Heading into the homestretch and I'm on the run...

Week eight was a challenge! It was a stressful week at work and just a hectic schedule in general making it difficult to get to the gym and making me crave food. It was hard week at work and just a hectic schedule in general making it difficult to get to the gym and making me crave to fight off the “stress eating” urges that I had throughout the week. I wasn’t totally successful this week, but I was aware of what was going on with my stress and so I definitely handled the urge to eat better than I have in the past.

I’ve been training for a 5K and plan to run in the Illinois Marathon with the rest of the Go Red team on Friday, April 26^th. I’ve started week seven of the training and ran 25 minutes straight this morning! I’ve never been a runner so this is definitely a first for me. I just keep thinking how much easier it will be when I lose the rest of this excess weight I’m carrying around. I’m excited to be running not only for myself, but also to raise money for Crisis Nursery!

I’m a member of the “Miles for Smiles” team and my goal is to raise $1,800…enough money to support an entire 24-hour day at the Nursery. Check on the link for more details if and if you want to support me on my run…

http://www.crowdrise.com/teamcrisisnursery2013/fundraiser/stephanierecord/updated

Crisis Nursery creates an “Island of Safety” dedicated to the prevention of children abuse and neglect by providing 24-hour emergency care for children and support to strengthen families in crisis. We serve children birth-six years of age and last year provided nearly 30,000 hours of crisis care to 776 children! Crisis Nursery can care for up to 12 children at any one time so on a day when we are at capacity, the cost of care for a child is about $6.25/child/hour. That’s a bargain! :)

This week I only lost 0.6 pounds. I knew there wouldn’t be much weight loss this week, given the challenges I mentioned earlier but I’m still pleased with the progress I’ve made. I also lost another ½ inch off my hips! Slowly but surely the weight is coming off. The best part of the week is that people have started to notice. Joey, one of the male cheerleaders I coach, informed me this week that my pants were too big.  :)  So this morning, when I was getting ready for work, I decided to dig in the back of my closest to find a pair of pants a size smaller…I was thrilled when they fit! I'm planning to weed out the old clothes and get rid of them as my body continues to shrink. I will not be back in those sizes again so there's no reason to keep them! The scale is not always my friend but it does keep me accountable. This week I’m celebrating the fact that my body looks different and I’m heading in the right direction!

I’ve already planned my meals and workouts for the next week so I’m hoping that will help ease the stress of fitting everything in. I’m looking forward to week nine and the last leg of this journey! Thanks to everyone for supporting me and good luck to the rest of the Better U participants. You can do it!

Defeating the weekend!

Week seven is complete! I had several goals this week but my biggest goal was to see a difference on the scale and to not be derailed by the weekend! My primary purpose of applying to be a Better U Challenge participant was to lose weight and develop healthier habits for myself and my family. Those things are happening but last week I was disappointed by the lack of weight loss and was sure it was impacted by my weekend eating habits.

This week, I’m thrilled to report that I’ve lost 5.2 pounds for a total of 12+ pounds in the 7 weeks of the program! I also lost another ½ inch from my waist and hips. Now, before anyone panics and thinks that I starved myself, I can reassure you that’s not the case. I talked to a trainer at the Refinery and met with Deb D’Angelo, our nutrition mentor from Christie. Turns out I wasn’t using My Fitness Pal correctly. I figured out how to use it more effectively this week and it made a huge difference. I didn’t consume the additional calories that I burned off in my workouts and the pounds came off. I also think that the lack of weight loss last week actually showed up early in the week after my weigh in. J

In addition, for the second week straight I gave up all candy and desserts. My dad emailed this week to say he was giving up sweets, bread and potatoes for three days in honor of my effort. I told him I would do the same. Then at the end of the three days, he challenged me to continue it through the weekend with him…and added in no pizza or pasta. I skipped birthday cake at my sister-in-laws party and I skipped my mother-in-laws homemade mashed potatoes and chicken and noodles…it was hard for me but it paid off! Thanks to my dad for challenging me to work a little harder! I’m looking forward to pasta tonight with my family but it will be in moderation and will be a recipe from my Cooking Light cookbook. J

This next week is all about stress management. We just got some great tips from our stress management mentor, Jennifer Carson, and I am ready to try them out this week! Good luck to the rest of the participants, we are in the home stretch and hopefully they are all experiencing success as well!

Breaking through barriers...

Week six of the Better U Challenge was about breaking through barriers. I had several barriers this week as my schedule kicked into high gear and I had to rely on doing much of my exercise at home. Yuck! I definitely enjoy getting to the gym more than exercising at home. There are too many distractions at home and too many things to get me off track. It’s hard to exercise when I see all the things around me that need to be done. At least when I get to the gym, it’s out of sight while I truly focus on me for the short amount of time that I’m there.

That being said, there were a lot of highs for me this week. The highs consisted of being able to wear a ring that I hadn’t worn in over 5 years and wearing a pair of jeans that hadn’t fit for over a year! It’s nice to know that these changes are happening to my body, even though I can’t always see them just from looking in the mirror. I also managed to finish a full hour of cycling without having to sit down to take a break. That was probably my biggest accomplishment of the week. I’m so proud of myself for pushing through the difficulty of the class and for making progress each time. I also completed the 4^th week of the C25K training program. I really hate running but this program has made it possible for me to gradually work towards the team goal of running a 5K in April.

The Better U Challenge participants met with Maribel Alchin, Meijer Dietitian and Healthy Living Advisor, this week. That was a great experience! Did you know that Meijer using the NuVal system? Check it out at http://www.nuval.com/. The NuVal system scores food on a scale of 1-100 and the higher the score, the better the nutrition. The score is located on the shelf tag that lists the price. It’s really simple and you don’t have to read nutrition labels! I showed this to my family this week and they were able to pick more nutritious snacks and foods based on the scoring system. My youngest even passed up a few of her favorite snacks because they were rated too low! Wow!!

Meijer also has provides weekly healthy meal options and recipes each week. I haven’t had time to check it out completely, but I was excited about what I was hearing. If you are looking for simple, easy, healthy meal options for your family, check out http://www.meijermealbox.com/healthy-living. I had no idea Meijer offered so many healthy living options for my family. We shop there frequently so this was exciting information to learn!

As for the lows…I really don’t want to spend much time talking about them but they do lead to frustration so maybe putting them in writing will help. I gave up candy and desserts this week…and I was crabby because of it! I love my candy so this was a hard one for me. I’m hoping this gets easier.

The weekends are my downfall…every week. I work hard all week to eat healthy and push myself and the weekends derail me every time. I need to figure out a way to overcome the weekend barriers or I won’t make my goals. Uggh!

This week I didn’t lose any weight. I know the number on the scale shouldn’t matter…but for me, it does. Before the weekend it looked like I was on track to lose 1-2 pounds. After the weekend, I was back to the weight where I started at the beginning of the week. It’s frustrating and I know it’s my own doing. The positives are that I dropped another 1.5% body fat from last week so I know I’m building muscle. I also lost another ½ inch off my waist and hips. So I’m definitely happy to see the progress in those areas and I’m proud of myself for continuing to push through the barriers. If only that one number on the scale didn’t mean so much to me…but, the fact of the matter is…it does matter and I have to figure out a way to have a greater impact on that number so I feel more successful. So, for next week…I will continue to try to beat my weekend barriers so I don’t lose all the progress I’ve worked for during the week. I'm halfway through the challenge, so this is the final stretch! Wish me luck!

Halfway there!

We've made it to the halfway point ladies! Way to go!! Keep pushing towards those goals...there is still plenty of time to reach them and everyone can do it! Looking forward to the next 6 weeks with all of you!

Energy & persistance conquer all things!

At the end of week five, I’m happy to report that I lost another pound. That nearly 7 pounds total for the first five weeks! I’ve also dropped over 3% of body fat if the scale I use at home is accurate. This was also the first week I saw measurable progress. I lost ½ inch each from my neck, waist & hips!! How do you lost ½ inch from your neck? I have no idea but I’ll take it. :)

I wish the weight was coming off faster. I’m trying not to get discouraged but I’m cutting down portions and exercising twice a day…I would expect the results to be more dramatic that what I’m seeing. I know 1-2 pounds a week is the normal expectation so I should be happy but I can’t help it…the overachiever in me is still a little disappointed.

However, let me tell you what makes that disappointment disappear…getting a call from my dad telling me that he’s heard from my mom how hard I’m working. Him telling me “keep it up and let me know if I can do anything to help!” Him reaffirming that it’s so important for me to do this for me and to take care of myself…him acknowledging that for so long I’ve worked so hard to take care of everyone else…him letting me know that I’m worth the effort I’m putting towards myself. I don’t care how old I am…the approval and support of my dad still means the world to me and has such an incredible impact on my outlook and on the decisions I make in my life. Those who know my dad know this isn’t a typical conversation…so when he reaches out in this way, it’s truly powerful. I love that I can always count on his support, no matter what.

I’m not really sure how many people are following this blog but I can tell you that there are a large number of people following my posts on Facebook. Who would have thought that I would inspire other people while on this journey to better my health? I’ve had friends and acquaintances support me through Facebook…send words of encouragement…let me know that I’m inspiring them. I mean really, 60+ likes just because I lost a few pounds? Tonight, a friend of mine told me that on days when she doesn’t feel like working out, she’s getting to the gym anyway because she’s been motivated to take better care of herself because of me. What?! That’s not what I intended when I started this journey but again, what a powerful impact that has on me…that’s the motivation I NEED to keep going when things get tough.

Not having the time to workout and take care of myself was always the excuse I gave to myself and others for why I couldn't get into the gym. I've found that with planning and commitment, this is no longer a barrier that I can't overcome. I know if I can find the time with everything that I'm juggling, then everyone else can find the time to exercise too. So, come on people...get moving! You won't regret it!!

My goal for week six is to give up candy and sweets. I have a sweet tooth and have really worked hard to cut down on the sweets that I've been eating during this challenge. I'm hoping that cutting these out completely will help me successfully achieve my goals. When I walked into work today, there was a large box of donuts waiting there...I'm excited to report that I did not have a donut (which I happen to LOVE)...and instead I enjoyed a cherry Greek yogurt with a small amount of chocolate granola mixed in. So proud of myself for having the restraint to pass on the sweets today!

Again, I can’t thank everyone enough for their support.This no longer feels like a journey I’m taking alone…I definitely feel like part of a team…all pulling together to help me be the best person I can be. So, if you have ever liked or posted a comment on my Facebook page, you too can take credit for the success that I’m having in this 12 week challenge.Thank you! :) 

“You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it!”

Surrounding Myself with Support...

Week four of the Go Red Better U Challenge was about surrounding yourself with support. My friends, family, and fellow challenge participants and mentors have been a great source of support through this process. They definitely got me through the most challenging week to date. I made a commitment to myself that this journey would be a public journey for me. I risked putting myself out there in daily facebook posts and the response has been so positive! The support I get from high school and college friends and former athletes that I have coached has been phenomenal. They are definitely motivating me to keep going...and believe me, there are days when I'd rather just sit down and skip the workouts.

I'm really working on having a more positive attitude about everything. Those that know me well, know that I don't always have a positive outlook on things. I always see the glass as half empty...I think that's because throughout my life, I've always been the person responsible for having to figure out how to fill the glass. I put a lot of pressure on myself and it wears me down.

The reality is, this has been really hard for me and while I do my best to keep my posts and blogs upbeat, I am constantly fighting the voice inside me that says...you really may not be able to do this. So for those of you giving me positive boosts of encouragement, don't doubt for a minute that I need every single one of those. As for the new positive energy and attitude...it's actually really working for me and making a difference.

As you know, there are always barriers to weight loss and eating healthy but nothing challenges that goal quite as much as the holidays! My biggest goal for week four was to maintain the weight loss I had already accomplished. Being home for the holidays and being surrounded by all my favorite foods and desserts was definitely challenging but I was able to eat in moderation and still enjoy all of my favorites.

I was feeling a little down at the end of the week though and was sure I had gained weight. I really hit it hard on the exercise after Christmas. When I weighed in, I was shocked to see that I actually had lost 0.2 pounds. Not much to cheer about during a normal week but I was really excited about it during this particular week.

Heading into week five, I know I need to step things up a notch to really meet my weight loss goal of 20 pounds in 12 weeks. I still think I can do it but getting a handle on preparing healthy meals is essential. My family and I have picked out some meals to try from the Cooking Light cookbooks I purchased. We have gone shopping and plan to try a few of those this week. Wish us luck and good luck to the other challenge participants. We can do this!

"No matter who you are, no matter what you do, you absolutely, positively do have the power to change."