Wednesday Weigh-In: Week Nineteen

Week nineteen!  A few weeks of bad decisions finally caught up with me this week.  It is what it is and I can't let it derail my whole journey.  While it's disappointing its not the end of the world and its not a reason to throw in the towel.  I've come to far to give up now.  We did our monthly body fat analysis yesterday and I'm very pleased with the results.  They would have probably been even better last week but whatever.  I'm still getting in my 3-4 workouts each week.  It's going to be really hard when the time changes and it's dark when I have to leave the house.  I really love HIIT.  It's a 30 minute class and you can't beat the results.  I can tell I've gotten so much stronger since starting and I can definitely see the changes in my body.  It's worth all the effort it takes to get there.

+2lbs this week.  It happens.  It's not the end of the world.  It does make my surgery goal nearly impossible to make.  But I'm still going to work really hard to get there.

My measurements this month were much better!  I lost a total of 5.5" this month and I think you can really tell.  I'm so glad we started doing this.  It adds another level of accountability.

Those totals will be -30+ and -50+ pounds next week!!!  I'm going to work my tail off and make it happen!

Wednesday Weigh-In: Week Eighteen

I've noticed that the closer I get to my goal weight the harder it is to stay motivated.  You'd think the opposite would be true.  I haven't figured out why this is exactly.   I don't know if its because I'm feeling good about what I see and how I feel.  One thing that helps is I will think I'm looking really good but then I'll order an outfit and when I try it on I realize, "yep, this will look better after I lose another 15-30lbs".  Ha!  I'm still very proud of my progress but I know there's still more work to be done.  I was afraid this week was going to be a dumpster fire when I finally stepped on the scale after a fun weekend!  But it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  I'm to the point now where I can be a little more flexible for special things.  I don't like to do that too often because it's hard for me to get back on track but every now and then is ok.  Even when I eat more carbs I still try to be conscious of calorie count so I'm not just going nuts.  

-0.8lbs this week.

Not great but still progress!  I'm still 6.4lbs away from my surgery goal. Surgery is in 3 weeks and 2.2lbs a week is totally possible.  I'm going to buckle down and get serious these last 3 weeks.  I also really need to get more serious about my diet again because after surgery I'm not going to be working out for several weeks and I don't want to lose all the progress I've made.

Eighteen weeks ago, I really wasn't sure I'd ever get to say "I've lost 30lbs".  But I'm so glad I didn't let that keep me from getting started and making the change.  Fear of failure has kept me from trying so many things in my life but I'm glad I didn't let it stop me here.  It's time for us to have our body fat analysis done again.  I was disappointed by the results last time but hopefully that won't be the case this month.

Garth Brooks & Sweet Home Capstone

We have had the best weekend!  We kicked it off a little early Thursday and headed out of town as soon as we dropped the kids off at school (and granddaddy's house for the one that doesn't go to school).  We'd made plans a few months back to go see Garth Brooks in Atlanta with some friends.  We'd been looking forward to it for what seemed like forever!  We rode over with Jeremy and Jessica and Tony and Carla met us there.   We got to Atlanta around lunch time and we headed to IKEA.  Jessica, Jeremy and Patrick had never been and they had a couple things I wanted to get the kids for Christmas so we made an afternoon out of it.  Patrick was definitely the least excited.  But when he realized they had ice cream he was better.  I ended up getting some new bath mats for my bathroom and I more than a little excited about them.  After we left IKEA we checked into our hotel room and relaxed for a bit before it was time to get ready for dinner.  We weren't sure where we were going to have dinner and the first place we stopped was an hour wait.  We kept walking and walked right in the Hudson Grille.  It was pretty good and we timed it perfect to head to the stadium and enjoy Eric Paslay on the patio.    I was really excited to see the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium.   It is a huge venue!  The preshow on the patio wrapped and we headed inside to find our seats. 

(I'm thankful for a sweet friend that let me borrow this cute dress to wear!)

I had to get my picture with the Falcon!

We got settled in our seats and the first opening act came on stage.  We could not understand a word that came out of his mouth.  Spoken or sang.  It was terrible.  At that point we were a little worried that this whole night was going to be a let down.  The second opening act came on and it was the same thing.  We just kept saying when we knew the songs it would be better.  Before Garth came on they made an announcement that they were filming and recording the performance for a live album. So we had high hopes that the sound would be better.  And it was.  It wasn't perfect but we could actually understand what they were saying and singing.  Our seats were up pretty high so Patrick and I enjoyed just sitting back and listening. 

This place is seriously so big!

We definitely got up and danced some too but it was fun to just take it all in.  When the show was over we headed back to the hotel.  We were hungry so we decided to order a pizza, along with everyone else.  It finally got there around 1:30 and we devoured it.  We finally went to bed around 2:00 and Patrick snored so loud no one got any sleep. (We stayed in a room with Jessica and Jeremy, some people think this is weird but we didn't think anything of it.  We laughed so much and had the best time minus Patirck's snoring).  We got up Friday morning and took our time getting ready.  We checked out and grabbed some lunch and then headed back home.  We picked up the kids and headed to the house for a low key Friday night. 

Saturday the kids and I headed to Tuscaloosa for Homecoming!  It's become mine and Barrett's tradition and I didn't know if we'd make it this year but we did and I'm so happy!  It was AveryAnn's first trip to Tuscaloosa and I was so excited to get to take her.  She didn't go to the game.  My dad went with us to watch her at my cousin's house.  I was a little worried because it was such a late game but it worked out well and we had a great time!

I love this picture of me and my little Bama babies so much.  Even if AveryAnn would not take that thumb out of her mouth.

We walked down to the end of the street to watch the parade.  Barrett does not enjoy parades.  The trucks are too loud and they don't throw candy so he wasn't a fan.  Thankfully my cousin took him back to the house to play with her dog.

AveryAnn loved it and tried to run out with the sororities a couple of times.

I borrowed this dress from Lorie's girls and its so stinking cute!  I just couldn't get enough of her in it!  So sweet!

Before too long it was time to head to the stadium.  Barrett did so good walking all the way to our seats!

They honored the 1992 National Championship team since it is the 25th anniversary.

This is our 5th Homecoming together and he's been my favorite date!  I hope he always wants to go football games with me.  We headed back to the house around halftime because we were tired!  We got home late and got up early for church Sunday!  Drew was getting an award at church and we couldn't miss seeing him!  Now we're gearing up for another week of school and work with a field trip to the pumpkin patch thrown in!

Wednesday Weigh-In: Week Seventeen

We've had a pretty good week around here.  I'm feeling good.  Workouts are going well and it is really starting to show.  They say it takes 12 weeks for others to notice the changes in your body and I'd say that's definitely true.  My neighbor stopped me the other day to ask what I was doing because they could tell I'd lost a lot of weight. I told him and he said he was going to start too.  Yesterday he told me he's lost 13lbs.  We went out for Brittany's birthday Friday night and it felt good to not want to hide in the back of the group picture.  I can't tell you how long its been since I felt that kind of confidence.  We went to a bar to sing karaoke and had the best time.  It was so nice to just have fun and not be self conscious about how I looked.  I actually felt pretty.  I also ate a burger with the bun and French fries, drank margaritas, beer and had a cupcake.  I was sick as a dog Saturday.  It was the worst hangover I've had in a really long time.  I didn't drink that much (especially for me and I mix margaritas and beer all the time) but I couldn't keep anything down Saturday and I really think that the food I ate had a lot to do with it.  All the sugar was like poison to my body and it was terrible.  I've learned my lesson. 

Now for the scale!

-2lbs this week!!! That number is coming down and I'm so proud of it!  I'm 7.2lbs away from my surgery goal (which is 4 weeks away). and 22.2lbs away from end goal.  I'll be honest (and I think I say this every week) 6 months ago I never thought I'd see this number.  I'm still a little surprised when I look in the mirror.  It's a good feeling.

You're probably sick of hearing me say this but I'm so proud of those numbers.  I'm so proud of the person I see when I look in the mirror.  Yes, most of the time I still see the areas that still need work but I also am so proud of the muscles I see too. Just ask Brittany, I send her pictures of my muscles all the time.  Patrick thinks we're crazy. (Maybe we are just a little bit.)

That's all for this week.

Fall Bucket List

We had so much fun this summer marking things off our Summer Bucket List, so I decided to create a little Fall Bucket list for the season.  Again, most of these are things we were planning on doing anyway but it's fun to get to mark them off our list!

(this picture is terrible)

On our list is

• Family trip to the Pumpkin Patch- We didn't make it last year and I really want to go this year.
• Make Smores-  We do this often but I usually do them in the oven.  I want to build a fire and let the kids roast the marshmallows.
• Paint Pumpkins-  We've never done this but it sounds much easier than carving them.
• Watch Hocus Pocus-  Is it even Halloween if you don't watch Hocus Pocus?
• Choose Halloween Costumes-  We've kind of already done this but I haven't ordered them yet.
• Garth Brooks Date Night-  This is coming up this week and we're so excited!
• Trick-or-Treat-  We love hosting a few friends each Halloween and Trick-or-Treating.
• Friday Night Football Game-  I love Friday Night Football and I think the kids will too!
• Family Pictures-  I love having family pictures made each Fall.
• Make an apple pie-  I think Barrett would love to do this.
• Drive and look at the leaves-  I'm hoping the leaves are pretty this year.  Barrett is so excited to see them!

These are just the few things I hope we get to do this season.  Who knows if we'll get to them or not. 

Wednesday Weigh-In: Week Sixteen

Almost four months of Ketogenic living, (with a few treats here and there).  I'm feeling good and let me tell you, it feels good to feel good again.  Twelve weeks of consistent workouts 3-4x a week.  I told Brittany I could cry I'm so proud of that alone.  Working out has been a real commitment this time around.  Having two kids and a husband that works a lot are two easy excuses but I have stuck with it and my husband has done everything he could to make it as easy as possible for me to get there 3 times a week.  I feel stronger than I have in a really long time.  I can tell a huge difference from week 1 to this week.  Brittany and I talk a lot about why we've been successful.  Part of it is we were both in a desperate place.  We both were at rock bottom weight wise and had just had enough.  We were ready to make a change and you have to be ready to be successful.  Another thing, and I've mentioned it before, is having an accountability partner.  The third thing is having people invest in you.  People cheering you on.  When people take time to encourage you and invest in you it makes you want to work that much harder.  The instructor that teaches the HIIT class we've been going to has been such an encouragement to both of us.  Since he realized we were committed he has really invested in us.  He wants to know where we are when we miss a class.  He lets us crash his personal workout on Saturday mornings (there are several of us that join this workout and it's a fun way to start the weekend).  He asks about our progress.  He and his wife both are so encouraging.  He pushes us when we think we can't do another squat, pushup or stadium.  He entertains my kids when I have to bring them so I can workout.  He would do this for anyone in his class, not just us.  I think these three things have been crucial in my success.

Now, for the scale this week.

-1.2lbs this week.  I'm finally below 160 pounds.  I wasn't sure this day would ever come!  Not quite the two pounds I was shooting for but every little bit counts.  Progress is progress!  I've got 9.2 pounds to lose before my surgery in 5 weeks.  I've got 24.2lbs to reach my goal weight.  

I know I say it every week, but I am so proud of those numbers.  I don't say that to brag but six months ago I really wasn't sure I'd ever be here.  I thought I'd be a size 14 forever.  If you're not happy, you can make the change.  You just have to commit and get started.  Those are the two hardest things.  You can do it!