Kelly

Hi there girls! I am really excited to join this blog and have the encouragement and accountability to be a healthy woman. I have wanted to join for some time, but for fear of failure, I refrained. However, my mind has changed and here I am. I am not entirely sure what I am supposed to write about. I thought I should start by giving some background information about myself, and clarifying where I am in this process of healthy living.
I have never really had a “weight” problem. In fact, as a child I was the one who was teased for being so skinny and scrawny. I remember trying to gain weight, but couldn’t. My 8th grade English teacher actually pulled me out of the class to ask me if I was anorexic. Obviously, my metabolism has changed and things are not the same as they once were. In college I usually weighed exactly 122 pounds. I never seemed to fluctuate. Then my senior year came and I went through a very stressful situation (that I am sure most of you remember) and began my student teaching. Without trying, or even realizing it, my weight dropped to around 115 pounds. I thought it was great! I chopped my hair off and felt like a new woman. My brother-in-law kindly informed me that he didn’t think my 115-pound body was cute – but rather disgusting and that I needed to gain some weight.
So after I graduated from college I began teaching. I got back to 122-pounds and remained there for a while. I met Ben and nine months later we got married. My husband is a big eater and my sister jokes that because I am a competitive person, I subconsciously try to eat as much as he does. Of course my body frame is not as big as his. Whether that is true or not (I doubt it) I did begin eating a lot more after I got married. I wanted to make nice meals for my husband and I certainly didn’t make him eat by himself. So we got married and I slowly started to gain weight. After two years of marriage I was up to 138 pounds.
During this time I was diagnosed with PCOS. One of the effects of PCOS is weight gain, weight gain that is extremely difficult to take off. Most women with PCOS weigh between 200-300 pounds. Therefore, my doctors were encouraged to see that I was only 138. However, because of my disease and the way it alters my hormones, it is very important that I keep my weight down. I went to the endocrinologist last week and my doctor was pleased to see that since February I had lost 8 pounds – I now weight 130!!! He is encouraging me to lose 5 more to see if my cycle and hormone levels balance themselves. He said that even a few pounds can make a world of difference in one’s overall health. So this leads me to the reason why I joined this blog. I know that I don’t have a lot of weight to lose, but I am afraid that my fertility depends on my health or lack thereof. It is crucial that I begin eating right and exercising, and I need the accountability!
I started my healthy living 8 days ago. I am trying to drink a lot of water, eat healthy, and walk. I will post more specifics later. Sorry if I bored any of you – I hope there isn’t a word limit to these posts that Katie didn’t tell me about. :)
-Kelly

Katie - 5.26.06

Well, I am still among the land of the living in the world of health. I've had a few visits to the dark side in the last 2 weeks, but what can you expect when you have so many celebrations going on? We have eaten out so much in the last week. I tried not to go completely overboard, but I did put on a few pounds. But, I'm not conviced that at least one of those pounds was offically lost. I've already lost at least 2 of those pounds this week, getting back into normal eating habits. I haven't done my DVD this week either - just weights. I feel like I should be burning calories all day long because we've been going, going, going! I didn't start packing until Tuesday, late morning, and I am now on the last room of the house - THE KITCHEN! I've run out of bubble wrap, and I have one more set of dishes to pack. Not too shabby, if you ask me!

Back to the matter of this blog, I just want to say THANK YOU, my dear "Fighting Words" friends for the encouragement and accountability you offer me, even over the web! I think it's so neat that we all live in different states right now. :) I'm watching Dr. Phil while I'm packing (don't tell anyone), and today's topic is on weight loss. He said that the thing about weight loss is, YOU CANNOT DO IT ALONE! I really believe this, because I've tried throughout my life, since probably the age of 13, to lose weight, and I've never really successfully done it. This is the first real effort I've made since having Luke, and although I'm not losing weight as quickly as I have on Slim Fast or whatever other "diet," I have made exercise and healthy eating a habit. I will ALWAYS have to work at this, but I feel like I'm building habits in my life that I can keep up with for the long run. A big part of this new "system" is the accountability of this blog. I've had some plateaus, and a couple of times I've felt like jumping off of the wagon, but you all have kept me on - through your encouragement and my own pride at wanting to keep up my end of this bargain. So thanks for your encouraging words and prayers.

Love - Katie

Heather - 5.25.06

Well, I thought I would just post a quick comment. I stepped on the scale this morning to see how I have been doing. I knew lately that I have been making the right choices food wise but the exercise has been off and on...but I was pleasantly surprised when I read the numbers this morning...Since last Monday, the 15th, I am down 3 pounds!!! I was so excited I thought I was going to burst!!! It is finally coming off!!!

I did say that I have not been exercising enough...so I thought up a new plan. I asked my friend to walk with me Monday, Tuesday, and Thursdays!! She was so excited and glad that I asked!!! So we start this coming Monday and now I have even more accountability!!!

I hope all of you are having a great week! I know Amanda just got back from vacation and Shannon and Alicia are currently away!! You are all in my prayers! Katie I have been praying for you and thinking so much about you as you are packing like crazy!!!! I really do hope it is going well!!!!!

Amanda 5.17.06

Well, tom and i made it back safely. Thanks for the prayers this past week and a half. It was a long trip and I thought for sure I'd gained a lot of weight back. So, I anxiously stepped on the scale and it said 140 lbs. Not too bad for all the eating out we did....french fries, frapoccino, chocolate turtle cake, ect... I was not the most disciplined person that's for sure. Well, I'm grateful for new beginnings and ready to get back on track with my routine of exercise and a good diet. And since everyone is setting goals... I think I'd like to add mine to the list too.
I'd like to be between 130-135 lbs. before we move for school in August. I'm going to workout out 5x a week doing the biggest loser dvd(m,w,f--cardio and t, th--weights) along with eating more fruit, salads and vegetables.
Glad to hear everyone is still pressing onward toward living healthy. Keep up the good work!

Heather 5.16.06

Hello Everyone!!! Thank you so much for all of your prayers! I feel as if I am getting somewhere! On the 15th I was down 4 lbs from last month!! I really felt good about it and am so ready to get this month over and see more results.

I really think I would make more progress if I made better food choices! That is where I am finding my toughest choices at! The last 2 days I have been really good! Right now my husband is having an ice cream cone and I said no to it!!! That is an accomplishment for me! Can you believe it...he is sitting right here next to me eating it too! CRUNCH, CRUNCH. Oh and by the way...he is getting up to get another one. He said he will eat mine that way I am not tempted to eat one. :)

I really want to set a goal like some of you did, but mine will be more of a long term goal because I really don't have much coming up till August! So here it is...

My family is coming out to visit in August. I think it is the first week or so. I would really like to be 15 pounds lighter than I am right now and i will get there by doing...

• weights 3 times a week (mon/wed/fri)
• 2 mile walk or more 4 times a week (mon/tues/fri and sat or sun)
• NO CHEATING on FOOD!!!! Sensible only!!!!

You all are doing so well, keep up the good work!!!! Thanks so much for creating this blog Katie! It has been such an inspiration to me!!! Talk to you all soon!

Shannon 5.16.06

This is going to be a quick post as I have lots to do to get ready for my trip on Thursday. But, I like Alicia have good news and bad news. The good news is that Stephen and I went jogging/walking for three miles yesterday. Even when we walked, my stride is half the length of his, so I was walking vvvery briskly. I praise the Lord for a husband who pushes me when I need it and encourages me when I need it. We were supposed to go again today, but we had too much going on. I went shopping and ran errands, and honestly sometimes I feel like that's a workout hulling Esther in and out of the stores, holding her in some stores, and then walking briskly to get done quickly before she gets fussy! I think we'll resume tomorrow. We have been doing well with exercise, and I've been doing well with my food choices for the most part, but the bad news is I'm not seeing a significant decrease in weight. Maybe I'm 'gaining muscle', as they say. Oh well, at least I can feel a difference in my body and am feeling healthier - for whatever that's worth!

Alicia - 5.14.06

Happy Mother's Day to you all!

Well, I have good news and bad news. Let's do the bad news first. Today, I didn't eat very well. I had a BIG cheesy breakfast out at a family restaurant. Two cookies for an afternoon snack, and then a steak dinner (I guess that meal wasn't so bad). I have been more liberal lately with my eating and snacking habits. A friend of mine had a cookout yesterday and I ate more than I should have. I have mentally been taking a break because I had been seeing such great results and thought I deserved a little splurging. NOT!

As of Tuesday, my scale was down to 140! That's a full 4 pounds less than 2 weeks ago!!!! I was jogging every other day, doing 100 crunches and leg lifts every night. But then, the rain and cold weather hit and every day brought more bad-for-jogging-weather. It has been 4 days since I did my jogging routine. I could have gone yesterday, but didn't make time for it.

So, today is mother's day. I thought to myself, "Today is mother's day, why would I torture myself and go jogging on mother's day? It's the one day of the year where I'm licensed to relax and eat good food." My husband kept after me, reminding me jokingly that I haven't been jogging in a while. And then it dawned on me, "Today is mother's day, why WOULDN'T I take care of my health and NOT go jogging today?!?"

Begrudgingly, I forced myself to jog. And boy was it difficult! It is amazing what 4 days of mostly-inactivity will do to a 28 year old body. I felt my bum jiggling like crazy (please don't picture that) and what I was able to do easily last week, was today stinkin' hard. By the end of my first jogging stint (I jog/walk/jog/etc.) I was pretty ticked off at myself for huffing and puffing. I forced my body to jog what I normally do and I even sprinted at the final 1/4 block. I looked like a tomato face when I got home! I felt like dying. But God pushed me to do it! Thanks be to God for His spirit to do anything good!

As you can tell, I'm in a narrative mood. :)

I've got to finish packing our belongings for our big trip tomorrow. Please pray for me as I'm at my mom's house. She ALWAYS buys special food for me that she knows I'll enjoy. (Nutella and extra sharp white cheddar cheese are the most dangerous). Pray that I'll indulge in moderation and I won't pig out. Also pray that I'll continue with my jogging routine.

Thanks for listening and praying, ladies! Let's go get 'em this week!

Katie - 5.11.06

I just finished doing 2 miles of my DVD. I waited until 11pm, but I did it! I wasn't able to do the DVD yesterday, so today I HAD to. Today and yesterday have been RAINY, and I feel like Luke and I are going crazy. So far this week, I have kept to my goals of weight lifting and exercise, but it's been a discouraging week as far as eating goes. I haven't gone crazy or anything. I've just managed to sneak a few unwise choices in here and there that I think have affected my progress in weight loss. Chris keeps telling me not to measure my success by pounds lost but consistency in a healthy lifestyle. I know this is true, but I so desperately want to get out of this 2-pound range that I've been hovering in for what seems like forever. This week has also been a constant struggle with Luke. For the last 3 nights, it's been difficult to put him to bed at night. It's like he's just not tired or something. Whereas before, he would be calm, and we would eat a snack, read a book, sing and pray - then he would be happy as a lark to go to bed. But now, it's like a light has switched off, and he's so hyper (and he doesn't eat a lot of sugar), and it's hard to stay on track. When I do lay him down, he throws a fit. Instead of blowing me kisses as I go out the door (seriously, he used to do that), he screams his head off. I am at a loss. I feel like I have no control as the parent, and he does whatever he wants. Today he cried for his nap too, and finally fell asleep at 4:00, which is usually about the time he wakes up. I only let him sleep for about 45 minutes, because I wanted him to go to bed on time tonight. No such luck. I laid him in his bed for the first time at 8:00, and he finally was in bed and asleep at 10:30. He did a good bit of crying, some correction was administered, and much prayer. I'm sorry that most of this post is about Luke and my parenting woes, but I'm so discouraged right now, I wanted to vent to my buds and get your prayers. Heather? Logan's older than Luke. Any advice? It seems like I'm freaking out over a small deal, but it just is getting old, and sometimes I feel like I have no patience whatsover, and then am angry, which I DON'T want to be.

Well, tomorrow's a new day. God's goodness and faithfulness to me is always fresh. That's a great truth. Thanks so much for the support and accountability you all offer me!

5.8.06 Heather

I didn't realize it had been so long since my last post! The 15th is almost here and I think I may be able to reach my goal of losing 5 pounds this month!!! I don't want to get to excited because I still have a week to go, but I have been trying so hard and do so well at it!! Thanks so much for your prayers!

Camping this weekend was great! I made the right choices for my diet and kept on track all weekend!!!

Please pray for me! I didn't have a set-back this week in my physical life, but I am really struggling in my spiritual life! You would think as I struggle with things in my life I would draw closer to the Lord, but instead, last week I found it so hard to pray and to stay in the Word! Please pray for me...that this week, I stay focused on my spiritual life just as much as my physical life!

It has become so evident to me that the closer I get to my Heavenly Father, the harder Satan tries to come between it all! Satan can destroy things so easily!!

Have a great week, Ladies!!!

Katie - 5.6.06

Happy Derby Day, everyone. And congratulations to Barbaro. Did you watch the race? Pretty exciting. Barbaro won by a huge lead too. We had fun watching it.

Well, now that I laid out a goal to ya'll about wearing my blue poka-dot dress for Chris' graduation, I better lay out a plan to make it happen. My exercise and eating habits were mediocre last week. Thursday night was a Student Wives Institute banquet, and I totally feasted and saw the consequences on the scale. Today I went on 2 walks (not too long though) and lifted weights too. Here's my goals for the next two weeks (until graduation):

- weights 3x a week
- ab portion of weight workout 4x a week
- Walking DVD 4-5x a week for ONLY 2 miles (unless I have the time and desire, but the key is for me just to plan on only 2 miles, so I can't make time an excuse not to do the workout)

This really isn't unrealistic. I already do the weights. And I've had trouble doing the DVD because I don't feel like doing a whole hour. Doing 2 miles and only 30 minutes would be way better than nothing, but did I do it? Sometimes I'm an all-or-nothing girl to a fault.

Pray for me. I have to get out of this neutral place I've been in.

Alicia - 5.5.06

Wanted to report in that I (like Shannon a few days ago) had a few little victories today. I LOVE fast food - especially McD's. To be health conscious though we've made a family rule to only eat at a fast food place once (or sometimes twice if I'm lucky) a month. We haven't eaten fast food for ages and Matt called this afternoon asking if he could treat us to some DQ burgers (there's a DQ just 2 blocks from our home) and fries for supper. While it was very sweet of him to think of treating me to a night without cooking, I turned him down. Believe it or not, I didn't even want to eat a greasy bacon cheeseburger tonight. Weird, eh? That was victory #1.

Victory #2 came after I put Chloe to bed at 7:40 p.m. I do my jogging/walking routine every other day and tonight I was due. I really really really didn't want to go tonight though. I had a long day with Chloe (Matt came home later than I expected) and I felt more like going to bed than going for a jog. I knew I needed to go though and I didn't want to lose any ground on the endurance (not much but it's something) I've built up so far so I put on my jogging clothes. I started out and my friend Melinda met me in her car returning some dishes of mine. So I jogged back home, put the plates away, and started again. This time Melinda's 4 oldest kids (there are 6 of them - 2 baby twins) all came running out shouting, "Miss Alicia!". So, I stopped again. Melinda's hubby came out and we chatted for a few minutes. By this time I was wondering if I was ever going to get to go jogging after all! I started out again and this time I finished jogging without interruption. I jogged more than ever tonight. Ususually I do half jogging/half walking but tonight was mostly jogging. After a shower and lots of water I'm feeling excellent. Thanks for praying for me!

Shannon - 5.2.06

The Lord gave me what you would call a little victory yesterday. I went grocery shopping and skipped on past the ice cream, sweets, and snack foods. I instead spent my grocery $ on fruits and vegetables, and they're going to have to become my snacks, because that's all we have for snacking (besides trail mix). I figure this would be as good of motivation as any to eat healthy, if I don't have the junk food in the house! Today, Karis and I are walking, and it always helps when I go with her because she is a power walker for sure! I had already decided I was going to take a long walk as I was inspired by Alicia, yesterday! However, I'm thankful to have a friend to go with to keep me motivated today. I have several goals I'm working towards. I want to lose 5 lbs in the next two and half weeks, and it's not coming off! Pray that I'll work hard these next few weeks to accomplish my goal with the Lord's help!

Katie - 5.2.06

Wow, it's been a long time since I checked in. I feel like I'm still in a plateau, but, praise the Lord, my metabolism must have improved, because I've actually lost 2 more pounds in the last week and a half. Last week, a lot of old friends were in town for T4G, and there were lots of get-togethers and extra desserts. Even when I thought that I would have surely gained a bit, the scale was the same or even lower! Wow. I have managed to get moderate excercise in, but not as ambitious as at the beginning. The bottom line, I guess, is that I'm still plugging away! I have to admit that, as much as I love Walk Away the Pounds, it gets boring, and I wish I had someone to do it with me. O well. Chris and I are still plugging away at weights too. I think that's what has really made the difference. Over the past few months, I have been building muscle, which works for me long after, burning calories. As of now, I've lost 11 pounds. Slow, but sure. I hope to pick up my exercise this week so I can maybe see even bigger results.

One short-term goal that I have is to wear this navy/polka dot dress for Chris' graduation on May 19. (My mom bought this dress after Luke was born, and I've NEVER fit into it. How sad is that?) I tried it on a few days away, and it fits considerably better than a few months ago! It's a bit tight in the tummy, but it's a two-peice deal and has a part that goes over top, so I have a little room for some snug. I really think I can do this, but I only have 3 weeks. Hopefully, after graduation I can post a pic of me wearing it!

Alicia - 5.1.06

Just wanted to check in and thank you all for your prayers this past week. Knowing that you were praying for me was EXCELLENT motivation. I almost wimped out a few days ago and I could have very easily made excuses for not doing my jogging/walking routine but God spurred me on.

I've changed my jogging/walking regimen a bit this past week. I had previously been just jogging for about 5 blocks (I know how sad that is - but that is a lot for me!) and coming home in like 5 minutes. I felt totally tired out but I didn't see much progress. My mom suggested that I do a 30 minute jog/walk - walk a block, jog a block - to really get my heart going for a longer period of time. I do that new routine every other day.

Today Chloe and I took a monstrously long walk so I just did my jogging tonight. It felt good! I felt like I was actually sort-of-running instead of dragging-my-bulk-around-by-hardly-lifting-my-feet. It's hard to explain but I felt like I was getting into a rhythm.

I'm feeling good and starting to notice some of the slimming effects. Last week I stepped on the scale and was sadly confronted with a bigger number than I wanted to see - 144. Here I thought I only had a few pounds to lose and it turns out I actually have SIX! Any tips for weighing? Is there a good time in the day to do it? I'm assuming there's a lot of variance as I stepped on this afternoon and it said 142.