2013 Good Year Ahead. I am telling ya

Well, its a new year.  I've been blogging now for 2 years.  Thank you to those of you who view my blog regularly and those who have stopped by a time or two.  You've kept me going.  I may have thought that by the end of two years I would be blogging about having found the skinny and maintaining the skinny, but that just isn't how it is.  God has had a different plan.  I've had lots of ups and downs along my journey so far.  I've fallen on ice (remember that?), I been awesome at cooking, counting calories, attempting to calculate ratios, and other exercises that my trainers have pushed me to do.  I've been dedicated 80% of the time.  The other 20% of the time I struggled.  That 20% came Sept-Dec. of 2012.  I'm coming off of that 20% right now. I've learned that about every single level in my body is just right and not causing me problems.  I've been told that I'm genetically pre disposed to being over weight.  I've most recently been told by two of my doctors they believe that I have PCOS.  My biggest accomplishments in the last two years were running my first 5K in 2011 and my first 13.1 (half marathon) in 2012.  So through the struggles I've never stopped blogging or accomplishing.  I'm proud of that.  I've had 4 trainers..... I ate peaches for the first time.... I can do burpees (and use my knowledge of those to keep my football player students behaving in class.... they don't like when I mention "burpees" and "tell your coach" in the same sentence).  I have been in the newspaper, I've set an example for my students.  I've run in the rain, the sun, the snow, and ice.  I found a new favorite class, R.I.P.P.E.D. I have found a physical strength that I didn't know I had.  I have also found a mental strength that I'm still learning to control.

So what does 2013 have to offer?

Well it began with a mean stomach virus.  I've been down for 6 days.  I had this same virus back in Dec. along with a sinus infection.  My goodness.  I hadn't been sick in forever then all of it hit at once.  I'm finally feeling better and headed back to work tomorrow.  You know what I determined about me being sick.  I think its my fault.  I think that for the last few months my activity and exercise levels have been much lower than normal in my opinion making my immune system less capable of fighting off the germs.  Just my opinion. 

So now that that is over I can get on to my goals that I have set for 2013.

My husband and I spent our drive home from my parents house setting 2013 goals.  Not resolutions really... not things that you have to do every day or you fail at because who can really be perfect every day.  Our goals were things we wanted to accomplish in 2013.  So Christmas 2013 we want to look at that goal list and mark them off.  Examples:  Paint specific rooms in our house, pay off debt (we are Dave Ramsey fans and have finally decided to get gazelle intense), get more rest, eat breakfast at home not in our cars, follow a more organized schedule for cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping, etc.

So I have kinda been struggling with how to set my personal health goals.  I saw a friend add of his miles run over 2012.  He aimed for a 5K everyday of 2012 and just came sooo close.  I think he missed few enough days you could count them on your right hand.  he ran like 1100+ miles and lost 40 lbs.  Super Super cool.  He goes to church with my parents.  We enjoyed several running updates from each other through the year.  I definitely want to keep running so I thought about a total mile goal for 2013.  My brother is going for 1000.  I just think 1000 might be too much for me for now.  I truly dont' have a desire to run a 5K everyday or anything like that and I think its for fear of exhausting myself which I have to be careful of with fibro.  So I added up my miles from last year and it was like 100+ for Jan-April when I suddenly stopped running because I ran my half (face palm).  So I think I'm just going to look at it this way.  52 weeks.  6 miles a week would be 300+ miles in the year.  So thats pretty close to 365. So I'm aiming for 365 miles run in 2013.  An average of 1 mile a day.  If I go beyond I go beyond and yay, if not I still have an attainable goal.  Right now due to mega stomach virus I'm at zero.  I'll get right on that! Hopefully tomorrow I will feel up to it.

Moving on..... losing pounds..... I know I was encouraged by my OBGYN to just keep on keeping on and get back into any habits I had slacked on and be patient that even if the pounds didn't drop I would be healthier.... Also encouraged by the Physicians Asst. at my MDs office to back away from the scales and focus on how my clothes fit and to see my OBGYN for further info on the PCOS.  At one time the thought crossed my mind to just own it and make a size 14/16 look cute, but I hate feeling like I'm in a fat suit.  So I'm focusing on one thing the OBGYN said.... "if you keep going, the weight will eventually start to come off and when it does you will get momentum and have more success"  The more I read the more I realize this is a PCOS thing.  PCOS is all hormonal and affects weight and is affected BY weight.  So when you manage to lose a few pounds the hormones shift closer to normal and then you can lose a few more and they shift more etc.  I've heard one opinion (not my doctors, but someone else's doctor's) that with PCOS every 5% of your weight that you lose is easier than the previous 5%.  Now that sounds like a deal....

So I needed a plan.... a plan that wouldn't allow me to lie to myself..... a plan that would be there on good days and bad days, in restaurants, at home, everywhere I go.  I needed someone else to think for me a little bit because I was tired of thinking.  There was one thing that I NEVER accomplished... a balanced ratio between carbs, fats, proteins.  I was given appropriate ratios by trainers and my doctor agreed with them, but that stupid pie chart on myfitnesspal never was right no matter how much I tried or planned ahead. 

My mom and a friend of hers were going to start South Beach diet in Jan together, so I started thinking about SB diet.  (I decided not to do it, so keep reading) That is the ONLY diet that has ever worked for me.  Summer of 2003 after high school graduation I lost the 25 lbs that I had gained that year.  I thought well low glycemic levels would be good for PCOS, but I kept thinking that it seemed like a lot of restrictions and I knew if my hubby was going to do something with me restrictions wouldn't be best.  I didn't want restrictions quite that much either.... then something happened...

I showed my hubby another success picture of a friend who had lost 60 lbs (I think.. if I remember the number right) this past year and has similar obstacles.  He said " How'd she do it?" I said "weight watcher" and moved right on down my facebook newsfeed.  I had NEVER wanted to do weight watchers.  Then my husband said something "Do you want to do weight watchers?  I'll do it with you?" I said "No, why do you think I want to do it?" He said, "Well, every single success story of a friend you show me you tell me they did weight watchers, so I thought that was your way of telling me you wanted to do it"  Bless his heart he was trying to figure me out and I wasn't even trying to subtly say anything this time.  I hadn't noticed the trend.... but it WAS there.  I got on facebook and messaged all my friends who had had success with weight watchers and they all had great things to say and were very supportive and highly suggested it.  I got online and read. Talked to my friend that I mentioned above.  I thought I wanted to do it.  Yesterday hanging out sick at home I texted one of my very best friends who I've always had great weight loss conversations with who also has similar obstacles.  I said out of nowhere to her "I'm thinking about doing weight watcher...."
her text back "No way!, I seriously just signed up for ww online like 2 min ago."
That was it.  It was my sign.  I truly believe God was saying through all of these friends but particularly her.  DO IT!

I went to the dr. yesterday and had to have blood panels done etc. for this silly virus.  So I asked the PA about it.  She thought it was a fantastic idea.  She said "out of all the diets out their WW is by far the best one".  So with her blessing, God's blessing, and lots of friends to encourage me I signed up last night.  I'm doing it online.  I'm pretty excited.  I have a friend with PCOS that has lost on weight watchers.  I have a friend that lost weight on ww to get to her goal before having a baby, then after the baby back to her goal minus another 5 lbs.   You know those ratios I was talking about?  Well, weight watchers does that for you.  I'm so excited to have a good ratio without having to bang my head against a wall (I never really did that, but wanted to).

I counted my points and was way under yesterday because I was trying food (beyond saltine crackers) for the first time.  So I expected to be under but wanted to practice tracking.  Today I was under by 3 points, still not eating quite like normal.  Hoping for a normal day tomorrow and exercise added back in.  So here's to a brand new, never tried it before, plan for 2013.  Bring it on!!!

I'm also so happy to have my hubby on weight watchers with me.  Watch out!

So my goals for 2013:

• get more sleep, lots of weight loss statistics there
• eat breakfast at home in the mornings
• do weight watchers
• run 365 miles this year
• schedule workouts ahead of time in order to accomplish more
• run a 10k
• run another 13.1 (lexington got cancelled, picking a new one)
• bike more (i have an awesome Trek, why is it collecting dust)
• cook more

Oh and a current goal for my husband and I that is helping us weight wise and wallet wise....

In Jan. we are striving to not eat out AT ALL.... notta, none, zero.  So far we've done it.  It's not been easy, especially being sick it would have been way easier to let Brandon pick up his own dinners, but I have cooked the last few days anyhow.  I think after the initial detox of restaurants and whatever on earth makes us so addicted to them we won't even want them any more.  Join us on that challenge.


*** Lose it before they do challenge.***
Anyone still in?  The before the new season part is over and I lost like 2 lbs.  Let me know if you are still in.  Now comes the second half.  Sunday is the premier! Yay! Gotta get my NBC channel fixed, stopped coming in for some reason today.  I was sad.  As a teacher I NEVER get to see the Today's show, so I was going to watch it while home sick.  Nope.. didn't get to.

So here's what I need from my readers.... keep reading, share my blog with others please, and comment to me.  Today for this blog please let me know if you are also not eating out, or doing Weight Watchers.  I love hearing from y'all.

Best Wishes and God's Blessings to you all!