Truly Inspirational

A minor side-track from the weight loss stuff....

When I first graduated nursing school I took a job working nights in a cardiac ICU.  One of my preceptors was this amazing woman, we'll call her Roxanne. (I haven't talked to her about putting her story online, hence the name change.  Also, my other preceptor was awesome too. The story's just not about her.)  Roxy is an incredible woman of God; she uses words like, "Spirit-filled" and "Hallelujah" in everyday conversation.  I had a ton of respect and love for her then and so much more now.

See, I was catching up with an old friend and she told me about Roxy's past year.  Her eldest daughter graduated high school last year and, the next day, died tragically in a car crash.  After receiving that terrible phone call, rushing to the scene, and insisting on viewing her daughter's body (can you imagine?), this woman picked herself up and planned a "Homegoing Celebration" to put the word funeral to shame.  Several hundred people watched that day as this broken-hearted mother, in a beautiful white dress, preached a message of hope and salvation.  She spoke of her confidence that her little girl was with Jesus and how all of us can have that same assurance by turning and following the Lord.  The message of the Gospel was powerfully delivered and over one hundred souls were saved.  Truly proof that God works all things to His good purpose!

Please keep Roxy in your prayers as spring approaches, bringing with it the anniversary of these events.  Part of my prayers will surely be that God would grant me her courage in the face of tragedy.

O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.
Psalm 63:1-3

Amen and Amen.

2 Pounds!!

That's right, folks, I'm two whole pounds lighter today than I was a week ago!  Woohoo!!  Yay for Zumba and the elliptical!

I've learned a few things over this past week...

• There is never a good enough excuse to eat coconut pie. I don't care how hungry you are.
• 1200 calories doesn't go very far.  (See above.)
• My body may process carbs like sugar but I need them to help me feel full.  It's worth it.
• People are super friendly in workout classes. (read: Free smoothies and party hats on the instructor's birthday.  What's up, OneLife!!)
• It is possible to sweat so much that a sports bra feels thick and un-breathable.  Seriously...mine's still drying out from class 5 hours ago.  TMI?  Yeah....I agree.
• Cold weather sucks.

Ok, that last one was slightly unrelated.  But it's still something I learned so that counts right?

Thanks for your support and encouragement!  Bring on the cute skirts!  (And warm weather man!  Anybody with me??)

It's Time...

It's time for a new post.  Don't you agree?  To sum up: The holidays were great; lots of family and tons of fun!  We loved our first Christmas in our new house.  So much better to hang stockings on a real mantle than on the entertainment center!!  We've entered the 21st century by getting smartphones.  The Droid 2 Global to be exact.  Anyone wanna guess why we wanted the "global" feature??  New Bible study for me on Tues. mornings, which I LOVE!  It's a Precepts study on Genesis. Crazy things I'm learning!  In short, we closed the first full year of our marriage with lots of new things (house, puppies, etc.) and excitement for the future.

I'm gearing up for spring now.  Planning out my garden(s), enjoying opening my windows (occasionally.  It's still a little chilly here!), itching to clean, and....getting in shape!!  Yes friends, it's the good old, "I'm tired of feeling fat and ready to make a change" post.  Every year I do my very best to not get sucked into the January gym-goer/New Year, New You crowd.  But between hitting double-digit pant sizes (don't judge; that's a big deal for me) and starting a new medication in Feb. that sent me up another pant size (in a week! yikes!), I decided it's really time.  Couple that with my friend inviting me on the trip of a lifetime (Japan anyone??) in May/June, suddenly I had a reason to start and a deadline to reach.  Done and done.

So what changes am I making, you may ask.  Excellent query, devoted reader! Well, I printed out my free 7-day trial to a gym nearby with TONS of classes (Zumba is today! woohoo!), got the hubby/budget keeper's go-ahead to join said gym, downloaded an app on my phone to keep track of calories, and set a reasonable timeline.  I know all this "stuff" doesn't work unless you work it, but it gets me excited and that's a big step for a girl who hates to sweat.  See, I've learned a few things over my lifetime of attempts to lose weight:

1. I need variety.  Same class/jogging route/workout video gets really boring really fast.
2. I need companionship.  Working out at home alone sucks.  The hubby prefers solo sweat sessions (workouts, folks. Workouts.) so he's not a good gym-going buddy and my girl friend who would work out with me keeps leaving the country.  Lame.
3. Diet is hard, but exercise is harder.  And guess which one actually helps me lose the weight?? Yeah...
4. As far as the diet, I'm good with the "eating 6 small meals" plan.  I'm a big snacker.  And thanks to the Commissary I can keep lots of fresh produce in the house without blowing my grocery budget. Score!
5. Water, water water.  The more I drink the better I feel, so I keep drinking it.  Seriously, it works.

So here's the plan.  I'm going to Japan in (roughly) 12 weeks, so May 11 is my deadline.  Goal: 25lbs lost and fitting into my cute skirts from college.  I'll need to lose 2lbs/week to reach my goal.  Using the tool on my phone I'll need to follow a 1200cal diet and have 4 one hour long workout sessions weekly.  I'll check in here regularly to keep you guys updated.  Here goes nothing!!