Friday, August 30, 2013

40 lbs down, Happy, and Healthy

I am pleased, and a little shocked, to say that I am down 40 lbs since starting to change my diet and lifestyle. These past 4 months have been amazing for my health, self-esteem, and credit card (lol). I keep thinking to myself that I look exactly the same, but then I try on size 8-10 pants and they fit, or I catch sight of some old picture of me that makes me do a double take. I never felt huge before, I just felt chubby. But man, I've come a long way and I feel like I could still lose 10-20 more pounds and look good.

In these past four months I went from being "obese" with a BMI of 31.6 to "overweight", to just barely dipping my toes in the high end of the "healthy weight" range with a BMI of 24.8. I know that there is a lot of controversy with using BMI, especially for women, but seeing "obese" on a chart with my little star next to it was horrifying for me. I've had plenty of doctors tell me I was just overweight and to focus on eating right, but I couldn't get that "obese" label out of my head. I'm officially over worrying about BMI, but it felt good to put it down that I am not "obese" anymore. Lol.

Let me clarify, I don't think people that are obese should freak out and start obsessing about their weight and labels being put on them. I think people in general should think about eating healthy and staying active - regardless of size. Our insides need nutrition, our bodies need exercise. All of us.

This month I am going to start an exercise challenge to get myself into a good routine of staying active and working on my general fitness. I created a little calendar (below) and I've already got a few brave souls ready to try it with me! I got a little ambitious by putting down push-ups (I can barely do ONE!) but I figure I've got to push myself in order to get better. Even if I fail the push-up portion of my challenge, I'll still consider it a win if I stick with it every day.

If anyone wants to do it with me, comment on this blog, or post on my SP or FB profiles! I'd love to have people to keep me accountable :)


Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Update

Aye yi yi! Of course right when I get into a good blogging flow, I get the flu! Last week was miserable, but this week has been much better :) I actually feel pretty darned good, which means I am completely out of excuses when it come to working out! Lol.
I'm still riding my weight loss plateau, so it's time to shake up the daily routine and get my saggy booty moving! I want to end 2013 the healthiest I've ever been. I'm on the right track, so I want to end this year on a high note.

My awesome sister Nikki is coming up to Yreka this weekend with my two nieces. I already know I want to take them to Ashland one day, and then explore Yreka the next day. I'm so excited that they are driving all the way up here on a 3-day weekend just to see us :) I miss our family! I hope my in-laws and my parents will come up too! We miss them all so much <3
My dad is currently in Yosemite fighting the fires. He was also on the Sacramento morning news this morning! I bet he is having a good time taking care of other people. Doing this is definitely his passion.

Ok, well my rambling is over. Maybe I'll have something of quality to write about soon.

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Ashland? Awesomeland!

Yesterday Michael and I spent the day in Ashland, OR. It was such a great day and really made us feel like we found a bit of "real world" up here. We kept repeating over and over how cute the town was, and how much we wished we lived up there.


If I had to describe it, I would call it a cross between Berkeley and St. Helena. It's quaint and cute, but also has a hippy, nature loving feel about it. 


We started off our day by going to the farmer's market and wandering around some cute cobble stone streets. We bought lots of delicious fresh vegetables from the cutest stands, and Mish especially liked sampling the microgreens and sunflower sprouts. 


After we walked to an artisan fair and had lunch outside by the river/creek. It was so hot outside, but under our little umbrella table with ice water and fresh fruit, we never felt the need to go inside. We got the BEST baklava for dessert, and knew that we made a great choice for our lunch spot. Green Leaf Restaurant, we'll be back! 


We did some window shopping in all of these cute shops, and tried on masks a a costume shop. Then we walked to Lithia Park and watched ducks play in the pond, and ran around in the grass. 


Then we did some shopping at our staple stores (Trader Joes, Costco, etc) that we don't have access to in Yreka. Lastly, we went to Red Robin for big delicious burgers (chicken for Michael, boca for me) and ended the day by renting a movie. Some lady gave me a promo-code for the movie, so it ended up being free! A perfect end to a wonderful day!



Friday, August 16, 2013

Weight Loss Updates

I think my weightloss journey has been the weirdest thing in my life. While I'm elated that I'm losing weight consistently, I'm still eating junk and not exercising. I tell myself everyday that I need to start working out, but I can't motivate myself nor stay determined!
Eating right is easy, well..eating the correct amount of calories is easy. It's eating healthy, good-for-you food that is hard. Ice cream is just too tasty!!




Anyhoo, I'm down to 148.8 lbs. That's 33.3 lbs from when I started Sparkpeople, but 136 lbs from my normal weight resting place of 185. At one point (not counting pregnancy!) I was 191, so any loss is exciting for me :)
However, lately I've been having a hard time not binge eating. Thankfully it's not like it used to be - it's more over-eating than binge eating (HUGE difference) - but it's still got me worried about my mental space with my new lifestyle. I wish I could emulate the mindset that these fitspo blogs have. They revel in their exercise-based lifestyles and their new workouts. They push themselves hard and eat wonderfully. I, on the other hand, am losing weight through basic math (calories in versus calories out) which does nothing for my life, longevity, nor internal bodily functions. It's just helping me lose weight, which is still awesome! I want to be strong, lean, and healthy. Being skinny and flabby and dealing with health problems does not appeal to me. Here's an article I just read on being skinny yet unhealthy: click here.
My dilemma reminds me of an article (<- click there) I read last week. Maybe I shouldn't have blown off the author's thesis, because I fear I'm starting to hold myself to crazy standards. BUT, at the same time, I really do need to step up my game. By the way, I seriously recommend reading that article. :)

Ok, sorry for another rambling blog. Let's see, I lost weight, still losing more, want to eat better and workout, but health is the most important thing! Yay blog summaries!

Thursday, August 15, 2013

A Big Move!

As I mentioned in my last post, Michael got a one-year transfer to a job in Yreka, Ca. Yreka is a super small town, that seems as if it was made to let people rest on their way from Oregon to California. There are 2 grocery stores, a Walmart, and a few other known stores. No Starbucks, no Target, no Safeway. There are the typical fast food places (McD, BK, Taco Bell), lots of places to get tires, snow chains, and other necessities before filling up your tank and heading off to your destination. I think Yreka's town motto should be "Yreka: a beautiful pit-stop before going on your way." I mean it, Yreka is surrounded by hills and the gorgeous Mt Shasta. Every morning we are greeted by deer on the lawn, and a cool breeze through the windows.

When I first found out about the transfer, I was devastated. Yreka is 4 hours away from home, and 45 minutes away from the creature comforts we're used to. However, I decided to adopt a positive mindset. I figure, I'm a stay at home mom so I can care for my family, and it's my job to make sure everyone feels happy, safe, and loved. Michael brings home the proverbial bacon, and it's my job to maintain our mental well-being. I think it's helped Michael and Michelle with this big transition. And you know what they say, fake it til you make it (in some cases!).



Our house is quaint and adorable. I am going to be sad to leave a one-story house. Michelle loves the freedom of running from her room to the kitchen and the livingroom without me at her heels I can hear/see her from pretty much any place in the house. We're actually only going to be here for a few months before the Yreka job is down for the winter, then we're most likely off to Redding until the spring, when we come back up here. I feel conflicted about that. On one hand, I'm sad to leave this cute little house we've already set up, but at the same time I'm excited to be closer to home, we're familiar with Redding (we lived there for a year on another job), and we won't have to worry about getting stuck in the snow on the mountain over the holidays. I can handle a 2 1/2 hour drive home almost every weekend; it's the 4 hour drive that makes me want to stay up here as much as possible.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

July in Review

As much as I love July, is as horrible I am at updating my blog! I swear, the moment life gets too busy or too quiet, I just forget to update and spend my time frolicking around like a loon.

Fourth of July



The 4th was a super fun day with my family! Michael, Michelle and I went to American Canyon for their local 4th of July celebrations. My dad usually drives a firetruck in the parade, but this year he was on call with the city.


We watched the parade, then hung out at my parents' house before going to the town's small fair. It was really nice! I ate two pieces of delicious roasted corn, while my nieces helped roll up the giant flag with the fire station. It was so cool! If you look hard enough you can see Mish in the background watching her cousins :)


In the evening we went down the street to a local park to watch the fireworks. We got an amazing view of the fireworks - it was like they were going off just for us! Michelle slept through the first 3/4 of the show, and sleepily watched the rest from my arms. That's TWO years of 4th of July fireworks shows that she's been to without crying :)




SoCal Trip

We went to Southern California for a little vacation with my in-laws at the end of the month. We flew down there, and Michelle did amazingly! She is definitely a kid who likes to go, go, go!



We stayed in a hotel and went to beaches, swam in the pool, and did lots of shopping. It was so fun :) Michelle loved the ocean and the pool. She's a mermaid like her mama!




The day before we were to fly home, Michael got notice that his job was sending him on a 1-year job rotation (transfer) to Yreka California. In case you're like me and wondered where the heck Yreka is, it is right below the border of Oregon and California (and FOUR hours away from our house). It's 1 1/2 hours past Redding and 45 minutes away from Ashland Oregon. We're here now, but I'll write about that another day.

Birthday

And lastly, the month ended with me turning 27. I'm an old woman, blog. I'm old. My day was actually really nice! Michael and I went thrift store hunting all day, then had a BBQ with my family at my parents' house. A great day!