Wednesday Weigh-In: June 8

Weekly Weigh-In : Day One

Well, today was our first Weigh-In Wednesday and I am here to report where I stand. This week was just a starting point: find out what you weight now, get your goals set and start planning. After I weighed was when everything started for the challenge. Starting tonight I will tackle that exercise and eat healthily with my head in the game. So what did I learn:

My current weight is: 220.8

It is not completely horrible, but I am definitely overweight. I have been steadily increasing my weight since I graduated high school. Yes I gained the freshman 15, but also the sophomore 10 and the junior and senior five. Now that I am out of college (well—undergraduate anyway), it is time to get my body back. Many of my friends already have kids and when they talk about weight, they always talk about their baby weight. I am envious sometimes that I can’t use that as an excuse, lol. So, since I am still childless, I want to look like it too. (I don’t know how many times a week I get asked how far along I am…while if I were pregnant, I would be so grateful…I am not, so now it is time to convince the general public as well, lol).

My goals: I have a lot of goals, but I am breaking them down into manageable pieces.

First Goal : 5 pounds

5 % : 11.04 pounds

10% : 22.08 pounds

15% : 33.12 pounds

Final Goal : 40.8 pounds

Bonus : 20% : 44.16 pounds

While these are the actual goals I am hoping to achieve, my main goal is to just feel better about myself or to look better. I tell everyone all the time that if it were possible to weigh the same amount but look better: flatter tummy, defined arms, sculpted legs—I would be okay with that. But weight plays a roll and you can’t get to having any of those things without hard work and weight-loss. In general though, I just want to feel better. I want to feel good and happy. I want to see me the way my S/O sees me. So here is my challenge to myself and I am sharing it all with you so hopefully together we can help and support one another to achieve our goals.

J

Tuesday’s Tip of the Week: June 7

Tuesday’s Tip of the Week:

“90% of people who have kept weight off over time have a regular schedule of activity in their lives.”

Make a plan, write it down, stick to it!

Okay, I will admit, it is hard to diet and exercise, but it is even harder to do if you don’t set rules, guidelines, goals or even a schedule to do it with. This first week of the D3Y Challenge is to get everything together and it order so you have all the tools, and the mindset, to actually make healthy changes in your life.

My activity schedule is still fluctuating right now, but here is the gist of it:

Monday: Walk around trail at park (2.5 miles)

Tuesday: Jogging after classes (gym or park)

Wednesday: Yoga Class (gym) and 2-mile walk (if time)

Thursday: Jogging after classes (gym or park)

Friday: Intense abs routine after work

Saturday: Strength training arms

Sunday: Strength training legs

While this routine isn’t ideal, because of my crazy work/school schedule this is the best I can do. I plan on doing some sort of abs work daily in the morning as well as some light lifting (with small weights at home) every night before I go to bed. So I don’t become too overwhelmed, I worked in “lighter” days on the weekend. My legs get plenty of work Sunday through Thursday. On Friday and Saturday they get a break to recover while I work more extremely on arms and abs. I’m hoping this nice mix will work for a while until I am at a point where I can turn walking to jogging and jogging to running.

I will update you as to if this plan works and to any modifications I make. I hope to eventually attempt the Air Forces pre-bootcamp training, but I think I should try this out first. If you can’t always make it to the gym or if exercise doesn’t fit into your routine, make sure you include some sort of activity daily. For example, when you go grocery shopping, park all the way out in the boonies. Not only do you have to walk further, but you will have to push that full cart all the way to your car afterward too. Always take the stairs when possible. If you have bad knees, at least take the stairs down—you will still work some muscles without hurting your joints. Make it a habit to take the dog around the block for his potty break, instead of just opening the back door and letting him do his business alone. One walk around the block every day can add up pretty quick! You can do the same with little ones too! If the weather is nice, schedule in some gardening or mow the lawn, or just play with the kids outside. You are almost guaranteed to burn twice as many calories by doing activities outside the home than indoors just by the idea that there is more room to work with.

Make a plan for daily activity that can include anything that is not sedentary: dishes, cleaning, gardening, mowing, shopping, cooking, walking, playing—even that counts. Try to start off small, then gradually increase your activity. Choose 30 minutes a week when you can exercise to start off with. I started with just a yoga class for one hour a week that is offered free at the gym. (The membership is $35 a month—so the yoga class was technically $9 a week). Maybe buy a cheap DVD and lock yourself in the bedroom and do it yourself. You can also look on YouTube for free exercise videos. Just start with 30 minutes a week, the maybe move to an hour, or to two hours. Maybe do 30 minutes twice a week. You don’t need to jump-in with everything all at once—you will likely burn out within the first week. Whatever your plan, just remember to write it down and stick to it. Then, once you are ready, you can grow it.

Have a food plan in place too!

I have a relatively easy diet plan as well by doing Weight Watchers. Surprising though, I have learned so much about eating healthy and about having smaller portions. I am still never hungry, being that fruits and veggies are free. While I know so many aren’t able to afford WW, I would recommend for everyone to try it at least once if possible. I probably will not “sign up” to continue it anymore, as I will be able to do it on my own after this. I have the books and the calculator so there isn’t anything else you need. After you have that it is only a matter of watching what you eat. By reading I have learned a lot of healthy recipes that are not only good for you but taste great too. It is helping a lot.

My fall back is always the shake: either a WW’s shake with blended fresh fruit, or just the generic version of Slimfast shakes. They are filling and they are on the go. I normally have them for breakfast, followed by some fruit for a snack then a pretty hearty lunch. My dinners are usually smaller meals than my lunches and I really think this is helping. They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and while I don’t eat a lot of breakfast I have noticed that I typically do better in regard to weight loss if I have an okay sized breakfast (bowl of cereal with milk, shake and some fruit, etc.) a large lunch and a relatively light dinner. I also try not to eat any more after 9 p.m. While there really isn’t any proof that there is bodily harm by eating after a certain time, if you force that rule upon yourself, you will likely cut out those extra calories you would take in from “midnight snacks”—especially while waiting for that phone call from your deployed service member.

Motivational Monday: Leon J. Suenes

"Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true."- Leon J. Suenes

This quote was chosen for the start of our journey because there are many different ways to interpret its meaning and I feel it fits many of us so well, from those attempting the challenge to better themselves and reach their dreams, or those of us who are choosing a dream of a life with their SO and therefore standing by them as they are deployed or even the SOs themselves, who dream of a particular life for their family or dreams for their country and the sacrifices they make for those dreams.

In the first instance, the quote is a challenge to me (and hopefully for you) as part of the D3Y challenge. I do dream, that one day I will be healthy and thin, and need to remember that there is a price to pay to achieve that dream: I need to work hard, give up free time, social time, social and unhealthy activities. I need to make changes and sacrifice some things for the greater cause. I will need to feel the pain and the burn and I will need to push and challenge myself constantly to reach that goal, that dream. But from that, I will find happiness.

The other way this quote affects me is in relationship to my SO. I am happy, I know that, because I have a dream of being with him and I am willing to sacrifice what is necessary to be with him. I will wait (as so many other lovers have) the endless months alone without communication, without certainty or promises or guarantees. I will worry endlessly if he is alright. As military loved ones—spouses, significant others, family and friends—we will sacrifice so much for that dream of love and happiness, a dream that may never come true. But how happy are we once we finally decide that the dream is worth the risks?

I like to think too, that this is how the military service members think too. You don’t join the military on a whim—and the draft is not currently around so everyone in the service now typically joined on their own free will. With that in mind, it takes a lot to say you want to put yourself through what they go through, for a cause bigger than self. I like to think that they do so to follow some dream—a dream of American freedom, peace and protection, a dream of education, a dream of financial stability for their family—there are many dreams to choose from, but I have never met an unhappy service member who has made the choice to chase those dreams, even knowing the sacrifices that will be made.

Happiness is something that I am striving to harness. I believe I am happy now, but I want to be happy always. With that in mind, I know my dreams and I am chasing them…and I am ready to pay the price to make those dreams come true. Are you?

The NEW D3Y Challenge

The NEW D3Y Challenge:

This time around we are staying committed and on top of our game. Please let this be a good explanation of how the challenge will run this time.

Starting June 6, anyone who wants to participate can sign up by submitting their information. To be eligible for prizes, please submit the following information on the forum, or if you are mor brave, you can post it right to Facebook:

First Name and Last Initial:

Age:

Current Weight:

Height:

Current Location: (State Only)

Military Connection: (Spouse, SO, Dependent, Sibling, Friend, etc.)

Goals: Under the goal section, please be as detailed as possible. If there is a certain weight you want to weigh, certain dress size, or if you only want to feel healthier, please explain that. The more detailed you are about where you want to get to and how you want to live, the better advice we can find you to support you in your journey toward those goals.

Your reasons: Why? There have been many studies conducted that show when someone is constantly reminding themselves why they want to do something, that they accomplish it with greater success. Why have you chosen to participate in the challenge?  What are your reasons: wedding coming up? R&R? Vacation? Health concerns? Post-baby? Be a good role-model for the children? Remember the number one reasons should be because you want to! But it doesn’t hurt to remember the other reasons behind that as well.

Your Plan: Okay, this admittedly will change, but to get started map out some of the things you plan on doing to reach your goals. Are you quitting soda, fast-food, or even smoking? Are you going to make a promise to work out everyday, every other day, one a week? Are you going to swear off chocolate cake, second-helpings or slim back on how many mocha-java-chip lattes you have a day? Don’t be afraid to start small. Often it is the little things that make a big difference. For example, my mom lost 15 pounds in a month just by switching from soda to water. Have you ever gone a month without drinking soda (and don’t replace it with coffee or other high-sugar drinks either)?

(Optional) Before Pictures

Once you submit all of this information you will be added to my database and I will track your progress. We will weigh-in every Wednesday, both with physical weights (up or down, don’t be shy, everyone gains sometimes) and verbal weigh-ins on what we are doing that works, doesn’t work, questions, etc. Every other month we will do check-in awards, honoring those who have reached certain goals. If you have weighed in at least five times during the session (ex. June 1-Aug. 1), you will be eligible for a prize. Smaller prizes will be given out throughout the D3Y Challenge through contests, challenges and random selections. At the end of each two-month session, medium-sized awards will be given. At the end of the six-month challenge, the grand prizes will be given away. For a list of Grand Prize awards, visit the website at www.wix.com/defeatingdeployment/D3Y

Note: The ultimate goal of the challenge, and the reason you should participate, is to help you become the best you can be without having to do it alone. The prizes are only added incentives and will only be available when donations are provided to D3Y (excluding Grand Prizes).

Your duties as a D3Y Challenge Member:

1.       Weigh-in every Wednesday.

2.       Try your hardest to meet your goals.

3.       Give advice and support to all other challenge members.

4.        Attempt the weekly/daily challenges.

5.       Never give up!  

Website

so it is still under construction but i want to know what you think so far. I will be adding pictures to it soon. http://www.wix.com/defeatingdeployment/d3y

Get out of bed and get going

It’s cold. So cold even that you don’t want to get out of bed to work let alone work out. And who wouldn’t, especially when there is no one else around to make us? And the bed is the only place we can go to get that warm and comfy feeling we crave with our loves away, right? So why should we?

It’s easy to make excuses, but there are also some pretty good reasons why you should get out from under the covers and move. One of my favorites: your military man doesn’t get that option, so why should you?

Sometimes that is motivation enough for me. (If that’s not enough there are the health benefits, the mental benefits and a whole lot more that we have/will discuss in the future).

So, now that you feel more like you should get up and move, the next question is how. Some of things I’ve been doing include the following:

1.   Placing my alarm clock on the other side of the room. No more snooze when you have to get up anyway just to shut it up. And make sure it is loud enough to wake the whole house if you can.

2.   If I’m going to work out in the morning, I will go to sleep with my workout clothes already on. It saves time in the morning and I can’t usually talk myself out of it if I’m already wearing the clothes. (If it’s too uncomfortable to sleep in them, have them already laying out somewhere noticeable, like a chair in front of your door, or in the bathroom on the toilet seat.) If I’m working out after work, I make sure I have everything packed and in the car ready to go the night before (shoes/socks/deodorant included). Leave it in the passenger’s seat if you can so it’s right there next to you everywhere you drive, reminding you to go work out!

3.   Don’t sleep with overly warm blankets. I know this one sounds harsh, but if you make the temperature of your body cocooned inside the blankets too warm compared to the temperature outside the blankets, it will be hard to get up in the morning, and you might be risking your health. (By changing your body temperature rapidly from warm to cool, you are more susceptible to getting sick). If the temperature doesn’t change too much, it will be easier for you to get out from under those covers.

4.   Try to motivate yourself. You don’t stay in bed when you know you have to go to work because you know you won’t get paid or you might even get fired. So, pay yourself. Nikki Fitness suggests giving a close and trustworthy friend $50. Every time you go to the gym, your friend will pay you $10 back for going, but you only get the money if you go to the gym. Go five times, and you get the whole $50 back! Now there’s a motivator!

So let’s give some of these things a try and see if you start getting out of bed and working out more. Remember, the more you get out of bed and work-out now, the more you’ll be able to stay in bed longer when it really matters: when he’s home to stay in bed with you.

D3Y Challenge: Challenge Yourself to be Better

The D3Y Challenge

The D3Y Challenge is a goal-oriented competition. While most of it is based on a weight loss competition, anyone can participate, even those not looking to lose any weight. For the first go around, I am not imposing any strict guidelines, just that participants must enter their starting information, attempt to weigh-in on Wednesdays and have set goals to meet. On each Wednesday, participants should post their current weights, whether up, down or stable, and what they plan to do the next week. Throughout the challenge there will be different opportunities to win prizes. By giving encouraging support and advice to other members, or by posting different ideas, and being consistent, participants will be able to win prizes from me. There will also be prizes given for those who lose the most (percentage wise) and prizes given out at random via contests and drawings.

Diabetes was a large factor in the creation of D3Y and the Challenge. There are so many people in my life that have been affected by diabetes—some of which possibly could have been avoided. While many people can’t think of the military and diabetes ever being tied together, I can assure you it is. The men and women in the armed forces live relatively healthy lives with strict requirements they must follow to remain in the service. The families, though, often are not as physically fit. They may have less time to work out, cook meals to eat healthier, and the added stress can also lead to weight gain and unhealthy lifestyles. Likewise, once a service member is no longer active, they can easily fall prey to issues and complications (such as diabetes) caused by unhealthy lifestyles.

With that, my goal is to have D3Y work as a support system to help people remain healthy and happy. The Challenge was created to help bring people together to meet their goals. There are many different support websites for women trying to lose weight and need support but so often, those support sites won’t understand the added pressures put on with a deployed loved one. Here, with the D3Y Challenge, we can work together to meet our goals. We can power through and discuss our struggles and others will understand when we have those stress eatings, or lack of sleep from crying so much.

So many of us have goals and deadlines for those goals that are the same. Some want to lose weight before the dream wedding to their soldier, and some want to look good for R&R. Some want to shed some R&R baby pounds, and others just want to prove to feel as beautiful as their SO thinks they are (that’s one of mine!)

So, please feel free to participate in the challenge. Work hard, do your best, don’t get discouraged, give support, get support but remember to never give up.

-Joey