Week 4 Weigh-in and Meeting

Where has the time gone? It's been crazy busy around here and the week is flying by. Last week was the beginning of week 4. I lost 3.2 lbs!!! Very happy with that result. This week's weigh in is a big one. We get our BMI's and Body fat percentages taken again. I cannot wait to see the progress I've made!!! Altogether I've lost 19 lbs. Not too bad considering it's been only a month!

Week 3 Weigh-in and Meeting

Wow! I can't believe I've reached the end of week 2 and am beginning week 3. Sometimes as I look back on the journey so far, it realize how fast it is going and how these changes are becoming habits in my life.
Thursday nights are weekly weigh-ins and meetings. I was anxious all day long yesterday as I had way too much time to anticipate the weigh in. Would I lose anything? Would I meet my own expectations? What if I failed? Then I read this in my weekly devotional:

Grace teaches us: With MY help, you can keep moving toward the goal. However, remind yourself about ME. I'M going to be here everyday. Without ME, your heart will condemn you. But I won't withhold any good thing from you if you walk uprightly." What Have You Got To Lose by Stephen Arterburn

This hit me right where I needed it to. I was condemning myself with my own heart. But God showed me that I had been walking upright, and He would not withhold good things from me. The results may not be what I want, but in His timing, He will complete this work in me. 

So what were the results? I had a loss of 3 pounds!!! That was my goal, and I was very pleased to hit it. Since January 3rd, I have lost 16 lbs! That's pretty good for 2 and 1/2 weeks, I'd say. We had an awesome lecture from Dr. Justin about nutrition and exercise, did a challenging workout, and have a great time of devotions. While I didn't win the top amount for my team, I am pleased with my results. Bring on the next week!

Week 2 Weigh-in and Meeting

Wow! I can't believe I have almost 2 weeks of healthy eating and exercise under my belt. Since January 3rd, I have lost 11.5 lbs!!! I'm thrilled with my results, thrilled with my new-found energy, and thrilled that my family is eating healthier too.

Last night we had our 2nd weigh in and meeting with the BL group at my church. I just have to say that I am so thankful for this group. At last week's meeting, I was in a fog. I had just worked 2 nights in a row and was hungry and exhausted. I was going through the motions to be sure. But this week I was rested and ready to see my results and learn all I could from our mentors!

We started off by doing the weigh in. I went first for my team. We are split into 2 different groups; one for each campus (location) of our church. Within those groups we are split into 2 more groups; blue team and red team. I'm on the blue team. Go Blue!!!  I had a loss of 7.2 lbs since the last weigh in a week before. Yeah!!!! I was hoping for 10lbs, but was truly happy with what I achieved. I ended up winning the award for highest percentage of weight loss on my team. Yippee! What a good feeling. Its like an extra shot of motivation to make this week a great one! I know there will be temptation and an occasional bad choice. But wow! I'm thankful for the Lord's strength because that's how I've done it.

After weigh-in we did a quick devotional on surrender. So important to surrender our wills to the Lord in all things, including our health and well-being. Then it was time to get to work! We did group workout. Week 2 is definitely harder than week 1 in that respect. Picture Pilates and Calisthenics. For about 1/2 hour. Lots of using your own body weight as resistance. I added in weights for the first time and it was way more challenging. But the cool thing is that I'm starting to see my recovery time shorten. The huffing and puffing when we were done was over quickly and it was nice and relaxing to stretch at the end.

We ended our meeting with our Nutrition lecture. This is my favorite part. I'm developing such a passion for healthy eating. It's so fascinating! I also get so angry at what conventional nutrition, the FDA, and our government tells us is healthy. So not true! I'll have to write separate posts about that because there is just so much good info out there. It would change the way people eat if they only knew.

-10 lbs!

Well, I'm happy to report that I have successfully completed week 1. I started this journey on January 3. As of this morning, I've lost 10 lbs! Not too shabby for only 8 days! Even better, I'm starting to find it much easier. The first few days were rough. I was so hungry! I think my body is adjusting to it all now. It is still sometimes challenging to stay within my calorie goals of 1200-1500 per day. But I am looking at each day as a learning experience. Some days will be better than others and I'm not going to beat myself up on the hard days.

Exercise is going well too. It's quickly becoming part of my routine. I wouldn't say I'm loving it, but I am feeling much healthier as a result. I'm excited to see just how much weight I'll have lost at my weekly weigh-in on Thursday night. It's enough motivation to keep me going, even when I really don't want to put on my gym shoes.

This morning I felt convicted that the easier it gets to stay on plan, the less I call out for help from my Savior. So my prayer today is that God would keep my pride in check and I would rely on His strength alone! Less of me, More of Him.