Learning New Things

So I have been taking it easy the last week and a half because I hurt myself at work. I was carrying a little boy down stairs, when he all of a sudden he did like a Jackie Chan movie and put both of his feet on the wall, blocking the already narrow stairwell. it almost caused me to fall, but I twisted quickly and grabbed onto the rail. All of a sudden I heard a pop and my back started burning. It didn't hurt very badly at first, but within the next couple of days the pain got worse and worse.
By the day after Thanksgiving I could barely walk and my back felt like it was all locked up. I took muscle relaxers, IBProfen, and tried heating pads and nothing was working. So after dealing with the pain and trying to work with it hurting so bad, I finally gave in and went to the chiropractor. The staff and the doctor were amazing. They were so nice and treated me very well. They took x-rays of my back. I found out that I have scoliosis. The lower part of your back is supposed to have an arch and mine is completely straight. The bend in my neck is going the opposite direction. I was a little nervous and scared when I heard this, but I decided that it would all be ok.
He told me it is fixable and that it would also improve as I continue to lose weight! Now I have another form of motivation. It really is incredible what getting into shape and choosing a healthy lifestyle can do for your life and your body. After only a week of going to the chiropractor, I am allowed to start going to the gym again. There are conditions for going to the gym though. I am allowed to do as much cardio as I want or can handle but I have to cut the amount of weights I've been lifting in half. I was up to between 60 and 100 pounds depending on the machine. I am limited to 30 pounds free weights. So I am going to take to push myself, but be very careful!
Now I am learning that no matter what life throws your way, you can overcome it. It may take longer than you want it to. But with hard work, diligence, and consistency you can accomplish anything. My new goal is to run in a marathon someday!! That's 26.2 miles and I know I can do it.
When you think of something taking a year to accomplish, we often think but that's so long and it seems like forever. But how many times did you say, "I'm going to lose weight and get healthy and gave up?" and before you knew it a year was gone and you are still unhappy and unhealthy. Think about it.... A year may seem like a long time, but if you put your mind to it and just do what needs to be done, the year will be over and you will have accomplished your goals!
Well that's all for my randomness for now... But just think about what I have said. Be back soon!

Knowing the Balance

I have been going to the gym faithfully for about 2 months now. I was getting so frustrated because I wasn't losing weight like I thought I should be. I realized that although I was disciplining myself to work out everyday, I wasn't disciplining myself to eat right all the time. I'm learning consistency is key when making a life change.
I am doing great with consistently pushing myself in the gym, but now it is time to do the same with my diet. I've only ever found one thing that works for me and that is the Atkins Low Carb Lifestyle. I'm about to kick it off hardcore! I'm not talking about eating only meat and cheese. You just cut out the breads, pasta, sugar, and dairy products. For the first 2 weeks, you eat meats, cheese, and eggs. That's the most strict part of the diet. Then you add fruits and veggies into you diet. You'll be surprised at how fast you notice a difference and you'll also notice you don't crave junk food anymore. You'll feel good and have a lot more energy.
I just got the Jillian Michael's workout for wii!!! I love it! You should definitely try it. Anyways, I am back on track and so excited about seeing the results I have been working for. I think more than anything I need to change my mindset. Every time I get close to breaking through that wall of impossibility, I back off subconsciously. It's almost as though I feel like I'm incapable of doing this myself. I can't wait to break through that barrier, and see myself completely as God sees me.
All in all, you have to know the balance. Diet to exercise, spiritual discipline to physical discipline, and Realistic expectations to Believing in yourself! I will definitely be updating my progress!

Accomplishing the Unimaginable

The human body is an amazing creation. I'm finding everyday that there is something new to learn about yourself. There is a strength inside of you that most of us aren't even aware of. On Wednesday, I ran a mile in 10 minutes. That was insane. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that was possible.
The next day I had an appointment with my personal Trainer, Beth. She is amazing. She's one of those people you know really cares and she pushes and encourages you to keep trying. Side Note, if you have a YMCA membership, you can get a trainer to teach a new routine every 6 to 8 weeks for free! My appointment with her was at 11:00am, so I went in about an hour and a half early. I decided to see just how far I could push myself. So I stretched then got on the elliptical. My goal was to beat my record and do 3 miles in 10 minutes each. I started running and soon I was running on a 7.0... I completed the first mile in 9 minutes 25 seconds. Walked on a 4.0 for 5 minutes, then did another mile in 10 minutes. Walked another 5 minutes, then did my last mile in 10 minutes. I finished up an hour on the elliptical. I burned 725 calories and desperately needed some water. Ha... So I went and got some water from the water fountain. I couldn't stop smiling, I was so proud of what I had just accomplished. Then with my legs feeling like noodles, I went to meet Beth for my appointment.
I had been on the same routine for about 6 weeks and now it was time to it up and challenge myself even more. She showed me different techniques on the machines I was already using. I went from lifting 30 pound to 60. Of course each machine is different depending on what muscle group I am working out. I learned I could do sit ups without holding my feet down. I did 30 sit ups, 15 holding a 8 pound medicine ball and 15 holding a 10 pound medicine ball. It was incredible. But most of all I faced one of my fears. She made me do a leaning pull up. The kind where you hold on to the bar and are leaning under it, and you do pull ups supporting all your weight. I did 24 of them!
When it comes to limits, most of them are just a mindset. How do we truly know what we are capable of if we never try?? I can't wait to see how I can challenge myself even more. I am very sore, but will be back in the gym tomorrow! If you have any advice or would like to share some of your story with me, I would be glad to hear it! Just remember, You CAN do it! My advice is to surround yourself with people who believe in you and will push you. I am here for you too! I can't wait to hear testimonies of the amazing accomplishments in your lives! Keep Pushing, Keep Fighting, and Keep Believing!!!

The only failure is when you Quit!

I am reading a book called "You are Not What You Weigh," by Lisa Bevere. It is one of the most phenominal books I have ever read. I recommend that everyone read it. She helps you realize that you are not alone in this struggle, but it is your choice whether or not to make a change. I just came off of a 3 day fast. I decided to do this to hear God's voice more clearly and to allow God to show me how to eat right and submit myself completely to Him in this area.
Something we have to realize is, God is not just God in some area's of your life, He is God in every area. He cares about every detail and wants us to allow Him access. You see, I didn't allow God access to this part of my life because I saw it as ugly. I didn't want Him to see such a disgraceful side of me. But not allowing God access only hurt me. The wounds that were locked inside that room weren't healed. Most people think that if you are overweight there is something wrong with you, and they're right. There are wounds that you and I are trying to hide instead of just letting God have it.
In Psalm 139, God says we are fearfully and wonderfully made. So why is it that when we look in the mirror we find it so incredibly hard to say "I Love You"? We have no problem saying it to our family and friends, but it seems impossible to say it to ourselves and acctually mean it. Every person is made in God's image, so how dare we say to anyone including ourselves that they are ugly??? I'm still walking through this process, but instead of pushing God away from that room and locking the door, I am embracing it.
Today for the first time probably ever, I did 5 miles in the gym. Usually when it starts getting really hard I give up, but I chose to push through the pain and see what I was truly made of. I pictured God saying I could do it, just a little further. God is my biggest encourager! I also heard Jillian Michaels in my head screaming "unless you bleed, puke, or die Keep Moving." lol! Anyways, I have never been so proud after a work out in my life. I proved to myself that the strength is there, I just have to believe in myself and keep pushing. The only failure is when you quit. You can do this!
The process isn't always easy and it may hurt! But it will be sooo worth it in the end! Give yourself a chance. Let God work through the pain and love yourself enough to make a change! My life will be a testimony of God's faithfulness! Thank you for reading. I will continue to write.

The Fight Begins

This is my blog to weight loss. I decided to do this to not only watch myself change but to help others who are walking through the same thing or who may have a story like mine. From a young age you form habits, whether good or bad. One of the habits you form are eating habits. My parents learned from their parents, and their parents from their parents and so on. My parents didn't have good eating habits, so naturally I didn't either.

When I was younger my dad didn't always have the best temper. He had a bad temper and it was mostly when he was drinking. He would make me a plate of buttered spaghetti that was an adult portion. To this day I hate buttered spaghetti. Anyways, I had to eat everything on my plate or else get my tail beat. My cousins moved in with us for a while and the same went for them. They didn't always eat their food, so all 3 of us would get it. So finally instead of getting spanked, I would eat my food and theirs.

For a long time I blamed my weight and the way I was on my family. When I went to Masters Commission I worked through all of those issues and you know what? I realized those things weren't happening to me now and it is up to me and the decisions I make that affect my future. I decided to start fighting the battle to lose the weight and make changes in my life. I began this journey at 376 lbs. I lost 32 with the help of my friend Emily. Then during the summer before my 3rd year, I lived with a family whom I became very close to. Wendy became a mom to me. I have never met someone who cared, believed in me, and pushed me to prove to myself I can do this. She helped me along the way and during that time I lost another 44 lbs.

So far I have lost 76 lbs total and I have recently started on a routine workout schedule. I have a membership to the YMCA and their is a personal trainer helping me with losing weight. I feel so good after a work out and am getting stronger everyday. I love it. I finished my first full week of working out with a routine everyday. 1 hour of cardio everyday, 1hour of strength training Mon. Wed. & Fri., and watching what I eat is how I am doing it. I am determined to do this. I am making a change so that I can help others make a change.

I will keep blogging to help keep myself accountable. Thank you for reading. :)