My Weight Loss Journey

August 5, 2018….

That is the day that I began my weight loss journey, and more importantly, stuck to it! It has been a while since I have written a purely personal post mainly because in the past couple of years I have been spending less time on the computer. However, after 7 months on this journey, I thought it was time to share a little personal stuff 😉

August 5, 2018

I owe the kick in the butt to my youngest son. He truly deserves 100% of the credit for jump-starting me on this much-needed path. He issued a challenge to me that whoever lost the most weight by June 2019 had to pay the other person $100. I took the bet for two reasons, one I wanted to lose weight but more importantly because I wanted to support my son.

Just the weekend before the kids and I had spent a day at Rapids Water Park. It is so nice to spend, what is a rare opportunity, time with all my kids together. However, I was embarrassed by the lack of energy to climb the stairs again and again, though I tried not to show it. But even worse was trying to awkwardly get out of a float at the size I was. So this too added to my motivation to get started on a healthier path.

September 16, 2018

On August 5, 2018, I put together a healthy breakfast and lunch and got up at 5:45 to go to the gym with my son 4 days a week. After one week I was still going to the gym and eating well and I felt SOOO motivated. Six weeks later my son began missing a few mornings here and there. See my son works nights and often wasn’t coming home until 11-12 and then trying to get up to go to the gym with me. I noticed that he wasn’t really into it and eventually talked with him about it. I told him that I was good, I was motivated, and was going to continue to go to the gym but he needed to go for himself and not for me. So after another week, I found myself going to the gym by myself.

I eventually started waking up at 5:05 to give me the chance to do both weight lifting and cardio work. I also added Friday to my schedule and started going to the gym for an hour a day 5 days a week. I found that I would wake up at 5:05 on my own and didn’t even think about if I should or shouldn’t get up. In fact, when I got sick and did have to skip the gym due to lack of energy it just threw off my whole morning. The difference in how I feel when I go to the gym in the morning vs when I don’t is amazing. I feel happy, healthy, and full of energy when I go to the gym. I love the feeling so much that I try not to miss any days. I get up and go to the gym just as easily as I get up to get ready for work.

October 28, 2018

By Thanksgiving Day I had lost 46.4 pounds and was excited to spend time with my family. The first time in forever that I was excited about a get-together instead of dreading what I would wear. Like all true lifestyle changes, it has not come without difficulties. Being home during the holidays vs my normal structured work schedule did make it a little tougher for me to stay on track with my eating, or at least as strict. I also got sick during the holiday break and missed almost a week at the gym. I did manage however to maintain my weight and have since lost an additional 11.2 pounds for a total of 57.6 pounds lost so far.

I have had three people throughout this journey approach me at the gym to tell me that they have noticed my weight loss. Some have asked me how I did it while others have just told me that they saw me come in the past summer and that I looked great. This is a great way to motivate a person!

While I am not done with my weight loss journey as I would like to lose about another 46 lbs I feel so much more comfortable than I did 7 months ago. I feel healthier and stronger and I am determined not to let the weight creep back on. Even when I am not eating my best I still jump right back on the bandwagon and keep on keepin’ on, and always continue to hit the gym.

January 1, 2019

Oh yeah, and the question I do get asked the most is “how am I losing weight”. It is a combination of the time at the gym and I eat a high protein, moderate fat, low carb diet. I don’t follow any plan I am just careful of the choices I make. Here is an example of a daily meal for me:

• Breakfast – OPTIMUM NUTRITION GOLD STANDARD 100% Whey Protein Powder , with one tablespoon of Flax Seed (see note below)
• Snack – Dannon Light & Fit Greek Yogurt
• Lunch – Lean meat and vegetables (see note below)
• Snack – One of the following:
  •  Clif Builder’s Protein Chocolate Mint Bar
  • Nuts
  • Sargento Balanced Breaks
  • Jimmy Dean Egg’wich or Jimmy Dean Frittatas
• Dinner  –  Lean meat and vegetables (see note below)

Breakfast – I did a lot of research on protein powders and found the one I mentioned to always be in the top 5 of the best protein powders. In addition after testing my cholesterol in October and finding the total number to be fine but the good cholesterol to be low I decided to research how to increase good cholesterol and found whey protein flax seed to be a great addition.

Lunch/Dinner – Also due to wanting to lower my cholesterol I started to trade read meats for other meats such as chicken, turkey, and pork. I do still occasionally have a steak for dinner but more like once a month than weekly. For vegetables I usually have green beans, fresh broccoli, broccoli and cheese, or canned peas.

Also I began my own regimen of vitamins (and please note I am not a medical professional and offer no advice, just sharing my own choices)

• Ocean Blue Omega 3 – suggested to me by a co-worker to increase good cholesterol
• Women’s One a Day Formula
• GNC Isomer E – I read that this was a better vitamin E to take
• Folic Acid
• Vitamin B12
• Vitamin D
• Biotin
• Adding Soon ( C8 MCT Oil Powder) – will let you know in a later post what I think of this.

Side-by-Side Comparison Then and “Almost” Now

Good Luck to all those that are on their own weight loss journey!