8 MONTHS!!!!

8 Months!  As of May 19, 2017 it's been 8 months since I officially started this adventure.  In some ways it doesn't seem like it's been that long and in some perspectives it seems like it's been longer.
I promise to post my beginning weight and ending weight at my one year anniversary, but right now I'm just comfortable telling you what I've lost.

So I stepped on the scale (see below for stats).  I can't remember the last time I was in the one hundred anythings more than a few minutes.  After my first child, I think I was so busy being a mom and making that my number one priority that as the pounds packed on, I would go on a diet or an exercise routine, which never worked well, cause anyone who has children under the age of 5 knows there is only one routine and that is your child's.  Also, I wasn't comfortable with who I was.  Outwardly, you would have never known, but inside, I was a puddle of goo with no container to hold me in.  But with age comes wisdom and also the attitude that what other people think hasn't got a thing to do with how you think of yourself.

So with that number came the scary realization that to hit my goal I have 4 months to go.  So on average if you take what I've lost divided by eight, I'm running at about 10 or so pounds lost a month. But this can't happen every month, I understand that.  In the beginning the pounds shed off pretty easy, but so did my hair.  My energy level went up but so did my anxiety a little of whether I could achieve the goal I set for myself.  I'm not planning on joining the Iron Man or trying to fit this 48 year old soul into a bikini, but the goal I've set seems to be achievable.  It's right on the edge of the BMI percentage for my age and height.  But to be honest that's about 30 or so more pounds from my math calculations (and yes I just used a calculator to make sure I was right).  So four months and around 30 pounds more to go.

I used to think losing 30 pounds was impossible.  But hey, I've lost more than 80, 30 shouldn't be that hard right.  WRONG!  These last pounds are making me work even harder to get rid of them.  My diet is pretty minimal now, so that means I need to tweak my exercise.

I love doing cardio.  Not everyone does, but I do.  Weights BORE me to no end.  I've been doing Piyo for about a week, and thank goodness they have a beginning person on the DVD's or else I would have quit after the first one.  It's a combo of yoga, Pilate's and such, but when I'm trying to do a downward dog and my arms are shaking uncontrollably, I'm think to myself, "What the heck are you doing this for?  This isn't fun, go run on the treadmill or play on the rowing machine".  But if exercise was fun all the time then people would do it more often and the whole world would be more fit.  But it's not supposed to fun all the time, so I have to buck up and shut up and just get it done!

A recap of my weekend:

I shopped this weekend and am happy to report that I purchased clothes in the size 12/10 range and they are not snug, in fact I might only get to wear them until end of summer, which is fine, because they are summer appropriate.  But if you would have asked me a year ago if I was ever going to be a size 12/10 range or be able to purchase shirts in the M/L category, I would have checked your temperature and asked you if you had taken your medication for the day after I got up off the ground from laughing uncontrollably at such an outrageous comment.

Walking into a store and being able to shop in the ladies section, not plus size, was a bit uncomfortable for me.  Luckily I had my trusty fashion consultant, my daughter, Nana, to guide me and push me out of my comfort zone and pick clothing that wasn't baggy, that actually fit me, and had color!!!!

It is a very odd and weird feeling picking through the racks and looking for smaller sizes. By the way to see clothes in this area that are so close to single digits, it's almost magical to think I might one day get to purchase something like that.  I hold up the clothing and think, "No way, in heaven's gates is this going to fit me", then with my trusty consultant by my side, I try on the article in question and the look of shock and awe on my face is enough to make my daughter giggle at me and then say, "I told you it would fit" or "See I said you needed a smaller size!".  She can be a bit of a pushy, headstrong individual, I blame her father for this trait as I'm sure I have never been pushy or headstrong ever (insert evil laugh here as I'm twirling my handlebar mustache).

So  here are my stats:

8 MONTHS

Months No Soda/Alcohol : 10 months
Months No Pasta/Bread/Potatoes/Sweets:  8 months
Dress Sizes Lost: 7, almost 8

TOTAL POUNDS LOST
84 POUNDS
TOTAL POUNDS TO GOAL (Hopefully)
34ish

So there you go, 8 months down, 4 months to go.  Roughly 30ish pounds to shed.  Can I do it? I hope so.  Will I do it?  Guess time and my body will tell.  Will I give it everything I have to achieve it?????  HECK TO THE YES!!!!!!

So this is my mantra as least for this week:

And in our area the rain seems to be over abundant, so some days you just have to create your own sunshine!  For me it's smiling because I've come so far.  It may be cloudy, but when I am all sweaty from working out, I feel sunshine in my heart.

Be happy my friends and have a peachy week!!!!

Mother's Day with two of my Monkeys after church!