Friday, December 21, 2012

18 Month Update

Hey there!  I'm almost a week late with my 18-month update post, since Sunday was my official check-in date, but I have been really sick with the respiratory junk that had been going around, and just haven't had it in me to sit down and write a post until today.  I started getting sick Sunday afternoon and went downhill from there with the fever, sore throat, chest and head congestion, coughing, weakness, and everything that comes along with it.  I was sicker than I can remember being in several years!  From Tuesday evening through Thursday morning, I didn't even leave my bed for over 34 hours (with the exception of a few trips to the bathroom).  I am finally starting to feel a little better today, so there's still hope for being better before Christmas!  Anyway, on to the update...

As of my 18-month weigh-in on December 16th, for the month I lost 11.4 pounds which took me to a grand total of down 151.20 pounds in 18 months! 

I had a goal of reaching 150 pounds lost by the 18-month point, so I was really excited to see that I had exceeded it!  I cheered when I saw the number on the scale, and then burst into tears.  My sweet husband hugged me and kept telling me over and over again how proud of me he was.  It was definitely a good morning!

Every time I look at the numbers and see where I'm at, compared to where I've come from, I can't help but praise God for the changes He has helped me make in my life.  No, I cannot say that it has always been easy, because change rarely is simple, but I can honestly say it has been easier than I ever imagined it would be, and difficult or not, it has always been good and well worth the effort!

"For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength"
Philippians 4:13, NLT


(Just a reminder/disclosure…I am not a medical professional or certified trainer, so anything I write in this blog is not intended to be taken as advice, guidance, or recommendations.  It is simply a journal of my own personal experiences.  Thanks!)


Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Hello Facebook!

I am excited to tell you that I have set up a Facebook page for my blog!  I would love for you to check it out and to Like it while you're there.  Just click this link to go directly to the page (you'll have to log on to Like it):

www.facebook.com/FromPolyesterToSpandex

This will take you right to my page, where you can click to Like it, and then don't forget to hover over the Like button and check the box for "show in news feed" so that you don't miss any of the posts.

I'll be posting links whenever I have written a new blog, as well as fun updates from time to time.  I promise not to overwhelm your newsfeed! 

When I first began my journey to lose 225 pounds through healthy choices in food and exercise, I had a hard time finding others who had succeeded in doing what I was trying to accomplish.  I found many examples of folks who had lost 100 or even 150 pounds without surgeries, programs, fad diets, or other extreme measures, but those who have lost over 200 pounds "on their own" so to speak, were a lot fewer and farther between.  Although I'm still working towards my goal (down 147 pounds so far!), I hope that my story can be an encouragement to others.

Please feel free to share the link on your own Facebook page and help me spread the word about From Polyester to Spandex!

(Just a reminder/disclosure…I am not a medical professional or certified trainer, so anything I write in this blog is not intended to be taken as advice, guidance, or recommendations.  It is simply a journal of my own personal experiences.  Thanks!)

Friday, December 7, 2012

Another Openin', Another Show

As I mentioned in a previous post titled, "I Like It! I Really Like It!",  I was actively involved in band, vocal music, and theatre throughout high school and college, and even majored in Music Education when I attended college (the first go around) right out of high school.  I have always had a great love of performing.  There is something about telling a story, be it through word or music, that has always been dear to me.  The conveyance of thought and emotion via the arts is simply a part of who I am.  With that in mind, I just love how God brings the pieces of our lives together!  I have been very blessed to have served for the last 20 years in the arena of church drama ministry, and have worked as the Creative Arts pastor for my church the last several years.  It has been one of my greatest joys to share the Gospel in this manner.  My passion for sharing the thruths of God's Word has been blended beautifully with my love of the arts, and I am so thankful for that!

Recently, an opportunity came up that has returned me to my traditional theatre roots!  I had heard that a local theatre was holding auditions for one of my all-time favorite shows, "The Music Man", and after some prayer and discussion, my family decided that my oldest son and I would both audition.  I am happy to say that we were both cast!  This is proving to be a great time for me to sharpen my skills and learn from others, as well as to expand my network of friends who are locally involved in the arts.  Plus, I love that I'm getting to share this experence with my son!  We've only had a few rehearsals so far, but we're already having a blast with it!

As I think about actually performing in this type of show again, I cannot help but realize that 146 pounds ago, I would have never even considered auditioning.  Oh, I would have wanted to very much, but my physical condition would have kept me from it.  I wasn't sick or battling any illness, but there is no way I could have stood on my feet through the long rehearsals or had the endurance to make it through 15 performances over three weeks.  Not to mention, there is a good amount of dance that is involved in this show as well.  Just the small section we learned at auditions would have been enough to do me in back in the days before I started losing weight.  Now, I'm actually finding myself looking forward to starting the choreography work in the coming rehearsals!  I'm thinking I need to wear my HRM to dance rehearsals so I can track how many calories I burn! 

Day after day, I am realizing how much better my life is becoming as the extra pounds fade away.  Don't misunderstand, I'm not saying that losing weight is making me into a better person or changing who I truly am.  I'm still the same person, with the same heart as before.  But what it is doing however, is allowing who I really am to come out of hiding.  Each pound lost represents a restriction that I break through.  I can psycially do more than I have in years, and I'm loving every minute of it!  Even though two years ago I would have argued that my weight was not holding me back from living and enjoying my life, I was wrong, but I couldn't see it until I started making changes.  I am able to do things and actively participate fully in life in ways I didn't realize I had been missing out on until now!

If I feel this good now, I can hadly wait to see what life is like when I reach my goal!

(Just a reminder/disclosure…I am not a medical professional or certified trainer, so anything I write in this blog is not intended to be taken as advice, guidance, or recommendations.  It is simply a journal of my own personal experiences.  Thanks!)

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Lost a Person

When I first set out to lose weight, I knew it would take some time to reach my final goal of losing 225 pounds.  After all, a person doesn’t gain that much weight overnight, and I didn’t expect it to disappear that fast either.  I have always been very realistic about my approach, and planned from the onset for it to take around 2-and-a-half years.  My projections have been right on target so far, as I am 17 months in and am about 64% of the way there (okay, yes, I’m a numbers geek, I admit it!).  When you’ve got that much weight to lose, and know it’s going to take a while, finding creative ways to evaluate your progress helps keep things interesting.  For instance, you could say that I have lost the equivalent of:

- 28 (almost 29) 5-lbs bags of sugar
- 32,535 M&Ms
- 16 (almost 17) gallons of whole milk
- 6 cases of 24 bottles of water
- 12 bowling balls (12 pounds each)

Once I had lost around 120 pounds or so, when people found out how much I had lost, I often heard comments like, “Wow!  You’ve lost an entire person!”  This remark has never felt more appropriate to me than it does today…As of this morning, I have now lost 144.6 pounds, which is more than my husband, who comes in at 143.3 pounds, weighs! 

When I put it into this perspective, before I started losing weight, it was like I had my husband taking a piggyback ride on my shoulders all day, every day!  It’s no wonder I was tired all the time and didn’t have much energy!  Although I love my husband dearly, I’m not altogether sure that’s what the vow, “to have and to hold” was really talking about!

Only 80.4 pounds left until I reach my goal…hmmm, that’s about the equivalent of one of my kids plus my dog’s weights! 

(Just a reminder/disclosure…I am not a medical professional or certified trainer, so anything I write in this blog is not intended to be taken as advice, guidance, or recommendations.  It is simply a journal of my own personal experiences.  Thanks!)

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Face Photos

Just a quick comparison photo set today!  From six months before I started losing weight, to today, down 143.5 pounds in a little over 17 months!  Looking at the old picture, I can't help but see the huge difference in my neck and chin.  Sometimes, despite the numbers that show up on the scale, I have to go back through photos to remind myself of how far God has brought me on this journey!



(Just a reminder/disclosure…I am not a medical professional or certified trainer, so anything I write in this blog is not intended to be taken as advice, guidance, or recommendations.  It is simply a journal of my own personal experiences.  Thanks!)

Monday, December 3, 2012

Out to Lunch

I just finished a quick lunch time grocery shopping trip to Publix to stock up on items for my breakfasts, lunches, and snacks I eat at work and was thinking about how drastically different my lunch time “run out to pick up something” routine is from a year-and-a-half ago.  Before I made my changes to living a healthier life, I didn’t think twice about running through a drive-through to grab a biscuit and hashbrown on the way to work, and then hitting the drive through yet again for a burger and fries, or tacos, or something equally as bad for me. These days, that has all changed.  Now, I stock up my work fridge and cabinet and eat in my office.

Here’s what I bought today:

3 cases of bottled water
2 jars of no-sugar-added pickles
2 bowls of deli-made peach-mango salsa
3-pound bowl of seedless watermelon
1 pound of strawberries
3 packs of turkey sausage patties
2 cartons of blueberries
1 pack fiber granola 90-calorie bars
1 dozen hardboiled eggs
2 pounds fresh cut pineapple
2 bananas
1 pound cut broccoli
1 loaf healthy life bread
1 pack flat out light wraps

Looking at this list makes me very happy.  Is it completely unprocessed?  Nope, but most of it is, and the things that aren’t still represent decent choices for their respective items.  These things, along with a few things I already had on hand at work left over from my last shopping trip (including some deli turkey, hummus, carrots, tuna, chicken, and other things), will carry me through my daytime meals for the next two work weeks or so.

When I compare a lunch meal from before with a typical lunch meal today, it looks something like this:

THEN  - 1,630 Calories and 72 grams of Fat              
Bacon Cheeseburger C-790; F-39                              
Large Fries C-500;  F-25                                           
Caramel Sundae C-340; F-8                                       

NOW – 377 Calories and 9 grams of Fat
Turkey Sandwich – C-130; F-1
1 Cup Broccoli – C-25; F-0
2 tbsp hummus – C-70; F-6
2 cups watermelon – C-92; F-5
1 oz. sugar-free pickles – C-0; F-0
Sugar-free pudding cup – C;60; F-1.5

The difference in the two is really amazing!  What more can I say about it?  It costs much less for me to eat healthy, it requires less time since I’m no longer waiting in drive-through lines twice a day, and the reduction in calories and fat grams (not to mention, sodium, carbs, sugars, etc.) is HUGE, and in the end, my overall health and weight are significantly improving as a result of the changes.  You just can’t argue with that!

(Just a reminder/disclosure…I am not a medical professional or certified trainer, so anything I write in this blog is not intended to be taken as advice, guidance, or recommendations.  It is simply a journal of my own personal experiences.  Thanks!)