2 Years have Passed

Ever since I made the commitment (found in the post below.) to Jack (Elder Dalton) 2 years ago it has been in the back of my mind keeping me on track.  When I completely feel apart and my weight jumped up to 254 lbs I knew that no matter what I needed to get back down to close to 200 lbs before February 4th so that I would keep my side of the commitment.

Jack has been such an amazing missionary. His weekly letters and pictures have been inspiring. He has been a very obedient servant of the Lord and through his obedience he was blessed. Today he returns home from South Africa. Thank you Jack for helping me along my journey. I love you and are so thankful for your service to The Lord and your example of a stalwart missionary! You are one of my heroes!

Same shirt 2 years later in honor of Jack’s return .

Monday, February 13, 2012

Elder Dalton

 

Trish Austin has been Jack’s personal Trainer as he has lost weight.  I really wanted to coach Jack through this change but he is a wise man.  He sees me as a “mom” figure and he wanted someone that would push him and that he didn’t already have a close relationship with to be that person for him.  I gave my advice and helped with information and support but Sister Austin transformed this boy. 

I must share how she came to be his trainer. As I sat in their living room weeping with Jack and my best friend Stace (his mom) I thought of the tough road ahead of him.  (Jack was asked to lose a substantial amount of weight before his mission papers would be accepted.) I shared little bits and pieces of what I had learned and knew that there was a reason I had my journey just 2 years before.  I needed to be there for Jack to know that this is possible.  A person can truly change physically and in a short amount of time.  I prayed so hard in my mind that I could tell them what they needed to know. At that time her name came to my mind. Another friend had recently spent a few sessions with Trish and had told me what a great trainer she was.  The only reason she had been to her was because she had won a free month of training.  I do not think it is by chance that these events happened so that I would know what to tell Jack and Stace who they could seek out for more help.  Our Heavenly Father knows ALL and he puts people, Earthly angels, in our path that will help us achieve our goals and to gain even greater happiness.  What a blessing it has been to watch this transformation happen .  Jack is truly ready to serve the Lord! 

Elder Jack Dalton flies out tomorrow to Johannesburg, South Africa and will enter the Missionary Training Center there.  I am so proud of this boy!  My heart is bursting with love, excitement, pride and so many more emotions I can’t describe.  This young man is a spiritual giant.  He has done what he was asked to do in order to serve the Lord and he did an amazing job at it with a fantastic attitude. 

Jack is one of my heroes.  I know how difficult it is to lose weight.  I can’t imagine being 19 years old, working full-time and losing weight at the same time. The people of South Africa will be greatly blessed by Elder Dalton. 

I committed to Jack that when he returns in 2 years that I won't be any bigger than I am now and he committed back.  We have to stick together!  Living a healthy life is a challenge and a fight against the natural man but we are strong and we will win the fight! I will see you in two years Elder Dalton.  I can’t wait to see what these next two years have in store for you. 

RETURN WITH HONOR

Checking In - Maintaining

  

I’m Still Here

Life is super crazy busy! I am still trudging along. No exercise has happened other a couple nights of sit-ups and push-ups. I am so tired from being a mom/homemaker/wife/carpool driver/Sunday school teacher and trying to do my best at my long term subbing assignment that I just don’t have the energy to exercise. After I start exercising again I will get back on the scale. The one good thing is that my eating has been really healthy with a little bit of rewards added.

Wow! Menstrual weight gain is real!

6 pounds have disappeared in 3 days!

I was hoping it was just hormones and water retention and it was!

  

Don’t allow the numbers to dictate your happiness?

 

As a society we get so locked into the numbers on our clothing and linking that to our happiness. I am guilty of it myself. I love wearing my a- line skirts that say size 6 or 8 even if my slacks still say 12 or 14 on them. I feel good in them. They make me stand a little taller and feel better about myself. WHY??? We buy into the myth that whatever size is written on the tag determines our value and acceptance in society. It is so very wrong but dare I say the majority of us buy into this myth or yes, a huge LIE!

The chart posted above goes even further to show how sizes vary a lot from one designer to the next. I am guilty also of shopping the stores that I know have a more generous hip and thigh area so I can buy the smaller size. We need to get over the numbers and wear what fits our bodies. We also need to strive for health rather than chasing after fitting into a certain size of clothing. No matter how thin I get my hip bones alone keep me from ever fitting into jeans smaller than a size 8 (depending on the brand). I need to be okay with that. I was there at that size once and that body was too skinny for me. I was bones walking around with saggy skin and not much else.  I was chasing after a number on the scale and on the tag  to feel accepted by society and therefore to be happy.

When I was at 175 lbs (a loose size 8-10 dress) I did question if I was still healthy. With clothes on I looked great and even while writing this one of my sons came up and said, “Wow you sure looked great then!” Point proven!!!  What the world saw was a nice looking thin woman and I really enjoyed it. I can’t lie, I loved to get dressed in the morning and going through the closet knowing everything fit nicely or was too big. The truth is under it all I looked sick.  My bones stuck out everywhere and my skin hung loosely over them. It hurt to sit very long and when I was hugged I worried if all they could feel was my ribs. I tear up a little looking at those “skinny” pictures because I still want so bad to be that size again. Even knowing that I was skin and bones I still want it. Then I look at these pictures below from just a couple years before and the number on the scale or the size 30/32 on the tag didn’t stop me from being happy. Happiness and the scale didn’t really enter into my thoughts. I lived each day without concern over eating, exercise and weight. Of course my body wasn’t at a healthy weight but I was happy.

Don’t let the scale dictate your happiness. Look toward health and make small changes each day to reach that healthy body. Use the numbers to see your progress rather than determine when you will be happy!

Happy from the last year… 

 

Happiness comes from within you not from the numbers!

 

Checking in- Reality

   

The scale is up!!! I am trying not to get down because I know it is temporary. Hormone changes with my monthly cycle can occasionally cause me to gain a lot of weight. My waist is still the same so I know the weight gain is attributed to water and bloating. Hopefully some muscle weight too!   I have started exercising 30 min morning and 30min-1 hr at night. It feels so good! My collar bones are back and the muscles are coming through again. WELCOME BACK BODY!!! Food is still hit and miss but mostly I am on with it. I am drinking my 12-16 cups of water too. I really want to see 210 again! Hoping that next week the extra 5 pounds are gone and hopefully a couple more!!! I am going to shoot for 213lbs for next week. I think I can do it!

Checking In

I stepped on the scale on Monday when I posted about being worried. I saw numbers (218.8) I wasn’t happy about but I earned every one of them by not eating right and not exercising. The body is an amazing machine and responds well to proper fuel, hydration and exercise.  I am so pleased that I was able to get myself back on track quickly and I am very happy with my numbers today! I am looking forward to keeping these numbers down through this year. Next week I hope to see a few pounds off.

 

My only goal for this year is to LOVE MYSELF MORE!