If I had three words to describe gall bladder surgery they would be: painful, draining, and successful. The surgery was a success and despite the pain recovery is going great! My health did unfortunately put a wrench in my exercise plans, but I will be back up and moving real soon. In the meantime, my new sedentary state has given me plenty of time to think about what motivates me and what can help me be the most successful with weight loss.
Well I'd love to improve my wardrobe (wearing a smaller size of course), get my hair done, update my make-up regimen, get a mani and pedi, buy some much needed new music, buy a great book to read or even some jewelry. So many choices and they all have one common theme...money, money, money, money, MONEY!!!! It has been sooooo long since I've spent time doing something nice for me.
Armed with the ultimate weight loss motivator I brainstormed ways to make this work for me without sending my husband into cardiac arrest when he looks at the checking account balance. I read an idea on pinterest that (with a little tweaking) is perfect for me.
This is how it works: I have two jars, jar number one labeled "Pounds To Go" and jar number two labeled "Pounds Lost". Initially I will fill jar number one with ten marbles and each time I lose a pound I will take a marble out of jar number one and place it into jar number two (I'll continue this process until jar number two holds all of the marbles). For every ten pounds lost I will reward myself with $50!!!!! I'll then fill jar number one with ten marbles again and start all over. You can set any number of pounds that you'd like to take off, but start with small goals and be realistic; you're not going to lose 100 lbs in 30 days. My husband is doing another variation of this, he will use the jars as well, but for every pound he loses he will receive $2. This is a competition to see who will be more motivated by their reward and continue on the weight loss journey. Competition is my middle name so I'm certainly not going to lose.
This week set up a friendly weight loss challenge with someone that can help motivate you to lose weight (even if the only real motivation is the refusal to lose the challenge). And remember if you're a fat chic like me stay motivated, be encouraged, and know that inside of every fat chic is a skinny chic waiting to come out.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Fat Chic Wake Up Call
So there's the saying "You don't know what you've got till it's gone" and I've learned this week that this universal statement can also be applied to health. I've always been "healthy"; I mean I've always been full figured a.k.a. overweight, but I've never had any health complications associated with my weight until now.
Of course I had wardrobe and self esteem complications, but even skinny people have those issues. I've always worked really hard to be what I called "healthy". I make sure I brush my teeth daily and floss at least every other day, I try to make sure to get 6-8 hours of sleep a night, I drink 8-16 glasses of water a day, and try to make sure I have at least a vegetable or fruit with every meal. I drink little to no pop or cafeine and I don't eat candy or sweets too often. Despite all of those positive steps my over/emotional/excessive eating habit is slowly and silently killing me.
I'm 30 years old, married, just had my first child, enjoying the prime of my life (like Jay said 30's the new 20--well not really, but I feel young and vibrant). As mentioned in the last entry, I recently got diagnosed with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, carpal tunnel, and found out I have to have my gall bladder removed. If that wasn't enough, I found out during a pre-operative physical that I have a heart murmur and some of my heart valves are leaking, the doctor said nothing to be alarmed with today, but in 10-20 years this coupled with all of that other stuff could be the death of me. Thinking about death at 30 is a hard thing.
Being overweight exhibits lack of self control. Proverbs 25:28 says, "Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self control". My obesity has caused the walls of my city to be broken down and now I'm falling apart. I refuse to kill myself with food. I know this isn't the happy message that you're used to reading from me, but this is a real much needed message.
Hebrews 12:1 says, "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." You are my witness, this is my weight (a.k.a. burden), overeating is my sin, and I am now making the declaration that with patience I will run this race!
This week get an accountability partner who will help motivate your weightloss aspirations.
And remember if you're a fat chic like me stay motivated, be encouraged, and know that inside of every fat chic is a skinny chic waiting to come out!
Of course I had wardrobe and self esteem complications, but even skinny people have those issues. I've always worked really hard to be what I called "healthy". I make sure I brush my teeth daily and floss at least every other day, I try to make sure to get 6-8 hours of sleep a night, I drink 8-16 glasses of water a day, and try to make sure I have at least a vegetable or fruit with every meal. I drink little to no pop or cafeine and I don't eat candy or sweets too often. Despite all of those positive steps my over/emotional/excessive eating habit is slowly and silently killing me.
I'm 30 years old, married, just had my first child, enjoying the prime of my life (like Jay said 30's the new 20--well not really, but I feel young and vibrant). As mentioned in the last entry, I recently got diagnosed with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, carpal tunnel, and found out I have to have my gall bladder removed. If that wasn't enough, I found out during a pre-operative physical that I have a heart murmur and some of my heart valves are leaking, the doctor said nothing to be alarmed with today, but in 10-20 years this coupled with all of that other stuff could be the death of me. Thinking about death at 30 is a hard thing.
Being overweight exhibits lack of self control. Proverbs 25:28 says, "Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self control". My obesity has caused the walls of my city to be broken down and now I'm falling apart. I refuse to kill myself with food. I know this isn't the happy message that you're used to reading from me, but this is a real much needed message.
Hebrews 12:1 says, "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." You are my witness, this is my weight (a.k.a. burden), overeating is my sin, and I am now making the declaration that with patience I will run this race!
This week get an accountability partner who will help motivate your weightloss aspirations.
And remember if you're a fat chic like me stay motivated, be encouraged, and know that inside of every fat chic is a skinny chic waiting to come out!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Skinny Chic M.I.A.
Hello... Hello...It's me, Skinny Chic, is anybody out there? It's been almost 8 months since I've set foot in the outside world, but boy am I excited to be back! I owe you all a HUGE apology. I disappeared due to circumstances that were beyond my control and even though I put up a great fight ultimately Fat Chic prevailed again...I gained 32 pounds, ended up developing high blood pressure (for which I now have medication), carpal tunnel, and now I'll soon be having surgery to remove my gall bladder; But looking on the bright side of this it was all worth it because I was blessed with the most precious and beautiful gift God could have provided...My Lady Bug, Aaziah Carmel Taylor. Due to my extremely unhealthy state I developed 'Pre-eclampsia' and had to deliver my baby 5 weeks early. She was born 4 pounds 10 ounces and she's been fighting from day one. She was born perfectly healthy and blew away every test that the doctors threw at her, so much so, that she never even had to enter the NICU (nursery intensive care unit)!!!! PRAISE GOD!!!!! But now that she's out and my surgery will be completed really soon, it's time to switch focus and begin to make changes so that I can be here to see her have her children.
And so...THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE RESUMES... Since gaining the 32 lbs with pregnancy I've actually lost every last pound, which lets me know it was all baby and water weight and so I'm back where I started.
I'm going to start off slow this time.
For stage 1 of the battle: Beginning this week (I missed yesterday, but from here on out) I am going to walk 1 mile Monday-Saturday. Week 1 will be used to get a baseline or average mile time. Week 2 I am going to walk 1 mile, but this time I'm going to attempt to take 2-4 minutes off my total mile time. I will continue with this routine until I get my total mile time between 10-12 minutes. Once I reach that goal I'll enter stage 2.
We can talk about that more later because IIII'MMMM BBBBAAAACCCCKKKK (singing) IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME...I SHOULDN'T LEFT YOU...WITHOUT A DOPE BEAT TO STEP TO...STEP TO...STEP TO...STEP TO...STEP TO...STEP TO...STEP TO.
And so...THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE RESUMES... Since gaining the 32 lbs with pregnancy I've actually lost every last pound, which lets me know it was all baby and water weight and so I'm back where I started.
I'm going to start off slow this time.
For stage 1 of the battle: Beginning this week (I missed yesterday, but from here on out) I am going to walk 1 mile Monday-Saturday. Week 1 will be used to get a baseline or average mile time. Week 2 I am going to walk 1 mile, but this time I'm going to attempt to take 2-4 minutes off my total mile time. I will continue with this routine until I get my total mile time between 10-12 minutes. Once I reach that goal I'll enter stage 2.
We can talk about that more later because IIII'MMMM BBBBAAAACCCCKKKK (singing) IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME...I SHOULDN'T LEFT YOU...WITHOUT A DOPE BEAT TO STEP TO...STEP TO...STEP TO...STEP TO...STEP TO...STEP TO...STEP TO.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Skinny Chic back in the saddle
By this time of year we all have made “new year’s resolutions” and typically by late February/early March we’ve thrown in our resolution towels and dived face first into pizza, ice cream, or chocolate (whatever your preference). Every year without fail my relapse begins the week of my birthday. It’s like my body is programmed to clock out of everything during that week and it usually takes an act of God (literally) to throw me back on the wagon. Last year after my birthday I didn’t work out for 10 months! This year was a little better considering my past behavior; I only took a 3 week sabbatical from life as I knew it. My husband encouraged me to work out and life kept moving all around me, but all I wanted to do was lay around and eat. I wasn’t sad, tired, or stressed; my body just didn’t want to work out.
A friend of mine pointed out that my body probably responded that way because it’s still looking at exercise as a punishment as opposed to fun. I’m really not buying what she’s selling. I mean honestly, who in their right minds would look at running and lifting weights as fun? When I think of fun I think of laughing, fellowship, and freedom. The words that don’t come to mind with fun are sweat, loss of breath, and pain (nope, I’m really not seeing the fun correlation).
Despite my speculations, I decided to listen to her advice. I’m now setting small rewards for myself to encourage me to workout. For instance if I work out for 2 weeks straight I will reward myself by getting my eyebrows waxed. I love getting my eyebrows waxed so I know this is a great goal. So as long as you don’t see me walking around with a uni-brow you’ll know that I’m still following the plan.
But this is the thing, WE HAVE TO CHANGE OUR SPEECH! I won’t fall off the wagon again because I don’t want to. I’m not a quitter and it’s not my intentions to give up. We must start believing in ourselves and believing in the God within us. To attain my goal of 100lbs of weight loss; I must constantly adhere to the same healthy principles I’ve learned (exercising, eating more fruits and veggies, & watching portion sizes) and not focus on a one time incident of weight gain, weight loss, or motivation drainage. Ralph Marston said “Success is a consistent pattern more than it is an isolated event.” If we establish our healthy lifestyle patterns and are consistent about following them we have no choice but to be successful. My weight loss isn’t about a number, it’s about a lifestyle and I’m willing to fight to make changes that will keep me here for a while.
If you get a chance watch our webcast/internet radio show every Sunday 2pm-3pm http://www.livestream.com/desmoinesamplified and you can also follow me on twitter @Poetic1_Melody.
And remember if you're a fat chic like me stay motivated, be encouraged, and know that inside of every fat chic is a skinny chic waiting to come out.
And remember if you're a fat chic like me stay motivated, be encouraged, and know that inside of every fat chic is a skinny chic waiting to come out.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Fat Chic Burn Out
Burnout: fatigue, frustration, or apathy resulting from prolonged stress, overwork, or intense activity. Waking up at 5 am and exercising 1 1/4 - 2 hours each morning and watching my calorie intake for the past 34 days has burned me out. I actually burned out around day 27 (which explains why I haven’t been back to the gym since that day). During those 27 days working out as intensely as I did I expected to be moving major pounds 10-15 minimum. So imagine my discouragement when I get on the scale and only see 6.6 lbs. That one weigh in turned the scale from my ally to my enemy and in that instance I started planning my attack on every scale in a 30 mile radius. I tried to be optimistic about my meager beginnings, but reality is that this sucks! So I used my February 5th birthday as an excuse to eat what I want and do what I wanted all week, but in actuality I’m just tired. I’m tired of working out and seeing small results. I’m tired of putting forth a ton of effort and not seeing the results.
In the past I would have given up by now. As I drop my head in frustration I’m reminded to read 2 Corinthians 4:8-10. I’m hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. I always carry around in my body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in my body.
That’s why I started this journey in the first place. I’m constantly asking God to use me as a vessel to show the world His grace and mercy and while my lips proclaim my love of God my body shows my disregard for His love. My body shows my lack of self control and God is a God of self control. I want this because I want Him to be able to use me to do whatever He’s called me to do and I don’t want my weight to hold me back any longer. Therefore, for the next leg of this journey I prepare my mind for action; I will be self controlled and set my hope fully on the grace to be given me when Christ Jesus is revealed.
If you get a chance watch our webcast/internet radio show every Sunday 2pm-3pm http://www.livestream.com/desmoinesamplified and you can also follow me on twitter @Poetic1_Melody.
And remember if you're a fat chic like me stay motivated, be encouraged, and know that inside of every fat chic is a skinny chic waiting to come out.
And remember if you're a fat chic like me stay motivated, be encouraged, and know that inside of every fat chic is a skinny chic waiting to come out.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Skinny Chic Team Work
"Team work makes the dream work", I think I may have vomited a little in my mouth just now as I typed that cliche into the computer. Anyone who knows me, knows that I work hard to not be a cliche. I wake up each morning with the thought "what can I do today that is odd, weird, or just different from everyone else". But this week I had an epiphany (epiphany defined as any moment of great or sudden revelation). I've been extremely successful in both my eating and working out. I've made God my focus with each day and have done a complete 180 with everything, but I've been wondering what's so different. I mean why is my motivation this week any different than before. I've been fat for 28 years so why the sudden change of heart?
As I asked these thought provoking questions a strong sensual sexy voice says to me "Babe I'm ready to go to the gym" and all of a sudden it hits me. In our 6 year journey never have my husband and I both been on the same page at the same time when it comes to weight loss. In the past when one's motivated to workout and eat healthy the other wants to sleep and eat burgers. But today, today we are both on the same page; Both up at the gym at 5am daily, both exercising vigorously; Both watching our portion sizes and choosing healthy options. We're both wanting to live a long healthy life and we understand that our choices today directly affect that.
I realized this week that it is so much easier when you have a partner to help you conquer this task of weight loss. Your partner doesn't have to be a boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife. You're partner could be a friend, sibling, parent, roommate, associate, co-worker, etc. The overall goal is to pick a person who's just as motivated as you and someone who's willing to hold you accountable for your day to day choices. I learned this week that team work really does make the dream work. Don't limit your dreams. My dream is to lose 100 lbs, but yours may be to lose more or less or even (heaven forbid) gain weight. Your dream could be to start a company or pursue another passion. Whatever the dream connect with a person who can support you and make that dream work. The entire process should be a little easier to deal with when you have someone to help you through it.
If you get a chance watch our webcast/internet radio show every Sunday 2pm-3pm http://www.livestream.com/desmoinesamplified and you can also follow me on twitter @Poetic1_Melody.
And remember if you're a fat chic like me stay motivated, be encouraged, and know that inside of every fat chic is a skinny chic waiting to come out.
As I asked these thought provoking questions a strong sensual sexy voice says to me "Babe I'm ready to go to the gym" and all of a sudden it hits me. In our 6 year journey never have my husband and I both been on the same page at the same time when it comes to weight loss. In the past when one's motivated to workout and eat healthy the other wants to sleep and eat burgers. But today, today we are both on the same page; Both up at the gym at 5am daily, both exercising vigorously; Both watching our portion sizes and choosing healthy options. We're both wanting to live a long healthy life and we understand that our choices today directly affect that.
I realized this week that it is so much easier when you have a partner to help you conquer this task of weight loss. Your partner doesn't have to be a boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife. You're partner could be a friend, sibling, parent, roommate, associate, co-worker, etc. The overall goal is to pick a person who's just as motivated as you and someone who's willing to hold you accountable for your day to day choices. I learned this week that team work really does make the dream work. Don't limit your dreams. My dream is to lose 100 lbs, but yours may be to lose more or less or even (heaven forbid) gain weight. Your dream could be to start a company or pursue another passion. Whatever the dream connect with a person who can support you and make that dream work. The entire process should be a little easier to deal with when you have someone to help you through it.
If you get a chance watch our webcast/internet radio show every Sunday 2pm-3pm http://www.livestream.com/desmoinesamplified and you can also follow me on twitter @Poetic1_Melody.
And remember if you're a fat chic like me stay motivated, be encouraged, and know that inside of every fat chic is a skinny chic waiting to come out.
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