Casting Crowns is Casting Pounds

Kinda catchy, huh?

I am following Mark Hall of Casting Crowns on Twitter (http://twitter.com/markhallCC). Anyway, he tweeted that he had gained weight back and was thinking of doing a weight loss challenge. So, this is it. I'm not sure of all the details of it yet, but I know the first challenge, or dare as he's calling them, is to give up soda. All soda. Including diet. I'm down to 1-2 diet sodas a day, but I think I can do this. No soda. OK.

I've been weighing in with some friends at work each week, and I'm still doing the "Atlanta Mommas Biggest Loser" challenge with my "AM" friends. I've not really focused on either too much, but there's no better time to get focused than the present, right?

So, on to a new challenge. 1st Dare: No sodas.

Oh, and my own personal challenge - get to the gym tomorrow. Do something! My friend and I meet at a gym in McDonough, but I haven't been in ages. So, tomorrow is my day to get back. I felt so much better when I was going. I think tomorrow I'll do elliptical, or maybe group power.. Decisions, Decisions..

The Red Dress

I was delusional. I believed I looked good in the red dress. I saw myself on video today. I do not look good in the red dress.

Look:

The song was great, the body - not so much. OK, so the song is called "If We Are The Body." It's about being the body of Christ. But you know, let's look at this another way - my body is Christ's body. Look at what I've done to it. Years and years of inactivity and poor eating habits - this is what happens. I so want to say this is the final straw, that from now on I am going to be perfect. I know I won't be. This is hard. I know I am going to have to rely on Him on a daily basis to help me stay active and make good choices. I won't be perfect, but with His help I can be better. And hopefully, soon, I'll have a red-dress video where I can know I look good.

Workout Schedule 7/20-7/25

Monday: 5:30 PM Cardio (elliptical), 6:15 PM Power, 7:15 PM Centergy
Tuesday: 5:15 PM Kick
Wednesday: 8:30 AM CardioSplash, 9:30 AM PowerPlunge (only ½ of class), 10:30 Power
Thursday: 9:30 AM CardioSplash
Friday: 9:30 AM Power
Saturday: 10:30 AM CardioSplash

New Approach??

Or is it just laziness?

I don't think it's lazy, because lazy doesn't carry herself to the gym 5-6 days a week. Lazy doesn't take "Group Power."

I quit Weight Watchers for the summer, because I knew I wasn't going to be home consistently enough to make meetings and actually follow the plan. I think subconsciously I was giving myself permission to quit my weight loss efforts altogether. I've been down that road too many times before. Thankfully, I never really gave up. I lapsed a little, but not too bad.

So, Erika and I went to a "Group Power" class at Gold's yesterday. The only word I can come up with to describe it is "Ow!" LOL That class really kicks some tail. The easiest description is it's weight lifting to music. It works out every muscle group. Trust me. I feel them all right now. I am going to go 2-3 time a week to this class. I plan to alternate with either an aerobics class (I love Cardio Splash - water aerobics) or some time on the elliptical. Gold's guarantees that class participant (in Power) will see a definite difference in their bodies if they do 16 classes in 60 days. That's roughly twice a week.

So, my new approach is more exercise and better eating habits for now. I am still not on any particular diet plan, though I hope to start incorporating more fruits and veggies in my diet. I plan to take fresh, clean fruit to school each week to keep in my fridge for snacking, and for lunch I am planning on soup and either a salad or sandwich. Breakfast will be either a cereal or a couple eggs. I am open to ideas, though. For dinner, I am thinking something simple most nights. Grilled meat and a veggie. If I am stuck in the kitchen for an hour or two each night, I won't stick with this. However, I want to start trying out new recipes once or twice a week. Don't want to get bored.

Give up? Never

So, I haven't posted in a while. I have sort of taken a break. OK.. so it wasn't really a break - I just sort of quit. We had vacation in June - and it was pretty much all of June. Now's it's July - and I am trying to get back into the swing of things. Establish some routines and positive behaviors that I hope will carry me through to the next school year. So, I started back going to the gym today. I can't afford a personal trainer, so I am going to try to start taking classes. Tomorrow my friend Erika and I are going to a water aerobics class followed by "Group Power." I've done that class once before - it will kick your tail, that's for sure!

I had quite the embarrassing experience yesterday. We went with friends to Six Flags. I struggled to fit in some of the seats, had trouble with safety bars coming down, and had to extend seat belts all the way out just to be able to ride. We had a great time, and I want to get season passes for next year. That gives me a year to lose enough weight that I can fit in the seats or can get the safety bars down in a snug but comfy manner.

I've got a lot of hard work ahead of me. I know I can do this. I just need someone to keep reminding me that I can do it.

Facing the Facts

It's so easy to ignore the bad. Yesterday I posted that I ate poorly.

It was Zaxby's hot wings.

There I said it. I owned up to it. Ugh!

Actually, it was a ten piece hot wings, two chicken strips, and 1/4 an order for tater chips. Yeah, I ate way too much.

I was just planning on ignoring it. You know, pretend that since the points values were not easy to find, that they don't exist and just carry on like last night's dinner never happened. But, today I decided I needed to face the music. I sat down and figured out the points (it was like 25 points!) for the meal. I logged the points. And now I am moving on. It still stinks, though.

And I ate...

Guess what I do when I am really tired and should have gone to bed two hours ago?

I eat. Oh boy, do I eat.

Yeah.

Good thing tomorrow's another day.

I'm going to bed.