A change for the better... A change forever.

[courtneyallison1]

So here's a little story bout' me! And it goes a little somethin' like this...

So I am a SAHM to my beautiful One year old Daughter, Kylie. She was born on St. Patty's Day of 2006. I have been with my DH for 11 years, married for 9 of them, very happily. He has been my rock through everything and we have endured so much that I feel I often take him waaay for granted. But I think a lot of that has to do with me being unhapy with myself all of the time and where I am at right now with my weight. I wasn't always overwight. I wasn't always unhappy with myself. I really want to make this lifestyle change a permanent one in order to be a better Wife and ultimately a better Mom. I want to be in shape for my next pregnancy so I can continue to do my work outs and not make eating excuses for being pregnant. I know how to eat healthy, and I know how to lose weight and maintain it. I know how to take care of my body and treat it like the shrine it is. God only gave us one body and what we chose to do with it is entirely up to us. Now I just need to live by that mantra. ()

Here is a little bit about my journey, but not all of it... Up until I met my now DH I was rail thin. I always thought I was fat. I am 5'9" and I weighed 145 when I met my DH back in 1995. Sad, I know. But always being the taller girl out of my friends, I always felt fat. Sad to say I was far from it. I was always able to eat whatever I wanted up until around 1996 when I moved in with my DH (then fiance) and we started carb loading on cheap eats like (yuk) Hamburger Helper and all the other CHEAP junk food that my Mother would never allow in the house. (She always said "When you live on your own you can buy whatever CRAP you want to eat, but we will not eat that in this house... Looking back it was stuff like Hot Pockets and Bagel Dogs that she frowned on... If only we listened and followed our mothers advice all of the time... OK, well not ALL the time but you get my drift.)

I was also on the Depo Birth Control Shot and I gained a whopping 65 pounds in a few short months. Well I unfortunately didn't see it until it was too late. I thought I was fine even though my sizes started getting larger. (From a size 6 to a 16) My DH was so great and he said he never saw it. But I could have killed him for that "Greatness". At least he loved me no matter what, eh? So after our Wedding in 98 I tried Atkins with no knowledge of it and I never read it, just went by what my Mom said she was doing. (She said she could eat friend eggs in butter with as much bacon as she wanted, but never told me everything. OK maybe she did, I must have had selective listening, and heard only the things that appealed to me. :P) I never took the time to educate myself. I maintained never gaining more, but I was SO miserable. THEN in 2000 I had had enough. At first I joined eDiets and we were eating Salmon and White Rice (YIKES) with canned green beans every night. While it was SLOWLY working (anything was an improvement at that time) an old friend told me she had transformed her body when she found Body for Life. There were virtually no gimmicks, just hard work and eating right. I decided to try and my always skeptical DH jumped in with me. (He had seen SO MANY trials on my end and I thought he would balk at this too.)

It was awesome. I experimented and back then they encouraged mostly natural foods and pushed some BFL products. I experimented with it, now knowing a little more about carbs and proteins, etc. I always ended up eating a lot more protein in my meal ratios and I lost that 65 pounds in three months and managed to maintain it (sometimes a little up and down but NOTHING drastic) until AFTER I had Kylie. I only gained 30-35 pounds at the end of my pregnancy which I was stoked about. I didn't start gaining until the last trimester and I wore my Seven and Citizens Designer jeans until I was 7 months preggo. After I had Kylie I lost my pregnancy pounds in two weeks and maintained it UNTIL we went on vacation in May of last year. I went Hog Wild. Literally. I ate whatever I wanted (thought I was invincible since I ate whatever I wanted while pregnant, and didn't gain until the last minute. Then BOY did my ignorance inflate when I lost it all in two weeks) and I ate it in large portions. I drank that great old Colorado Beer - there are the most awesome breweries everywhere. I ate dessert. I have never been a desert/sweets/candy eater until I got pregnant (or back in 03 when I had an Atkins stint and THOUGHT I wanted all those chemicals). By the fourth day of our vacation, I couldn't fit into but one pair of my pre pregnancy pants anymore. So I alternated between that pair and a pair I had bought for vacation throughout the rest of the two weeks. I knew something was amiss, but I kept eating like @#$%. We came back and I tried to be good here and there and got back down. Then the trials of mommyhood set in and I gave in as well. For the most part I always eat really well and I feel great when i do. But on the weekends I tend to over indulge and the yoyo pattern has taken effect.



So here I am. Again. I was gung ho in December and at the beginning of the year and then I got lazy. I said it. I GOT LAZY. Its so easy to be lazy and make excuses for what I am NOT doing. But I am learning that I can live with myself a lot better these days if I actually jump in and DO what I need to do. I don't have to make excuses and beat myself up and its so much easier to be accountable. Accountable to me.

Thanks for coming along on my fantastic voyage... I am sure with this determination and great encouragement from all y'all that I will be a success. But mainly I need to look at my Baby Girl everyday and realize that I am doing this for her. I want her to know her Mom as a STRONG and Centered Human being. I grew up with and still have a Mom that is a Yo-Yo dieter. I think I can attribute a lot of me to that environment, although I am the only one that makes my decisions. I want my Daughter to have a Mom that sets an example of good eating and great physical health and I NEVER, EVER want her to be here, where I am right now. I am doing this for me, but mainly I am doing this for HER.

Good night all, and God Bless.

[courtneyallison1]

Also, I forgot to post my goals!!!

Here they go!

Goal #1 - April 30th - 180# - Reward, Much needed haircut and style. (I am depriving myself though until then!)

Goal #2 - May 18th - 170# - Reward, Spray Tan and New outfit for GF Wedding

Goal #3 - June 5th - 165# - New COMPLIMENTING Bathing Suit for Vegas Trip June 8th-11th.

Goal #4 - July 5th - 155# - BACK TO BLONDE - Blonde highlights on my newly brown hair, LOL.

Goal #5 - August 5th - 145# - New clothes for Colorado Vacation and Wedding that I will be in on the 17th!

Goal #6 - October 6th - 130# - Photo Shoot with my DH and DD!

Goal #7 - January 2008 - Run a 1/2 Marathon, at 130#!!!!

[Samantha42]

Welcome!!

I'm just marking my spot here. You seem to know what works best for you, so I don't see this go-around being a problem. You are a weightloss pro! 65 lbs in 3 months?!? How did you do it? I was gung-ho in January too, but I get lazy, too I need to remotivate myself somehow. I only seem to lose weight when I eat very low carb, with minimal extras (nuts, mayo etc).

You can do this!

[courtneyallison1]

Thanks so much for your support Samantha! What REALLY worked for me when I lost that 65 pounds (12 weeks actually) was researching every success story I could find on the internet and in books. I thought "Hey, if they can do this, so can I!" and taht kept me motivated. My DH also jumped in with me so we had a sort of competition thing going I think. Not really competing against each other but if I wanted to miss a work out and he already did his, then I would not let that happen. It helps to have a work out partner. I can be your virtual work out pal if you want

Maybe Low Carb might be stalling you? You seem to like your carbs every now and then. What REALLY kept me going on Body for life was the "Free" day thatI got once a week. I had to stick to plan all week and never budged my free day, but if I wanted pizza and beer on a saturday - then I could have all the pizza and beer that I wanted. You also get to eat 6 times a day. Have you ever tried it?

If not, it may jumpstart your weight loss. Portion sizes are key with the program but you can choose a wide variety of things. I think I may incorporate it into my schedule next week with my carbs being veggies and certain fruits on occasion. I think I would see some good results that way but its hard to remember to eat 6 times a day, you know?

So, Samantha... Have you ever tried Body for life?

[Samantha42]

Hey! I wanted to send you my email address but I can't PM you? Maybe you haven't met the # of posts needed or something? I know when you first join you can't get private messages?

I have never tried body for life. On sundays I usually eat more (nuts, big salads, dairy) and honestly, I don't think it's working out for me. It just makes me want to KEEP eating these foods on Monday! I normally eat 2-3 meals/day... I have thought about adding shakes between meals, but I like the feeling of being hungry, KWIM? I 'm just afraid to try something new that might totally backfire. I want to follow a M/E - KISS type of plan, but I keep pushing it back a day because I have offplan foods (like dark chocolate) in my apartment. Then I buy more, or eat out, and it seems like everyday I am just eating LC, but not LC enough to lose weight. Ugh!

We should start emailing eachother!

[courtneyallison1]

Yeah LC is such a tricky thing. You should really go to www.bfl.com and check it out. I think a change just might be good for you. You know how to eat and do this! You can modify it and tweak it to your own needs but the principle is definately a good one if you don't get too involved with the mumbo jumbo... (ie. Products)

I have to admit that when I was doing it I WAS supplementing with 1/2 a Myoplex shake three times a day or a Met-Rx Protein Bar. I DID have carbs and NEVER EVER felt deprived.

I REALLY think this would be good for you since you like carbs as much as the next guy... At least you could give it a three week try.

He says in the book that it takes 21 days to create a habit. I found it to be true but in a little less time.

I know you want this so badly, so at least do yourself a favor and check out a copy of the book (or order one ) and you will be able to see the STUNNING results achieved. I can attest that they are all real people from the beginning. When I started it they were only in their second year of the contest and it has continued to grow tremendously!

[courtneyallison1]

Another PS - Here is some useful info on Yerba...

http://www.yerba-mate.com/ww_article.htm

[courtneyallison1]

OK. So here are two pics to start... Before Pregnancy (BP) and After (AP)... I cannot believe how well I was doing right after I had her and for the first couple of months until vacation. LAME. Ah well. I will post pics for inspiration - or THINSPIRATION???

This is a good thing to do so I can see that I have been there and I will be back there soon!

[courtneyallison1]

OK, I know its hard to tell... BUT I am wearing a size medium Juicy Terry Pants in this pic, 7 days after having Kylie... I know its normal to lose fast after having the baby BUT I maintained it so long and so well. I am SO getting down on myself today. BUT its in hopes of a better mood tomorrow... So I will keep posting some other pics from last years roller coaster weight loss ride!

[courtneyallison1]

So the first in this series of pics is two weeks after having Kylie. My sweatshirt is hiding my almost flat stomach. I wish I could sit up straight!

#2 is in May in CO with DH on the FAT making vacation...

#3 is in June in the Sierras AFTER we got back from the FAT making vacation - 1 week after we got back to be exact...

#4 I was back down quite a bit and it was in July at my Grandmother's 70th Bday...

#5 is in Oct before DH's Management dinner - WHOA had I ballooned. Its amazing what it does to you when u don't get your picture taken often... U think ur invincible...

and I will upload November's pic next. It is the day after Thanksgiving, AGAIN back DOWN and at that moment I was satisfied with the weight I was losing. What the heck happened?!?!?!

DAMN WINTER!

[courtneyallison1]

OK so I was losing at a nice pace and doing so well... I need to keep up where I am at forever and I will get to my goal come hell or high water...

Oh and Samantha... I TOTALLY have you beaten on Moon Face in my St. Patty's Pic and my Oct 06 pic! HAHA!
And no one LAUGH that I am wearing the same shirt in October and November!!! I REFUSED to buy anything in a bigger size no matter how dorky it is... So there. :P

[Samantha42]

I can't tell which pictures you are supposed to be "fat" in and which you are supposed to be skinny Is there a pic of you at 200 pounds?? Cuz it SURE DON'T LOOK LIKE IT!!! You look normal weight in every picture!!!

I mean that in a nice way. Not a mean way.

I think you and I are similar in that we may weigh more than we appear (at least I like to tell myself that).

At 125 lbs people were telling me I looked sickly! Yeah right. I looked HAWT, but still. I would be happy being 150 right now!

[courtneyallison1]

Hey Samantha! I am around 200# in the St. Patty's Day pic and 195 or so in the Oct pic and the June pic where I have the camera... You are 100% right on concealing the weight. People always think I weigh a lot less than I do, so at least I carry it well. Not that that's any comfort. It just sneaks up on me easier that way! YUK. We will get there girl! Its good to have your support!

[courtneyallison1]

OK so today I am beginning a low fat M/E fast. Cannot wait to see the results! Any info on peoples successes with these would be so greatly appreciated!

Also, the only thing different that I am doing is keeping my Coconut Oil in the diet. Should I not? I really want to for the health benefits and to hopefully do a type of Candida cleanse.

So today I am a little sluggish due to taking some Benadryl at bedtime last week. ARGH... It is now 3:30 in the afternoon and I am FINALLY getting around to my workout. I plan to get an hour run in on the treadmill and a lower body workout this evening if DD wakes up before I can get to it.

Here is my Workout routine this week:

Mon - 1 hour Run/Walk + Lower Body

Tues - 1 hour Hike/Walk + Fluidity Beginner Workout + Upper Body

Wed - 1 1/2 hour Run/Walk + Lower Body

Thursday - 1 hour Hike/Walk + Upper Body + Fluidity Bar

Friday - 1 hour Run/Walk + Lower Body + Fluidity Bar

Saturday - 1 1/2 Hour Run/Walk plus outdoor Hike

Sunday - 1 hour Run/Walk


Totals:

Around 8 hours on the Treadmill

Around 1 hour Outdoor Hike

Around 1.5 hours of Fluidity Workouts

Around 3.75 Hours of Strength Training with Weights


SOOOO GOOD LUCK to me this week! I REALLY need to kick myself in the butt and if anyone wants to volunteer to me my Boot Camp Instructor please feel free to jump in!


Welll... Here goes nothing. I will report results everyday so I will post them as I finish for today!

[courtneyallison1]

OK so I went a little longer with my Cardio tonight! WOO HOO. I did 90 minutes rather than 60 but only because I felt sluggish today So I wanted to push myself even though I felt terrible. So I am satisfied. It is late but I am now off to do my upper body workout. DD is being a pest right now, she won't go to bed! ARGH!

DH just got called out to work so I figured I may as well let her try to stay awake in her bed (my way of letting her get herself to sleep) and I can get my workout in.

Tomorrow I am going to get my AbLounger out too, so I can add that to my routine. I will post accordingly as I use it.

[courtneyallison1]

OK well last night I didn't get my Upper Body workout in so I will do it today instead combined with lower for a more of a circuit workout.

I started out today only meaning to do an hour of cardio on the treadmill since I did an hour and a half yesterday but I just COULDN'T HELP MYSELF! I ended up doing another hour and a half today and I feel great. I wanted to beat my distance today which I did but only by a tenth of a mile. I have energy but not enough. I also kept getting side aches because I ate breakfast within an hour of running. Kylie has such a weird nap schedule that it is hard sometimes with breakfast and my workouts interfereing. When she naps I have to take advantage of it or else I won't get my hour or hour plus in... So if I eat within the hour and I get a side ache the way I look at it is at least I am not putting off my cardio because I just ate like I used to. I thrive on my cardio workouts. They help to keep me in check.

So far so good on diet today. I seem to be retaining water so I am going to try to get in a little over a gallon today to flush my system. I drink so much water everyday but I am sure that not eating my veggies and salads yesterday and today is contributing to my water retention. BUT WHAT DO I KNOW?

I have a Wedding of a good friend to go to on May 19th so that is my first Mini Goal. (Well semi big mini goal - talk about an oxymoron)

I have 5 weeks to get to 165 pounds. GOOD LUCK, I know. BUT I REALLY want to be able to be comfortable and wear something summery since the weather will be HOT here. I have SOOOOO many clothes for that size and weight and I would really like to wear something I already have rather than going out and buying something else. IYKWIM. UNLESS I just feel like buying a new outfit to celebrate.

OK well there it is. I just made a deal with myself. I won't buy a new outfit for the Wedding UNLESS I get BELOW 165.

It looks like the next five weeks, I will be doing an M/E fast during the weekdays and mainly KISS on the weekends. I know it is doable.

Well I better get off my butt. I need to clean house and get ready for my circuit workout the next time little one goes down for a nap!

See ya back in a few...

[Samantha42]

5 weeks 25 lbs? Hmmmm when is this wedding exactly? Aim for the moon and you will land among the stars!!

I am right around where you are, and want to be 150 in about 12 weeks. That's 36 lbs in 12 weeks... but 25 in 5 would be even better!

How far are you running exactly?? a 90 minute round sounds intense!!!! Could you be retaining water from muscle soreness?

[courtneyallison1]

I am sure that I am retaining some water and some of my muscle is coming back... I am hoping to see some massive results at a month of being consistent which is around the 25th. I am getting in around 6 miles in 90 minutes. I run for a bit, and hike when I cool down at a 8-12% incline. I tell ya, I am BUSTING my butt. Back in 03' I weighed alot less and I wanted to get super svelte for a wedding we had to go to. I started running in April and the Wedding was in August. By mid July I was down about 35 pounds and that was pretty much just from running with no weights or anything else. I was also eating LC but not strictly at all and partying a lot on the weekends. (= Drinking LOTS of Beer in Huge amounts... Ahhh to be young again.)
SO I know this is doable. It is just sticking with it. I seem to be doing a good job of it so far and I am not sick of it in the slightest. I think I am back to the addiction of the runners high. I also love the feeling of lifting weights and weight training so I really need to focus more on that as well.

I CAN DO THIS!!! I know it! I know how and I have been there! 25 pounds will be nice and that is what I am shooting for! BUT I will take whatever I can get. The only way I will get upset or let down is if I sabotage myself and stop this routine that I am in. I won't let that happen. That is the ONE THING that I can control!
Thanks so much for being here for me!!! You are the best!

[Samantha42]

Court-- I love the feeling of running & lifting weights, too. I just wish I could make myself do it more often!! My problem is starting.... but I'm feeling energetic lately and think I'll start again soon. About a month ago I got really into running again and ran 5x/week for about 2 weeks. By the end I could do 5 miles in about 70 minutes... I was working my BUTT of!!! I would also try to do 3 miles in 35, 4 miles in 50, etc... I set goals for myself and once I reach that goal the next day I have to beat it SOMEHOW.

I used to be an exercise fiend and lost a lot of weight (though during that time I wouldn't drink anything, kinda dampened my social life for a few months).

ENOUGH ABOUT ME!!!

You are doing great!!! I think aiming for 25 lbs is a good idea, as long as you don't feel like a failure *if* it doesn't happen. But they do things like that on the biggest loser, so even if we don't workout 6 hours a day like they do, I think we can still compare! Right??

[courtneyallison1]

Si senorita! So I will keep up the running. I didn't get a lick of sleep last night b/c my damn Dog kept barking and everytime I would nod off there he would go again, then it would wake up the baby and I would have to get her back to sleep and before you know it, 3:30 am rolls around and she wakes up and then DH gets up at 4 for work and I couldn't possibly go back to sleep. I am irritable and tired but I am going to go for it. I am going to run. In the meantime my dog is howling like a moron for no reason. I really want to let him out... So he can run away. Evil I know. I am just SO mad at him right now.
So I had my cup of yerba and I will take a TBSP of CO and I am going to run. At least that will get my endorphins going and maybe I can be in a better mood the rest of the day. (I HOPE)

Another upper is I got on the scale this morning and I am down to 186 pounds. I love M/E!!! I am going to keep it up thru Friday I think instead of thru Thurs!

I will check back later!

Thanks again, Sam! You're the BEST!

[Samantha42]

Originally Posted by courtneyallison1

Another upper is I got on the scale this morning and I am down to 186 pounds. I love M/E!!! I am going to keep it up thru Friday I think instead of thru Thurs!

I will check back later!

Thanks again, Sam! You're the BEST!

OH THE IRONY of it all. We have so much in common and then POOF one day, we magically are the same exact weight!!!! So now we're REALLY in this together-- because if you weigh 184 or 185 tomorrow I'm going to be like I should be losing that quickly too! Not competing, just motivating! Want to make 183 your Monday goal, too?

[courtneyallison1]

No kidding! Isn't that funny! I will make 183 my goal for Monday too! I am SO in!
So I was SOOOOO tired when I went to run. Well actually today was not my "Run" day it was my Hike/Walk day. That's what I did. I ended up only doing 45 minutes. I plan to walk 15 minutes after lunch and walk 20 minutes tonight after dinner. I read that walking after you eat, REALLY helps to burn calories so I will try that on my Hike/Walk days.
So that is my plan

Monday - 183 - HERE WE COME!