Weight of the Nation Documentaries

30 Pounds

It's official, I have lost 30 lbs. The last two and a half since I stopped counting calories, so that was encouraging.

My thinking has changed a lot since this journey began and I know I that it is because I am trusting on the Lord to help me through this.

Work out with Weights

Today I worked out with weights for the first time. I think I might not be able to feel my arms tomorrow.

A New Pic

Myah took this picture of me during our road trip today.

Two Weeks at the Gym

Okay, so after two weeks of going to the gym I have noticed a change in my stamina. I have also noticed that my waist has gone down 2 inches, my hips 1/2 an inch and my chest 2 inches.

I'm Just a Sweat Machine

Last night Myah came to the gym with me. She snapped these pictures.

I sweat so much during my workout and drink about 1 1/2 litres of water, but it feels good afterward.

On the stepper

I love using the bike!

My least favourite - the elliptical!

Good Kind of Sore

I went to the gym for the first time yesterday. I used the stationary bike, elliptical machine and a stepping machine. I was sore at the end, but the good kind of sore. You know when you rediscover muscles you forgot you had. My plan is to go three days a week and if I do anything else it will be to continue my walking here on the base.

I also weighed in this morning and I am now at 189.8 lbs. I made it to the 180's. It has been a long time. Great to see you, but hope to leave you in about a month. He he.

P.S.
Had to start using a belt to hold my pants up.

Proud of you.

That is wonderful Brenda. Keep up the good work.

Changes

I wanted to see if I could notice a difference in my face in the last three months. Sure enough I can. But wait, there's more, check out the rest of me!

4 days before starting my life change.

After 3 months

Latest Weigh In

Janet
196.4lbs

Brenda
195.5lbs

Measurement Update

I decided to take my measurements again after two months. These numbers are compared to my original measurements back at the end of May.

O - original measurement
C - current measurement
D - difference between measurements

Waist

• O 45"
• C 41" 
• D 4"

Chest

• O 42 1/2"
• C 39"
• D 3 1/2"

Bust 

• O 46 1/2"
• C 43 1/2"
• D 3"

Hips

• O 50 1/4"
• C 45"
• D 5 1/4"

Neck 

• O 15 3/4"
• C 14 3/4"
• D 1"

Calves

• O Left 15"  Right 15 1/4
• C Left 14 1/2" Right 14 3/4
• D Left 1/2 Right 1/2

Thighs

• O Left 27" Right 26 3/4"
• C Left 25 1/2" Right 25 1/4
• D Left 1 1/2" Right 1 1/2"

Upper Arms

• O Left 12 3/4" Right 13"
• C Left 12 1/2" Right 12 1/4"
• D Left 1/4" Right 3/4"

Total difference in inches -21 3/4"

Progress

Congratulations Mom on losing 12 lbs. You are doing a great job, keep it up. Doesn't it feel great to be in the one hundreds again.

Challenge

Made to crave set a challenge to write a plan for the day of what you plan to eat instead of writing what you ate for the day. I have never been a food planer so this is going to be a challenge for me. A little scary as it means I have to plan, not my cup of tea as I usually go with the flow. Obvious  going with the flow has got me where I am. So here begins a new way, planning a head of time.
Great job on your weight loss of 20 lb's Brenda.  Keep up the  good work.  Every day is  a new day towards your goal

Week Ten Weigh - In

Janet

• maintained during her vacation. Yeah!
• current weight 199.8 lbs

Brenda 

• weight down 1.5 lbs
• total down 20 lbs
• current weight 196.5 lbs

We will continue with our study tonight.

ONEderland!

After having a one pound gain last week I was feeling discouraged, but this morning I hit ONEderland. Not by much mind you but I am going to claim it. 198 lbs whohoo! I have not been in the one hundreds in about 5 1/2 years.

Brenda

• weight down 3.7 lbs (after 1 lb gain)
• total weight loss 18.5 lbs
• current weight 198 lbs

Mom is on holidays.

Alive.

I am glad to be alive to do this study. For the first time in my life I know victory is possible.

Several days

Well I've been doing the made to crave study. I am really enjoying it. Mind though it is a lot of work.
I don't know if I expected so much work.  I am however thankful, and looking forward to what lies ahead.
Hope you are being blessed by it also Brenda. Thanks for finding the study.

Made to Crave Study - Week One

Tonight we watched the first video in our study.  There wasn't much said that surprised me or mom.  I think because we have been waiting to start this for a while and had already started thinking about some of these things. We did however talk about things more in-depth for the first time.

It was interesting to reflect on the definition of the word indulge - taking unrestrained pleasure in something.

We also discussed deprivation, food waging war against our souls and the vicious cycle of dieting and failure.

Definitely Need Water

Well last week I only managed to drink between 4 and 5 glasses of water a day. I think that it might be one of the reasons why I only lost 1 pound last week. As my diet was pretty much the same as the other weeks.

I wish water had the same taste as juice. Oh well, I only have two more to drink today!

Week Seven Weigh - In

Janet

• down 
• total down
• current weight

Brenda

• down 1 lb
• total down 13.5 lbs
• current weight 203 lbs

Ball

Thought the video on the ball was good.  When Brenda  you get your ball you will probably find exercising with it easier a lot better than using a chair. I know it was for me.

Looking forward

Iam looking forward to starting our study  made to crave.  I hope that it will not only  help us on our weight loss journey  but also really  draw us closer to Christ.

Check Out This Exercise Ball Workout.

It looks challenging, but a like a good way to work important muscles with the ability to adjust difficulty.

Week Six Weigh In

Janet

• down 1.6 lbs
• total down 8.7 lbs
• current weight 199.8 lbs

Somebody made it to Onederland!

Brenda

• down 2.5 lb
• total down 12.5 lb
• current weight 204 lb

What My Daily Walk Looks Like

Today, Hannah took some pictures of me while I was on my walk. I can see some of the changes in my body. I think that I am pear shaped. I don't think I noticed that before.

New Gadget

Last night I ordered this armband strap for my new iPod to use while I am walking. I have been using an app called Runtastic Pedometer for my daily walks. It tracks my total steps, speed and distance in kilometres. It also keeps a history of all my walks and links my calories burned to My Fitness Pal.

Having this armband will free my hands so that I can add weights or run if I want. Can't wait until it gets here!

Scary Number

I just figured out that I have a body fat percentage of 51.9%. YIKES!!!

Based on my height both the body fat calculator and body mass index calculator recommend that I lose another 89 lbs to get to a healthy weight and body fat percentage. Not sure that I can get myself down to 116 lbs maybe 125 lbs.

On a funny note. last night while the girls were helping with a little spider catching Myah snapped this picture of my mid section by accident. I can see a difference in how I look. I can't wait until it is a lot smaller, but this made me happy.

Week Five Weigh In & Measurements

Brenda

•  Down 0.6 lb
• Total down 10 lb
• Current weight 206 lb

Waist 42.75"

Hips 48"

Thighs l 26.5" r 26"

Bust 45.75"

Chest 41"

A total of 9" lost. 

One Month Update

They're Here!

Our "Made to Crave" books and videos arrived yesterday. I am so looking forward to doing this study.

Week Four Weigh - In

Janet

• Down 2.9 lb
• Total down 7.1 lb
• Current weight 201.4lb

Brenda

• Down 2 lb
• Total down 9.5 lb
• Current weight 207 lb

Thought these numbers do not seem very big after one month. If we look at it like - if I can lose this same amount each month I will lose 70 - 90 pounds in ten months. That make it seem a lot less daunting.

Famine Mode

I watched a little bit of the first made to crave video online last night and am so thankful that I did. I have been discouraged this week that my body isn't dropping any weight. While watching this video they talked about how between weeks 3 and 4 your body will likely have a rebellion towards your attempt to lose weight thinking that you are entering a famine and start trying to hold on. They talked about how this discourages many women and they often feel like giving up. But to not allow this to stop you, your body is adjusting.

Thank you Lord for knowing what I need to hear and giving me ears to hear it.

We Were "Made to Crave?"

Mom, check your mailbox as our copies and the videos are coming to your door.

Food plan

I am having problems sticking to the calorie count that my fitness plan has set for me. It has set my calorie count at 1290. I  am  not sure if this is possible for me to keep every day. I will try  however even my dietitian said around 1500 cal would be good.  Considering I probably ate a great deal more than 1500 cal a day before. I just have to keep trying. Any weight loss is good and to keep it it off is my real aim.

Third Weigh In

Janet

• Down 2lb
• Total loss 4.5lb
• Current weight 204lb

Michelle

• Down 1.5
• Current weight 195lb

Brenda

• Down 1.5lb
• Total loss 7.5lb
• Current weight 209lb

I think we are doing well. I also think that adding a longer walking routine each day will be an important part of our cardio for burning calories.

First Non Scale Victory

I can feel a bigger difference in my body than is reflected on the scale. This was confirmed the other day when I tried on a pair of capris that I bought while I was in Canada. I tried them on about a month ago and I could not even get them close to buttoning up. There was about 4" between the button and the button hole. Yesterday I tried them on again and I could do them up! So even though the scale is showing that my weight is changing, trying on these capris was just as exciting.

Tonight is our third weigh in. Looking forward to seeing what the scale reads.

Using New Weights

I borrowed some 5 lb. weights from a friend the other day to use in my workout this morning, it felt good to use them. A big difference form my salt shakers.

Mussels

Last night was the first time my mussels were sore. I'll take it that my mussels being sore means  the exercise is working. That's  good maybe my belly will get smaller I am really hopping so.  Hope it won't mean a saggy belly. I guess I will just have to wait and see.

Very Happy

I was pleasantly surprised by my weigh in last night. I am beginning to feel like this is really possible. I know I am still a long way off, but I feel each day like my daily food intake is sufficient and I am not hungry. Than you Lord for helping me each day.

Second Weigh In

Janet

• Maintained
• total to date down 2.4 lb.
• current weight 206 lb.

Brenda

• down 3.5 lb.
• total to date down 5.8 lb.
• current weight 210.7 lb.

My Fitness Pal

I found a new app for the iPad today that allows you to keep track of your food intake and exercise called My Fitness Pal . It comes with the ability to scan the barcodes from the packaging of your food for easy calorie tracking. I am going to try it for the week and see how it goes. I have mostly been guessing about my calorie intake so I think this will help.

Two Sets

I worked out today because we will be away on Monday and my next planned workout with mom is on Tuesday. I decided to try to do two sets of the exercises that I could. Not having sufficient weights is a little frustrating to me. My salt shakers feel pretty much weightless now.

Feeling the Need...

To increase my activity level. As mom noted yesterday our exercises are less difficult than they were in the beginning. I really need to get some real weights, but that is still a month away.

I think it would be good if I can start walking 2 - 5 km a day. Maybe with a short run in there somewhere. I don't really enjoy running, but I am sure it would get my heart rate to a good speed for a while.

Not as tough

These exercises must be paying off, it wasn't as hard today. This makes me happy. Who would have thought that exercise would make me feel that way. Not me in a million years.

Sugar vs Trans Fats

Today was our rest day. It felt weird I must say, but Hannah, Myah and I played badminton for a little while and then I did about 20 crunches.

At lunch today, I was making mini pizzas on tortillas. I have both white and whole wheat and I thought that I would eat the wheat ones myself. After talking to my mom she told me that the wheat ones would have sugar in them. Sure enough when I looked, they did. Five grams of sugar for 2 tortillas. So I thought okay well let me look at the white ones, they had no sugar but 2.5 grams of trans fats something the wheat ones didn't have. I guess you have to decide which is your bigger poison. Based purely on taste I would rather eat the white ones!

I also had a sip of Coca Cola today, for the first time in nearly two weeks. I thought that I would love it, but I didn't. It gave me burps and an awful aftertaste in my mouth. That at least makes the temptation to drink it much less.

From My Little Trainer Myah

I am hoping you guys  will pass your goal . I am working with my mom  and I am having fun with her. I  hope I can work with all of you some day because I need to get healthy so I hope to workout with you soon so BYE!

Not Allowing Fear to Take Over

My biggest fear in this is that I will fail or that I will reach my desired weight and gain it back. I am thankful for my mom who reminded me today that victory is in Christ. That fear is a tool of the enemy and I should not give an ear to the devils whisperings that I will not make it.

I want God to be honoured by my body and I can trust Him to help me be victorious in this battle of losing weight.

Happy

I am so happy to be working on my weight loss.  The exercise is not always easy but I know it helps to me to keep healthy.  I need to keep in mind this is a life  long process not just a weight loss  diet.
Like they say in AA it is one day at a time,  some times moment by moment.
Thanks  Brenda for creating this blog and asking us to work together to lose weight and support one another in the process . I know it will be a blessing to all of us as we work together.

First Weigh In

Mom down 2.4 pounds
Brenda down 2.3 pounds
Michelle up 1.2 pounds

This is a pretty good start. I would like to consistently lose about 2 pounds a week. I know that it may vary a bit, but this is a good guideline for getting to my goal weight in a reasonable time and not too fast.

Keep up the good work everyone.

Feel That Tingling

Hannah and I just walked three laps of SAM base and did two sets of step ups. Felt the tingling in my legs for the first time since we started working out. Have a feeling there will be more of this tomorrow.

Workout Day 3

Exercising today was a little easier than the first day. I think the hardest things to do are still planks and push ups. Looking forward to working out again tomorrow. It will be a little different as it is a cardio workout.

Tomorrow is also our first weigh in. I am hoping for at least two pounds. We will see!

Just finished our work out

I hope I did not complain as much to day.  Hope fully I will get better at not saying negative   words.
Exercising was not as bad as it could have been. I  only feel a little ake in my middle. Of corse that's were a lot of fat sits. Hopefully not of to much longer.
Eventually  there will come a day when I lookin the mirror and will see the results of  all the hard work ahead.
Looking forward to just walking to morrow.

Changes

I am already noticing a change. Not a huge drop in my size, but I feel better. It has been one week since I last drank coke, which I used to drink nearly 2 litres a day. There are some challenges. I am trying to keep my intake to 1600 calories and this can be hard when many things here do not have labels to help.

Awakening

Hopefully this is going to work or maybe I need a new brain ?  Maybe it is because I just don' have enough computer experience. Hopfully that is it.
Now to get on with the real issue. Yesterday was a real awaking to just how out of shape I am.  You talk about feeling  old  well  did I really feel it . However  Brenda had to hear all my compling. Next time Iwill have to keep my complaints to myself .  Eating hasn't been to bad so far  however it is just the beginning .
Trying to Rember it is a long process  meaning life style change and not just temporey this is along term process
I must Rember to keep a smile on my face and hope in my spirit.

Can You Say Sore?

Okay, so today I am feeling everyone of the muscles I worked on yesterday. It is a good feeling though.

Post First Workout

That was harder than I expected. I am really out of shape. I feel both good and tired and I know that with each day this will become a little easier as my body adjusts.

Good job mom. Thanks for working out with me. Hopefully we won't have as large an audience in the days to come.

Today is the Start of a Whole New Me

Are you ready? Today is the day we start to add daily exercise to our lives. We will start out slow and add more as we are able.

I am excited and scared at the same time.

Get ready, get set, let's go!

Numbers Say a Lot

I don't think I was ready for the measurements that came up tonight. I mean mine, not anyone else's. I am bigger than I thought or ever expected to be. I realize this is going to be a day to day challenge for me and sometimes moment by moment.

I need to do this in a way that is going to be doable for the rest of my life. Not some drastic changes that I cannot follow through on. I am thankful that my mom and sister have joined me in this, because I don't think I could do it alone. I also don't think I can do it without depending on the Lord each day for endurance and strength to make the right choices each day.  This is a team effort.

Gearing Up

I spent much of today trying to mentally prepare myself for the change that is coming. We decided that we would start with our first weigh in on Wednesday evening. Hannah has decided to join us as well.

So today, I thought about how I plan to tackle my weight and came up with this list of things -

• Cutting pop and sugar drinks out of my diet and choosing to drink water
• Increasing my intake of vegetables and fruits
• Decreasing my portion sizes
• Not having anything to eat after 7p.m.
• Begin work out routine and increase number of sets as time goes on.

We have all agreed that we will not be joining a gym, so whatever exercise we do will have to be done with what we have available to us in our homes. I cannot lie, my husband and I went and looked at a treadmill this afternoon. He has wanted one for a long time and I think that it would be safer for us as we live on a dirt road in the jungle and it is not very level. We will see as they are pretty pricy. 

I am looking forward to our weigh in on Wednesday and getting started.

Brenda

A New Beginning

Looking back at old family photos you can see a history of women in our family struggling with their weight. Whether they were just slightly overweight to obese as I am. I now see this history about to repeat itself for a fifth generation in my daughter. It breaks my heart to think that not only genetics, but choices I have made have placed her in this position.

I think for a long time I have had a warped opinion of my appearance. At fourteen I began to gain weight and though I was not obese that is how I saw myself. Now looking back at those photos I think if only I looked like I did then. "How could I have thought that I was so fat, I was skinny!"

So today along with my mom and my sister we have decided to take control and begin working together to live a healthier lifestyle. This presents a few challenges as we live in two different continents. Yet with the development of technology we have many ways to communicate and encourage each other.

I cannot fool myself. This is not going to be an easy task. We have all tried to lose weight before and put it back on. This is going to be a battle. Many times I have started well and once I get off track for a day or two I fail. This is going to take daily commitment to eat healthy, exercise and drink water. Coca Cola is my biggest weakness.

So here begins our journey, day to day and week to week we will get healthy together.

Brenda