BLT4ever

I didn’t lose any weight at my last weigh in this last Sunday. Does that make me happy? No. Does it upset me? Not really. I mean, it does kinda suck because I want to always be on the losing end. But I am not on the gaining end and that is what would be upsetting. What would be upsetting would be if I stopped doing what I should be doing and fell back into my old lazy habits. That will NEVER happen, so it’s all good!

I do think this subject is important to talk about because we so often focus on the scale and the numbers it shows us. If we aren’t continually going down, we can often get depressed and give up. I’ve chosen not to do so this time around. I’ve chosen to keep fighting the good fight and to never give in. NEVER. This means even when I get to my final goal weight, I won’t stop. There is no “end” to this if it is to be done right. To be determined to win means I will never give in, not even when the scale is my worst enemy.

I’ve been working hard, I’ve done everything the way I should. I even change things up a bit here and there to try and prevent the plateaus from coming. But here was one anyway. So what, big deal. I see the big picture now and no little setback is going to change anything for me.

In a strange way, I am actually thankful for this small setback. It will help to determine my character. It will show me where my dedication lies. This too strengthens me!

“Desire is the key to motivation, but it’s determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek.” - Mario Andretti

This last Saturday we went to the dojo for a dojo run. Every two months or so the kids are required to run 1-2 miles depending on what they ran last time. Nick (he is 11) didn’t have to run this time but we figured we should go anyway because the more practice you get, the better.

Last time I went along too and did a fast walk for the 2 miles that Nick was required to run. This time around I prayed that I could run one full lap without stopping, which would be .4 of a mile. I haven’t even been able to come close to that; would just run about .1 of a mile before stopping. But I was determined this time to get that full .4 of a mile in.

My husband, Brice, kept pace with Nick so that Nick could complete his two miles. I ran just behind them with my son Brice (he’s almost 15) to pace me. It was really hard, but before I knew it I completed the first lap and went right on running into the second lap! I managed to stay right behind my husband and Nick until just before the end of the second lap when I started to feel a little dizzy. So, I slowed down and did a fast walk/run for the remainder of the two miles. In the end I ended up running almost the entire two miles with just the few quick walking breaks in between. At one point I even out ran my son Brice because he got tired and stopped before I did.
At the end it was GREAT, I felt so good for what I had accomplished. I was THRILLED with my results, almost two whole laps without stopping once!!! I RAN for just under .8 of a mile!!! Do you have any idea how incredibly cool that is to me? I’ve never been a runner. Even back in high school when I was skinny I didn’t run. Not because I couldn’t, but rather because I was “too cool” to do so. What an idiot I was. Truly.

One VERY cool thing that I must also blog about. During the run, my daughter Britney (she’s almost 17) walked with our younger son Noah (he’s 6), since he is too little to do the run just yet. One of the sempai’s was there to help out at the midway point and he was walking and talking with Britney and Noah until he got to the midpoint. Britney later told me about part of the conversation. It went like this: Sempai said, “Your mom is so awesome running like she is.” Noah replied, “Yeah, she really is. She’s lost one hundred pounds and is getting skinny now.” Sempai then told them, “She’s doing so good, she has even inspired me to eat healthy and exercise more.” Noah says, “Yeah.” Like it’s all within his realm of knowledge.

Noah is so flippin’ AWESOME! That boy makes me so proud, he OWNS my heart!

Throughout my journey here I’ve been placing mini goals to lose 10% of my original body weight at a time. My ultimate goal is to get to 160 and then from there re-evaluate just where I think I want to be. My first really BIG goal though, was to lose 100 lbs. by my 37th birthday on July 31st.

I DID IT!!!

After only seven months, I achieved what I used to think would be impossible!

You may remember that my two youngest boys have been attending karate classes for the past three years, and while they’re in class I walk/run 2-3 miles by going around the empty lot across the street. Nick, my 11 year old is a brown belt and Noah, my just about 6 year old tested for his orange belt this last Saturday, and the neatest thing happened after. At the end of class, Sensei’s wife Wendi came onto the floor and asked everyone to remain seated because she had a couple of announcements to make. The first one was that there are a couple of boys that attend the dojo who’ve had heart problems and they’re going to be in a walk for the American Heart Association in San Diego and they’re in need of donations.

She then proceeded to talk about a “woman who has been so inspiring to her these past few months”, she got emotional and started crying and covered her face with the papers in her hand and said, “I can’t even look at her.” Then she asked me to come onto the mat. She talked about what a blessing me and my family have been to the dojo, how they consider it a pleasure to teach our boys and watching them at functions together, how Nick takes such good care of Noah. She talked about how my husband was in Iraq for so long when we first started attending, and thanked him for his service.

Then she talked about how she remembers when we’d been coming for a few months that I told her I was going to quit smoking after having smoked for 22 years, because I sat there every day with my boys and I knew that I had to do what was right for my family and I wanted to be healthy for them. She admired me for that, the dedication that it took to quit. Then she said this last January I decided to take it up a notch and began to lose weight by doing it the right way, by eating right and exercising. She told everyone how I’m out there every day walking, even when it was 109° outside I’d be out there walking. She said that I have been such an inspiration to her, and in turn an inspiration to the kick boxing and pilates classes that she teaches. She would motivate her classes by telling them about me! She then presented me with a certificate to attend classes free for the next SIX MONTHS! Her and her husband are such good people, they truly are.

I really wish we’d gotten it all on video tape, but we had only brought our camera for Noah’s test. Oh how I wish that I had all the wonderful things she said on tape so that I could listen to them again! I’ve never had my praises sung by another like that, it was such an awesome experience! I do have a couple of pictures and in my heart the words will stay.

So, to make a long story just a little shorter….Kick boxing classes go Mondays & Tuesdays from 7:15-8:15 pm. Pilates go Wednesdays & Thursdays from 7:00-8:00 pm. I have attended two kick boxing classes and the one Pilates class so far this week. I will go to the second Pilates class tonight, too. I had a great time at both of the classes. Both are very difficult, ALOT of work! I was literally dripping sweat by the end of the kick boxing classes. But, both were fun and I am SOOO thankful to Wendi for giving me such a generous gift. Six months FREE! I am so thrilled to have these classes to add to my arsenal!