What a difference a cup makes

Posted on June 13, 2009 by Leah@MyNewEnding


Since I’ve upped my daily water intake I’ve been drinking a lot of water and learned that the “right” drinking container makes all the difference in the world.  

A few months ago I bought the red container at Wal-Mart.  It looked like it would be easier to carry water in the car with it because of the tapered bottom.  However, it has a wide opening and I’m always spilling water on myself when I try to grab a quick drink.
So, when I decided to up my water intake last week I pulled out a Weight Watchers water mug I had stored away from years ago.   I can down the water no problem with this cup and straw.  
I still use the red one when I’m out and about, but the WW cup is my old faithful always full of water on the counter in my kitchen and I’m finding that it’s so easy to get my water drunk with this handy cup.  🙂
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Water Intake

Posted on June 10, 2009 by Leah@MyNewEnding

A friend brought this article to my attention and I found it to make lots of sense.  

According to Weight Watchers, the highest healthy weight for my age and height is 140 pounds, so I’m about 90 pounds over that.  According to this article I should be drinking about 29 extra ounces a day of water according to the extra weight.  
So, I’m going to up my daily goal to at least the 64 oz of water, and try and shot for about 96 oz.  I’ll keep you posted!! 🙂 
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Weigh-In … TOM

Posted on June 9, 2009 by Leah@MyNewEnding

Weight Today:  229.5

Total lost so far:  -1.5
I’m about 3 days into “that time of the month” and so while I should be happy to be down a half of a pound from last week, I’m just feeling fat in general and like I’m never going to lose the weight.  I’ll be better when my hormones aren’t clogging up my thinking.  
A good chat with my friend, Stephanie, yesterday encouraged me that I can do this.  
So, to stay on the positive side… I did workout four times last week and I drank at least 32 ounces of water daily.   
Here’s to getting over this yucky week and getting back to “normal”.  🙂  
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Mind over matter (puff..wheeze..puff..)

Posted on June 3, 2009 by Leah@MyNewEnding

Yesterday I decided to do one of my 4-mile walking workouts for the first time.  It was hard, but not so bad.  I worked out and was happy that I made it through seemingly unscathed.  However, that and 8 loads of laundry, plus going through every piece of clothing my kids own made for a very sore mommy before bed last night.

I felt okay this morning and when it came time to workout I decided to go ahead with a 3-mile workout.  I regretted it immediately…. OUCH!!!  
I was okay when I was just walking around the house or sitting at the computer, but as soon as I started working out I was reminded of what I did yesterday.  
Oh, the pain!!  I wanted to quit.  But I didn’t.  I kept thinking, “Soon, I’m going to start doing at least 4 miles a day for 5 days a week (the summer workout thing), so I’d better get used to this.”  
But I was dying.  
I felt like the obese people at the beginning of “The Biggest Loser” seasons when they are sweating and the trainers are yelling at them and they cry.  Well, maybe it wasn’t that bad, but I was picturing them and thanking the Lord I wasn’t doing that much, because this was killing me.
I kept thinking, “It’s all in your head.   You can do this.”  I’ve heard getting your mind to focus is half the battle.  I can believe it now because I kept thinking of things to do to stop working out.  I finally stopped to use the bathroom and kept imagining Bob or Jillian yelling at me through the door to quit being a wimp and get back out there.  LOL !!!  
So, I finished the workout.  It felt a little easier by the time I was done, but I’m telling you what…I’m already going to have to psyche myself up for this more intense summer workout, because today my body just wanted to quit and this was only two hard workouts in a row.  
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In Case You Think I’m Not Trying

Posted on June 2, 2009 by Leah@MyNewEnding

I was thinking today that someone might come across my blog and think, “Who is this chick and why is she not bothered by her lack of weightloss???  She seems to do more talking about it than working at it.”  

Well, I should clarify something…
My husband has put on a few pounds over the last two years and as soon as his post-session classes are done he and I are going to begin some intense working out.  He and a friend will go to the gym every morning and I will do an hour of working out here at home (I’ve already purchased my 4-mile and 5-mile Leslie Sansone dvds and have some “The Firm” ones he wants me to do also.)  Then in the evenings he will be doing some stretching and weights with me here at home.  
Our summer goal is to get into good, hard workout routines and stay active with our children.  
So, I started a little earlier because I was so scared of gaining any more weight, but I know that in one-and-a-half weeks we will really be getting serious about this.  I guess if you want you can check back then and see if I really started it, but I guarantee you I will have.  🙂
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Facing the Giant Inside Me

Posted on June 2, 2009 by Leah@MyNewEnding

My husband bought the movie “Facing the Giants” and we watched it Sunday afternoon with our children.   During the movie the father of the young soccer player who tries out for the football team, the one in the wheelchair, tells his son, “Your actions will always follow your beliefs.”  His son thought he’d be a loser in football and was giving up on himself without even trying.  

I was a bit floored when I realized that is so true in many aspects of life.  Of course, because of the current weightloss journey I’m on that is the area of my life that it spoke to most.  
For years I’ve been the fat girl who always jokes about her weight.  I’ve said many, many times, “I’m just saying what everyone’s thinking.” and then laughed right along with everyone else about it.  My mom has always told me I should quit it, but I don’t.  
It’s safer for me to joke about it than let someone else joke about it and hurt my feelings.  However, this action has probably in some way stopped me from ever attaining my goals…because I’ve already in my heart seen myself as always being the fat girl unable of total change.
Well, that needs to change.  As I heard that quote I realized that I need to change my thinking about my abilities and shortcomings, so that my actions will truly follow what I believe about myself.  
Don’t get me wrong.  I don’t plan on “believing” my way to weight loss.  I know that the Bible says in James 2:20 “…faith without works is dead”.   But I can face the giant of fear of failure to lose weight and keep it off, give it to God and then allow my mind to think better of myself, so that as I begin to workout harder and make some smarter eating decisions I will see myself attain my goal.
Again I say, I can do this and I will do it.


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Weigh-In

Posted on June 2, 2009 by Leah@MyNewEnding

Weight Today:  230.0

Total lost so far:  -1
My reaction:  “What’d you expect? [pause for thinking] Just this, though I was hoping for a maintain or gain of only 1-2 pounds.    But I know better and like the saying goes, ‘You can’t keep doing the same thing and expecting different results.’  ” 
So, yes I was up this week.  Honestly, I wasn’t really surprised.  I didn’t drink water every day like I should, no not even just my 32 oz., and I only did two 2-mile workouts all week.  I did pretty good about only eating at mealtimes, but then I didn’t always stop at satisfied, but ate a few times until I was stuffed.  
Am I bothered by it?  Again, no,  not really.  I understand that this is a change of lifestyle for me and there are some thought issues that are changing that I truly believe will lead to the physical changes.  I’ll explain more later.
Also, my mother-in-law went home three days ago and so now I feel a little more comfortable working at what I was trying to do.  Not that she made me eat, but I can’t always just be myself at home with her always here.  Nothing personal. 
So, here’s to another week ahead.  
My goal for this week:  To get back to that water and get at least four good workouts in.
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"Accept Who You Are"

Posted on May 29, 2009 by Leah@MyNewEnding

I subscribe to the daily newsletter sent out by the digital scrapbooking company Scrap Girls.  I found this little excerpt to be very true and thought I’d share it with everyone.

I will be able to change my weight, but not some parts of my body.  That’s why I personally agree that it’s best to learn to love myself now, so that I will love even more the person hidden under all the extra weight.  

I especially love the last line….

Accept Who You Are

I’ve spent more than half a century wishing I was something other than I am. I realized my error this morning, as I was blowing my hair dry. Instead of spending a lot of time using a round brush to attempt to get everything to roll under, I flipped my hair over and used my fingers as I dried it, allowing it to go where it wanted.

As I looked at myself in the mirror, I realized that I have hair that many people would enjoy. And yet, I haven’t liked it. I believe that to become presentable, I had to tame its behavior. I had to alter it.

Ridiculous.

It is just as silly of me to wish my fair skin, short chin and blond eyelashes away and that is what I have been doing. They are what they are. To wish them away is to wish myself away.

– Ro

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"It’s a good thing, Mom!"

Posted on May 29, 2009 by Leah@MyNewEnding

I haven’t worked out at all this week until last night.  I couldn’t stand it anymore.  Yes, we were busy.  Monday was Memorial Day, Tuesday the last day of school, Wednesday some shopping with my mother-in-law who is visiting from another state, Thursday a dental appointment and laundry that desperately needed attending to.  On top of our busy schedule we’ve been staying up waaay too late and of course, who wants to wake up early when you didn’t go to bed until midnight, or talked ’til 1:00 am??  But I couldn’t stand it…I was feeling so GUILTY!! 

I kept telling myself that it’s baby steps and I’ll be back on track once my MIL leaves, which is tomorrow, but I couldn’t always talk away the guilty thoughts.
So, last night I got out one of my new Leslie Sansone DVDs and decided I would do at least one of the five miles while my husband and MIL went to Wal-Mart.  One of my 11-year-old DDs (I have twin DDs) decided to do it with me.  It’s a new DVD called “The 5-day slimdown” – you do a mile a day as they each target something in particular.  So, I decided that I could fit 14-16 minutes of walking into my evening and the laundry would eventually get folded.  
As I’m getting out the DVD my DD says to me, “Mom, it’s a good thing you have all of those walking DVDs.  So, if we get fat when we get older we can come and use them to lose weight!” 
LOL !!!  Here’s my twiggy thin DD telling me she’s glad I’ll be able to help them out later if they gain weight when they grow up.  
Well, dear, you bet!! I’ll keep these DVDs, keep doing them and if you ever have a problem with your weight as you grow up you are more than welcome to come workout with mom!! 
P.S.  We ended up doing two of the five miles and I felt so much better afterwards.  She was a trooper and made it through the whole two miles..I think she might have even worked up a little bit of a sweat.  :o)
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Weigh-In

Posted on May 26, 2009 by Leah@MyNewEnding

First an explanation:  Years ago (when I was on WW I think) I got into the habit of weighing myself on Tuesday mornings.  So, I try and stay away from the scale during the week and then weigh myself on Tuesday morning.  

Now for today’s weigh-in…. I maintained at 226.5.  Am I upset?  Not at all.  I only worked out three times last week and I’ve been eating moderately all the yummy mexican food my mother-in-law makes.  So, I was pleased.
I found it interesting that in the book “Body Clutter” she reminds us that the scale is not to be hated..it’s only a tool to help us take care of our weight.   I had to remind myself of that this morning.  “It’s only a tool.  It’s only a tool.”, I repeated to myself in my mind.  [grin] 
So, onward and upward.  I’m not expecting great losses when I’m not working my hardest yet.  They will come.  I’m just happy that I haven’t gone up and can say I’m still down 5 pounds!
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