Dropping the poundage

I am happy with this week's weigh in, dropping 3.4 lbs. Down to 158 lbs. Yeah team!! I had another swim lesson tonight and it went well. 400 meters sure seems far off, but I have to remember I am on a journey, not a sprint. I often look back at these verses that Jane posted on her blog the first few weeks of her weight loss journey and they have really spoken to me in my decision to become healthier and to go for the triathlon.

Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. Proverbs 16:3 (NIV)

Finish what you started in me, God. Your love is eternal—don’t quit on me now.
Psalm 138:8 (The Message)

I'm going for it!

Well, after much research, thought, and prayer, I have made up my mind about the triathlon. I am going for it! Eryn is too, and Scott may even join us. My official regimented workouts start Monday. The triathlon we decided to participate in is on April 19th at Carmel High School. It is a 400 meter swim, 10 mile bike, and 3.1 mile run. I am so excited about it, but of course a little nervous also. I had my first swim lesson last night, and the coach was very encouraging about where I am as far as my stroke goes. Now endurance is another story. I was really happy that I made it 25 meters without stopping, so needless to say, I've got a ways to go to make it 400 meters. It will mean no skipping workouts, no excuses! No turning back. It also means looking good and feeling good in that "Mother of the bride" dress in June.
Wish me luck.

Still on track

It is such an encouragement to me to have friends on this journey with me. I heard from Dawna and Denise today, both excited about losing more pounds. Way to go ladies!! Come spring we are going to be some fit, hot mommas. As my friend Barb said, we'll be Lean Mean Mother Machines! As for my progress, I showed no weight loss at my last weigh in, but I'm really not concerned. I had not weighed in with WW since before the holidays, so I know I had gained and then lost that weight. Unofficially, my weight loss to date is 9 pounds. Yeah team! I am getting the workouts in almost every day, and increasing my time on the elliptical each time. I am meeting with the swim coach tonight, and I'll need to make a decision about this crazy idea of a sprint tri by the end of this week.

Prayers appreciated

All kidding aside, I really would appreciate prayers on this triathlon decision. I am not taking it lightly and don't want to say I'm going to do it and not follow through. But if this is something that God is truly putting on my heart I want to go for it. Anyway, you all let me know if you get some divine wisdom. In the meantime, I'll keep brooding...I mean praying, waiting, researching, pondering.

Feeling good and excited about weigh in

Just a quick post to say that I have hit a new 10's digit! I weighed in at 158.5 this morning. WooHoo! I know it will be up tonight with clothes and all, but I am very excited to be out of the 160's. I also feel great that I am eating healthy and drinking and drinking and drinking. Okay now I am going to confess something that keep haunting me. For some crazy reason, I keep thinking about joining Eryn and my wonderful friend Colleen in a sprint triathlon in June. The week before Eryn's wedding. Okay...I know all of the obstacles. I could make a very long list, beginning with the fact that I am not currently running, biking, OR, swimming. A sprint triathlon is a .5 mile swim, 13 mile bike, and 3.1 mile run. It just won't go away though, it's stuck in my brain. I have not totally decided yet, and I'm reading a book about it so that I have a realisic view of it. Can I possibly take this on and help plan Eryn's wedding? But there it is. My deep dark secret. I have to decide soon because registration is probably filling up. What an unbelievable challenge it would be, but I think that is what intrigues me. The desire to take on a challenge and conquer it. And Lord knows I would have to depend on him to get there. Maybe that's why it is on my heart. Hmmm. I wouldn't care about where I finished, just finishing. I also think the journey getting to that point would be awesome. I say that now, but what about when I have to fit in workouts around our crazy softball season? Anyway, I have a call in to the swim coach at Ben Davis to inquire about private lessons. It's been awhile since I swam competitively. Okay, it was 6th grade, but who's keeping track. Guess this wasn't a quick post afterall.

Have a wonderful day. God Bless!

Stenghthen that Core

I "attempted" pilates this morning with Denise. I just need to say that the whole "get your energy from your core" thing... not working very well for me. If that's where my energy is coming from, then no wonder I'm tired all the time. It wasn't pretty, but it was exercise and I'm looking forward to getting stronger in that area. If I let myself really dream, I can see a six pack in my future! Anyway, I feel very good about how well I'm doing on my food intake and logging of food and points. I am lacking motivation on exercise though and I'm not really sure why. I think part of it is just making sure to schedule it into the day and make it a priority. My days are busy, but so is everyone else's. I also think part of the problem is that I find it hard to make "me" a priority. It's much easier for me to take care of everyone else. Anyway, I guess it comes down to balance. I also think it is a must for me to start my day with some God time. I feel better and have more focus for the day.

At 48 yrs old, it is amazing to me that I still feel like I have so much to work on. I guess when I was in my 20's, I thought I had it all figured out. Now I've spent the last 20 years (especially the last 5) realizing how very little I know and how much I still need to grow.

Thanks to my friends and family for the encouragement, accountability, and prayers on my journey to a healthier me. And thanks for allowing me to be a part of yours as well.

Picture Time

Well, well, well...I decided to wear something that would not camouflage the fat rolls when taking my "before" picture. Well, I was certainly successful with my wardrobe choice. All I can say is "motivation"!!

Day one of my journaling

Well, here is my first entry. I started my weight loss journey in late December, but fell off the wagon a bit over the holidays. I have gotten serious about it this week and am very happy with how I have been doing. I'm keeping track of my points and writing down everything that I eat. Quite a pain, but I can certainly see the benefit. That hand full of chocolate chips isn't really worth it when I have to go get my purse, take out the Weight Watchers guide, sit down with the guide and the chocolate chip bag ....realize I can't read it so I then go on a 10 minute quest to find my reading glasses...find the calories, fat, and fiber and calculate the WW point value. Just not really worth it. It's much easier to eat some grapes. I have also made a commitment to drink 8 glasses of water a day. That is not as easy as it may seem, and I feel like all I do is drink and visit the bathroom. Who has time to eat with that schedule? I got the exercise in 2 x this week so far and plan to exercise tonight and tomorrow, so still room for improvement there. That's all for now. I am anxious for Wednesday's weigh-in as I know I have dropped at least 2-4 pounds.