Next Level of My Fitness/Weight Loss Plan......

Hi !  Its been a while since I've updated you what has been happening in our crazy, chaotic, nutty lives :)   Bart is still plugging away with his OL classes.  He has about two weeks away from finishing his first one.  He has done so well, and I am sooooo proud of him !!!   I am still working towards weight loss......yatta yatta yatta....same old, same old for some of ya....if ya think I'm rambling please go up to that little red X on the right upper corner of your computer screen and your problem will be solved :)   I am writing to those who need a little inspiration, to those who are my faithful followers who like to hear me ramble, more importantly I am writing for ME!  Me...yes Me.  This blog is my online journal I can do about MY weight loss/ MY fitness/ & MY lifestyle changes.....as well as recording the bumps/struggles along the way! It is a way for me to keep track what exactly works in the way of me losing these pounds, as well as what doesn't. 

 

 

I have been pretty consistent as far as weight loss these past 2 1/2 months- 20 pounds to be exact.  I have been hovering over that number loss for about two weeks now.  I had been running up until last week when I decided to come down with Strep Throat, isn't it weird?  Strep throat in the summertime?  Yuck!  I'm sure with this wacky weather anything is possible.  So last week I got about 4 full miles in for the week. My body was so week and tired from fevers, night sweats and chills.   I finally went to the doctor on Wednesday, only because Neela was going in to check her sore throat issues.  I just don't like going to the doctor at ALL, unless I'm having a baby:)   While I was at the doctor I had my blood pressure checked........drum roll AND ...................120/81 with NO MEDS ! ( I hadn't taken my Labetalol for over a week because I eventually, like I told you all before, want to be free of any BP meds for my body.  Well, the doc was happy with them numbers and told me that I didn't need anymore help from BP meds whatsoever !  YES!!! This was a huge goal of mine when I first started blogging to you all last March when I started this lifestyle change.  I am pretty proud of my self since I came from BP readings measuring 160/110 ( on the verge of a stroke, probably) and after losing 20 pounds dropping to my new normal BP readings !  Yes, I did it ! 

 

 

Well, a few weeks ago I got in touch with an online weight loss group that uses P90X for their workouts.  We, as a group, are accountable to each other in regards to working out 6 days a week to the Classic P90X schedule, eating clean, and taking photos of ourselves every 15 days.  THIS is the next step into my weight loss journey!  I am going to continue to run, since I have my 1/2 marathon scheduled for this October that I already committed to, and I could never ever go without all those endorphins.  By, adding P90X I am hoping I can increase my running speed/endurance, also build as much muscle as I possibly can- because in the end "muscles eat calories".   I am hoping to see big changes by the new routine I am incorporating.  Running will still be the love of my life, even tho I am trying new fitness routines.  Yesterday I started Day 1 of P90X (back, chest & AB ripper), and today Day 2 I did plyometrics ( probably won't be able to walk tomorrow...so early tomorrow am,  I think I'll throw in an easy run to get them leg muscles stretched out a bit)

 

 

Kids have two day left of their OLS lessons.....YAYYY!  I think I am more excited than they are!!!!  I am doing the happy dance on Tuesday after our last scheduled lesson!!! :)  Have a great start to the week everyone ! 

I am going to leave you with this bible verse that I ran across and thought it was awesome : 

 

JUST KEEP SWIMMING!.....

Well, its been two months since I've started this weight loss journey, and like my last post says...20# lighter!  I've been really struggling tho as of lately. I don't know if it is stress from the kids (trying to finish up the school year), or it maybe a bit of Bart doing his OL classes.  Bart and I have always been connected pretty much at the hip.  We have so much of a connection that I can almost finish any one of his sentences.  We have so much of a connection that I can tell him exactly what he's thinking before he even tells me.  Sooo....I'm thinking he's a bit stressed, overworked (Memorial Day Holiday approaching.....is HUGE chip sales), and completely exhausted!  He has had to read a bunch of daily lectures/books/bible passes etc since he started school three weeks ago.  Along with all that he has to write 300 word count essays on what he learns from those particular readings....Yes it doesn't sound like much word count wise....but for him it has been tough!  I think the blunt of it has been hard on me because I know him through and through.  I feel his pain physically as well :(    
So running/exercising has been really tough for me this past week.  I've had to FORCE my body to do the work my brain needs to badly!  #endorphinjunkie    

I've been eating ahhhh pretty A-Okay.......I'm really good at my occasional binges, I haven't seem to quite grow out of them as of yet.  I think the more I lose, the more disciplined I will get......(hopefully).....Because I can really polish off a few Hershey bars on a bad day :(   I guess you could say that I'm hanging in there, and pretty much doing the best I can...as my sister says "Just Keep Swimming...Just Keep Swimming.....(Dori off of Finding Nemo!) 

I Love DORI! 

                       & My SISTER....for her love & encouragement #soblessedtohaveasisterandabff

Running..............this week has been PIT.I.FUL!  My LEGs just didn't want to go these past few days :(  Don't know if I'm really exhausted, or if I'm just getting BURNT OUT!  Monday I started off doing a rather slow 4 miler, then today I ran an even slower 6 miler.  Don't get my wrong I will NEVER dessert my love for running.....but I have been taking a few days off a week so my body can rest/recover a bit.  I am religiously running 5 days a week (averaging 20 miles a week) for the past two weeks anyways.  I was doing 6-7 days a week,  averaging 4-8 miles, but decided to cut back since I was having trouble even getting out of bed in the mornings...no kidding there. 
And its official.....a dear friend of mine registered us BOTH for the Mankato Marathon (Half) (thanks a bunch Bridget!)  that will take place this October.  So the HEAT is on, no backing out now!  I am excited, but a bit nervous since I have never even ran that high of miles....YET :)  I heard from a lot of my runner friends/blogs that once you run the half, you are completely HOOKED & that you crave more higher mileage races......so be ready Bridget R., next year is the 26.2 :)   Haha JK.....one race at a time, I guess.  Thanks for reading!  Have a great rest of the week!!

  

20# Loss...Finally.

Well, last night after ignorning my scale for a few weeks I got to see a full 20# weight loss!  Finally......I really thought my body was forgetting how to shed unwanted weight.  So it really took about 9 weeks to lose this weight....so far.  I'm going strong, still having my slip ups now and then....(occ. cheating).

I went into this whole weight loss thing...wanting to lose... all of this weight by the time I started to wear shorts....meaning summer.  Well, I need to realize this is NOT going to happen.  If I just stay head strong, consistently eating rather healthy, while continuing to run my weekly miles, I should be able to hit my goal weight.  I would like to lose another 30 by this fall.  I really don't want to run 13.109375 miles (aka 1/2marathon) weighing what I do now.  I think it will be a little bit easier if I'm not carrying the extra 30 pounds (about the size of Neela) while running them high miles all at once.  One day at a time tho right?

Well, Lex has up last softball game tonight !  This is a relief  since our schedules have been so ridiculous the last month.  Clint, Jake and Tate will start baseball in 2 weeks, but for two weeks we don't  have to eat cold meat sandwiches for supper :)   Yayyyy!  The five older OLS kids are winding down with their few last weeks of school.  We are ALL ready for summer break!  It will be so nice to be able to have our days free from school activities/lessons and such.  I'm sure we will continue to read and work on our math facts tho.....Beau and Neela only have four more days left of preschool. They both have had such a great school year!  Where did this school year go?  Well, I wish you all a great weekend !  TGIF


PS: A huge thank you to my brother for sending my LOADS of new songs for my Mp3 player! 

Update: I've been a little MIA......

Hello to my fellow readers!  It's been a long time since I've wrote/blogged about life in general.  We've been crazy busy.....(our normal house is busy)....but these past few weeks have been absolutely CRAZY!  Lex started playing softball about a month ago, so just these past few weeks she has been making up all those cancelled games due to the crazy Minnesota snowstorms we had. 

Bart has started his classes online for the ministry program at Crossroads College in Rochester.  He started two weeks ago.....WOW!  That first week we were really looking at ourselves thinking can we really do this?  That first week Bart was running on about 4 hours of sleep at night.  I was in charge of proofreading/typing his papers that were due about everyday at midnight.  I want to support him through and through with this journey we are on, I believe the Lord has called Bart us to serve.  Kicking and screaming starting the process, so be it ! We will prevail as a family.....We will prevail as far as our faith deepening in Jesus Christ.  Satan is throwing his daggers right and left to try and get this whole school process to unveil, its been difficult...but we will make it!  Amen......

On to weight loss......well, if you even really wanna call it that anymore!:)  (Do I sound like I'm frustrated?)  I have lost a TON of inches, but still at my 17 lb weight loss as of 1 month ago.  Does this mean I have plateaued for a month strait?  Does this mean I'm quitting?  Does this mean I'm eating like crap and going to gain back that 17 lbs?   NOT.A.CHANCE!  I am working hard on staying focused on inches rather than weight.  Do I want that scale to go down another 30 pounds?  ABSOLUTELY!  But, I need to be easy on myself....for 3 reasons:  1.  I am exercising/running almost 5-6 days a week.  2.  I am still eating rather healthy and watching my portions like a hawk!
3. I can button my dress pants (I call them church pants, because I don't wear them anywhere else:) )
without having the top button bust open as I sit down in the church pews :)  This is a HUGE deal for me !  I am starting to see some major changes, which gives me hope that my body is in transition of becoming smaller/healthier overall. 

Don't worry, I'm not quitting.....!!  Even if it takes me the next 2 years, Lord I hope it doesn't take me that long I will eventually be at a healthy weight !  BTW:  Bart hit his goal weight of 182 this past week, so in 4 weeks he went from 206 to 182...(#stillsojealous!)  #alsosoproudofhim!  The only reason I am posting this is because he never reads my blogs, so I think I'm safe :)  Haha ! Enjoy the warmer temps !  We are LOVING it here at the Waddell household :)

Happy May Day !

Happy May Day everyone !  So sad that its not 70 deg plus outside.  It is now in the 30s here and has been snowing for about five hours .  The forecast predicts our town getting six to nine inches of snow.  Neela was running around the house today singing Christmas songs !  How I love her....she's a bit confused with this goofy weather trend!  :)   

Well, this week has gone okay other than the weather.  I have been still working hard at losing/trying...to eating healthy.  I 've actually had a few binges here and there, but each time I do this, I learn something new.........I remember distinctly each time how I feel after I do this.  TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, actually I feel like a failure.  But, each hour is new for me, & each day is new. I can start over just where I left off before I ate a few five rice krispie bars, angel food cake etc.

 I just simply CANNOT have the junk in the house, if its there I EAT !  I LOVE FOOD, ESP SWEETS !  Doesn't everyone ?? I will learn and get this healthy living thing one way or another.  I actually call myself a rookie at this healthy lifestyle change, so I guess I can have a few slip ups and just learn from them.  Rise above,  keep losing, making better food choices, and keep working my butt off in the meantime. 

This week everyday I've still been trying to work in some sort of exercise activity.  I didn't get to run that much yesterday or today because of  Lexi's softball game and because of the snow today.  So last night I came home and put Jillian Michael's Six Pack In Six Weeks Workout DVD in. I have had it for over a year and never even opened it until last night,.....A N D ..........WOW !  I thought she kicked people's butt on the Biggest Loser, she literally made me HURT today ~  It is an amazing core/ab workout, but I also felt it in my butt and thigh areas.  It is an amazing DVD!  I heard that 30 Day Shred is even better, so I may try and work on getting that one in the future.  It is nice to fall back on something like that since running outside is nearly impossible sometimes.  Also, I would LOVE to strengthen my core area since having a strong one is so beneficial for being a long distance runner.  #aslolajonessays

Well, have a great rest of the week everyone !  I'm going to keep plugging away turning my flab into muscle, and start making my scale go into decrease mode.  Oh did I mention Bart has lost 22 pounds !  UGH!  Guys and their metabolisms!  SO.....NOT....FAIR~!  I am proud of him even tho, I'm COMPLETELY JEALOUS ! :) 


AWESOME POINTS HERE........   

Slow, But Sure....

Its Monday everyone !  Hope you all had a fantastic weekend, we sure did!
We spend a lot of hours outdoors all weekend long.  Played a few games of baseball with Bart and the kids this weekend, IT WAS A BLAST.  Bart would chuckle at me running the bases because my legs have been so sore from my speed/tempo work.  That's okay, I didn't mind I still had so much fun even tho!

Well, I'm still sitting at my 16 pound weight loss story, BUT.....its really okay.  I am hanging strong working through my running &exercise routines.  I don't think I'm eating the best right now because we are so busy with Lex having softball games, practices that I'm not paying attention to just how many bites I am eating of everything.  I'm trying, and I say trying to stay away from sugar.  I do allow myself some kind of sweet treat at least everyday, I wonder if I'm hurting myself by doing this.  I've got to keep going tho, I will not let this weight rent my body (as I said in the past) for another whole year. 

My big goal is to have most of it off by the time I run my half marathon in October, which gives me about 5 1/2 months.  I have been, up until a few weeks ago, been regularly losing about 2-3 pounds per week.  For some reason I am stuck hovering over my same weight, but its really okay because I am still working hard, and eating healthy almost 90% of the time.   

Last week I started to walk with Bart...(more like speed walk, he walks sooooo fast!) for about 3-4 miles per day.  Then at night I would run my normal 3-5 mile routes.  Yes, it is a lot of work!  When someone says, "Weight Loss Is Hard Work"...I completely, and totally agree with them!  I just know what I want....and it may take almost a year to get all my weight off that I would like to, but I'm going to just keep working.

Today is Monday at 12:45 pm I just finished running my 5 miler, then Bart came home from work around 10:30 and asked if I would walk with him, so we did a 4 mile power walk.  So proud of myself that I'm keeping up with the momentum and knowing that I'm one day closer to being healthy.  I'm going to continue to kick myself in the butt everyday 'til I get down to a healthy weight for my body.  Have a great day everyone ! 


Saw this on Pinterest and thought it was hilarious ! :)  Couldn't help but laugh!! Wish I could say this is NEVER me ! ;)

Yes, I'm Still Here.....Scale Obsessed :)

Hi!  Its been a while since I've updated you all on my weight loss/running progress.  I just checked my stats and saw that a lot of you are dedicated readers, so I thought I wouldn't leave you hanging.  If I can help and inspire just one person, that would be so incredible to me.  This week has been one of my hardest thus far.  Emotionally, physically, and mentally!  Nope I haven't quit, but I've came close.....due to my lovely -monthly cycle/and possibly a plateau.  Yes, six weeks into my running, eating healthy plan I've lost 16 pounds STILL!  I have come to terms this week that I've almost 'literally' ran strait into a brick wall!  jk :)

 I had my monthly friend visit this week..... aka as women refer to it..."Aunt Flo!"  Sorry guys......I gotta be strait here and not try and tell you a bunch of stuff about me that isn't true.  I am completely honest when I say things that probably aren't blog approved, such as monthly cycles.  Let me explain....earlier this week I noticed my scale was creeping up a bit.  I was ready to literally lose it, because I've upped my intensity with some weight lifting, running, and added some intense core work.  Normally, I would think I'd be down another two pounds or so......but what the heck!!  The scale is going up???!!!!  UGH!  Here Bart is ...... still losing like crazy, eating his salads, having willpower like crazy when it comes to junk food!  Don't get me wrong, I'm dang proud of his weight loss!:)   But, here I was  hormone fused.....looking for the nearest chocolate staple, frustrated as heck that my scale was moving the wrong way!   Well, I didn't binge on chocolate or anything, but I was close.  I came to finally figure out by the end of this week, I immediately was down to my normal 16 pound loss weight like before.  Has anyone ever else had this happen to them?   weight gain during Aunt Flo's visit?    Ladies?  Mom?  Erika?  :)    ( I'm literally laughing at myself out loud right now sharing this information with you all!)  HA!  Like I said previous, I want to share what my motivations are, what is working....and what is NOT working as far as my weight loss goals. I am definitely 'putting' myself out there for accountability, just as my first post says. :) 

Anyways, I'm back at it. Going strong running about 8 miles total this week.  Definitely not like my previous weeks, but I have added a lot of speed work, tempo runs, and a lot of weight training, squats, planks, and lots of core work.  I'm trying to add quite a bit more exercises along into my  running routines.  They say your body gets used to doing the same old exercise, so I'm trying to shake things up a bit so I can get that scale up and MOVING again!     I'll try and post a few of Bart and I's fav recipes what we've been whipping up that are delish............. keeping us healthy and losing these pounds.     Have a blessed weekend!!  (I am looking forward to some nice long runs, since the weather is going to be amazing)

Amen...