Back on track

Starting back in the right direction again. I had a weird adventures in gymnasium event this week. I managed to forget to take my lock off of my locker at the gym on Weds after I was done getting dressed in street clothes again and discovered on Friday that someone took it and kept it. That's right, someone stole my combination lock. Without knowing what the combination is. Some people will steal anything, I guess. Been working the dadavation challenge too and I guess that's been enough working out, since I edged down this week after edging up the last two. It's nice to be back on the path again.



Weight: 356.8 (down 2.2 this week. Down 5.8 since the start)
Water: more than humans should consume. I seriously drink a ton of water.

Mamavation Monday - scary pictures!

Ok, these are some scary pictures. I feel like I worked my butt off on the 2 week challenge, but this a set of kind of underwhelming results. It just means I'm setting myself up for some great results in MILI! I'm having trouble getting my digital scale to behave. These are off a mechanical scale, but I'm going to get a working digital one tomorrow and append a weight photo. I'm excited to get started with MILI. I know we're going to kick butt on it and I can't wait to get started!


BEFORE
Weight:365.6

Chest: 59

Waist: 58.5

Hips: 51.5

Thighs: 27" (left) and 27" (right)

After 2 weeks challenge and start of MILI
Weight: 362.6

Chest: 59

Waist: 56.5

Hips: 51

Arms: 15" (left) and 17.5" (right)

Thighs: 25" (left) and 25" (right)

So a grand total of 3 pounds and 6 inches. And tomorrow we start another exciting journey on the road to great health. Everyone kick butt!

Edited the weights. Clearly I was right not to trust the mechanical scale. Bah. This is my starting point and from here, it's up to me.

Mamavation Monday - Changes

Happy Sunday? I know..I know...I never post on Sunday. Nobody panic though. I have a very good reason. I almost typed raisin there. I don't know why. Anyway, tomorrow is going to be a busy day. I have to go into town early to drop off some paperwork at the kiddo's school, go to the post office, leave tons of comment love (hanging out at the library until it's time to pick up the kids), do the usual kid routine and then rush home to prepare for the big announcement tomorrow night.

I want to thank everyone who left me comment love or messaged me to show me your support in what's turning into a very difficult time*. Deciding to back out of the campaign was one of the hardest decisions I've had to make in a very long time and it broke my heart. I spent a workout and a morning crying and then I decided to stop being a victim. Sometimes life happens but that doesn't mean I have to let it define me or what I can do. I confess that I half-assed my way through a couple of workouts and I have the results I do  because of that. It's ok. That was then. This is now and now, I'm up and going again.

So, since Justin and I won't be doing Campaign 10, Leah has been nice enough to allow us to continue in the MILI challenge. As part of that, we're required to post before pictures...what you didn't see at this point was me going nonononono! You see, I forgot to get a scale picture earlier and of course, I've eaten by now...so this scale picture? Well, it's fairly close to my weigh in. That'll teach me to think I'm on top of things!

Now, as I was saying...Before pictures. Since I'm a "single" mom right now, I had to get Roger (my 10 year old) to help out by taking these pictures. He cracked me up acting like a professional photographer. He was jumping around saying now, lift your chin just a little..there..there..Ok, got it. Now turn and pose for me. We actually had fun doing something I was nervous about doing. I haven't seen a full body picture of me in years and this is a bit of a reality check for me. Ready? Here they are...me....

Ok, wow. I am totally and utterly embarrassed to post those. Sometimes it's hard to see this kind of thing. It's hard to believe that I'm down 15 pounds from where I started this journey. What must I have looked like before? Ok, deep breath time. I am not going to feel bad. I am going to take these pictures and use them as motivation. Yep, I can and I will.

Ready for the next picture? This is my scale picture. Sadly, it doesn't show the number that it showed this morning but that's ok. It shows a very good approximation of where I am on this journey.

I apologize that it's blurry. No one told me just how hard it would be to get a scale picture! I had my camera, on and ready to go on the counter next to the scale. By the time I'd grab it, point it at the scale and press the button, the numbers had vanished! I think I took about 5 pictures before I managed to be fast enough. Nobody told me there was agility training involved in MILI!

I have one last set of figures to give you...the measurements . Since the 2 week challenge is also ending tomorrow, I'm going to post these in 2 sets. The first set will be where I was before I started the 2 week challenge. The 2nd set is where I'm ending it and beginning MILI. 

Before:

Weight: 278.4

Chest: 48" (damn big boobs!)

Waist: 45.5"

Hips: 54.5" (mama's got her some birthing hips?)

Arms: 19" (left) and 17.5" (right)

Thighs: 28" (left) and 29" (right)

After 2 week challenge/at start of MILI:

Weight: 276.8 (really 276.4 but I'm going with the scale picture for this) -1.6 pounds

Chest: 48"

Waist: 40.75" -4.75"

Hips: 54.5" 

Arms: 18" (left) and 17" (right) -1" and -.5"

Thighs: 27" (left) and 27.5" (right) -1" and -1.5"

Grand Total Change: -1.6 pounds and -8.75"

While it's not as wow as I've seen some do, I'm totally happy with it. I've had a really rough couple of weeks and I've done some emo eating and I've slacked off on some workouts. It seems my hips and chest aren't quite ready to let go but that's ok because the rest of my body is on board and I know they'll give in one of these days. 

Now, for the weekly wrap up:

Average Daily Water Intake: 50oz (still struggling with this!)
Workouts: Gruntstyle 2 week challenge
Weight Change: 276.4 (-.8 pounds)
Overall Weight Change: -15.2 pounds

I just want to say good luck to all of the remaining applicants. Just remember, I might not be in this campaign, but I am still here to support you and to cheer you on. My shoulders and ears are always available, online or off. 

* I got the call from my uncle(s) yesterday. Starting October 20th, I will be spending Thursday night - Monday morning at my grandmother's house, helping to take care of her. 

Farewell to a Dream

This is me this morning. I feel like a beautiful landscape overshadowed with storm clouds. Last night, we had to make one of the toughest decisions that I've had to make for a long time. We had to decide to withdraw from the running in the Mamavation campaign. I didn't want to. I cried and agonized over this decision. I'm still crying this morning. Getting into a campaign has been a goal of mine for the past 6 months. I thought we had finally found the time to do it and we applied. We applied and were made finalists. I know that everyone who applied was made a finalist, but still, it felt good. It felt so good to see the support and the love that I didn't know was there.

I know people will ask what happened. I know they'll want to know why we pulled out. I can only say family. We had to pull out from a campaign that could have helped us and our boys so much because of my family. My grandmother, who in all reality is my mother, has cancer and my uncles no longer want her staying alone because she's fallen a couple of times and laid there on the floor because she didn't want to be a bother to anyone in the middle of the night. Even though there are 6 grown adult children over there, they can't seem to figure this out on their own and want me to step in.

Do you want to know the truth? I'm angry. I'm angry as hell with them. I'm angry that I'm the grandchild and I have to be the grown up for them because they can't do it themselves. I'm angry that some of them are so self-focused that they don't stop to think that I have a family. I have children. I have things I should be doing. But, I love my grandmother and would do anything for her and if me being there makes the time she has left easier, I'll sacrifice for that.

The worst part? It's not that I feel like I'm letting Leah and everyone down, though that part is hard. It's the fact that my 11 year old son had a well child check up this morning and was in the 93rd percentile for weight. For most kids, that wouldn't be a big deal. For a child with cerebral palsy, who has joint and muscle issues, it is. We've been told we have to get his weight down by January. If it's not, she's going to put him through thyroid and diabetes testing.

I'm angry and I'm scared and I'm in tears as I write this post. I feel like I've been a horrible parent for allowing his weight to get that high. Don't bother telling me how he's at his dad's house 5 days a week and I'm not responsible for that. It doesn't matter. I'm his mom. I'm his mom and because of 6 grown adults who can't get their act together, I just had to give up an opportunity that could have helped my baby boy.

So, to everyone who has supported us or voted to us, I have to say thank you. You have no idea what that means to me. I thought we had no chance of winning and then suddenly there were all these people saying they'd voted for us and cheering us on. Thank you. With everything I have in me, thank you.

Now, I have to go blow my runny nose, wipe my eyes and take a few deep breathes. After all, I may not be the super mom who can do it all, but I still have a 2 week challenge workout to complete, a guest post to write, a phone charger to buy, a weight room/pool punch card to buy, healthy snacks to research, a massively difficult conversation with my ex-husband to have and whatever else life throws at me today.

I am so sorry to those I have let down, including myself. I feel like a failure right now because I couldn't do it all. I hope you can forgive me.

Monday,monday...

Last week just kicked my ass. Week one of the 2 week challenge is down, but week 2 is coming along now. It was incredibly hard and I lost 2 whole pounds and 2 whole inches. It's not a finish, but it is a start. I'll be pleased to keep doing that a for a couple of months. That would put me down 20 pounds and 20 inches and I think I would be quite pleased. :) I'm in the running for mamavation 10. More on that later, but I really am trying to qualify for something with mama in the word. Who knew!

Mamavation Monday - Finalists?!?

Wow, where do I start? I guess I should start out by saying I totally stole this week's graphic from this post here. I did that because something amazing has happened. Somehow, Justin and I were made finalists for the next Mamavation campaign. If you don't know what that is, it's a 7 week bootcamp for the both of us. If we won, we would be provided with individualized help from such awesomeness as Pete Cohen, Alyssa (sorry, girl! I don't know how to spell your last name!) and Daniel. Honestly, it's an amazing opportunity and I never expected that we would make finalists. So, here's the thing. To win, we have to get people to vote. Honestly, as long as it's legal, we can make that happen anyway we want. In the past, I've seen giveaways done. I've seen mad scrambling and all sorts of craziness. Now, I'm as wacky as the next girl, but here's the thing...I don't have anything fitness related to do a giveaway with right now and I'm not in a financial position where I can go buy something. So, are you ready for this?








I'm just going to ask you! I'm not going to say I'm more deserving than anyone else. I'm not going to bribe you for votes. I'm just going to ask: If you think we would be inspiring...if you think we would rock this...if you think we deserve this, would you please go vote for us? We're craftsbykatie and justinvation. That's all. Now, on to my regularly scheduled post.

This past week was full of week 1 of the 2 week challenge. Wow. That's the one word used to describe this. I nearly broke down in tears on Day 5. It tried very hard to kick my ass but I said nope and I kept going. I have to say a major thank you to Megan (nccarterfamily) and to Justin for pushing me through that workout. Their encouragement and support made a huge difference to me!

Now, for the numbers...and for the first time ever, I'm going to write under them. I feel like I should insert another drumroll, but for space sake, could you just play the above one again?


Average Daily Water Intake: 50oz
Workouts: Gruntstyle 2 week challenge
Weight Change:277.2 (-.2 pounds) ** Edit: reweighed and I'm down -1.2 for this week! Yay!
Overall Weight Change: -13.4 pounds  (corrected number = -14.4 pounds total!)


Yep, all that work and I only lost .2 pounds. How discouraging is that? So, remembering what we always tell the other girls, I went and got the tape measure. I figured that if the core monster was gaining muscle, I could live with that loss for this week. After one week of the 2 week challenge, here are my numbers:


Starting:
Arms: 19" (L) & 17.5" (R)  <---- I keep telling people I'm lopsided. Now maybe they'll believe me.
Waist: 45.5"
Hips: 54.5" <----- Isn't that scary? Another reason to vote for us!
Legs: 28" (L) & 29" (R)


After 1 Week:
Arms: 19" (L) & 17" (R) <---- -.5 inches on the right arm! Now I'm even more lopsided!
Waist: 42" <---- Umm...that's minus 3.5 inches. Does that mean I do have a core? 
Hips: 54.5"
Legs: 28" (L) and 28" (R) <---- Woot! My right leg caught up with a 1" loss!


Grand Total Change: -5 inches. That's after 1 week. Is that even possible? It must be because tape measures don't lie!


This post is sponsored by Brita and I took the Brita Challengehttp://bit.ly/oRnbqd to be entered into a giveaway hosted by Mamavation – a community dedicated to obesity prevention & weight loss for women .

2 week challenge

Ok, so time for me to get seriously serious about this. Starting tomorrow I'm going to be doing the 2 week challenge from mamavation. I know it's going to seriously kick my butt. I've seen some of the previous ones and they look just brutal. Katie likes to joke that she doesn't have a core, and I think I'm going to wish I didn't have one. I have a core and it's going to be so mad at me. They're going to post it on mamavation and if any of you would like to hurt awfully, you can do it with us! This is going to hurt, but it's really going to be a good thing. I'm getting too old to not take my weight more seriously and this is a good start. Thank you katie for pushing me on this. I love you for it and I'm going to show it by making you do it until you get a core as angry as my core!