Happy Results!!!!!

Well, can't complain tonight. I'm getting caught up on my blogging as I deal out candy to trick-or-treaters. Yes, I've had a few treats, but it stops tonight. I cannot reverse the good test results I received last week. Some of you wanted to know the results of my body dunking. Well..... body fat % dropped 2.7%, weight loss was 10.5 lbs, lean mass increased 0.7 lbs, and fat mass dropped 11.2 lbs.
Considering how depressed and concerned I was a couple of blogs back about weight loss, I was pleasantly shocked. However, this is just the beginning. My ultimate goal is to loose 100 lbs of fat mass. I have been using the nutrition tracking part of spark people. If you haven't used it yet, it's really simple, and has neat reports to track your progress. It's amazing how quickly the calories add up. I think I'm starting to realize that portion control is a big part of losing weight. I am also having a difficult time trying to keep the carbs, fat, and protein recommendations in the range. Most days I still eat too many carbs, and not enough protein. The hardest part of all of this is trying to down over 100 ounces of water. I've now taken a large jug, and filled it each morning with the amount of water I should drink each day. I refill my water bottle from this during the day, and usually succeed in maybe 8 cups, but rarely succeed in drinking it all. So this is my new goal. Many of you have told me that before starting each meal, you down a glass. I will have to try this also.
After week 7, I've come to look forward to the daily ritual of chit-chat with the girls, lots of laughing, group discussions of our aches and pains, and seeing what new ways of working our bodies Carter has developed. No more shedding tears after the workout, and starting to embrace those dreaded bear crawls and burpies. Shin splints and a chronic case of hip bursitis are my daily aches, and hopefully one more cortisone shot and a trip to the podiatrist for custom orthotics will help. If anyone has any suggestions for easing the pain other than stretching and creams, I'd love to hear about them.
O.k. got to go hand out more treats.

*Love is a powerful force*

"I remember my last days using on the streets. I walked up and down Dickerson Rd. until a car stopped for me. I got in the car, and the man asked me to have sex with him. I agreed because I wanted that next hit of dope so bad. After we finished, he dropped me off at the store on the corner of Dickerson Rd. and Hancock Ave. I saw the guy who I always bought my drugs from, and I bought dope. I went behind the store to take a hit. I smoked it on a glass stem and tried to forget what I had just done."
This is an excerpt from the book "Find Your Way Home - Words from the Street, Wisdom from the Heart," written by the women of Magdalene with Becca Stevens. Magdalene is a two-year residential community founded by the Rev. Becca Stevens in 1997 for women with a history of prostitution and drug addiction. Thistle Farms is a non-profit business run by these women. They create natural bath and body products. The sales proceeds go back into supporting the residents of Magdalene. Through Thistle Farms the women learn much needed job skills, and learn responsibility and cooperation. Their belief is that freedom starts with healing, and love can change lives.
Becca Stevens is an Episcopal priest, writer, and speaker. She is Chaplain at St. Augustine's chapel on Vanderbilt University. Her commitment to serve, has helped her to establish a partnership between St. Augustine's Chapel and San Eduardo in Ecuador to build and support a rural school, a nursing program for an AIDS hospice in Botswana, and a center for contemplative justice that houses programs such as a chapter of Mobile Loaves & Fishes, which serves the homeless in Nashville. She has won numerous awards such as the Frist Foundation's award for "Innovation in Action," Community Nashville's Human Relations Award, and the Academy of Women in Achievement. Becca has also written three spiritual books.
I have purchased many of Thistle Farms products because they make great gifts, and smell wonderful. I especially love their candles, lip balms, and room sprays. The products are all natural, beautifully packaged, and I know I help support a powerful community nurturing women's health. Your church can host an evening with Becca and Magdalene and hear about their journeys. It will bring tears to your eyes as you hear residents talk about their former, destructive lives. Afterwards you can treat yourself from the various products, or think ahead to gift-giving.
I encourage you to visit the Thistle Farms website at http://www.thistlefarms.org/ . You can learn more about the community, how to host a party, or volunteer. Becca Stevens is a sensitive, humorous speaker who tells her audience how she became a "thistle farmer".

Can I just vent a litle?

Today is the beginning of week six. Where has the time gone? I have to admit I've been pretty upbeat till now, but today I came home and felt like I'm not really making any progress. Poor Ginny and Debbie had to hear me whine today that I just couldn't do another set of those crunch pull-up/bear crawls; and to top it all off, jog two sets including the stairs. (Thanks girls) Why aren't these workouts getting any easier? Yes, I know that my body doesn't ache like it did in the beginning, and I guess there are things I can do now that I couldn't do at week one, but I still sweat like a pig, and my heartrate will exceed 200, and I still feel like I'm carrying 100 lbs(which I am). Today I left feeling so drained. Running up those stairs is still so hard, and those bear crawls - ugh! Someone commented today, "and to think that we volunteer for all this punishment".
The common sense part of my brain tells me that I'm not going to lose that much weight in 5 weeks, but the impatient part says "how about 3-5 lbs"? Well, I know I shouldn't have, but I weighed myself this morning, and I gained a pound! I promise (God can be my witness), I have been tracking my calories. If I were smart I'd put that stupid scale in the closet and forget about it. But it will always whisper out, "come step on me".
While I'm complaining, let's mention my shins. They are still really bothering me. My husband keeps telling me to stretch my calves on the stairs, so I've been trying that. But they still hurt everytime I jog! Of course I've never been a jogger my entire life, so I guess it will take many more weeks of jogging for my legs to become accustomed to this new activity. They did weather the Brentwood High Boogie Walk/Run this weekend, and I'm proud to say I came in last. But who cares, I jogged a little, walked as fast as I could, and shocked my daughter who had never seen me jog. My thanks to Ginny and Alison for walking with me part of the way.
There now, I feel better. Just had to get this off my chest. And speaking of chests.....

A New Habit

I had to say no to a mini-vacation with my next door neighbor because I would miss a day of working out. Who is this person? And why would I give up the chance to go to the mountains and chill out with "the girls". I never believed the saying that it takes _ weeks of doing something to form it into a habit. (Not sure of the #of weeks) However, it's been 4 weeks now, and I haven't missed a single day. I don't want to, even though I know in a few weeks I have to go on vacation with my family for fall break. (The sneakers and bike are coming). Before this all started, I could come up with a million reasons why I didn't have time to exercise or eat right. Now, my family is putting up with my nutritional advice - I think my husband is ready to have a talk with Carter -
or put out that I can't take them some place "right now" because I want to go for a walk instead.
My husband who never notices anything I do to myself - I could walk around in a straight, blond wig, and he wouldn't say a thing (those who know me, know I have curly, dark brown hair) - made a comment this morning on the way my pants fit, especially around the derriere. (Thank you Carter).
I guess those 10 million leg squats we're doing are finally doing their thing!
The point of all this, is that when I try to envision myself a year from now, I hope to do a few things I haven't done in over 20 years.

• I want to replace my wardrobe because nothing fits
• I want to be able to go hiking and make it up a hill without huffing and puffing and keep up with my fit friends
• I want to go on a Backroads.com trip with family and friends. This outfit organizes a hiking vacation in wonderful places around the globe and you can either camp or stay in 5-star hotels. (Check out the website)
• But most importantly, I want my children to see what their mother used to look like BC (before children). They have always seen me overweight. I've kept a few articles of clothing from my career days, and my daughter cannot believe how tiny I was. Actually, I can't either.

My biggest fear is that I'll go back to old habits once this is all over. But I pray that I will have instilled in my lazy mind a new habit. The mentors are inspiring because it shows how determined they are and that exercise is a priority in their lives. They are all so strong and supportive, and I know that if they are still coming, I too can continue this journey.