Doubling up on exercise this week.

Time to put the gym membership to good use, and double up on workouts. With school in, my walking partner needs to go at 6 a.m. which means a rise and shine at 5:45 a.m.  Then my other friend goes to the gym at about 8:45 am and now I feel committed to go then as well. No pain, no gain - right. I did body combat today and tomorrow is dance fitness, and Thursday - guts'n butts. I will probably skip Friday, but go Saturday.  There's no way I would go unless I was meeting someone there, but that extra push helps me get there. We've also added some running into our morning walks on M,W,F.

I'll be sore, actually I'm already sore, but that means change! I want to change, almost as much as I want cookies. I will know when I've made it when I want change more than I want cookies.

I'm back!

Man, those last two weeks of summer were killers. I didn't have a chance to even breathe. So here I am. I'm not going to go back and post all the pictures I missed, but I have at least been taking pictures even if I haven't been blogging about them.

My goal this week is to have 100% week. It's Monday - so far so good. I am also doing my best to go to bed by 10:30 pm because I am getting up at 5:45 am. Crazy! I do like getting my exercise done early, but ugh.

I am also going to try to make it to the gym at least three times this week. There's no reason to pay for a pass if I'm not going to use it. I'm hoping it will help firm up my lovely pear shape into something with more of a waist.

On the positive side: today I was working and needed to stop for lunch. I went to the grocery store and bought a salad and a bowl of fruit. Yea me!

Now on to bed for a good nights sleep so I can do it all again tomorrow.

August 13 - August 20, I'm really too busy to diet or exercise, but I'm doing my best.

I'm afraid to go back and read my blogs. I'm sure they all start out, "My life is crazy!" It's true. It seems we are trying to pack every second full these last few weeks before summer ends. I think the hard part for me has been working like crazy during the week and then being gone every weekend. I really need Sunday to be a day of rest and it hasn't been. I haven't managed to get pictures of myself every day, but I did exercise every day this week (even though I had to go at 10 pm tonight, and will have to turn around and get up at 6:17 am after having taken my niece to the bus station at 2:00 am. I think sleep is the part of the health equation I am missing most. I have also been so busy I have skipped a couple of meals - that NEVER happens. On the plus side, I weighed in at 174.8.  We are off again this weekend to Sun Valley. A fun trip with the Nielsons. I will get lots of pictures of me being active. 

Here comes another weekend (I know it's only Thursday, but during summer weekends start earlier)

I always feel like I'm just hitting my stride, my momentum, and then here's the weekend again filled with guests, trips, and family reunions. It's much easier to stay on track when I have a regular routine instead of weird schedules and uncertain plans.

Today is fine, but tomorrow is pizza night. Last Saturday that meant way over eating, and as a result I didn't lose any weight last week. This week I am down a pound and if I am careful for the next three days, I can make it two.

My plan for the day:
B: egg sandwich and fruit
L: 1/2 pita sandwich, veggies, and fruit
D: Grilled chicken, 1/2 baked potato, corn on the cob, salad, watermelon.

I did talk to a friend about going back to the gym and I hope to start that Monday.

The frustrating thing about this whole process is that my fat baseline always used to be 172. I could hold on to 172 to matter what I ate, and then one day - BAM! I'm at 182. 182? That can't be my new fat baseline. So now at 176, I am still just trying to get back to my normal fat baseline so I can really start this whole process. Crazy I know, but I hate that I let things get so far out of control. I was really at the point where I didn't care and was just eating garbage all the time.

I haven't talked about the addiction recovery program lately, but I think I'm ready to start step 2. I have accepted the fact that I am powerless and have really felt the spirit helping me these last few weeks as I try to make healthy changes.

Step two: KEY PRINCIPLE: Come to believe that the power of God can restore you to complete spiritual health.

That's a pretty powerful statement. Basically that sums up the atonement. If you don't believe that God can help you and restore you then life is pretty hopeless because we are very imperfect human beings that make mistakes all the time.  I do believe God can help me and heal me, and I do believe in the atonement. I don't think I could even try if I didn't.

Today I will strive for consistency and integrity in my actions and reactions.

7/9/2015 - 7/12/2015 Busy days, missed a couple of pics and blogging.

 I'm just trying to get caught up so I can be on track again. I didn't get a picture Sunday or Monday, but did Tuesday and Wednesday. I have been really faithful about exercising M-F, but next week I start a challenge I signed up for and will have to move exercise to 6 days a week. The last three days have been crazy busy and in some ways it makes it easier to stay on track, but sometimes I grab the easy choice instead of the good choice when I am that busy. Sunday calories: 1,772, Monday: 1,639, Tuesday: 1,500. Today I am determined to hit my goal of staying under 1,500 calories. I will just have to stay out of the kitchen after 9 p.m. Wish I could padlock it closed.

7/8/2015 No picture today.

Hopefully, this is the only day I don't post a picture. It was the worst day ever. No exercise, no picture, I enjoyed a breakfast of pancakes and waffles with buttermilk syrup, and topped it off with pizza (and plenty of it) that night. Calories: 2,110. Ouch. Days like this won't help me reach my goals.

8/7/2015 Decided exercise in Yellowstone for the day.

Got up at 6 am and headed to Yellowstone for the day. We didn't get in any long hikes, but a series of short walks. I'd like to say we walked quickly, but it was a little difficult with all the tourists taking pictures of themselves or others.

Fun day. It's nice to walk in such a beautiful landscape.

Calories: 1,659 - but I walked off the extra.