Real Talk with a License Physical Therapist

Well World,

I have been a little stressed over the fact that my ankle is injured. Yes, I still have confidence in myself, Yes, I still believe that I will reach my goal of becoming healthy, but I must say, I have been and continue to be a little down about my ankle. This morning,  I searched my phone contact list and text messaged a former colleague who happens to be a license physical therapist. I informed her of my injury and gave her a little history of what I had been doing. OF COURSE, she said exactly what I didn't want her to say...get some rest don't put any stress on my ankle. I was sooooo not happy to hear that news again. But I asked her because she is a professional and she knows what she is talking about. So I am going to listen. I was under the impressions that I could still jog lightly or do the elliptical machine, treadmill or the stationary bike, but after our conversation...None of these things were recommended...so I was really sad.......tears.....about not doing any cardio at all. So, I guess I will focus on the ankle exercises that she recommended and strength training for the next seven days. This also means that I am going to really have to watch my calorie intake since no cardio will be taking place this week.

Scriture for the Week

Remember to keep saying your positive statement daily. Mine is as follows: "Today, I will be the best I can be in all that I do physically, mentally and spiritually. The choices that I make today will positively effect my goals to reach and maintain my healthy weight, be successful in my business and to be the best I can be for my family. Today, I thank God for being with me and giving me all the tools I need to be consistent, faithful and positive."

Scripture for the week:

Philippians 3:13-14

Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Pinpointed My Emotions

What a great day!!! I came to work early and had great devotional time with the Lord. Phillipians 3 is a great chapter to read for learning to forget things in the past and pressing toward your goals. Paul teaches us in this chapter to keep our mind on Christ and not the flesh or your human make-up (mind,will and emotions) because your flesh can mislead you, but Christ never will. So if you have some free time read chapter 3 of phillipians. It's good.

I weighed in today with a gain. I asked myself what the real culprits were for the weight gain as was presented in my weight management class today. Here was the real true underlying culprit.....

My husband and I celebrated my run during a little getaway this weekend to Tunica County for dinner and a hotel stay. My mother and father were celebrating my mother's birthday so we joined them for a dinner buffet. Of course, I ate more than I should. My mother was so positive. She has not seen me since July, so she was congratulating me on my weight loss success. My father was not so positive. Somehow we got on the subject of how much I weight now and when this number was revealed my dad shook his head in pure disgust. I felt so terrible. After all the hard work I have put into this, my  father can not be happy for me. This has always been the case. He wasn't excited for me when I went off to college, when I worked hard and bought my own car, when I went to graduate school or when I got married or any other success that he couldn't take any credit for. The little girl in me still wants my dad to be proud of me for something. Maybe he is proud of me...I just wish he would show it instead of focusing on the negative.  When I shared with them the foot injury that I suffered last week. He was so ready to tell me how he has never had a foot injury. He told me how I need to lose more weight before I consider doing anymore jogging. This hurt me so. NO COMMENTS ON MY SUCCESS!!! BUT A HECK OF ALOT TO SAY ABOUT MY FAILURES. So the next day, I let my emotions get away from me. I totally ate off schedule for two days. I didn't initially realize that I was upset by my dad's comments or lack thereof. Nor did I choose to ignore my dad's negative comments and focus on the positive comments from my mother.

Good News, I put a finger on an emotion that I have never been able to spot. I WANT MY DAD'S APPROVAL. For years, I have been replacing food for his approval. Maybe not all of my bad habits and overeating is related to this, but I believe the majority of it stems from this need to please my dad and have him like me and tell me, "I am proud of you". I do realize that I am a part of him and if he doesn't like me....he doesn't like a part of himself and there is nothing that I can do about that. That is his problem. So what are my goals for this situation that is bound to happen again: 1. Focus on the positive (even in the  negative statements, find a way to take positive from it) 2. Remember what God has done for me and in me to make me a better person 3. Continue to walk in love and remember I Corinthians 13:5  (Love) It is not rude, it is not sef-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. It felt good to release that. Thanks for listening.

Anyway, so the new excitement that I spoke of Sunday continues. My new week officially starts tomorrow. I am continuing to replace processed low nutrient snacks with fruits and vegetables and other snacks that are nutrient rich. Next weigh in, I will lose not only what I gained, but more. YEA, can't wait to be the best me I can be this week.

Here is a scripture that relates to my Father in Heaven's feelings about me. Maybe this will help you like it has and will continue to help me: Psalms 139:13-17

New Found Fire

I am so excited about starting this week. I feel as if this is the first week of my journey. You know how enthusiastic a person is when they first start a weight management program. Well, for some reason I have that same fire today. I have a new workout plan for this week. I have to make a few changes since my heel and ankle hurts so bad. I realize that life is full of setbacks. What separates successful people from the rest of society is that they don't let setbacks ruin their plans. I will start interval training this week to burn as many or more calories than the jogging program. I have also created a whole weeks menu without processed junk. Wish me luck this week.

Celebration and Physical Challenges

With the race last week and the inclusion of 5 days of running, I overused my muscles this week. I always complete a warm-up and cool-down and light stretching, but I somehow hurt my achilles tendon. I looked on the internet to see how this happended and what I can do about it. I increased my workout too soon after my race. The only solution is rest. So, no more intense jogging for a while. That's okay, I still have other things that I can do to burn calories. I should have not only added the extra days, I should not have worked out on Monday following the race. I should have rested...no worries...injuries happen to athletes. Did you read that??? I called myself and athlete. One thing about athletes, they don't let injuries keep them down.

My husband and I just finished my reward for completion of the race. We spent the a day and night together without my son. That has not happened in almost two years. We had a great time and yes, I ate as if I were on vacation. I still held on to my core values, but I did treated myself. We had soooo much fun.

I pre-ordered a new weight loss book. I am excited to read about someone elses success. It is so motivating. Well, I will talk to you later world. Thanks for checking out my blog.

New Goals

I weighed in today with a 2.6 pound loss. That put me at a total loss of 35 lbs even. Wow, if someone would have told me four months ago that I would lose 35 pounds, I would not have believed you.

What's your truth. Find out what lies you have told yourself and find the truth that you have been hiding from yourself. It is great to acknowledge the truth. The WHOLE truth. When you know the truth...you are set free. My new truth...no excuses, exercise is non negotiable and I have to make healthy choices one at a time.

Tomorrow starts my fifth month of healthy living. I have decided to take it up a notch. I have met most of the initial goals that I have set for myself. So it is time to write new goals. The new goals will include jogging more to increase duration and speed, writing daily, praying more and finding a way to reach out to others who have struggled with weight.

5k Women Walk/Run Memphis 2009 Completed!!!!

Hello All,

I feel great. This morning I completed my first 5k since the start of my healthy journey. I ran the whole time. I did not stop. My husband and son were there to support me. It felt so good to see the finish line. I will definitely do this again next year. There is no feeling like reaching your goals and having people that love you support your efforts.

Scripture for the week

Hebrews 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.

Hey guys, what's your weight? Is it being overweight, worry, stress, unforgiveness...lay it aside so that the "weight" won't hinder your walk with God.

Reaching Out!!!

I have this strong, strong desire to help others who have struggled with weight and body image problems.  I have always said that once I master the keys to keeping my weight under control that I would do something for others. I listen to people with a new set of ears and boy are there lots of excuses and a huge lack of interest in putting health first. We just need a little education. There is so much deception out there.....don't get me wrong, I have been a victum of the lies, myths, and twisted truths related to health too.

Well, on Tuesday I weighted in with a 32 pound loss. Yeah, me!

Sugar, Sugar, Junk, Junk!!!

It is still very difficult for me to admit to myself that I am a sugar addict and that I can't have sweets. Sweets set me off!!! Junk food just takes me to another place. It is so...frustrating. My husband had some family come into town for a funeral. You all know how difficult this was for me. People bring so much food to the homes of the family after death occurs. So many homemade cakes and pies. I had to literally leave the house and go shopping. Whatever it takes to stay on track.....right! Right, but at some point I had to come back to the house. I sat in the living room. I watched DVDs with my son. I went outside...but that sock-it-to-me cake was calling me. I gave in. I stayed within my 1500 calories all week until yesterday. I ate a slice of sock-it-to-me cake. Now most people that don't have the addiction factor would have eaten the cake and been satisfied. Not me..following the cake came chips, then donut, then....yes fried fish and chicken. I ate all of my calorie reserve in one night. Tears......

Smiles......Thank God that today is a new day. God's mercy is new every morning. I will have another opportunity to make good choices at family gatherings as I have done in the past.

Hair and Working Out

I am a professional woman. I have to look my best for my clients and those around me. I am my own product. If the packaging doesn't look good we don't by the product right.....right. Well, I have had this challenge before and I have even stopped working out in the past because of it....yes,,,,ladies..I am talking about my hair. After a 30 plus pound loss, I definitely don't want to stop working out because my of my hair. Okay, this is my newest challenge. With the start of my workout program, everything was slow. I would only sweat a little. This allowed me the opportunity to go home and have complete control of this hair. Now that I am running 2 1/2 to 3 miles my hair looks as if I poured a bucket of water on top of my head. I sweat my hair to the soaked level when I jog. Wrapping or rolling it doesn't help and besides, I have a problem wearing bed attire to the gym. Head caps and rollers are to prepare for going out not to go out in but that's another day, another blog. Anyway, I spoke to my hair stylist about it and she let me know that this is a challenge for a lot of her customers and that we will have to use trail and error techniques to keep my hair healthy and have it look presentable. I was very happy that my stylist is willing to work with me, but I was also disappointed that she didn't have the perfect solution, the perfect formula, the perfect mix of chemicals and treatments. She also gave me a few options: 1. cutting it shorter 2. "up" styles 3. straw sets and 4. a wig. What to do?????What to do??????

5k Training Completed!!!

On Friday, I completed the last jog of my 9 week Couch-to-5k training. It can be found on the cool running website. It is a great program that is easy to follow. I have attempted to complete this program two times (once last year and once about three years ago). Then, I would say to myself "I will try to do this program" or "I hope I can do this program". Those times, I hadn't made up in my mind that I would complete it no matter what. See what a difference determination makes. I was determined to complete that program...nothing stopped me. I have to continue to have that same attitude about eating right as well.

This is a picture of me after completing the program. I felt so good. Next week, I will complete my first 5k with the Women's Run program. I was unable to practice with them due to my work schedule, so I did it on my own. Sometimes you have to do that. Go to: http://www.coolrunning.com/ to find the program I was able to complete. If I can do it you can too.

Realization!

 Tonight as my husband was unlocking the door to our house, it hit me like it never has before. I realized that I will be eating right, jogging, strength training and overcoming my compulsive eating urges for the rest of my life. Not just until I reach my goal weight, but forever. WOW....I am in this for the long run.

New Challenges

This second phase of my journey has posed different challenges. I have been getting more organized as far as planning my meals, but I have stopped doing thing such as adding new receipes that have low calories. I believe that this is why a little bit of boredom is setting in. Any suggestions for spicing up my efforts? Well, I have suggested cutting out processed snacks....yes, snacks...even the 100 calorie snacks that I love to eat. My goal is to get into my healthy body. I feel that this will taste much better than the snacks I love.

Positivity

Hey guys,

I have been reading some really motivational books that have helped me to stay on track (and to get back on track when I fall off). They are called: Fit for God by La Vita M. Weaver and Never Say Diet by Chantel Hobbs. These are not just your average weight loss guides, they are Christian books with scriptures to assist with your mission. It wasn't until the last couple of years did I realize that God wanted me to be healthy. I was always under the impression that it wasn't something that God really had time to help me with. I thought it was my concern or my dilemma. BUT He cares about whatever I care about and I care about liking myself inside and out. So if you get a chance read these books they are very motivating.

Tomorrow starts my new week and I am going to incorporate a scripture to meditate on for the week. I haven't been saying my positive statement every morning, but that is a goal for this weeks. Maybe you will want to do this as well. I know God placed it on my heart to watch my words because of a statement I made to my husband last week which was: "I just completed 12 weeks of healthy eating and have lost 29 pounds. I know the next 12 weeks won't be as easy. I probably won't lose a lot of weight." Immediately after saying this, I felt a flutter in my stomach. I knew I had said something against what I had promised God that I would do.....so I started to think more positive. I later told my husband, "I will continue to lose weight at a rate that is appropriate for me. Although these next 12 weeks will be different from the first, I will still make great progress toward my goals of a healthy life."

So here is my scripture: Proverbs 18:20-21 A man's stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth; from the produce of his lips he shall be filled. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Today I weighed in with a 1.8 pound loss. I have lost a total of 31.4 pounds. I am nearing the half way mark to my goal weight. What an exciting journey!!!