Weight-loss, Exercise and Sermons...

The past 6+ months I have been really working on losing some weight and getting healthy. Lately people have been asking me if I have lost weight and what I am doing to lose it so I thought it was time for a blog about it all. I have lost 34 lbs since the beginning of April. It hasn't always been easy but it has left me feeling so much better about myself and I know that my body is healthier. I have so much more energy and have made exercise a part of my day that I really look forward to each morning (or sometimes afternoon, depending on the day.) I have 12 more lbs to reach my first big goal and then I would like to lose another 15 more after that. I have averaged a little more than a lb a week since I started...sometimes more, sometimes less.

One Sunday morning during the very end of March I heard an amazing Sermon (click on the link to download or listen) from my pastor, J.D. Greear about self-control and discipline. I realized then that my eating was really out of control. It wasn't that I was eating everything in sight it was just that I wasn't giving much thought to it and was not having control over my body and its desires. I realized then that I had to make some changes in my life and lose some of the weight that I had put on before and after having Keane and Gracie (unfortunately I can't really attribute my weight to baby weight because I weighed 5 lbs LESS after having Keane and Gracie than I did when I got pregnant with them). I talked to Ryan about it first. I have been on many "diets" in the past but they have all been temporary and lasted a few weeks or days or months and then once the "diet" was over I just went back to old habits of eating and living and put the weight (and often more) right back on. So, I decided that this time whatever I was going to do to lose this weight was going to have to be more about a lifestyle change and less about a "diet". I realized I needed to learn about the foods I was eating and learn how to make small changes and better choices in my life about food and exercise in order to make this change lasting.

I found a GREAT (free) calorie counting website where I could keep an online journal of what I was eating and how many calories I was consuming. It also allowed me to put in my height and my weight and it calculated the amount of calories my body needed each day to MAINTAIN my weight and it showed me how many calories I needed to eat each day in order to lose the weight I wanted to by my goal date. It REALLY helped me get started and learn about the food I was eating. I began to make small changes like saying no to mayonnaise and cheese and ordering foods grilled instead of fried or ordering light dressings on the side of my salad instead of regular on top. I knew that this wasn't something that was going to happen overnight. I knew it would take time and for the first time in my life, I was OK with that. I would rather give a whole year to trying to get to my goal weight and in the process change the way I think about food and learn to eat better than to spend the rest of my life on "quick fix" yo-yo diets, stressed out and self conscious about my weight. When you think about it that way...a year doesn't seem like a long time at all.

When we were in America for our stateside time it was very easy to count calories and keep very strict track of it all since EVERYTHING has calorie information on the labels including restaurant items (you can look up most menu items online and I did. When people would invite us to go out to eat (or when we wanted to ourselves) I would ask which restaurant they were thinking and I would go to the restaurants website and look at the calorie information for each item. Then I would make my decision then and there before stepping foot into the restaurant and when we arrived at the restaurant I wouldn't even look at the menu to tempt myself. I would just order what I had decided beforehand (what I knew was the best calorie choice and fit into my food needs for the day) and by the time everyone had gotten their food and we had all eaten I felt just as satisfied as if I would have ordered the cheesy, fried item that probably would have caught my attention if I hadn't already made my decision. I often felt more satisfied knowing what I ate was SO much healthier for me and I was one decision closer to my goal weight!).

Once we returned back to Nepal things got a bit harder to really keep exact track of (because nothing has calorie info on it here) but by that time I was two months into it and I had learned so much about the foods I was eating and how to make good choices. I knew how many calories were in a cup of rice or a piece of bread (if you don't that is where the calorie counting website will really help!) I learned it is all about balance and smaller portions. There is no magic diet out there and there is really no simple quick easy fix. Believe me, if there was the world would be skinny. It all boils down to: calories in, calories out. If you eat more calories than you body needs each day to live then you will gain weight. If you eat less calories (or burn them off with exercise) than your body needs each day to live then you will lose weight. It really is that simple. If you eat more calories in carrots than your body needs each day (that is a lot of carrots) than you will gain weight. It is not so much about the kinds of food that we are eating but the amount of food that we are eating. The healthier (and fresher and greener) the foods we choose the more of them we get to eat. I love chocolate and I have eaten something chocolate everyday since I started this new "lifestyle". I knew I had to. I had tried to completely cut it out of my diet before but once I stopped the diet then I just binged on it and ate it all the time. This way, nothing is off limits. It is just the amount that I am concerned about. If I eat a big piece of chocolate cake for my friends birthday then I just eat a very, very light lunch or dinner that day. Like I mentioned earlier, it has been all about balance for me. With God's help, I have gained control over my body and its desires for food (I know this will be a lifetime battle that I will always have to be conscious about). I have learned how to know when I am full and when to stop eating. I have learned to say no to second portions when I know I have already eaten enough. I have learned to take only a bite of something and let the rest pass by. My pastor has also said, "Sacrifice is giving up something you love for something you love more." That has been my motto throughout this entire process. I love food (especially sweets) but I love the thought of being thin and healthy and in shape much, much more than the temporary pleasure that the taste of that food on my mouth brings.

Also, since I came back to Nepal and it was harder to know exactly how many calories I was eating each day (although I always have an idea), especially since often we are eating at friends house and have to eat what they give us, I really increased the amount that I was exercising. I exercise 5-6 days a week for about 45 minutes - 1 hour everyday (on top of the normal walking I do around my community). For me, it works best to get up before Keane and Gracie do (at about 6:15 am) and do an exercise video in my living room (I love Tae-bo and Jillian Michaels work out DVD's). We also have a membership to a gym near our home so sometimes I go there as well to swim or run on the treadmill. I can honestly say that I love exercise now. It is not a chore. I feel so much better after a great workout than I did before one. Lately, I have been turning the volume off on my exercise DVD's (once you have done them a few times the commentary gets OLD and BORING and in my mind is a waste of time) and listen to a sermon while I am exercising. Most sermons are about the same amount of time (45 minutes) as many workout DVD's and listening to the sermon makes the time exercising seem to go by so much faster and I feel so refreshed from hearing the Word of God taught while I exercise. It becomes a wonderful 45 minutes for my mind, body, heart and soul.

I pray that you will be encouraged by my story. Believe me, if I can get control of this in my busy life than you can too. It is not too late and it is easier than you think. Just take one step at a time. I am still working on reaching my goals so I am right there with you. Also, maybe it is not food that "controls" you. Maybe you are not overweight but your life is "out of control" in other areas. The sermon I mentioned earlier in this post is a WONDERFUL one for anyone to listen to. As Christians we must NOT let our bodies have control over us. With God's help and strength we can overcome the things that hold us back from being the person that God intends for us to be. We don't have to do it alone and it might take some time but it is worth it!

Refreshed...

Today has been a wonderful day. The best word that I can use to describe my feelings right now is refreshed. I feel this way because...

1. My husband is home with me and it is wonderful. I love sharing my life with him and life is much more fun and relaxing when he is with me.
2. It is the weekend and we have been able to spend some time relaxing as a family before jumping into a very busy week.
3. Our Internet is working SO well these days and so this morning we were able to talk to Ryan's parents on Skype AND use the web cams at the same time (I was also able to talk to my parents and use the web cam with them a couple of days ago). It was refreshing to see them and to have them see the babies and all the new things they are doing these days.
4. We had a family worship time this morning and listened to a sermon from pastor, J.D. Greear, from our home church, The Summit, online. His current series is titled, "Why I am not a Christian: 7 common objections to Christianity." It is really awesome! If you are interested in getting J.D.'s weekly pod casts click here.
5. Ryan stayed home with the babies so that I could go to the hotel across the street and have some time away for a few hours this afternoon. I was able to exercise, lay out by the pool and spend some time at the beauty parlor getting my eyebrows threaded and a head massage while they washed my hair...SO relaxing.
6. While I was exercising today working on completing week 5 of my c25k running program I ran for 20 minutes (about 2 1/2 miles) straight! It is a huge accomplishment for me. Now I am officially half way through my program and have 4 1/2 more weeks to work up to running for 30 minutes straight. Hopefully I can do it sooner than that!
7. The weather was so beautiful this morning which enabled me to go and sit by the pool but now that I am finished with that I am home and the rain clouds have drifted in and we are having a full blown Sunday afternoon thunderstorm. The cool air is blowing through the screen door. Keane is taking a nap. Gracie is about to go down for hers. I am blogging. Ryan is watching a movie. Relaxing.

Refreshed. Ready to start my week...(after a few more hours of a wonderful Sunday that is).

For the (true) love of running...

I have just begun week 5 of the 9 week running program (C25K Running Program)that I posted about about 4 weeks ago! To read my first post about it click here. I am so happy that I have kept up with it and have really (truly) enjoyed it. My dad always told me that I should take up jogging and that it would be good for me but like many things during my teenage (and other)years I fought him on it and told him that I hated running and would never like it. But like usual, my dad was right and I should have listened to him years ago. I can actually say now that I like to run. That is HUGE for me.

When I started out I could only run for about 3-4 minutes before I needed to stop and walk for a while. Today when I ran, I ran for 15 minutes straight (about 1 1/2 miles or so) and then walked (quickly) for about 10 minutes (for you runners out there this may not seem like that big of a deal but for me it is a big milestone). For the first 3 weeks it was difficult. It was hard to get into and I really had to push myself to keep going. Also, my knees and ankle (I broke it in April of 2007) hurt terribly when I was finished and even as I was running. But I pushed through it all, spent time stretching and by week 4 I had no more pain. It was amazing. My knees and ankle do not hurt now when I run and also around the same time something just clicked and I felt like I could just keep running and running (OK so maybe not forever but you get my drift...). It felt good to keep running and I looked forward to my time to run more and more each day. I feel much healthier and exercise definitely gives me more energy throughout my days. Even if I am feeling unbearably tired but I get out and run anyway, by the time I am finished I feel so refreshed and energized. It is amazing how that works.

I have about 4 more weeks left in the program and by the end of it I should be able to run 3 miles (or 5K) straight. So far I am right on track. I have never trained for anything like this before. I have never been patient enough to keep at something and build on it a little a time. I have always tried to do too much too fast (like before I would have just tried to run the whole 3 miles the first day) and then when I couldn't complete it, I would have just given up. It has been so neat and encouraging to me to see how starting slowly and pushing myself a little more everyday has really worked and I have seen the results from it.

I would encourage you to do something like this too. Maybe not having to do with exercise (but that too of course) but is there something you have been wanting to do or try or learn but have been putting it off because it seems impossible or like it is too much? I encourage you to break it down, do a little a time instead of trying to conquer it all at once and slowly but surely you will be able to do it. You will master it and it will feel good.

For the Love of Running...

The title of this blog post is VERY decieving because you see, I HATE running. I always have. Other sports and exercise I really like. Take swimming for example, I could swim for hours and not miss a beat but ask me to run just a few minutes and I will begin coming up with a million excuses as to why I can't do that right now. Can anyone relate? Well, lately I have been trying to figure out a way to get in shape. For much of my life I have been pursuing this quest. Lately, I have been trying to find a plan that I can follow, one that is challenging yet DOABLE, with attainable goals and measurable ways to know that I am accomplishing the task. I came across this amazing program called "couch25k" www.c25k.com Basically, it takes people like myself who are not runners by nature (or habit, or skill) and turns us into people who are able to run a 5k (or 30 minutes straight) at the end of 9 weeks. The commitment is simply 25-30 minutes 3 times per week. Week 1, you begin with a warm-up walk of 5 minutes and then walking for 90 seconds and then jogging for 60 seconds and then repeating that for 20 minutes (for a total of 25 minutes). Each week you drop more of the walking parts until you are running for the entire time. Today was my second day. I am LOVING this. I have never enjoyed jogging so much in my life and I think it would be prety amazing if I could actually run for 30 minutes at the end of this. Fortunately, at the hotel by my house there is an awesome jogging path that I do this on. For those of you who live in America or another developed place you could easily do this in your neighborhood or local gym. For those of you who live on this side of the world, finding a place to do this may be more difficult. I would suggest that you try and find a hotel with a gym. If that isn't possbile (which I realize for many of you it isn't), I would simply encourage you to find something you can do to be active and exercising. There are workout videos family can send from America, you could run up and down the stairs in your apartment building (ok maybe not but it's an idea), or simply walking a little faster when you go to the market or to visit a friend. I am learning that just a few small changes can make a big difference in the way we feel and even look. I tend to try to go all out, to do too much and then I burn out and don't finish what I have started. I am praying that I will keep this up for 9 weeks to finish the program but more than that, I am hoping that at the end of the 9 weeks my "hate" for running will turn into a "love". And now that I have posted it on my blog for the world to see, maybe that will be motivation enough to finish!

What things do you do to stay in shape, get in shape or exercise? I would love to hear your ways and ideas!