Catching Up

Hello to those who are reading! I can't believe it is almost the end of February! Where is this school year going??! Crazy!
Well, many of you have been asking how my weight loss challenge has been going. I really appreciate those of you who have asked me, because that is one of the things that has kept me going: the encouragement and accountability of friends.
This Monday I weighed in and lost an additional 2 pounds. I have now lost 12.2 pounds. It doesn't really sound like that much, but it is a big deal for me! I have never stayed with any diet/work out regime for longer than a month and I have now been going strong for 7 weeks. I now have 87.8 pounds to lose! I'll do it one pound at a time if I have to!

As many of you know, it is now my favorite season of the year: Lent. Well, for Lent this year I am giving up two things: School lunches and weighing myself in between Mondays. The first one is a challenge because it means that I have to make time for me to make my lunch each morning. The latter one is a real challenge because I have no idea how I am doing during the week. I think it's been really good for me in the long run. It has made me aware of what I'm eating and makes me aware of how my body feels each day, especially since I can't check my progress on the scale each day.

Thanks for all of you who are sticking with me through this journey. I think it will turn out to be one of the most challenging things I've ever done in my life...yet one of the most rewarding.

Week 5 of Weightloss Challenge

Some of you may have noticed that I didn't write on my blog last week to update the world of my weightloss attempts. The reason I didn't write is because I had a bad week last week...as far as weightloss goes. I didn't lose any weight, in fact I gained back 1.8 pounds.
I was really discouraged when I discovered that I was moving in the wrong direction. And frankly, too embarassed and ashamed to share that I didn't lose anything. I'm learning a lot in this process.

Last week I learned 3 things:

1. I'm learning that losing this much weight is not going to be an easy process. It is a daily challenge to keep track of everything that goes in my mouth, exercising, and making good food choices.
2. I have learned that this process can NOT be done without my dependence on the Lord. So many times I try to go about my life on my own strength...and let's just be honest. I don't have the strength to do this alone.
3. Last but not least, I have learned that if I really want the accountability of my friends and family, I need to be real and honest with them...even if it means me saying that I GAINED weight instead of LOST weight. I had a good chat with my dear friend Emily and she really made me realize that it's okay to have a discouraging week, as long as I don't dwell on it.

That being said, I had a MUCH better week. I worked out at least 4 times and made pretty good food choices. I'm trying to drink lots of water and be aware of when my body is saying it is full. I could have given up last week, but I have decided to embark on this challenge 110% and refuse to give up. I may have bad weeks, but I am NOT going to let it get me down.

This week I lost 4.2 pounds which means I met my first goal of 10 pounds! I have lost a total of 10.6 pounds and have 89.4lbs to lose to meet my 100lb goal.

Thanks for so much encouragement from all of you and your support. I couldn't do it without you. Stayed tuned till next week. I WILL post, whether I lose OR gain. That's a promise.