Finally Friday!!

It is finally Friday!  Praise the Lord!  This week has been a week from crazy town.  My child has been a hellian this week.  I think he may be teething again and he has been so hard to deal with that on several occasions I have put him in his crib and walked out.  Woooo-saaaaaa, wooooo-saaaaa.  Serenity now, serenity now.  You know, whatever gets you through it.  Something that has made things easier to deal with though is the fact that I can sit down in the mornings, while little man is playing, and do my devotions.  Currently I am going through a devotion on YouVersion (if you don't have this app, you need to get it!!) called She Reads Truth and it is on Phillipians.  I am really enjoying but the other devotion I am doing, I absolutely love!  My aunt got me "Out of the Spin Cycle: Devotions to Lighten Your Mother Load" by Jen Hatmaker and it is phenomenal.  From Amazon,here is part of the book description, "Author and speaker Jen Hatmaker takes the words and deeds of Jesus, adds the humor of a young mom's life, and offers messages of grace and encouragement. She shows overburdened moms forty things Jesus doesn't expect them to do on their own.  Covering areas such as worry, marriage, priorities, money, and the trap of comparison, this lively Bible teacher brings Jesus's message alive in a format geared to the short moments moms have that can be allotted to reflection. This is a devotional for the woman inside the mom--the Bible student, the learner, the world-changer."  It is a great devotional and really gets me going in the mornings and lets me know that I am not alone in this things called motherhood.  Happy Friday y'all!  I hope you have a fabulous weekend!

All thoughts and opinions are my own and I was not compensated for my book review!

Ch-ch-ch-changes and hiding the scale

For those of you that know me, you know that what I am about to tell you is a HUGE deal!  First off let me start by saying, I am obsessed with weighing myself.  I weigh myself pretty much everytime after I use the bathroom all throughout the day.  I don't know what my obsession is with it or why I do it, but for some reason I think that if I don't see the number on the scale for a while that I feel like my life is spinning out of control.

I have asked my husband to hide the scale.  I weighed myself yesterday and was 193.6 (up from 192.2 the previous day).  So that is the last number that I am going based on.  I am so consumed by the number on the scale that if it isn't going down, I feel that I am not successful in my efforts, even though I am eating pretty well and working my butt off with exercising.  I have lost inches, but it still frustrates me when the scale doesn't move or moves very very little week to week.  

I am going to try this for a month.  I am going to continue my exercising.  I may actually kick that up a notch and clean up my eating a little bit more.  I really need to get the bad fats, sugar, and caffeine out of my life!!!  Giving up caffeine is also a HUGE deal.  Thank God they still make decaf coffees and teas so if I really have  a hankering, I can drink one of those.  

I will need your help during this next month.  It is going to be tough to let go of some of these things, but I know it is going to be so good for me!  

Happy Thursday y'all!  It's almost Friday and the weekend!!

Suzanne

Getting down to the nitty gritty

I have been having some motivation issues...the lack of motivation, I might add.  I get so confused with how many calories I should be eating.  I feel hungry all the time when I eat 1440 like My Fitness Pal suggests and my weight loss is going soooooo slow.  That discourages me more than anything, but instead of being so consumed with what the number on the scale says, I need to focus on how my clothes are fitting because I am pretty sure I am losing inches.  Because my body fat percentage is so high, I need to change a lot of that fat to muscle before I am going to start seeing much difference but once that happens I will be a fat burning machine!!!  I have been doing a lot of research on my basal metabolic rate (how many calories your body burns just by existing) and what my daily caloric intake should be to lose weight and everything and I think I am eating too few calories so I am going to try upping my calories and I am going to give it 2 weeks or a 5 lb. gain if it doesn't work.  If it doesn't work, I may completely throw the towel in with calorie counting and go back to strict paleo and not worry how many calories are in foods.  It is all so confusing and discouraging sometimes!

I feel like I am giving up on my dream to "be a runner".  I want to enjoy running but all of the pain that I am in makes me feel like it is never going to happen.  I know running is about 90% mental but when my shin/calf is on fire while I am running there is nothing enjoyable about it.  They say to push through the pain but sometimes that is easier said than done.  I don't want to injure myself.  I have been fitted for shoes and recently purchased some compression sleeves but I think I syked (I have no idea how you spell that word!!) myself up and was able to run 1/4 mile without stopping with pretty much no pain.  But then when I tried to do it again a couple days later, I couldn't do it.  I have decided to go back to week 2 on the C25K plan because I can't run a full 3 minutes like week 3 calls for.

I was hoping to be in the 180's by April but with as slow as my weight loss is going I am not sure if I will make it there by then or not.

Some of our really good friends have rented a beach cottage in June and have invited us to go with them so we are getting down to the nitty gritty and I HAVE to kick it into high gear!

Ok, enough of the self-sabotaging.  Carry on with your regular Monday activities!

Suzanne

This girl is on fiyahhh!!!

I really feel like I finally have the hang of this whole diet and exercise thing.  I feel like I am motivated now more than I ever have been and it helps so much to have Thomas doing it with me and us both wanting to be better parents to our little one (although he is growing up too quickly!!!).  

Last week(ish??), I can't really remember when I did it, but I was doing a workout and had pretty much just started.  I was on my reps of burpees and tweaked my right knee.  I ended up buying a knee brace and I now wear it anytime I workout, but I am afraid to do burpees or any type of CrossFit exercises for fear of messing it up again.  I thought for sure when I got ready to look down at my leg that it was going to be all a jumbled up mess and that my knee cap was going to be on the side of my leg...at least that's how it felt.  I laid low for a couple of days but couldn't NOT workout so I ended up just easing my way back in with some walking on the treadmill.

Along with my 5K training  which is going slower than I planned because I am needing to repeat week 3.  (Fat girl can't run 3 minutes straight without feeling like she is going to die!!!), I am doing a February Fab Ab challenge that is planks, sit-ups, and push-ups that increase everyday throughout the month.  We started at a 10 second plank, 10 sit-ups and 4 push-ups.  By the end of the month we should be able to hold a 2 minute plank, 100 sit-ups, and 25 push-ups.  I also decided to attempt to do Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred again because I never finished the first time.  So far, so good!  

I am down another 1.4 lbs bringing my total up to 47 lbs lost!!  So exciting!!!  I just really feel like nothing is stopping me now!  I am doing this for first and foremost, myself, and secondly for my husband and son.  It definitely makes me a better wife and mother all around and keeps me sane when I get a good sweat on!!!

Hope y'all have a fabulous weekend!!!

Suzanne

I'm still kicking!!

Hey ya'll!  I haven't posted in a while and for all 5 of my readers, I apologize!  Life has been busy with a 9 1/2 month old that I can barely take my eyes off of or he is climbing on something about to get hurt!  (But I wouldn't have it any other way!)  He is my little explorer!!

I have been using My Fitness Pal "religiously" for 25 days and I am loving it!  It really makes me more aware of what I am eating and how many calories certain foods are.  I currently weigh 197.8 (eeeek)....I can't believe I just posted that for all the world to see ,but to be honest, I am pretty dang proud of it!  I weighed like 235-240 when I delivered my crazy bundle of joy, so I think that is quite a loss!  Since I have really been keeping track though, I am only down 19.2 lbs (so stinkin' close to the 20 lb. mark) and 1.8 lbs to my first goal (buy a new book or cookbook).  So, if y'all aren't tracking calories, I suggest you try!  It works!  And if you need the extra accountability, add me--Suzanne_Cere.  I have also strated using an app called WaterLogged that allows me to set a goal for the day of how many ounces of water I should drank and then I can put it in and it keeps track of it and gives you a little "Successful" message when you've reached your goal!  I love all the cool apps they are coming out with!!

5K training is fully underway in the Hamilton household.  Thomas and I are about to finish our 2nd week up (as long as our treadmill doesn't poop out on us).  And we have several people who are willing to run with us in some 5Ks once we get there!!  We have also been looking into some half marathons!  Eeeekkk!!!  (I have to get through this 5k stuff first!!)  The only issues I have been having are with my right leg.  My shin, calf, knee, and sometimes my ankle have been bothering me.  I have been stretching properly.  I have the correct running shoes for my feet.  So I think the next step is going to be investing in some compression socks/sleeves to help with the shin/calf pain.  I really want to complete this and succeed at it!  (I don't think I have ever completed anything in my life!!!)  

I hope y'all are continuing to plug away at any New Year's resolutions you've made.  I didn't make any, on purpose....read above....I usually give up about half way through!  

Happy Saturday!  Stay warm!

Suzanne

Just for fun!

I took my measurements on November 28, 2012 and decided that, just for fun, (yeah I lead a boring life if taking my measurements is fun!!!) I would retake them.  My hips, bust, and waist haven't changed (this will probably be the last place I lose), but I have lost a total of 7.25 inches from my neck, biceps, thighs, and calves!!  I will take it!!!  :)

I am getting slightly discouraged at my calorie burn differences from working out at a "box" (Crossfit gym) and working out at home.  I burned about double the calories when I was working out at PFC than I am working out at home and it is extremely frustrating!!!  Guess I just need to up my game and start doing two-a-days to make up for the difference!

Hope y'all are having a fabulous day!!  Happy Wednesday!

Suzanne

Update Schmupdate!!!

I really don't have anything to update about but it has been a hot minute since I've written a blog post!  We are home now from Kansas, where I, if I do say so myself, had a blast!!!  Our trip was extended an extra day and a half due to snow (Thanks, God!!).  But the day we were supposed to leave, Thomas got hit with some awful stomach bug so he was up and down on the plane....:/  Then, as soon as we landed in Raleigh, Camden projectile vomited all over me, the seat, himself, and a little on daddy.  Then I started dry heaving because of the horrid smell.  We thought it was just where his bottle got jostled up in his tum-tum, but then when we got home, the next 2 days he was still throwing up.  Now he has a snotty nose and lingering cough that causes him to gag and throw up.  Oy vey!!!!  Thomas still isn't back 100% but he is making it.  Now we think he has a sinus infection and then Thursday/Friday I had the awful stomach bug!!!!  Bleck!  Sickness, get outta  my house!!!!

Working out was fabulous over vacation, however, eating was not.  I think I gained like 5-7 lbs but thanks to the stomach bug, I am back down within 2 lbs of my lowest!  LOL!  Someone on My Fitness Pal commented on my weight loss with, "I am one stomach flu away from my goal weight!"  Hilarious!  Hey, a loss is a loss folks!!  I will take what I can get, although not exactly how I had it planned!!

I am doing well with the working out and eating at home and am back to counting calories to see if it will actually work for me.  So, if you have My Fitness Pal, add me!!  Suzanne_Cere  I will take all the accountability I can get!!!  Feel free to rip me a new one if you so please!  :)

I wore my fancy shmancy heart rate monitor (Polar FT7) while I was doing CrossFit and was amazed at the calorie burn!!!  I don't think I burned less than 500 calories with every workout....fast forward to coming home, while doing CrossFit at home, I am only burning about 300ish.....:/ Bummer!!!  Working out at a box has its advantages and I soooooo wish I had the opportunity to do so!!!

So, I did not make any New Year's Resolutions this year, because I always fail miserably!!  Speaking of failing miserably, I didn't make my weight for the DietBet Holiday Weight Loss Challenge.  Apparently money doesn't motivate me like I thought it would!!!  Onto bigger and better things!!!  This weight will come off!  It didn't get there over night and it isn't going to come off overnight!!  As Dolvett from Biggest Loser says, "Hard Work!  Dedication!"

Peace y'all!

Suzanne