Thankful Thursday

Every day is Thanksgiving...or it should be...I read something once that said, "what if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?" Wow. Powerful stuff...it is important to have a thankful heart and an attitude of gratitude, especially when things aren't always in your favor or going the way you want.

"Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude."

I haven't been feeling so grateful lately...in fact, I've been a little more of the whiny six-year-old who didn't get the super deluxe Barbie she wanted for all of five minutes and will forget by tomorrow. Now more than ever, its important for me to remember what I'm thankful for. Even my worst days are days some people would fight for and call their best.

I'm thankful that this doggy didn't go to the Humane Society and that she's now 50 pounds of puppy love!

This starts what I hope will become a weekly staple in my blog: Thankful Thursday!

I'm thankful for:
- Family, friends, and a boyfriend who make up my close-knit and very valuable support network everyone should be so lucky to have.
- Sammalamma because she doesn't care what I weigh, what I wear, or what I eat (as long as I share).
- Health!
- Two legs that stand strong, run hard, get me where I'm going, and keep my feet firmly planted on the ground.
- Hope. Because one day will be today.
- Weight Watchers and my boardies, without that I would still be carrying around a small child.
- Blogs! To remind me that I'm not alone and people with more weight to lose are losing, people with no legs are running, and people with worse circumstances are living with a grateful heart.
- A God who loves me even though I don't deserve it.
- A safe and happy place to live, there's no place like home.
- Imperfect relationships, because they give me opportunities to grow.
- Finding a peace in my PCOS and weightloss journey and knowing that people love me for who I am, not how I look
- Farmers ♥ No farms. No food.

The list goes on and on...

So, here's to wishing you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving, and hoping you remember that Thanksgiving is every day!

I'm thankful for just enjoying the ride!

Here are some links to my favorite blogs, starting with the one that prompted this post:
http://www.itsuxtobefat.com/weight-loss
http://www.emilybites.com/
http://skinnyjeans-fatwallet.blogspot.com/
http://www.theboskyblog.com/

Whoa.

Its no secret that I hate pictures of myself...like...I cringe a photos of me...I have almost no photographs of myself after the fall of 2007...yeah, its fall of 2011. Sad.


Last weekend I went to my dad's for his early birthday festivities and my step-mom took pictures as normal. Last year, she took similar pictures and I cried alone in my room in the dark when I saw them on facebook. I was just shocked and uncomfortable and embarrassed (and now I look at the them and wonder what the heck was I wearing!?) I, embarrassed, asked her to delete them because I was so appalled, and loving me, she did. These are the closest things I have to "before" picture...and now that I can laugh about what I was wearing, all I can think is whoa.

November 2010: part of me really can't believe I'm posting this here...

November 2011: Still not an awesome picture of me, but look at the difference in my face!

November 2010: Again....cringe....

November 2011: Not too shabby!

Family :)

This year, I kept the pictures! I actually like most of them! I knew I've lost four pant sizes, but I didn't realize I looked so different! I guess I've found what I needed to keep moving forward : )

Slow News Day

I ran today because I am not a quitter.

The end.

Visual Reminders

Your Weightless Equals.....

1 pound = a Guinea Pig (so, 32.4 guinea pigs!)

1.5 pounds = a dozen Krispy Kreme glazed donuts (or about 22 dozen donuts--259 donuts total!)

2 pounds = a rack of baby back ribs (x16--that's a rib eating contest!)

3 pounds = an average human brain (ten--almost eleven--brains because I'm thuper thmart!)

4 pounds = an ostrich egg (or eight)

 

 

 

 

5 pounds = a Chihuahua (just more than six barking chihuahuas!)

7.5 pounds = an average newborn (about four of my actual nephew, seen here!)

10 pounds= chemical additives an American consumes each year (times 3--gross!)

11 pounds = an average housecat

15 pounds = 10 dozen large eggs (I know there are only 10 here, but these are from my stepmom's chickens!)

20 pounds = an automobile tire (literally, a spare tire! By the time I'm done, I will have lost all 4 tires!)

23 pounds = amount of pizza an average American eats in a year (yummmmmmmmmmmm!)

25 pounds = an average 2 year old (again, my nephew!)

30 pounds= the amount of cheese the Average American eats each year

33 pounds = a cinder block (allllllllllmost a cinder block--those things are heavy!)

When I look at it this way, I realize I've come a lot farther than I thought! I may have a small bale of hay left to go, but once I reach my total of 79 pounds lost, I'll be SUPER excited to make that visual post : )

Not Getting Overwhelmed

As of this morning I've lost 32.4 pounds or 129.6 sticks of butter or almost the weight of a cinder block. Sorry Paula Deen, that's a LOT of butter! That sounds amazing!! ...until I realize I have 47 (or 188 sticks of butter or two average two-year-olds) more pounds to go...Wow.

Yay! 32 pounds gone :)

This is the part where I have to focus on how far I've come, not how far I have to go. The weight on my driver's license was correct last month when I renewed it, but now it's got me listed at 2 pounds heavier than I actually am! Who didn't lie on her driver's license? This girl! I was soooo proud of putting my actual weight that day, and I was even more proud that the number didn't start with a "2" : )

Anyway, I digress, this is the hard part. I'm 2.8 pounds away from my New Year's Resolution to lose 30 pounds in 2011--how awesome is that?! But I'm 47 pounds away from being in a "healthy" weight range according to that ridiculous BMI calculator. This is the "it takes a village" part of my journey. This is where I need oodles of positive thoughts, written down goals, and consistency to keep myself from becoming overwhelmed with the remainder of the journey.

This is why I love Weight Watchers! The support I get there plays a huge role in my success or failure, but it doesn't depend on anyone but me! In WW World, there are people working to lose 20 pounds and people working to lose 200 pounds and every one of them encourages their peers through every single step of the way--from the first step, to the first 20 point burger, praise, and tough love--it takes a village!

I'm glad that I love, love, love what I am doing because I'm going to be doing it for a while : )

"Success is not the key to happiness.
Happiness is the key to success.
If you love what you are doing,
you will be successful."
- Albert Schweitzer

Doing Things I Love

I took a brief sabbatical (fun word!)from blogging since my last post and honestly, that was due in part to getting down on myself for staying at the same weight for a whopping eight weeks. Eight whole weeks of not losing (or gaining) in a frustrated cycle of trying to eat more, eat less, exercise more, exercise less, drink more milk, the list goes on and on...then, I remembered something! Hey, Katy, when is the last time you took your measurements? Its been a while. Soooo, I took them again:

Body Part	7/7/2011	8/14/2011	10/29/2011	Total Change
L arm	14.25"	14"	13"	1.25"
R arm	14.5"	13.25"	13.25"	1.25"
Bust	37"	35.5"	34"	3.0"
Waist	41.5"	38.5"	36.5"	5.0"
Hips	44.5"	43.5"	42.5"	2.0"
R thigh	22.25"	20.5"	22"	0.25"
L thigh	25.25"	22.5"	22.5"	2.75
R calf	15.5"	17"	16.5"	1.0"
L calf	16.5"	17.25"	16.5"	0.0"

I've lost five inches from my waist. That's almost a Subway sandwich! And three inches from must bust! That's....1/4 of a ruler! Also, I weighed in today and what's that? A 1.2 pound loss! Something I had not seen since I hit the thirty-pound mark. I literally hit 30 pounds lost and my body just stopped. Hopefully we're back on speaking terms now. 

I told you that to tell you this: it would have been so much easier to give up. To say, "ok, my body is clearly just 'happy' at this weight, so I'm just going to stop." The thing is, I absolutely LOVE working towards a healthier me! You know you're doing something right when even your skin tight UnderArmour fits looser than it did last fall. I stuck with Weightwatchers and my journey because I love it. I love the way it feels to celebrate losing 0.2 pounds and while I don't like having to do it, I love that when I gain 1.2 I can give myself a pep talk, reevaluate what I did wrong that week, and start over with fresh eyes. 

I love being in control of my life and my health, especially when there are so many other things I just can't control. I love running, even though I'm slow. I love cooking healthy weight watchers desserts and sneaking them into all my office functions. I love cooking meals that even David likes (he's lost some weight too as a result of my personal choices, not that he needs to!). I love that because I was inspired to break the cycle of obesity, I was also inspired break the cycle of debt and financial irresponsibility--both of which are running rampant in this country I love. Budgets are sexy. Hard work is fulfilling. Self-confidence is AMAZING! Knowing that I have the power to change my own life is indescribable.  

I’ve run (mostly) 50.36 miles since August 5^th. Considering I couldn’t run for 90 seconds (or so I thought) I’m pretty impressed with that. I’m doing things I love!

Crossing the Finish Line

Ladies and gentlemen, I have completed my first 5k race! YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!
I ran the 3.1 miles in 49:51.8 with the last 1/2 mile completely uphill and I crossed the finish line with a smile on my face, cheering family members, and cheering coworkers. 10th overall ranking for my age group! Overall experience: AWESOME.

Because this was my first race I was really, really, insanely nervous. I didn't want to finish last (and I didn't). I walked the steepest uphill climbs because I was blissfully unaware that, even though I live and drive in this hilly city, my 5k route would include.....HILLS.....I set my goal on flat surfaces at 45 minutes, so I'm 100% proud of my 49:54 considering the hills I failed to consider.

The best part?

My family was there!! Mom was there too, but she took all the pictures. Thanks mom!!

My sister made signs :)

I felt strong, fit, empowered...and I was rocking my Kardashian booty (which I love, by the way!) on the way to the finish line!

All for a really great cause! The Athens Homebuilders Association and Coldwell Banker Upchurch Realty was helping raise money to help the wife of SPO Buddy Christian finish the dream they started together.

It wasn't easy, but it was totally worth it! I can't wait for my next race and I'm looking forward to starting B210K this week!

--
It doesn't matter what you've heard,
impossible is not a word. Its just
a reason for someone not to try.
[Kutless]