Mel's Week One

One week down in Fall fitness! How'd it go for everyone?

My week started off with food poisoning, which drug on for the week. Any overeating destruction I could have done was headed off by stomach pangs. I seem to be much improved this week - but man that went on forever. I did managed to walk every day with the kids (except Tuesday, I was too busy puking my guts out, but hey - that should count as exercise right?). I went for a run, ok a jog/walk - I'm so out of shape - Monday, and Sunday. Yeah, I was that messed up from the stomach stuff, I couldn't manage a run until Sunday!!!

I clicked on the links in GSV's post (I dunno if you guys want to be publicly named here, so until you tell me otherwise I'll use your profile name - btw, you can say Mel, I don't care) and checked out the Lord's Table program. It looks awesome!!! And I signed up for the online course - already on day 3 and even have a mentor I've been emailing with - super cool. I'm still up for the getting together as a group, I'm just a notoriously a DO IT NOW, gal so I had to start.

So here's some numbers for ya:

Week 1 weight loss: 4 lbs
Total weight loss: 4 lbs
Run distance 1.1 miles (I'm not saying how long that took me, but lets say I'm no 10 minute mile)

The 4 Month Challenge has begun...

Back before I went to India, I decided that I needed to take action on my weight situation. The weight came gradually as I worked as an Admin for an Assoc Dean at the UT Law School...a very stressful job AND the boss made good dessert. She cooked when she couldn't sleep...nice. That happened over a two year span back in 2003-ish?? I'm really, really good at maintaining weight. haha... I finally got tired of making excuses for the lack of weight loss over this past summer. It's amazing how you can justify eating 1/2 a pizza because you're going to run 8 miles the next morning and you "need the carbs"! There has been a bit of weight fluctuation (the 5#s) over the last few years, so once that barrier is crossed, I'll be really excited!

Therefore...I am setting goals, a time frame and am getting to work. Community support is definitely a good thing, too!

Start Date: Sept 8
End Date: Dec 31

Goals:
1. Lose 20 pounds
2. Run a 5K under 30 minutes
3. Run a 10K under 1 hour

Since my start on 9/8, I am down 5 pounds and can run a 5K in 35:39. Yay! I am at that 5# fluctuation mark that I haven't seen in 2 years...just an fyi... Goooooo Fall Fitness Team!

Inspiration from a Higher Power

So yesterday while I was driving I got this big moment of inspiration. I had a plan. And maybe I still do, it depends on the response, haha...

A few years back I did a study called The Lord's Table, through a larger group: Setting Captives Free. I'll be honest, I didn't take the course too seriously. I had a hard time grasping the concept that being overweight was connected to sin. I have a medical condition that requires me to take medication that have nasty side effects, including weight gain, substantial weight gain if used in high doses and long term. My medical condition also limits my energy and stamina and strength. Basically, I walked around with the premise that my weight problem was mostly not my fault but instead related to a medical condition that there is currently no way to prevent. Therefore, how can my weight be related to me being sinful? All those facts are still true. I still am on nasty meds. I am still dealing with function limiting fatigue. But then there is also me: messed up, jacked up, sinful me. Over eating is a sin. Gluttony is a sin. Laziness is a sin. Turning to food for comfort instead of turning to the Lord is a sin. So many people are held captive from bad eating habits. just like people are with alcohol, drugs, porn, you name it. Bad eating/over eating has just become in many ways the acceptable sin, but no more!

Anyone want to do this study with me? I warn you I am no expert!, therefore my plan is to not lead, but host and facilitate. I will open up my home and together we can work through 60 lessons to help gain control of our eating habits while learning to look to God for spiritual sustenance. Each lesson consists of biblical instruction, testimonies, and comments from other course members. The big point is to learn how to truly enjoy the Lord and "feed" on Him, rather than actual food. There are optional eating plans that go with the study. One involves appropriate portion days, half portion days, liquid days, and fasting days. Another involves listening to your body and eating only when truly hungry (such as growling belly).

I will include some links so that you can read up more on the course. Some of the links do go into the eating plans, but remember those are optional. The class can be done without it. It is personal choice there.
http://www.settingcaptivesfree.com/courses/lords-table/faqs/#13
For those not in the Austin/Cedar Park area, you can do the class online at
http://www.settingcaptivesfree.com/courses/lords-table/

Anybody in? Anybody want to be set free?

Time to start, or I'll never finish.

I have definitely packed on pounds this summer. After the birth of my son, I was doing great. I lost all the baby weight in less than a month and then preceded to lose an additional 20 lbs. Granted I still had more to lose even after that, but I was better off post baby than pre baby. But. There is always a but isn't there? As the weather got warmer, and warmer, and warmer, I found myself going out less and walking less. Then my son started eating food, as in real food. Or perhaps I should say he started to not eat food, and I started to eat his food. Yeah, a bite here, a taste there, a lick here. Don't want food to go to waste after all. Oh and I make his meals with whole milk and such, err I should I say I make my mini meals that way (what is left that he didn't eat). Yeah, combine that with the less moving part, and all I accomplished post baby is gone. Actually, I am currently at about the weight I was at say 15 weeks pregnant (and I am not any weeks, haha). Sigh.

My goals are simple.
Just Me is right though, nothing is simple in life.

1) Don't eat my son's food. Not one bite. Seriously this is one of the most sabotaging behaviors I have

2)Now that the weather is cooler, walk. Walk, walk, walk. That was my secret in the early post baby days. It worked then, it can work now.

3)Quit Women's Bible Study. Ok, just kidding. That said Women's Bible Study has way too much good food. Seriously, I could eat a day's worth of calories in 1 hr. There are sometimes healthy options, but the other options want my love, haha. I got to deny those options my love.

4)Stop the soda. Actually I am going to see if hubbie will be on board with a soda free household. He will probably say yes....starting Monday...the issue is Mondays rarely exist in this house.

5) I don't got a 5 yet, haha.

The truth of the matter is I got a lot of weight to lose. Over 100 lbs actually. If I were to lose 100 lbs I would still be considered "overweight." That is just plain scary. I am not good at breaking things into small pieces either. I fall into the trap of focusing on the big goal rather than mini goals. I could say one goal of mine is to lose 15 lbs like a couple said, but all I hear in my head is 15?, 15?, try 150! And boy is that an overwhelming number! Truth is I don't know if I ever will be not fat. I don't know if I am capable of being not fat. OK, what a motivator I am to you all!, haha.

Where I'm At

Life is never simple. Oh how true that statement is. Wouldn't you know it, the day I start blogging about fitness and work out for the first time, the next day I get food poisoning. And let's face it, that's just the way life rolls. Setbacks can and WILL happen. But, I will persevere despite them.

So here's my story. I've had two children now and my body shows it. Even after I lost most of the baby weight with Hayden, my body was still different than it was before. I might have been the same weight, but my jeans no longer fit. WHAT!? And after the second baby, well, let's just say I bought new clothes.

That's where I'm at right now. My room is filled with clothes that don't fit. The clothes I do have, just look plain frumpy. I'm tired of only wearing that one pair of jeans that fit comfortably. I'm tired of avoiding sleeveless shirts, shorts and skirts because I don't like how they look. I'm tired of cringing every time I see a picture of me. So I'm going to do something about it.

But, I don't want that quick fix. I want this to be a permanent change in my life. So I'm avoiding the fad diets I've used in the past, because obviously - the weight just comes back. I want to work on a healthy lifestyle - one that sticks with me.

My goals are:

1.) To lose 15 lbs - this would get me to my pre-baby weight, not that I would be done there though, haha.

2.) Reduce refined sugar and white flour in my diet

3.) Drink more water

4.) Add exercise back into my life. I've always enjoyed running and started again Monday night.

Goals

Every fall I have my students write their goals for our class, their semester, and their year. Since I challege my students to meet their goals I wanted to challenge myself as well as all of you to make goals and try to reach them.

So here goes...my goals are:
- work out at least 3 times a week
- try to not to eat fast food
- lose 15 pounds by Christmas

I know the first two seem easy but as a coach/teacher plus a mom I don't have much time to work out or cook. I have also decided that before I get pregnant with baby 2 I need to lose the weight I gained with Savannah and then some.

So here is to making goals and holding each other accountable!

Welcome!

Welcome to Fall Fitness.

When I think of the word fitness, the first thing that comes to mind is a buff chick doing some kind of cardio. But in actuality, fitness encompasses so much more than just exercise.

Fitness:

1. The state or condition of being fit; suitability or appropriateness.
2. Good health or physical condition, especially as the result of exercise and proper nutrition.

And so the name of this blog is "Fall Fitness". My vision is that as we share our individual stories, we would inspire, encourage, and support each other. I hope that both readers and contributors alike would feel this is a safe place to talk about struggles and successes - knowing that we are all working our way to fitness.

I'm very excited about the group of bloggers that have signed on to contribute to Fall Fitness - and I hope you join us in this journey.

~Mel