The Graceful Skinny

A homeschool mom of one sharing my thoughts, curriculum reviews, organization techniques, and planning ideas with others in the homeschool community.

Weekly Update: Getting back to the Swing of Things May 6, 2011

Filed under: Revalations along the way,Small Victories,The Weekly Check in — The Graceful Skinny @ 3:28 pm
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Getting back into the Swing of things, monkey, zoo, weight loss bloh The Graceful Skinny

I have decided that I am going to flat out refuse to let this wall that I recently splat against take me down.  It may have taken most of a month and practically 10 pounds to do it but there you go.  I have already lost about 4.4 pounds since my doctor’s visit last week.

After realizing the amount of weight that I was starting to gain I went through a mired of emotions.  I will be honest here and admit that I came very close to letting myself succumb to the helplessness and dejected feelings. But then I started noticing that not only was I not helping myself, but I was re-gaining the weight and fast.  I realized that if I didn’t snap out of it soon I was going to be starting back at the beginning of this whole process all over again. I couldn’t let myself do that.

So I have decided that I am getting myself over this stupid wall even if it’s the last thing I do.  I am going to make this happen! And today, for the first time in month and a half I got in my 30 minute biking activity in on my Wii Fit.  I didn’t hit the same top mileage that I was hitting but today’s score was within the top 4, which is a bit better then what I set out to do for the day.  I knew it was going to be hard so when I started I set a goal to at least make sure my mileage made the top 15 scores.

Imagine my surprise though when I got halfway through my workout and realized that I had missed it. I finally get how people say they enjoy their workouts, because to be honest, I have never really understood that before now. I mean really, who actually finds themselves actually enjoying the all out exhaustion and sweaty grossness that you get from workouts? Well, much to my surprise, me apparently. There is something truly gratifying about taking things into your own hand and taking control over the mess that is your weight. There is a message that the work out speaks.  The workout acts like a microphone that announces to the world and yourself that you are going to refuse to stand down and let the fat and the pounds win. I not only can do this, I am doing this! I can lose this weight and it is going to come off.

So to all of you out there struggling or feeling defeated like me, join me in the rebellion! Don’t let this crap win. We CAN do this and we WILL do this! And in the end, we will feel so much better because of it!

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Weekly Update:Glad to see Spring! March 18, 2011

Filed under: Small Victories,The Weekly Check in — The Graceful Skinny @ 2:59 pm
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So I’ll fess up now, I had a bit of a re-laps into laziness for a bit there. It was so bad I just completely brushed off my weekly updates. For that I am sorry. I think part of it was that I had a bit of a gain period and I hadn’t fully lost it last week. I don’t think I really wanted to face it. However I am proud do say that I was able to kick myself back into gear and I got a 30 minute workout done this week. Did pretty good to!

 

For those that don’t know, I use my Wii Fit to track my weight and to do my exercise. I like it because it keeps track of everything from your BMI (which is actually a bit more accurate then my Doctors office calculations), it also keeps track of my activity and how much time I spent actually moving.  It then calculates out how many calories you burned. It makes exercising feel less like a chore and more like a fun game. My favorite activity as of late is the 30 minute free ride biking one.  To move you step with your feet on the board just like you would when you are riding a bike.  You work the same muscles but from the comfort of inside your own home which takes away all weather based excuses to avoid the workout.  Not only that but it keeps score for you. It has become my challenge when I do it to do my best to match or beat my high score. This forces me to keep pushing myself and work myself harder and harder. I am also noticing that the more I do it the easier it is to go further. I almost always end with my legs like jelly and exhausted beyond belief but it amazes me that when I started out my high score was 4-5 miles. I was overjoyed when I finally hit seven miles. Now? Well I actually hit 11.4 miles this week.  And on that ride I was shooting for 10.6 miles.  Part of me wonders if I could actually pull that off on a real ride. It might be something I would have to try sometime.

 

Well I have to say that when I hopped onto the scale this morning I was not expecting much. It is a rare day indeed when I show any kind of loss the morning after Aunt Flo rolls in. It’s not uncommon at all for my weight to go stagnant throughout the period.  I was overjoyed and immensely proud of myself when I saw the numbers for the week. It just goes to show myself that if you actually get off your butt and do the work the results will come. (Don’t you just hate it when logic comes back to rub it in your face?)

 

So on to the results for this week:

 

  • This Week: 1.4 pounds down!!!
  • Total Weight Loss: 31.4 pounds down!!!

 

I am very much not ashamed to say that I did a bit of a happy dance around my living room when I saw that number.

 

So dear readers it’s your turn to update me! What is your favorite way to get in exercise? What do you do to kick your butt back into gear when the laziness attacks? How has your week gone?

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Weekly Update: Kicking my own butt back into Gear! January 21, 2011

Filed under: Small Victories,The Weekly Check in — The Graceful Skinny @ 7:39 pm
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Weight loss blog Graceful SKinny diet health

 

 

 

I am not sure what has happened to me over the past two weeks but after checking on a few of my regular blogs it would appear that I am certainly not alone. I have been feeling sluggish and lazy. I have been slacking when it comes to weighing in and getting in my exercise.

 

However, thanks to you wonderful readers waiting for my weekly update I was able to put my foot down and kicked my butt back into gear!

 

Over all I would have to say that this week has been quiet the success.  I finally got to meet my new mentor on Tuesday morning.  God is so good. She is the best!

 

To my amazement, sitting down with my new mentor has not only helped me work out my life spiritually in finding ways to get in my quiet times every day, but I have noticed a dramatic increase in my ability to focus and get things done throughout my whole day when I do remember to spend even just a minute or two in the morning in quiet time.

 

So not only have I been getting myself more organized but when I stepped on the scale today I got a pleasant surprise in the form of not only a weight loss but a weight loss great enough that I lost all that I had gained last week and then some. I am so back on track.  Look out 14s I’m not giving up on you yet!

 

So what was my weight like this week?

 

  • This Week: 4.4 pounds DOWN!!!
  • Total Weight Loss: 28 pounds down!

 

That’s right folks! It’s not quite a complete recovery from chaos caused by the change up in meds and Christmas festivities, but I am within a pound of getting there.  My goal for the coming week is to actually get my but to work out for at least 30 minutes at least twice this week.

 

I set out this morning to work out for 30 minutes and ended up working out for almost an hour! If I could only do that more often, I would be great! But as for today, I will revel in my small victories and use this as the much needed boost to push forward and continue to get back on track with my weight loss.

 

As for those who are also struggling to kick themselves into gear, what are you waiting for? Get to it! You can do it! And you will feel a lot better once you kick your butt into actually doing it as well.

 

Have a happy weekend!

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The baby steps will get you down the tracks of Life! November 4, 2010

Filed under: Revalations along the way — The Graceful Skinny @ 5:47 pm
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Standing at the starting line, staring out across the vast distance with your finish line just barely within your sight, that is if it’s in your sight at all, can be a terrifying experience.  If you are anything like me, you often find yourself at that line scratching your head so lost you don’t know where to begin.

I have found in my experiences that the best thing to do in these situations is to call in the guard so to speak.  Find that person who can stand by your side with the right knowledge to point you in the right direction. Find what you need so you can recognize the end result.

Once you have the finish line clearly drawn break that down in to much smaller check points.  For instance, I have been told by my doctors that my total weight loss needs to be in the range of 70-90 pounds.  If that is all I focused on I would get overwhelmed quickly. Instead I focused on smaller goals. 20 pound check points. By focusing just on the 20 pounds, I feel more encouraged that the goal is within my grasp.

The most important part is to always remember that life’s hardest challenges are best dealt with in large groups. You need to surround yourself with cheerleaders who know what you are going through and can walk alongside you.  These are the people who can cheer you on through the good times and bad. They pick you up off the floor when you feel you have nothing left, and they are the first ones to celebrate when you make progress.

One last thing, never forget to laugh. There will be moments in life where everything has gone kaput at the same time.  In these times you have only two choices; let the stress overwhelm you and drive you towards defeat, or take a moment and find the humor in the moment and laugh at it. Did you know that the bible says the words “do not worry” at least fifteen times? It goes on to mention the command “do not fret” at least another four.  Call me crazy, but I get the feeling that God is trying to remind us that he has things under his control.  So next time life gets you down, throw away the worry and just laugh. God is always there to help to see you through any situation.

Dealing with any overwhelming task can be difficult, be it conquering that disorganized closet, getting a resume complete, or losing 90 pounds. You just have to remember, everybody starts by crawling, and that crawling can get you surprisingly far! The baby steps might take a bit longer, but we stay on track and reach the end all the same.