Weigh in update #7~ It's about more than weight! Learning, learning, learning!

Today is my weigh in day.  Again I was worried about a gain, partly because there were some rough patches this week, partly because last night we went to a Mystery Dinner Theatre and they served some bbq.  It was good at the time but by end of the night I felt very yucky and still feel very full and yucky today.  BBQ does not usually affect me this way so not really sure what the deal is.  Anyway I did not gain but also did not loose as much as I would have liked or even as WW recommends (1 to 2 lbs a week) but any loss is to be celebrated so again I celebrate every ounce!

Loss for the week: -.8 lbs (12. 8 ounces)
Starting weight: 345 lbs
Current weight: 328.2 lbs
Total loss to date: 16.8 lbs

Total Percentage Lost: 4.8%

BMI: 53

Pounds left to loose: 183.2

I had to find a way to show myself what I lost.  So when I saw that it was 12.8 ounces I thought well what does 12 ounces of fat look like, above you see the 3 sticks of butter.  that is 12 ounces so I  lost slightly over that.  That may not seem like alot but still that is that much off my heart, lungs , joints, etc.  little baby steps!

So that brings me to 16.8 lbs lost total!  I am soo close to loosing 5 % of my starting weight, my first WW goal and this is the second week I just knew I would do it and didnt.  BUT it has been a week of learning alot.  

The Amazing Kedgy Larson, owner of Fitness Lady,  help a contest recently on the 

Fitness Lady Facebook page.  We were to put up a picture from our Christmas Family Celebration on the Facebook page and get friends and family to like Fitness Lady's page as well as our specific picture!  The one with the most likes won!  Thanks to so many of you I was the winner!  I won some personal training from Kedgy!  So this past week she had me start emailing her a journal of all food and drinks I consume each night.  She asked me to try and find ways to add more fruits and vegetables to my diet. Not a big surprise she asked this, as that has always been a hard one for me.  I have added some and am finding new ways to cook some of the veggies and learning so much from Kedgy!  One tip, if you want a potato pair that with say salsa that has acid and peppers and that helps the parts of the potato that are not as good for you to be better.  I love salsa and it is all veggies :)  When the budget allows I am gonna buy up a bunch of ingrediants to make my homemade salsa! :)   Anyway this has been awesome to have Kedgy and her amazing daughter Brianna to speak into my life.  Everyone at fitness lady is so wonderful! Even if you are not local, you can like the Fitness Lady Facebook page  by clicking one of the links in this post and follow along, they post all kinds of good information to help you learn more and more about taking good care of yourself! :) 

Saturday at Fitness Lady I attended a Seminar all about heart disease in women.  I KNEW I was at risk with the horrific family history issues we have, but boy was this seminar very eye opening.  I am even more at risk than I realized.  I also learned alot about symptoms to look for, things I should and shouldnt be doing, about cholesterol, stroke information and the list goes on.  I will be calling my doctor this week to get a copy of my last blood work results and making an appointment to come in for more current results.  I want to see if there may be any difference since December 29th when I started this journey back up! I am learning how to keep track of these numbers and that will be great to see how they change as I get healthier! If you have an opportunity to go to a seminar like this I highly recommend it.  I am excited because Fitness Lady is having another free seminar March 3rd.  This one on nutrition!  Plus they have break out sessions from time to time and I try to hard to make them if it works out with childcare and all.  

As yall know I am now drinking water!  Well, this week's assignment with Kedgy is to drink even more water and less other things.  

Also she is wanting me to get more low fat diary products into my diet!  I ADORE milk and cheese, and I love string cheese, so now I have a good reason to treat myself that that when I get groceries!  It is 1 ounce of good cheese! :)  I am told goat cheese is very healthy, I just wish it was not soo expensive!  So as I said so much learning going on this week!  I am also reading alot of articles at Weight Watchers Online and that is helping me so much too!  Lots of good recipes when I can get the ingredients! Also Brianna Larson, Fitness Lady personal trainer, has a blog I try and read and learn as much as I can from her too!  Her blog is Flexible Billie Goat!  If you click the name you can go there too!  I am loving soaking up all I can from Brianna, Kedgy, WW, and anyplace I can.  Knowledge is power, right! :) 

So in closing this update, I may not have had a huge difference on the scale this week, BUT I am having a difference in my mind!  And I am working on in my heart!  Keeping it real I got so emotional the past few days, because while 16 lbs (now 16.8) is a loss and I guess in some ways it can be a big loss but when you started at 200 lbs overweight it seems like such a little bit, and it is so hard to think that I can keep this up for 2 plus years and reach my goal.  It is emotional when I have been working soo hard and then still every room I go in, I am the biggest person in the room.  I feel so out of place in the world.  Finances are making some places that are far from our home impossible to go to as much and so that I think is affecting me in some ways.  But I am realizing that I am needing to work on my one on one relationship with the Lord.  HE is the one that is with me whether I am at home alone wishing I was at worship, or whether I am in a dr. office, therapy place, or on an elliptical.  My goal is to find a way to have worship music while I am on elliptical, treadmill and bike! I am also learning to tell the Lord when I feel emotional when I walk into a room.  It is hard to look at me as He sees me, inside all this weight.  He gave me this body to be a good steward of it and I have NOT been, but I am working on it now.  Somewhere inside is that body He gave me, somewhere inside is Tami.  I am a tiny bit closer to her.  As I work on the weight, the health, the eating, and even just doing things to take care of me that normal people do that I just dont  even think of doing, etc I am needing to work more and more on the spiritual part of me deep inside.  

So wish I was more talented and could make a signature line divider thing.  I had someone make one for me one time for my other blog and would love one for here, but no clue how to do that! Anyway Thanks to all who are praying, following along and supporting me in this journey in any way shape or form! :)  I NEED YOU GUYS!  THANK YOU!

Weigh In Update #6 Hard week

So I was very scared to weigh in today.  It has been a very bad week, especially the past few days.  LOTS of swelling and pain, lots of stress, and just some stuff I can't really share. And lots of bad food eaten.  I had to go into weekly points but even on the worst day I did not loose them all which shocked me and I ate less than I would have in the past I guess but still bad choices.  I can't say they were from being super hungry either, but from what was easier, or what we had.  Not feeling like cooking and actually making something healthy or things going on that prevented it.  I was scared I had gained and alot at that.  I feel soo much fuller and fatter than even a week ago and also have not done as well on my water this week.  Yesterday I drank a ton of water to try and flush out some of this swelling  It is a bit less today.  Anyway the weigh in was not as bad as I feared but I am still unhappy with myself.  So anyway the weigh in is below.

Loss for the week: -.4 lbs (6 and half ounces)
Starting weight: 345 lbs
Current weight: 329 lbs
Total loss to date: 16 lbs

Total Percentage Lost: 4.6%

BMI: 53.1

Pounds left to loose: 184

So with only loosing .4 lbs that puts my total weight loss at 16 lbs!  I have been told to celebrate every pound, and I guess in this case it would be ever .4 of a pound.  I looked it up and that is 6 and half ounces.  I guess it is still that much off my body.  This is the smallest weight loss I have had but I am thankful it is still a loss and not a gain which I really deserved anyway! Well, its Sunday and a new day!  HIS mercies are new EVERY morning praise God!  Also Grocery Money comes tomorrow so I can pray about better ways to stretch it and do better with the shopping and meals and all.  

So Bobby took my picture again this week in my new but too small swimsuit since my starting picture the first day at Fitness Lady was in my swim suit.  This one is the same size but cut differently so it does not fit as well.  :(  I really can't see any change though the measurements to go along with the 16 lbs says there is change and a couple of people have said they see a change.  Anyway, here are the pics.

The black and pink was me Jan 3rd on the way to first day of Fitness Lady!  The Purple is me on Feb 3rd after 1 month at Fitness Lady.  I dont really see the lost inches.  Can't believe I am posting all these pics up here.

This is Feb 3rd and back and front.  We did not do back pics on Jan 3rd.  Today I thought we should do side pics too but I guess we will add that on March 3rd.

Thanks so much for all the support guys!  This has been the hardest week since I started a true lifestyle change and it helps knowing you guys are here to support me even though it was such a tiny weight loss and shoulda coulda been a gain.  Love yall!

Weigh In # 5 Dec 29th-January 29th Progress

Today is my Weekly weigh in day! and my first monthly Measurements day! 

Loss for the week: -2.2 lbs
Starting weight: 345 lbs
Current weight: 329.4 lbs
Total loss to date: 15.6  lbs

Total Percentage Lost: 4.5%

BMI: 53.2

Pounds left to loose: 184.4

I am excited that I have lost 15. 6 bls total! :)  That is exciting to me.  Getting closer to beating the amount I have ever lost before but even though not there yet I know I am doing it much better than ever before! And I am trying so hard to believe this time it is gone FOREVER!

I have added another new page to the blog! If you look above the ticker a

d below

 the blog description you will see links to HOME,  Tamijoy's exercise, and Tamijoy's measurements.  I have put the starting and today's measurements on that page. HERE.  I am putting a copy of it here for you to see today!

Date	Arms	Hips	Bust	Waist	Thighs	Dress
12/29/11	21 inches	67 inches	60 inches	56 inches	30 inches	30W
1/29/12	20 inches	64 inches	56 inches	54 inches	29 inches	28W
2/29/12
3/29/12
4/29/12
5/29/12
6/29/12
7/29/12
8/29/12
9/29/12
10/29/12
11/29/12
12/29/12
Totals	-1 inch	-3 inches	-4 inches	-2 inches	-1  inch	1 down

I was actually kinda shocked by some of the numbers and had Bobby help me measure a second and third time.  I did not expect so much in bust hips and waist and thought I would have way more in the arms and legs.  Just shows what I DONT know about things!  

I am needing this reminder in alot of areas today!  Thanks for following along guys!!!!  I need all the help 

I can get!

Why

Exercise has not been a real part of my life since I had to stop Gymnastics when I was a young teen.  I mean I have tried a few times but it never really lasted.  I just really feel this time it will be different.  I know that anyone who has followed my journey has NO REASON to believe me that this time will be different and at times I myself have a hard time believing it will be different but I have to hold onto that!  I LOVE how I feel when I have done a good workout, when I have done something I have never done before and made actual progress! I pray I can remember that!  I have been asked, WHY the blog, Why am I putting so much on here!  Well, for a few reasons.  1) I NEED support so this is a good way for folks to know where I am in this journey and what I am doing and be my cheerleader along the way and offer tips and words of wisdom, etc.  2) I NEED to see the progress, I need to be able to remember from where I came.    "I'm not where I need to be, but thank God I'm notwhere I used to be. I'm OK, and I'm on my way!"  This is a quote from Joyce Meyer whose preaching I try to listen to everyday! This statement is so true for me in life and in my journey to a better me, to beating super morbid obesity, to learning to exercise and to really live.  To finding me inside all this weight!  This blog will help me to look back and remember that I have made progress even when it feels like I have not.  A wise woman told me to compare myself to noone, but  Tami. The Tami I was yesterday , or last week, or on day one at Fitness Lady, or before I got to Fitness lady.  She also shared not to diminish my progress.  Even a tiny bit is still progress.  If I look at myself today I can so many tiny changes that are happening and improvements that are being made!  Am I still super morbidly obese, YES, am I still the biggest person in every room I enter, YES, Am I still at major health risk, YES.  BUT I am just a tiny bit less so of all those things than I was.  3) My hope and prayer is that in some small way my journey can help someone else, now or in the future.  I  am not sure that someone who has never been hundreds of pounds overweight can really understand what it feels like to be this way, to feel trapped in your own body.  To feel like life is passing you by and you can't do anything about it.  To be the biggest person in a room, in EVERY room.  To be looked at with eyes of disgust and worse to be talked about as if you are deaf and can't hear what is being said.  So someday there may be a lady out there that is wanting to try and beat this and will need to see that someone else did it, and will want to know someone else understands where they have been.  Who will need to know that yes you can little by little trust people, the right people, who will come along and really care about you even though you are so big.  I can remember thinking noone would ever care or understand what it was like to try and exercise when you are so big and unhealthy.  And God sent me to Fitness Lady where they have been learning about helping people who are super morbidly obese.  That really want to help and not just get a fitness center membership!  I am blessed!  Anyway I am sure there are other reasons but those are the 3 biggest reasons that I can share for those who ask.  I pray folks will read and follow along and share with anyone they know that might be feeling some of the feelings I have and have had.  and please please please comment, cheer me on, offer words of wisdom, share, and be my friend in journey!