I DID IT!!!!!

Going 28 days without cheese has been one of the hardest things I have ever had to do in my life. I can't believe I did it! I feel good, but I am ready to not be quite so restricted! I can't believe how much cheese I was eating before! I also didn't realize how much food has cheese in it. Either way, it was a huge accomplishment that I was able to do it.
Workouts have been slacking, but they will be picking up tomorrow! :)

The Final Stretch!

So, as of Thursday, my 28 days are up! I have decided I will slowly add cheese SPARINGLY back into my diet. It is too hard to be that restricted. How am I going to celebrate? By going to a conference with my Mom for 2 days, and loving every minute of it! It is getting harder to be without it, but I can see the finish line now. I can't break down yet! I will make it! I have the will power to do this!
Been reading Intuitive Eating the last couple of days, and it's very interesting. In the book, they profile what kind of an eater you are, so that you know better how to transition into an Intuitive Eater. I am a combination of 2 of them. I'm the Unconscious Emotional Eater, but mostly, I am the Professional Dieter. I have tried most everything out on the market, and it has failed me. I think it's time to let my body tell me what it needs and what it doesn't need.

Recommendations

So, as I have been on my journey, I have gotten many recommendations for books, things to do, and what have you. Just tonight at a party for some good friends of mine, I was told about this book.
It truly sounds interesting. I went to Barnes and Nobel and picked up a copy. I may be slowly sharing bits and pieces from the book as things continue.
I am on the downward slope with the 28 days without cheese. I can eat cheese as of Thursday! that will be great, because I will be attending a 2 day event with lots of walking with my mom.

I'm hoping to still plan out my meals, but if I can't it will make it so I don't have to be quite so picky about where we go.

Scheduling

Ok, so I know I haven't blogged the last few days. I haven't had much time at all to myself the last few days. I did do T-Tapp with Carrie yesterday, but I haven't done a workout at Curves in a week. :( That is totally and completely awful! So, what I have decided to do, is make a better schedule of my life. I really need to get organized again, because I need to make sure I'm getting my workouts in! I can't keep missing them if I want to continue to progress in losing weight. Even though I haven't been as good about working out, I haven't gained anything back. With a fun Women's Conference coming up next week, I know I'm going to get a lot of walking in, so that will help me keep some weight off. I also am going to be working mostly days next week, so it will be easy for me to do my Curves workout on my way home. Well, I'm off to eat dinner, and then do some T-Tapp before I settle down for the night.

Running late

Ok, so I had just gotten done T-Tapping, (Thanks for doing it with me Carrie!) when I get a call from my hubby. We are supposed to be meeting up shortly so that we can go to his appointment in a nearby city at 6:00pm. He calls me at 5:20, saying he is running a little late, so to just meet him there. Being the person that I am, I got there at 5:45, to make sure that the people at this weekl appointment knew that my hubby was running a little late, and would be there shortly. I needed to be done at this appointment by 6:45, as it is scheduled, so that I could make it down to Curves in time to get my workout in tonight. Time keeps ticking by. No hubby, and they aren't ready for us. AN HOUR goes by, and I am still sitting in the waiting room, with 2 people ahead of us, and hubby isn't there. His phone died, so I couldn't even check to see where he was. I was panicking, because it was taking him so long to get there, that I thought he had gotten in an accident or something. I was a wreck until he showed up. We didn't get into our 6:00 appointment until 7:10, which means I missed my Curves workout, and I missed going to see Valentines Day at the dollar movie. GRRRRRR!!!!!!!!

Ok, Rant Over. Time to relax and get some sleep!

This Weekend

This weekend has been rough for me. I've had lots of things to consider, and I've also been having a lot of cravings. Cheese and Chocolate. I rarely crave chocolate, so it's a weird one for me. (No, I'm not pregnant, so don't worry about asking that. I'm just saying it now, because any time I have mentioned my cravings, that is always the first question.) The cheese is getting harder now. I really miss eating certain things that don't have a lot of cheese in it. But I really know that I can last 10 more days. I can't believe that's all that's left on this challenge. Workouts were bad this weekend too, so I need to step it up tomorrow! I want to do my weigh in as soon as my challenge is over, so I need to make sure I am in tip top shape!

Fridays

Fridays have a tendency of being my most hectic days. I almost always work, so I have to find time for my workout, and for date night with hubby. The workout, didn't happen until just now. I just finished my T-Tapp Basic Workout Plus for my workout today. This morning I also had to include a trip to a place I may start working a day or two. That means I wouldn't have a day off except Sunday, but if I needed to do that for a few months, then that's ok. I'm still debating on whether I will take this job or not. We will see. Anyway. I feel better now that I got my workout in. Tonight, we had Tepanyaki for dinner, and it was tasty. I brought plenty home for leftovers, and the best part about it....NO CHEESE! :)

Progress on Not Eating Cheese

So, I realized that I haven't really talked about how the not eating cheese is going. Don't let this picture deceive you! I still haven't eaten cheese for 2 whole weeks! I am honestly so proud of myself! But the best part about it, are that my little cravings are at a minimum, and I feel great! My clothes all feel so different! I know that I am loosing inches, and my home scale says that I have lost as well! I really feel so good! I still plan on slowly working cheese back into my diet at this point, but we shall see.

Today is my day off from work, and it's been nice so far! I went and got a Jamba Juice with Eva this morning, and got some lunch with Catherine! Both of my workouts are going to happen tonight. I'm going to workout with Carrie around 4, and then I'm off to Curves after that. It will be great! It's so gorgeous outside, I may take a walk as well! :)

Crazy Day!

Ok, today was insane! I got up early and went with my Hubby to an appointment, then we needed to run some other errands. Before I knew it, I had an hour to shower, get ready for the day, eat lunch, and get my butt to work! Ah! So, I didn't get my Curves workout in today! :( I was sad, because Tami and I were going to have a chat, but we will tomorrow, since it's my day off! w00t! Then when I got to work, the first half of my shift, was SLOW SLOW SLOW!! Then, about 6:15, we started getting busy, and we stayed steady until the very end of our shift. Jessica and I were very tired by the end of it. We hurried to close up, and got out of there about 20 minutes after closing. I went straight to Carrie's house so we could T-Tapp. (If you haven't checked it out yet, seriously do it!) I asked her as soon as I got there, "Can I hurry and eat my dinner? We got busy just as soon as I was getting ready to eat." She let me eat, we did our workout, and now here I am, at almost midnight, getting a chance to get my blog in. It wouldn't have been so bad had it not been for the fact that I woke up at about 4:30 due to horrible nightmares.

Ok, I have to explain something. I don't typically remember my dreams. I sleep deep enough when I dream that I don't remember them when I wake up, unless they are particularly horrible and wake me up in the middle of the night. I have had a series of horrible dreams the last 3 nights, and they are all associated with death. They are very Final Destination like. There were a group of girls who all participated in some sort of bizare ritual, and one by one they have kept getting killed off in my dreams! There was one left, and she was about to be killed when I woke up this morning. It was HORRIBLE!!! Hubby slept right through me trying to talk to him, poke him, prod him, everything this morning. Usually when this happens, he wakes up about the same time I do, and will hold me until I fell back to sleep. He had a really long day at work, so he didn't wake up. I didn't get much sleep after that for fear of falling back into that dream.

Anyway, long story short, I should be asleep right now, but I am wide awake! Bah! I need sleep! I'm going to go try to lay down.

Comments

So, I've been hearing comments from people, that they can see a difference in how my clothes fit, and that my waist looks smaller. That makes me feel like a million bucks. My husband was just saying that it is easier for him to get his arms around me, and that makes me really happy! For me, this isn't so much about the number on the scale as it is about how I feel, and how I look in my clothes. Seeing a certain number would definitely make my doctor happy, and I can't lie saying that seeing a certain number wouldn't make me happy too. But the number I want to see is a size 8 pant! :) Needless to say, I feel good about myself today! I haven't felt good about how I look in a REALLY long time! :) I will take another progress picture after my not eating cheese challenge is done!

Why are Asian people so Petite? (Unless you are a Sumo Wrestler)

THEY DON'T EAT CHEESE VERY OFTEN!!!! I feel this is the key to their success, consider that the weight seems to still be falling off. I have been staying strong on the no cheese. I don't see the need for it so much anymore. I still have the occasional, "A little bit of cheese on a salad would be nice" moment, but they pass. I am a fan of not eating cheese if you are trying to loose weight! I guess I didn't really have a full grasp of what it was doing to my body.
Got a lovely workout in at Curves today. Still burning over 500 calories! W00T! I'm just feeling really good about what I'm doing, and my body is saying thank you! I need to do another T-tapp workout though! I find that they help me feel at my best. Also, I feel like I eat a TON, and I'm still loosing weight!
I acutally asked Chelsea down at Curves about it, and she said that my body had gotten so used to eating around 1500 calories a day, that I needed to eat more to kickstart my metabolism again. Between that, giving up cheese, and Curves+T-Tapp, I am melting before my very eyes!

Feelings

As I have started to share my journey publicly, I have been having mixed feelings. It has truly been helping me, but I feel different. I'm not sure if it's a good different, or a bad different. I've become more aware of who I am right now in my life. There are certain things I like about myself, but there are things that I don't. I have also learned when I started this journey, that I didn't like myself hardly at all. My dear friend Carrie pointed out to me after my first few posts, that I wasn't very nice to myself. I have started making a more conscious effort to be nice to myself. Doing that has really helped me get a better grasp on who I want to become, which is the biggest part of this journey that I am on.

I feel like I'm rambling a little bit, but it feels necessary. I don't know if my blog is helping anyone but myself, but I know that I need this. I need it more than I ever truly realized. The person I want to become loves herself, and I realized I'm not quite there yet. I like myself, but I don't love myself yet. Soon enough I will be there.

I'm a very lucky person to have the people around me who love me. I have my amazing husband, my caring family, and my wonderful friends. I also have the support of all of the great people at Curves, and I know that people are rooting for me to become my best self. There's still work to do, but the support helps.

A Conversation

So, I sat down with my hubby last night, and asked him where he wanted to be with his weight. He gave me his number. 170. I said "Ok, what are you willing to do to make it happen?" His answer was, "I don't know." So, I asked him to think about it over the next couple of days. I also suggested that we portion out his snacks, so he became aware of how many calories he was eating when he was sitting and eating food. He seemed ok with that idea. We also don't keep soda in the house, so that he has to make a conscious decision to go and get a soda. For now, these are things he has said he is willing to live with.
Didn't get a workout in today, but it's still light outside, so I think I will ask hubby to go on a walk with me, so that we burn some calories. Sounds like the perfect date night, yes?

I feel phenomenal!

Honestly, This last week without cheese, I feel AWESOME!!! I never knew I had this much energy! According to my scale here at home, I have lost 5 lbs in the last week. I just made sure I got my workouts in, and I haven't been eating cheese. I can't believe that my body is having this kind of reaction! I love going to Curves, and doing T-Tapp with Carrie. Speaking of, that's where I am off to!

How Can I Support Him?

Okay, so let's start with today. Today was really good. Still no cheese, still burning at least 500 calories in my workout, and I haven't had to take my inhaler all day! That's pretty phenomenal!
No complaints here!
Onto today's subject. How do I support my husband in his weight loss? He keeps calling himself fat, and wants to loose weight. How do I encourage him to join me on my journey, without sounding like I am trying to call him fat?? I don't feel he is fat, but he does. He wants to get healthy and loose weight. With my Curves, he can't really come do it with me. Lately we have been working opposite shifts for our work, so we barely get to see each other. I try to encourage going on a walk when we both have time, like Sundays. I have been keeping healthier snacks here at the house, but then he doesn't really eat them. I have tried letting him pick out the things he wants at the store, and he will eat them for a day or two, and then goes back to his old habits of wanting chips and other such greasy food.
I am at a loss, any ideas?

I love my husband dearly, and I want to have him around for a long time. I just don't know what to do. I would love suggestions.

How did today go?

I realized I haven't posted all day. Today has been a pretty good day! I had a Jamba Juice for lunch, did 2 wonderful workouts, and burned 500 calories at Curves. Caleb also made dinner tonight! (I know! Shocker!) He made Salsa Chicken with brown rice and veggies. He's a good cook. He's also got leftovers for lunch.
I also went to the grocery store to stock up on a few essentials not involving cheese. (Milk, hamburger, things for spaghetti sauce, etc) I decided to pick up a little reward for myself for my not eating cheese. I found a tasty little treat called Pocky. It's a little chocolate covered wafer. It's scrumptious, and low in calories for a treat! :)
I'm feeling great these days! Carrie and I did T-Tapp again today, and we decided to order a bundle and share. It will be great! I'm really excited too!
Rachelle (aka Boss Lady) was actually down at Curves when I went in for my workout tonight. It was really nice to see her. She's been a big support of my weight loss, and my friend LeeAnn. She is always so excited to see us, and to see the progress we are making. She is phenomenal, and spoils us rotten at our Curves.
Now, I'm going to go and take a bath to relax my body for some great sleep!

Progress Report

So, last night was ok. I didn't indulge in cheese, and this morning I am very grateful that I didn't. I did my measurements at Curves today, and here are the results!



1. Bust-March was 45.25", April was 46.50" (I really didn't want to gain there...)
2.Waist- March was 39.50" April was the same
3. Abs- March was 47.75", April was 46.75" (w00t!)
4. Hips- March was 52.0", April was 51.75" (w00t!)
5. Thighs- March was 63.50, April was 59.0 (WOOT!)
6. Arms- March was 34.0" April was the same
7. Weight- March was 216lbs, April was 213 lbs! (WOOT!)
8. Body Fat% - March was 42.3%, April was 41.5% (w00t!)
9. BMI - March was 39.50, April was 38.95

To sum everything up, I lost 3 lbs, 4.5 inches, and 2.97 of those lbs, were fat! I lost 12 sticks of butter off of my body! I am elated this morning! I'm glad I am making good decisions! I need to keep them up so that I can continue to track it, and have me be a little smaller each month! :)

The first thing my hubby did when I showed him was take me into a big hug and said "I love you so much! I'm glad you are happy with the new habits you are forming. Keep it up sweetie! I'm so proud of you." I am so lucky to have him and his wonderful support. He came home from a friends last night to help me so I didn't eat cheese. I know it sounds stupid, but it really did help me! I can't imagine being married to a better man!

HELP HELP HELP!!!!!!!!!!

It's only been 3 days, and I'm craving cheese! I know that part of it is emotional at the moment. I have had a little bit of a lonely night, and so I am wanting to self medicate with cheese. That is why I am blogging instead of running to the kitchen! I keep tinkering with my blog for the same reason! I'm trying to distract myslef so that I don't go and loose all of my hard work in 3 days! There are addictive chemicals in cheese, which is why I am doing my best to go without it. It's just so hard! I didn't really realize how many foods that I love to eat contain cheese, or a cheese product in it! I'm going to have to start doing Dance Dance Revolution every time I'm getting a craving at home or something, or I'm not going to make it past a week!
Am I crazy to be doing this?

Happy Easter!

So, today is Easter! I love Easter, and what the holiday is really all about. I know I couldn't be on this journey without the constant support and help of my Savior, Jesus Christ. I am so grateful for Him, and everything he has, and continues to do for me. One of my most memorable Easters would have been 4 years ago, when I had to give a talk in church about the Crucifixion. I couldn't speak on what happened in Gethsemane, and I couldn't speak on the resurrection. It was truly a tough talk for me. I learned a lot of things that I didn't previously understand, and it made me all the more grateful for the sacrifice he gave me.
It's also a time where I get to see family, which is why I didn't blog yesterday! I did pretty well, all things considered. No cheese still, we had Chinese for dinner, and I didn't gorge myself on it. Although, my cousin made these wonderful Red Velvet Chocolate Cake Balls, (visit http://bakerella.com/ for the recipe) and I did have a couple of those, because they were absolutely divine. I didn't really get a workout in, but I made sure I was moving, and I played with my little cousin, lifting him for a workout! :) Monday will be better. Now It's off to my parent's for a great Easter Dinner!
Again, Happy Easter!

How did my first day without cheese go?

It went well! I hardly missed it to be honest! I know that won't always be my tune, but I'm not having dreams of dancing mozzarella sticks yet! :) I ate really well, still got plenty of calcium, and I have more energy! I got my workout in this morning, had some friends stop by, helped my mom with a project, and went and worked 8 hours! My workout was really great actually. I burned 557 calories again, and I feel really great about it! I'm not sore, I don't ache, and I've had plenty of water to boot! I'm having a great day, and I love that I'm beginning to love my new lifestyle! I don't like the fact that there isn't as much flexibility, but I still love it! I will get used to being on a schedule where I don't normally sleep past 8. I love my sleep! :)
Speaking of sleep, I should probably go get some since I open at work in the morning! Night everyone!

What does my husband think?

I've had this question the last couple of days since I started doing this. Well, I decided I was going to ask him this last night as we were lying in bed, and I was winding down to go to sleep. So, his answer to me was, "Honey, I want you to be happy and healthy. If this is what you feel you need to do to accomplish that, then go for it. I love you, and want to keep you forever." I think that's a pretty great answer!I seriously am a lucky woman. My husband has been supportive of all of my decisions, and I wouldn't trade him for anyone.

Support Group

After my Curves workout tonight,(557 calories tonight btw! w00t again!) there are a few of us that stay and talk about our weight loss journeys. Our group on thursday nights is very small. It consists of 3-4 people on a regular basis. Tonight, it was just me and the trainer, Chelsea. Chelsea is phenomenal, and she is the trainer down there that knows me the best, because she is the trainer that teaches these classes. Tonight we talked about Eating Out, and things to do. After we watched the little informational video, we sat and talked about how we do some of those things already, like asking for half portions, and boxing huge portions right as they bring you the food.

Then we continued to chat about things we had been working on, and I talked a little about my blog, and my no cheese commitment and things like that. As I was sitting there, I realized that I had been spilling out a bunch of things I haven't told a lot of people. And a lot of things that only my parents and my husband know. Chelsea has been a big help to me in getting me down to Curves, because she isn't just my trainer, she is my friend. That is the biggest difference between a regular gym and Curves. At Curves, you are friends with your trainers, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

While I'm talking about support that I have, I want to say thanks to everyone who has been dropping by my blog, even if you aren't posting. I know you all care about me, and are rooting for me. I have the most amazing support system to help me reach my goal! I couldn't do it without all of you! Thank you!

T-tapp

Ok, so I just got done with my workout with Carrie! I love that we got to workout together! It's nice to have a buddy. We did a T-tapp video, and I am SORE!!! The workout was phenomenal and I loved it! T-tapp is an at home workout, and I felt ridiculous doing it, as I always do with home workouts. She has this method of overweight people "putting their organs back in place" and it feels awesome. I truly felt a difference. Check out more about it at http://ttapp.com/ It could be a way for you to get started. It was a good workout, but I wasn't so overwhelmed with it that I can't still not do my workout down at Curves tonight.
Dangit! I gotta get going!

28 Days Without....

Ok, so I was having a conversation with my friend Eva. She and I were talking about our bad eating habits, and things that we can do to change them. She talked about not eating sugar, and I talked about not eating cheese. So, she challenged me to go the next 28 days without cheese. She is going to go the next 28 days without soda. I said deal. We haven't figured out what the punishment will be if either of us caves in the next 28 days, but we will figure it out soon enough!
This is going to be tough, but I'm going to do it for the sake of my future children! Baby is more important than cheese! :)