Staying healthy while pregnant

Recovering from a car wreck and being pregnant are an interesting combination to deal with at once. The thing about it is that it would be easy to throw a healthy, active life out the window just to take the easy road to overcome it all. The thing is that I fall more in love what Team RWB stands for and what they work to achieve by not just focusing on our veterans and those who are currently serving, but also their families.

The concern and worry for my mom have a times made me want to take the easy road by eating whatever I could find. Although I have discovered that there are so many healthy options to eat and help me from gaining the weight that is so easy to put on while pregnant. Last week I was given a new tool to help me stay moving and healthy through the rest of my pregnancy. 

On week 2 of getting together I completed another 4 miles which helps me keep moving and feeling great. Although I was exhausted when we finished I have a lot of energy the next day which helps me keep going. At 23 weeks pregnant I am proud of myself for staying strong instead of giving into temptation.

Each week I may not get out there and run like I did before I got pregnant or lift weights like I used to, but walking is just as good to keeping me moving until my newest addition arrives. I couldn't ask for anything more from such a supportive group who helps keep me going and never allows me to give up.

A blessing created halt for my training

Training had been going well for my first half marathon to take place in January. Who would have known that I would get such shocking news that would put all of it on hold for a while? Well after a car wreck on 25Oct I got the news in the ER that I am pregnant and due Jun2014. After trying for over 4 years I thought that it would never happen, but after being told "you're pregnant" I remembered the words my OB told me that if I didn't lose the weight I had gained that it would be almost impossible to become pregnant again.

The journey to get healthy started because I wanted to have more energy for my 5 year old, but it has now taken a whole NEW direction on being healthy and prepared for our new expected addition. For me the truth is that it had never really sank in that my weight was stopping me from giving my husband the child he wanted until my weight loss allowed us to finally have the chance. Honestly I am not where I would like to be starting out for this pregnancy, but I know that eating healthy and stay moving we will both be happy and healthy in June when we welcome our new baby into our family.

This new addition will only delay my first half marathon. It will in NO WAY keep me from reaching that goal of being able to run farther than I EVER have before.

New Motivation for my Journey

Lately I have really struggled with staying on track for my workouts, eating healthy and remaining accountable to my health goals. You would think after getting rid of 40 lbs already and starting to feel better about myself I would have a reason to keep going, but instead of gaining confidence I started to lose what I already had. That was though until I met Dolvett from Biggest Loser and EVERYTHING changed for me. His kindness and willingness to talk to me for a few minutes was the boost I needed to know that I am still at the beginning, so that I don't get discouraged.
Who would have thought that someone who is SO well known would take a few minutes to give me advice and treat me like just another person. After living SO long at over 300 pounds I still have moments where I cannot believe that I am REALLY doing this and there is actually a noticeable difference in the weight that I have lost.

The picture on the left was taken Summer 2011 when I was weighing in at my highest of 332 pounds. Well the GREAT thing is that the picture on the right was taken January 2013 after already getting rid of 40 pounds FOREVER!!!!!! To actually look at both of these pictures now is motivation, but also it makes me cry to really see just how much I had let myself go. My goal now is to get healthy, fit and reconditioned to be a firefighter again some day. If I can do this after all that I have been through then you can do it to, just don't give up and keep going!

A weekend of blessing

The past few weeks have been really stressful for me here at home. For me the biggest struggle had been with me working out and losing weight yet my husband had no motivation to get his work outs in. We knew his APFT was coming up this month at drill and I had been stressing that his lack of consistency would show during it which would result in him not passing. Well thankfully we were blessed by my husband finding that little bit of extra "Umph" in him and he was able to pass the test. They say that when you finally give it over and quit focusing on the negative, that the positive is soon to come. This weekend was a perfect example of that.
On a personal note I did slack on my eating and I am frustrated at myself for that, but I know that tomorrow is a new day to refocus and get back on track. Several great things have happened the past few days and I know that if I keep my head up that I can continue to be successful on this journey. My moto is #NoExcuses and I really need to commit to my gym time and not give in to over sleeping or cowering away from my daily workout.

Reaching my first big goal

During this journey, the past 4 months, I have reached the point more than once where I just wanted to give up. I had come to the conclusion or so I thought, that I would never lose the weight or get to where I felt like I was making progress. Thankfully though I found the willpower to give up and just keep at it. Four months after I started this I have FINALLY overcome the stalling point of 300 pounds and weighed in at 299.6 this past week. It has been a big sigh of relief for me to know that my dedication is paying off even if it does take time to get there. I am so thankful that I have a great group of friends who are my cheerleaders and support me on this journey. If you want to follow my daily struggles and triumphs check out at http://www.twitter.com/allnewhealth
I am here to help others who want to achieve weight loss or live a healthy lifestyle. Feel free to join me.

Losing weight and Feeling great

The past 4 months have been a hard journey for me. Between personal up & down moments, trying to continue to eat healthy and get my work outs in, I was afraid that I would give in and then I would be back where I started 4 months ago. Now I knew this journey would be a determining factor to see if I could REALLY commit to taking care of myself and I have discovered that I can.
Throughout the first part of this journey I have made MANY lifestyle changes that I plan to keep in place. If these changes can help me drop 32lbs in 4 months on my own then it means I am doing something good. Healthy food options, drinking more water and keeping my body moving has made me feel great. This morning when I saw the scale say 299.6 I knew that I had FINALLY found my groove for progress and success.
Back in May I NEVER thought I would feel this good when I finally made it under 300, but it has been AMAZING. For those who say "I don't have time to work out" or "I can't do it because of the people in my family" well I am here to tell you that there are NO EXCUSES! If I can do this in my situation then ANY one can do it if they want it bad enough.

BeachWeek Day 1

Well day 1 of ToneItUp.com BeachWeek went pretty good with a yummy breakfast, a morning workout, healthy snacks, good tasty lunch that ended with dinner and a great evening workout. Breakfast was good with scrambled eggs, very thin whole wheat bread topped with Nutella and green tea. Lunch was great with baked fish, Avacado, and a yummy side salad. Dinner was a salad that was filling and delicious. My after workout recovery was a smoothie that consisted of Strawberry, Blueberry, Mango, and Pineapple with Greek Yogurt and Almond milk. With day 1 I also became willing to try Coconut water and Almond Milk which both taste extremely good. The one thing I don't want to forget either is that I made sure to drink plenty of water with my total coming in at 185oz for the day which is just shy of my 200oz daily goal.

2 a day weekends

During this journey I have decided that for me to keep a good pace that I would go to the gym 5 days a week. Well last weekend I came to the conclusion that since I have so much time on the weekend I would do 2 a days so that I don't overdo it all at once on those days. Last weekend went well and on 1 visit I did cardio followed by weights on the other visit. Today I did another 2 a day where I did strength training this morning and then did cardio this evening, but the best part is that besides a few sore muscles I feel AMAZING.
Beginning this journey was not easy because I was so afraid to fail after giving up the last time that I tried. Lately I have had days where I get really disappointed at myself that I could have ever let myself go so much after being so dedicated to firefighting. The great part is that firefighting has been one of my biggest motivators to go on this journey, so that once again I can be able to help others.

Progress on my journey

When I first decided that I was ready to get healthy and fit without using any excuses to stop me I was weighing in at 332lbs. After having spent so many years as a firefighter I could not figure out how I had let myself get away health wise where I was at the point of almost 160 lbs overweight. This journey has had so many rough moments, but I am starting to see results from my hard work of eating healthy and working out.
As I started this phase of my journey I was coming in on the scale at 316lbs. This phase I really decided that I would commit to eat healthy (get rid of junk food & soda), drink LOTS of water (160 oz) & workout in some way EVERY DAY. Well the results of my first week have blown my mind with a 9lbs weightloss and for once I actually feel good about myself because I know I can do it. There is still a long way to go on this journey for getting healthy and fit, but now I know that I CAN DO IT!

Day 1 towards an all new me

This morning did not go as planned but I got up took care of the important stuff and started on my way. In the chaos of this morning I was a bad girl and completely forgot to eat breakfast. Lunch did go better with a Subway foot long wheat with chicken, lettuce, tomato, pickles and even baked BBQ chips. The first day has not been perfect, but it takes small steps to make major life changes. Have a Dr appt this afternoon so I am hoping for some good news there.

Journey to All New Health

For as long as I can remember I have ALWAYS been overweight. Pictures for school, sports and even with the family all have me as "the chubby one". Time and time again I have said "now is the time that I am going to loose the weight", but someone says something to me and I give up like I have every other time. Well this time is a game changer because I am sick of being 150 lbs overweight and being more than 50% body fat. So, today I am committing to myself to change the game and get serious about the weight loss so that I can become healthy and discover the health for my life that I need to be able to keep going. Today I am setting my goal weight to reach 175lbs after having reached my heaviest weight of 332lbs. This blog is where I will keep myself accountable by tracking the ups and downs of my journey. This journey is for me and I will no longer let any one else tear me down by saying that I cannot do this because "I CAN & I WILL!"

~All New Health~