Giveaway!

Sorry, but this giveaway has been canceled. Sorry about this, but SparkPeople.com did not want us posting this on their website and over half of the ways to enter the contest was through them. Therefore, because of this, it is not fair to continue with the same way of entering as we had. Maybe later this will become available again.

To be or not to be...is that really a question?

Being...isn't that such a powerful word. If we are "being" then that means we are alive. The word gives hope and purpose.

One of my favorite quotes is, "To be or not to be, that is the question." Imagine reading it (fill in the blank) "To be _____or not to be _______, that is the question." You can fill it in with several words such as "healthy", "a consistent exerciser", "loving", "kind", "generous", "gracious", or even "hateful", "spiteful", or "rude".

90% of who we are comes from what we decide we are. There are medical conditions we cannot control and other things as well, but I am not talking about those. Today we can chose most anything from something as simple our what socks to put on in the morning to something drastic as getting or modifying religious beliefs.

Some times when I am tempted to do something against my new lifestyle change I ask myself that question, "To be healthy, or not to be healthy...that is the question." It makes the choices I make more on purpose and meaningful.

So today for those few who follow my blog and those fewer people who stumble here, how would you fill in the question today?

Weekly Weigh In 5-22-10

Three weeks in, Jason and I both hit a milestone.  Check it out!
Jason's beginning weight: 336.4
Jason's beginning of week weight: 331.4
Jason's weight today: 326.4
Amount lost this week: 5 lbs
Amount lost total: 10 lbs

Bethany's beginning weight: 295
Bethany's beginning of week weight: 288.6
Bethany's weight today: 285
Amount lost this week: 3.6 lbs
Amount lost total: 10 lbs

Shopping. . . healthily. . . on a budget?

Once a week, I go shopping. I use coupons, and spend as little as possible. It used to be that I didn’t buy fruit or vegetables, thinking that they were too expensive. As we’ve been on this journey, however, I’ve been learning that it is possible to eat healthily on a budget.
Here is what we got today.
Aldi
1 pint grape tomatoes
Fruity Marshmallows
1 fresh pineapple
2 23 oz. jars of applesauce
1 lb. fresh kiwi
1 large fresh cucumber
1 package celery

Weis
2 18 oz. bottles spicy brown mustard
2 lbs. Hillshire Farms smoked sausage
1 Pillsbury brownie mix

Target (paid nothing here)
1 pair flip-flops
Jergen Natural Glow body lotion

Wal-Mart (paid nothing here)
2 packages Bic pens
2 facial scrubs

Giant
Mrs. Dash seasoning blend
1 lb. grapefruit
4 lbs. oranges
2 12 oz. packages turkey bacon
2 dozen eggs

CVS (spent 12 ECBs, got 12 ECBs)
2 8.4 oz. Crest ProHealth mouth rinse
2 bottles Aussie shampoo
1 bottle Herbal Essence shampoo
1 bottle CVS shampoo
1 bottle Dawn dish soap
1 Lady Speed Stick Deoderant
1 package SweetTarts (filler)

Budget Bakery
3 loaves Sara Lee Whole Wheat bread


Total before coupons: 78.55 (Really should be higher, but I got amazing deals on the fruit, and I don't know its normal price.)
Total after coupons: 24.19

So, yes, my friends, it can be done!

Weekly Weigh-In 5/15/10

The second week of our journey was not as easy as the first. Jason is continuing to lose inches, but has had a harder time this week losing weight. Bethany started out the week well, but gained some back at the end of the week. We spent Friday evening and Saturday away from home, and had to choose our foods very carefully.

Jason's beginning weight: 336.4
Jason's beginning of week weight: 331.4
Jason's weight today: 331.4
Amount lost this week: 0 lbs
Amount lost total: 5 lbs

Bethany's beginning weight: 295
Bethany's beginning of week weight: 290
Bethany's weight today: 288.6
Amount lost this week: 1.4 lbs
Amount lost total: 6.4 lbs

It's not how you start the race, but how you finish

I know how you feel when you work so hard and you feel like you can conquer the world then...the wind gets knocked out of your sails. It happens to all of us. Yesterday I gained three pounds, and it is frustrating, annoying, and downright discouraging, but I cannot dwell on that.

Weight is like a war with your body. Your body is fighting to stay the same, your brain lies to you saying you need what you really don't, and your stomach says you are hungry when you don't need that extra food. There are very few wars when one side wins every battle and even less, if there is any at all, when one side doesn't have a casualty.

When America fought for our independence from Britain we lost more battles than we won, so why did we win? We were more stubborn, what we wanted to win was worth more than the reason Britain wanted to win. We wanted freedom, they wanted tax revenue.

In our battle against our bodies and the lifestyle that we have grown accustomed to is just like that war. We will have casualties (weight gain) and so will our bodies (weight loss). We will lose some battles (overeating) and we will win some.

It is not how many times we fall, but how many times we get up. It is not how you start your race, or anything in between, but it is how you finish. Keep encouraged my friends, and when things seem like they do not go your way, know this: you body may have won a battle, but it has not won the war!!!

When you cannot take another step...

just take one more. Let me tell you what happened to me today.

I have been seeing a lot of people talking about C25K. I always wondered what it meant, so finally I goggled it. It means "Couch to 5 kilometers (or 3 miles)." So I joined the C25K today because I have been thinking to myself for about four or five days that I really want to do a 5k.

I got out of work and then drove past my house then turned down a road and reset my tripometer. I measured 1.5 miles and turned back. The road was pretty close to .1 of a mile from my house. So just as soon as I got home from work I got my wife and my Jack Russell and started out. About 1.1 miles into the walk my knee popped out of place. I could not bend my knee at all anymore. I had to lock it so it would not keep coming in and out. I said to myself this hurts really bad I better start walking back. But at that time I saw the 1.4 mile mark...and I pressed on.

By the time I hit the 1.5 mile mark my opposite ankle and foot started to kill me, probably because I was putting more weight on it than before, but since I already hit half way there was only one way to go, and that was home. I would take a step, and a shot of pain would sear my left knee. Then I would take the next step and my ankle would want to give out from the discomfort. But there was only one way to go...home.

I kept walking thinking if it would never end. Finally a thought entered my head. Pick out a place 20-30 yards in front of me and make that my goal, not getting home, which I knew would be a long ways away.

I hit one, then another, and another, and another. I was walking faster and with less pain. Then I saw it, it was home. I did 3.1 miles today walking...my first 5k ever.

This process isn't about getting to our final destination. If we keep thinking I still need to lose 100 or even 200 pounds to get to our goal weight, most of us will be discouraged. When it seems you cannot take another step, set small goals ones that you know you can achieve even if it hurts. Instead of thinking 100 more pounds to go, think okay all I have to worry about is today, count my calories do my exercise for today. Someone once said, "The journey of a 1,000 miles begins with one step."

I am seriously thinking about changing my weight tracker on here. Not because the goal has changed but I think instead of it showing I need to lose 150 pounds to put it so it says I only need to lose 25 pounds and count how many I have lost. Then do it again. I don't care that I have only been on a diet for two weeks it really ticks me off that my star is STILL off the tracker and is in a way a disappointment.

I am sorry that this is a long post, but I pray that you all keep encouraged and when it seems like you cannot take another step, just go for one more. And if you need it, I will be right here to offer my support and lift you up any way I can.

Sucess...and Distress

Yesterday I hit a huge milestone for me. I ran 18 laps around the EA Active track. I thought that was great...and it WAS great. However, we cannot live on yesterday's milestones. We have to make new one's. Maybe not every day, but we need to be consistently challenging ourselves and then exceeding what we thought we could. On Biggest Loser this past week there was a mini cut scene that really impacted me. Ashley said, "What if I can't do it?" Sheryl just turned her head, looked her way, paused then said, "What if you can?" What if I can!!!

So I challenged myself to do more today than yesterday. Before I even turned on the Wii my calves hurt from yesterday, but I said I would do as much as I could. I started running and got the first 6 laps done in just under five minutes. Then I rested for a minute. Then did another 6 laps in just over four minutes with a 1 minute break in there. Then I did another 6 laps with 2 1 minutes breaks in there. Then I did 4 more with two 1 minute breaks. So yesterday I did 18 laps...today I got it up to 22 laps!!! That's the success.

So what is the distress? I had to stop more and take more breaks. My legs did not hurt. Physically I felt like I could have ran about 22 laps, but I just could not breath. I purposefully breathed and it was not the amount of breaths or the quantity of air I took in? I know that I am just out of shape, but is it better to push myself and not take mini breaks or is it better to catch my breath and then hit it again until I lose it again? I am open to suggestions.

A box of books...

I had my brother in law over for supper today and we had a few minutes to talk. So I shared with him my goals and my current weight. He did not understand what it really meant that I was 152 pounds overweight. Ouch that hurt even saying it! So I got a box out and filled it with books. I thought that it would be about half my weight... I put the box on the scales...hmmm that seemed a bit low. Took the books out and placed them on the scale...the same weight. It weighed 32.5 pounds. That means over I have over 4.5 boxes of books of fat that I need to get off... I am not discouraged but if you are build your own box of books and carry that around for an hour...if you can.

Bethany's Turn

295 pounds is too much for anyone who is 5"6' to weigh. But, since I was irresponsible and allowed myself to reach that weight, now I must be responsible to lose it.



In future pictures, I want to see myself without a double chin, puffy hands, and rounded shoulders. Every journey starts with the first step. My first steps are to monitor what I eat, exercise regularly, and drink plenty of water.