back from their Honeymoon out in San Fran.

We went to a Mexican restaurant which was actually pretty good for me. I ate some fajitas which were a mix of chicken and steak and lots of veggies. I stuck to just one tortilla and very little sour cream or cheese. All that to say, I achieved my calorie goals for that day still and managed to stay in the game.


Lifestyle Changes
That is the phrase you always here from everyone and everything when learning how to lose weight the long-term way, and keep it off. I’m working on this slowly but surely. The temptation is to make a bunch of really extreme drastic changes all at once. I’ve tried this before and I can do it for about a week or two but then I stop. So.... I’ve decided to take advice and make significant changes and then build on them.

Here are some things I’m doing:

• I go to the 2nd floor bathroom at work. This way I get two flights of stairs every time.
• I am keeping track of every little thing I eat
• I always am looking to stay under 2,000 calories every day no matter what. But my big goal is 1,500 or under. So far I’ve only had one day over 1,500 , but have stayed underneath 2,000 every single day
• I try to pack and plan for everything. I’m actually pretty busy during the week, so I try and make sure that I have lunch and dinner planned. ( I was really tempted to get Wendy’s today, because I was in a huge rush to make it from work back home, and then to music practice. I abstained. VICTORY!) You’d be surprised how much you fall back on fast-food or unhealthy food just because it’s convenient.

I have also decided to weigh myself weekly. I am going to be picking up a scale tomorrow (finally).

The hardest thing for me right now is that I want instant results. I know this is going to take several months , if not longer. So I like little things , like when a shirt starts to fit a little better.
One thing that helped me with this, was a sweet little old lady at church on Sunday that told me I looked like I was slimming down. She told me that she’s been meaning to tell me for a few days, and that no matter what, I shouldn’t give up. God definitely sent her my way.

I am also working on getting more consistent with my daily exercise.

Cravings come and go, but I am finding that the more I just do something else when  I think I’m hungry and stick to my snacks and meals, that they usually go away.

Funny People
I like how some of my friends are taking my goal into consideration. “Should we eat here?”  “Are you sure you can have that?”

Thank you . I need all of your help if I’m gonna make it long-term.

Anyone up for Chic-fil-a? Just kidding :-)

I have found that, as in with most things, much of the “sacrifices” of losing weight are just perspective. It’s just food after all. I keep saying that, and hopefully it will stick.

On to the next day …

“You can complain that roses have thorns, or rejoice that thorns have roses.” ~Ziggy