Weigh-In

Hi all!

How are you all on this beautiful Sunday morning? It's gorgeous here, a bit colder than it has been but the sun is shining today. On Tuesday and Wednesday, it is supposed to get quite cold here, so I'm not looking forward to that but I shouldn't have to go out in it, thankfully. 
Although it's a beautiful day, I am incredibly bummed. Yesterday, I got a full-on cold. It's been ridiculous, I'm feeling a bit better this morning after taking some medication for it but I'm still feeling pretty crappy. I really wanted to start using my new workout equipment yesterday already but I haven't been able to yet because I'm so congested that I'm having issues breathing while I'm just sitting here. Not being able to breath while working out would probably not be ideal, so I'm trying to focus more on my nutrition until I'm feeling better. Part of me really just wants to lay in bed and not do anything but I know that's not really an option. Laying in bed and not doing anything will just make me feel worse, so today I put on some actual clothes and am trying to keep a positive attitude. Hopefully this cold will pass quickly, so I can get back to my normal routine.

On a happier note, it is almost January! I'm really psyched for it because hopefully I'll get to visit my boyfriend soon. Right now, we're just waiting on his work schedule to come out and then we're going to book a flight. It'll be nice to get away for a weekend, not to mention that I miss him like crazy. My final semester of undergrad work begins on the 12th as well, let me tell you, I am really looking forward to it. This last semester is going to be incredibly busy, especially starting in the middle of February. Either way, I'm looking forward to starting classes again, I have definitely missed them. Going from having 3 classes to none, equals a very boring time. So, it'll be nice to get busier again. 

It's Sunday, so that means, weigh-in day is here. I'll be honest, I was not looking forward to my weigh-in because of the holiday and I wasn't counting calories or working out for a few days. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I stepped on the scale this morning. I saw a 2.6 pound loss, so I was quite happy. My next weigh-in for my challenge is on Thursday, and unless I gain almost 2 pounds in 4 days, I'll have met my goal. :) 

Starting Weight: 315 lbs

Last Weight: 295.8 lbs

Current Weight: 293.2 lbs

Weight Lost: 21.8 lbs

How was everyone's holiday? I had a pretty good one. On Christmas Eve, I had a coffee date with my best friend and then went to church in the afternoon. Christmas day, my family got together with my mom's side and then we had a get together with my brother's family that evening. Finally, on Friday, I got together with my close friends and we had our little get together. We went out for lunch at our favorite place in my town and had some amazing conversation. Whenever my friends and I get together, it reminds me how much I miss them all. Most of us live in different states or cities. We're all spread out around Wisconsin, Illinois and Missouri, currently. This will only get worse when I move away, because I'll be the one who is the farthest away. My best friend and I were talking and the next time our entire group is together again, will probably be when one of us gets married, even then it is unknown. 

Well, a very important football game is coming on shortly, so I'm heading off. I hope that you all have a wonderful day. Until next time!

~Sara~

Confidence

Hi all!

Happy Tuesday! How are you all doing today? It is another dreary day, sun, where are you?!? Today is just a blah day all around, I'm sick, hopefully it'll pass through quickly. What perfect time, huh? Just in time for the holidays. In fact, my dad is sick as well and my mom was last night. So, apparently something is going around. My schedule is all out of whack this week, with Christmas, and as much as I love the holidays, I despise when my schedule is different. It'll be wonderful to see my friends this week though, I'll get coffee with my best friend on Wednesday and then part of my group of friends are getting together for lunch on Friday. Plus, spending time with family on Christmas. What do you all do for the holidays?

Even though today is not a great day, yesterday was wonderful. Yesterday morning, I had a wonderful conversation with boyfriend and it made me feel incredibly thankful and grateful for him, even from afar he is uplifting me, helping me to get out of my comfort zone and have more confidence in my body. Let me give a little back story first. Anyone who really knows me, knows that that part about me that I dislike the most is my midsection. So yesterday morning, my boyfriend wanted to see what I was wearing. I hate taking pictures like that because that shows off my midsection and I can only hide so far under my clothing. Even though I didn't say anything negative about myself in my text, my man knows me too well already. He still told me how pretty he thinks I look all the time and that he loves seeing how I look in the morning before getting ready. Bless his heart for being such a sweet man. He is continually trying to build up my confidence level in regards to my body.

To me, the right kind of confidence is the most attractive thing that a person can possess. Is it really any different the other way around? Confidence is attractive, no matter the gender. I am more confidence about my body now than I was in the past, however when it comes to my midsection, I just lose all of it. So, it is something I am really working on. When I look in the mirror, I do try to look at my midsection and think positive things about it. I have been doing this over the past week or so and it is truly helping. This is something that I am going to continue to do, especially as I am transforming myself. I am hoping that by doing this, I will find fewer faults with myself later on, as well.

Yesterday morning, I posted about how I'm feeling thankful and blessed to have my boyfriend, and one of my friends wrote a few things that really stood out to me. It stood out to me because it was from a man's perspective, which I think is really important to understand. I was telling my friend about how special my boyfriend is to me and how I am incredibly lucky to have him in my life, then he told me that my boyfriend is probably feeling the same way about me. And it's true, my boyfriend does tell me how lucky he feels that I'm his. When he says that, I tell him how sweet he is but I sort of brush it off because I suppose I feel that my boyfriend could do so much better than me. He deserves the world and even though I may not feel that I am enough for him, he gets to make that choice. If you think about it though, both people in the relationship, probably feel that way. And, what an incredible gift that we can give our partner by choosing them. We are telling our partner that we believe that they do give us the world, they are our world. God... just thinking about it gives me chills. It is such a beautiful image. All I can say is that I am incredibly thankful and blessed to have a man in my life, who believes that I give him the world, especially when the feeling is mutual. It is a blessing to have someone in your life who makes you feel that way, because some people are not that lucky.

Well, this has gotten longer than I thought it would. But now I'm off to relax for a little while before bed. I hope you all have a wonderful evening or day (depending on where you are). I have a busier day tomorrow but it should be a good one. So, until next time!

~Sara~

Weigh-In

Hi all!

Happy Sunday! How are you all doing today? It's a sort of dreary day here, it has been really cloudy the past few days. I do miss the sun, it always makes my days a bit better. Although it'll continue to be cloudy most of the week, it is going to warm up a bit over the next three days. However, it will get colder again by the end of the week. It's December in Wisconsin though, so what can I do? I keep look at the weather out by my boyfriend and the temperatures are making me insanely jealous! Their lows are higher than our highs. It's actually pretty cute, he tells me about how cold he is and it's 60 degrees. :) 

Seeing that it's Sunday, I'll start with my weekly weigh-in. I did my actual weigh-in on Friday this week because of the weight loss challenge I am a part of. Either way, I had a great weigh-in. I lost 1.4 pounds and was consistent with my fitness. I'll be honest, I was not perfect with my nutrition, not by far but it all worked out. In regards to the challenge, I exceeded my goal! :) It's probably a good thing too, with Christmas coming and all. 

Starting Weight: 315 lbs

Last Weight: 297.2 lbs

Current Weight: 295.8 lbs

Weight Lost: 19.2 lbs

I cannot believe how quickly this month is going by, it's already the 21st! Christmas is in 4 days, so my nutrition won't be perfect this week either. I have already decided that on Thursday, I will splurge a bit and not worry about counting calories, however I will be watching myself the rest of the week. I may try to increase my fitness a bit to combat the extra calories. Otherwise, I'll just work hard the rest of the week. 

On a happy note, January is getting closer! :) I'm doing as much pre-planning as I can in regards to my trip, but it'll all come together. I cannot wait to go and visit my boyfriend. We had a great phone conversation yesterday afternoon that just made me miss him more than I already do. Ugh! It's going to be bittersweet to see him for only a weekend. Don't get me wrong, it'll be absolutely wonderful and I'll cherish those few days, however, I will miss him even more after the fact.

I'm going to cut this short. Time to continue watching the football game and my nieces and nephew will be over pretty soon. We're finally celebrating my dad's birthday at dinner tonight. I hope you all have a great day. So until next time!

~Sara~

Random Topics

Hi all!

Happy Wednesday! How are you all doing today? I'm doing absolutely wonderful, tired, but wonderful nevertheless. I stayed up later last night because my boyfriend had to teach last night until 10 his time, which is midnight my time. Being able to end my night talking to him, is worth all the tiredness I feel though. Is it January yet? I am so ready to go and visit him, it'll be wonderful to spend a few days with him. :) Oh, and I just have to mention how proud I am of him because he is officially done with his associates degree, so he is now a college graduate! It took him longer because he's working full time but he never gave up. So, I am incredibly proud of him! :)

Today, I decided that I am going to measure more of my foods. Don't get me wrong, I already do measure a great deal of my food but there are certain things that I wouldn't measure. However, after I measured these things this morning, I realized how important it is to measure them. One of the proteins I was eating, I was probably overestimating the macros for it. Then with my coffee creamer, I was underestimating the macros. So, who knows what else I have been doing that with. From now on, I'll be measuring most of the foods I'm eating.

Over the weekend, my mother made some homemade rice pudding. Ugh, it was so delicious. Thankfully, last night, my father finished it up. Now my evenings should be much healthier. For me, especially with something like rice pudding, it is difficult to only have a little. Typically, I'll just have a FiberOne bar before bed, so it's only 90 or 180 calories. Now, I can get back to that and it should help my weigh-ins. :) My next weigh-in for the challenge I'm a part of is in 2 days, I'm looking forward to it. I'm hoping to see a loss and I'm hopeful after my doctor appointment yesterday.

I have been doing really well with my fitness lately, so I'm proud of myself for that. Out of the past 11 days, I have worked out 10 of them. Not to mention that all but one of the days I worked out, my workouts lasted at least 30 minutes. I absolutely adore working out, so I cannot wait until I get my strength training stuff for Christmas. Honestly, I'm becoming restless with not being able to use the equipment when I know it's there. 9 days, I can wait that long. But then I'm starting my strength training and going to amp it up. :)

This post is long enough, so I'm off. I hope you all have a wonderful afternoon and evening. Until next time!

~Sara~

Weigh-In

Hi all!

Happy Sunday! How are you all doing on this dreary Sunday morning? It has been ridiculously foggy here today and yesterday, but it has been in the upper 30s and lower 40s, so I can't really complain. If it was always like this in December, I would be much more prone to continue living here in Wisconsin. However, this is very strange for the middle of December, not to mention that there is still some snow on the ground. 

Yesterday marked one year since my grandmother passed away, I can't believe it's already been one year. Thankfully my dad and grandfather were both in good spirits yesterday. We miss her but we know that she's in a much better place now. 

Also, yesterday my mom and I went shopping for Christmas and I was able to pick out what I wanted. I definitely cannot wait for Christmas because I picked out all fitness related things: dumbbells, a kettle ball, resistance bands, ankle/wrist weights, and a medicine ball. I definitely cannot wait to start some resistance training again plus adding the ankle/wrist weights to my walks. I'm hoping that these small changes will help bring some large results.   

Alright, now time for my weekly weigh-in. My weight has been crazy this week because I went to the doctor on Friday morning and I wanted to compare my weight there to my scale at home. Today, I finally was able to make the comparison. According to my updated records, I have lost weight, so yay! :)

Starting Weight: 315 lbs

Last Weight: 299.6 lbs

Current Weight: 297.2 lbs

Weight Lost: 17.8 lbs

I am so excited that it is this week because it is my dad and my boyfriend's birthday's on Friday! :) Sadly, I don't get to be with my boyfriend on his birthday but I am still really psyched about it. I get to celebrate two great men in my life, so how can that be a bad thing?!? I'll still try to make my boyfriend's day special, even from afar. 

Last night, I was told something that really hit me hard. I'm not going to go in-depth about what was said, however I will say this: I don't want my weight to define who I am. It made me think about my relationship. I think my boyfriend is a good looking guy and he says he finds me attractive. One thing that I really don't want is for people to look at us and seeing an attractive guy and a bigger girl, and wondering why we're together. I'll be honest, my boyfriend and I already have a social hurdle to jump over, so I don't want my weight to add another one. We have a 17 year age gap, he's 41 and I'm 24. He and I don't have an issue with our age difference, but many other people do. For us it works, I don't want any biological children and he already has 2 kids. I think it may be a bit different if I wanted kids of my own but I don't. I firmly believe that the heart wants what it wants. Our relationship is still in it's early stages but we do make each other happy and that's what is most important. 

So my question for all of you is, what do you think about having a large age difference in a relationship? Can it work out?

Well I'm off to go and have some lunch and watch the football game. I hope you all have a wonderful day. Until next time!

~Sara~

Body Image

Hi all!

Happy Wednesday! How are you all doing on this dreary, yet beautiful December day? I cannot believe it's already the 10th of December! This month is flying by, it'll be my dad and boyfriend's birthday's soon, only 9 more days. I can't wait to celebrate both of these amazing men in my life, they are each such a blessing. Speaking of my boyfriend, he left for Arizona today because of his job :( So that means we won't be talking as much over the next few days, which is sad, but hopefully I can go and visit him in the beginning of January. It will be wonderful to see him and I could definitely handle California in January. :)

This week I have finally been able to workout again and it has been incredibly helpful. I always tend to do better nutritionally when I am also able to workout. I am also adding more protein to my diet and thus far, it is helping curb my appetite. While, I do know that it may not always help as much as it has, it is a positive choice. In my opinion, protein is never a bad decision, especially since the proteins I choose are pretty low on carbs. Speaking of carbs, my boyfriend asked me if I like carbs or not. I laughed at him because I'm sort of obsessed with them. It just made me chuckle because I love carbs a bit too much.

There is something important that I want to talk about today, that I hold near and dear to my heart. Body image. It is something that all of us struggle with at some level and it is something that I have been struggling with a lot the past few weeks. I mentioned it a little in my post from a few days ago but I want to expand on it.

All of us struggle with body image, no matter your size, age, sex, etc... I've been struggling with body image a lot lately, part of it may be because I wasn't able to workout for a month. Or because I have a boyfriend again and I want to look attractive for him. Or maybe because I've gained back 40 pounds since moving back to WI. It could be anything. Nevertheless, I have been struggling with it. Honestly, it is not my whole body that I am having an issue with, it's my midsection. That has always been the area that I dislike about myself the most. My stomach is larger and it has made my back a bit bigger as well. Although I do not necessarily like the size of the rest of me, I am not as self-conscious about the other areas. I am trying to love myself at every size because if I don't, then I may still find faults in my body when I am thinner. I'm always preaching to others, how we need to love ourselves, no matter what size clothing we wear or how much we weigh. It is definitely something that is easier said then done. Having a healthy body image is a daily battle for me. I need to tell myself every morning, positive things about myself. Even though I may not like how a certain part looks, I do love myself and my body size does not define who I am as a person!

I look at my best friend who is 105 lbs, wears a size 2, and is in phenomenal shape, she still struggles with body image. People of all shapes and sizes wish they could change something about their body. There will always be people who are thinner than you. Have a larger chest. Bigger or smaller butt. Smaller hips. Smaller waist. Leaner muscles. Small clothing size. The list could go on and on. So my point here: learn to love yourself, no matter what! Our weight and clothing size do not define us as a person, it does not show our heart or mind. The best advice I can ever give someone, is to learn to love themselves at any size.

I hope everyone has a wonderful evening. I'll be doing some reading and hopefully texting my boyfriend a little, if he has the time. Until next time!

~Sara~

Weekly Goals

Hey all!

Happy Monday! How are you all doing today? It's a freakishly cold morning here in Wisconsin, -43 with windchill currently. So I'm staying inside today and watching movies with my mom. Anyone who needs to be outside today, be careful! I'm thinking of my dad and boyfriend especially, as they both have to work outside today. 

Yesterday I went to a football party with my boyfriend and his family, needless to say, I was nervous! It was my first time meeting his extended family and I didn't know what to expect. How many of you felt that way when meeting your significant others extended family for the first time? Thankfully, it went really well! Honestly, I love his family and I can see spending time with them in the future. :) 

Okay, now it's time to get honest with myself about weight loss. Yesterday I had a great weigh-in, not sure how, but I'll take it either way. When we went shopping this week, I made sure to pick out some heathy lunch options. And I'm going to try really hard to not eat unless I'm actually hungry. Also, I'm going to try and cut back on my snacking, especially evening snacking. So my plan of attack is upping my water intake, to help ensure my goals. 

My goals for this week: 

1) Eat within my calorie goal everyday

2) Add exercise to my routine

3) Drink at least 100 oz of water/day

4) Eat a healthy breakfast, daily

5) Blog at least 5 days

6) Only eat when I'm hungry

7) Stay positive

Okay, time to start the movie marathon with my mom. Stay warm out there today! Have a wonderful day. So until next time! 

~Sara~

Football Time and Weigh-In

Hey all! 

Happy Sunday! How are you all doing today? It's a very cold day here in Wisconsin and only suppose to get colder. How's the weather by all of you? 

Not sure how many of you follow football but it's one of my favorite sports and my Packers are in the playoffs. :) It may be one of the coldest games in history with the windchill, thankfully I won't actually be at the game. But I will be going to a football party with my boyfriend and his family. It's my first time meeting some of his extended family, wish me luck! 

Since it's Sunday, that means it's weigh-in day and I have good news! I've lost .6 pounds over the past few days! :) This makes me a very happy person. Hopefully I can continue on this positive path. 

I should probably stop ignoring my boyfriend and actually spend some time with him. :) I hope everyone stays warm! So until next time. 

~Sara~