Thursday, January 30, 2014

144.2 (new territory)

So, this was the picture on my phone after I logged in my weight for the week. 

It made my day. 


I'm thankful for all the prayers and words of encouragement and support. I don't know the last time I was under 147.  

The next step is my follow up appointment next week with the liver specialist.  I'll hear the results of the fist round of blood work and a liver ultrasound. 

I also need to think about where my weight is now and how to lose maybe one or two pounds and then maintain, maintain, maintain.  

I also had the opportunity to have a body fat analysis at the gym this past week. 
On that afternoon I weighed in at 147 ( my weigh in routine has been first thing in the morning at home) so I expected something different in the evening.  

But even with that weight, my numbers were good.  All my rating a came back as good. And the percentage of fat was good for my age range. 

I'm really happy with where I'm at.  My goal for my 40th year is to maintain. I feel really good and just want that to continue. 

Here's to a new year.  (Well, in a week.)

Thanks for reading.  

+peace 

Thursday, January 23, 2014

146.2

The alarm goes off.  

I start to think of the barefoot walk to the scale.
  
The snooze button is pressed. 

The alarm returns....

I begin to wonder what the numbers on the scale will be today. 

The snooze button is pressed. (again)

On weigh-in days, what draws me out of bed is knowing that I'll get some time to stretch, pray and work my core in the Sunrise Yoga class.  

I did make it out of bed and onto the scale.  

Another .8 pounds gone.  

My total weight loss at this point is 8.8 pounds.  But better than the numbers is how I've been feeling lately.  Clothes that were tight are not so tight anymore...I tend to miss the days I don't get some cardio under my belt...and my legs are all sorts of muscly...I've also noticed that I feel stronger when I run. 

That is just gravy....although I haven't had actual gravy in a while...  

I'm looking forward to a 5K run this weekend.  Last year it was my first run after being out of running for 3 months due to Achilles tendinitis.  I feel that this January I'm in much better shape than I was a year ago and as my 40th birthday is approaching I'm happy to feel this way.  

In the next week or so I'll get a body fat analysis at the gym (it's a freebie this month as part of a fundraiser for St. Jude).  I had one done last year when I started checking out the gym, so it will be an interesting comparison.  

We'll see how the next few weeks go, weight loss wise.  I'm working on losing at least 1.2 more pounds.  Bring on the food diary and fun gym workouts.  

The reward for a good weigh-in?  A tasty panini with brie and raspberry preserves for lunch today and a trip to the thrift shop tomorrow for some new pants and sweaters.  

Thanks for reading.

Until the next weigh-in....or post.  :)  

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

won't see this on the scale...

The alarm went off this morning and I did NOT want to go to boot camp.  I just didn't think I'd have it in me...but I made it, kicked butt at the 5:45am class and made it home to really enjoy some oatmeal for breakfast.

And then this happened.  I put on a skirt I haven't worn in months...and it fit better than it ever has before.  True story.  

It was this boost and burst of energy and excitement that totally beats any feeling I've had yet about losing weight.  Gosh, I constantly struggle with the emphasis on body image.  I know that what is on the inside far outweighs (no pun intended) the shape of my outside...but there is something about seeing the changes and getting excited about it.  There is something that brings me joy, optimism, hope and a sense of reward for all that I've been working at.  It's like when I looked in the mirror it was like stepping on the scale from the Special K commercial and receiving words not just of praise but of new ways to see myself.  

So, yeah, just wanted to share that.  (Because on the day when the scale doesn't move, or it goes up...then I'm may need to relive today.)  

And here's the blurry selfie...


Until the next post...

Thursday, January 16, 2014

147

Today was a good scale day.

Truth be told I was super nervous about getting on it this morning. But I made it and unlike last week I only checked it once.  I was pleased with a 3 pound loss for this week. 

Yet, I have to say this...I wish, when I began this journey that I had taken some other measurements, too.  I'm definitely noticing pants and skirts that are a little looser than they used to be.   After 5 weeks of logging food and stepping up my exercise and I'm seeing and feeling a difference.  I know there are still a few more pounds to lose, but I'm already beginning to think about what changes I'll need to make to then maintain this weight.  

I think in the past when I've lost weight, I always worked on the loss, but maintaining that new weight seemed to fall by the wayside.  So for the doctor, there are still 2 pounds to take off.  And by golly, I'm in no rush.  A pound a week for the next two weeks would be just fine. And that will keep me on track before my follow up appointment at the beginning of February.  

Thanks for reading...here's to a continued slow and steady journey as the new year continues.  

+peace. 

Saturday, January 11, 2014

150

Two mornings ago I got on the scale.  

It said 150.  

I disagreed. 

I got on the scale again.  

Same number. 

I got off and on one more time, convinced that it would change.  

No such luck. 

As I began yoga class and was told to let any thoughts go, try as I might I couldn't get that number out of my head.  

After a week of decent logging of food and a solid mix of cardio workouts, how could I have gained weight?  

The internal struggle continued.  

I'm feeling stronger, healthier even, and noticing that my pants are a bit looser.  Why the increase?  

My disagreement with the scale fueled the 3.5 mile run after class.  

After a few days to think about it, truth is, I have to remember that this isn't a sprint, it's a marathon.  There will be good weeks and not so good weeks.  And overall, in a month I've lost 5 pounds.   That in itself is good.  

(Breathe in, breathe out.)

I've also looked back at my food journal for the past week.  I seemed to be in the habit of eating a lighter lunch and loading up at dinner.  I'm thinking that since my workouts are early morning, mabe breakfast and lunch should be the larger meals and working more towards lighter dinners.  We'll see how that goes as I plan out my menu for the week.  

And thanks, for reading, for holding me accountable for posting my weekly weight and giving me a chance to reflect on this journey.  Because the other thing that is continually made more and more clear to me is the importance of community.  Both online and in person.  Clearly this is a challenge and a struggle for me and being held accountable to others helps me to keep on keeping on.  

So thanks, for reading.  For the words of encouragement and for the in person hugs and smiles.  I couldn't do this without y'all.  


Until the next weigh in or post...whichever comes first.  

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Sermon from this weekend.

Thanks to a reminder yesterday, here's the sermon from this past weekend. 


The caveat I through out, however, is that it may not sound like the sermon you heard.  I believe I preached a slightly different sermon at each of the three services this week.  So if you think you heard something, but don't see it here...it's possible it's words that the Spirit gave me in the midst of preaching.  That being said, the basic point at all services was hopefully the same...


Thanks for reading. 


January 4, 2014
2nd Sunday of Christmas


Jeremiah 31:7-14
Psalm 147:12-20
Ephesians 1:3-14
John 1:(1-9)10-18


Please pray with me,
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts, be acceptable in your sight O God, our rock and our redeemer.  Amen. 


In my previous call, I sang in a community choir.  Our Christmas Cantata one year was called Hope Has Hands.  We had the opportunity to sing the story of Jesus’ birth. 


The chorus to one of those songs was the following:


The Word became flesh and lived among us heaven was shining it’s light, he was unfailing love and faithfulness
The Word became flesh and now hope is alive. 
The Word became flesh and now hope is alive. 


That is the message we hear in our gospel reading from John this morning.  The Word became flesh…and brought grace and truth into the world. 


In our celebration of Christmas, we celebrate God becoming flesh, living among us and bringing us grace and truth.  That’s a life-changing event, don’t you think?  Heck, that’s a world-changing event. 


Because, think about it, God came down to dwell with us. 


Think about your homes….if you are single…how did it change when you got married?  How did you share that space?  How did things change because someone else lived there, too? 


Maybe you, like me, grew up as a single child for several years and then “Surprise!” you were a big brother or a big sister!  How did that change things?  Now that you would live with a new addition to the family? 


Or maybe, you’ve been living alone for a while and now a son or daughter is moving back in or you may be moving in with them….either way, life changes when someone comes to dwell with you…and that, in essence is what we’re talking about with today’s Gospel lesson. 


The presence of God in the world among us, changes life as we know it. 


The Christmas story we hear this morning, isn’t like the one we heard on Christmas Eve.  The birth of Christ is told differently through the Gospel of John.  Our text this morning does not include Wise Men, angels, shepherds, an inn, or even Joseph and Mary.  The Christmas story that John tells, points us to God through Jesus Christ. 


The Christmas story that John tells, is exactly what all of scripture does…it points us to Christ. 


When we gather together to read or hear scripture, we do so to hear God speaking to us, and when we do that, we listen for how God is present in our lives, and how we meet Jesus through the Word of God.  


As we deep our relationship with God, through Jesus Christ, through scripture, we are aware that God came down to us, to be present with us, with all humanity throughout history….and today. 


Through the Old Testament prophets and stories, we read about how God was present with God’s people throughout time. 


God loved and blessed the world. 
People messed up.
God forgave them…and continued to love them. 


God loves and blesses the world.
We mess up.
God forgives us and continues to love us. 


We see this cycle throughout all of scripture and in the world around us today. 


As we listen to the reading from John this morning, thinking about Emmanuel, God with us, the Word becoming flesh and living among us, we hear a Christmas story that points not only to Jesus, but to the presence of God in the world around us and the presence of God in our lives. 


And as I said earlier…that is a life changing event. 


We see the presence of God as we gather in this place, as we confess our sins and are blessed with forgiveness. 


We see the presence of God as we take of this bread and wine, a meal that was given and shed for the whole world. 


Yet, we also see the presence of God in places where we least expect it to be…


God is present with families who struggle to make life decisions for a loved one who is ill.


God is present with the children and families throughout the world who go to bed hungry every night. 


God is present in war-ridden and poverty stricken nations. 


Emmanuel, means God with us. Whoever hears that, hears that God is with them, through thick and thin, through bad and good…God is up to something, always.


As we begin a new calendar year, God is with us. 


Have you all made any resolutions? 


One year I decided that it would be the year for a diet resolution.  So I started the Cheesecake diet.  Yup, you heard me right, the Cheesecake diet.  I figure if there can be a Subway diet, and a Taco Bell drive-thru diet, there can be a cheesecake diet. 


It started off well… 
New Year’s Day: Chocolate Chip Cheesecake.
January 2nd: Double Chocolate Cheesecake.
January 3rd… New York style cheesecake with my lunch… J 


It helped that I did a wedding for friends who made cheesecake for their reception, which stocked my fridge for a good while. 


I know, it was a silly resolution…which, wasn’t really all that healthy…but the new year does offer that time to reflect upon last year and think about changes to be made for the year ahead. 


It think it’s a good time for us as a congregation to think about what it means for God to be present in our lives. 


What does it mean for us to hear the Christmas story, to think about how God came down to earth just because God loves us?


What does it mean to us as a congregation that God is on a mission in the world around us?  How are we jumping aboard that mission? 


How are our own ideas, opinions, or agendas hindering God’s work in us as individuals and as a congregation? 


God did not send Jesus into the world to pull people out of the struggles, challenges, fears, pains, and sicknesses.  God sent Jesus into the world to be present with us as we face those challenges and struggles. 


God is with us in the midst of all that we face…God’s resolution never changes. 


God loves us, even when we mess up, and continues to bless us…as we struggle, talk, pray and move forward in faith that God can still work with us to teach the world about a God who loves and saves everyone. 


God’s resolution never changes.  BUT….it changes us!


Because that’s what it’s all about…God working through us, in spite of us, to proclaim the good news of forgiveness, grace and unending love. 


That is the message we hear each Christmas that permeates our lives every day of the year…


And now may the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, and let all God’s people say, amen.

Thursday, January 2, 2014

148.6

This past week included a trip to Shady Maple, a new favorite food combo (mac & cheese topped with chili) grilled cheese with Lebanon bologna and homemade apple pies (yes, two pies from different awesome pie bakers).  Needless to say, the last day of the year I had apple pie for breakfast, a treat I remember having as a kid.  The day after we had pie for dessert we often had pie for breakfast....yum.

This week also included a 'scolding' from My Fitness Pal (the app I've been using to log food intake and workouts.)  The app was not happy that I had been under my daily caloric guide.  After I got that message I realized that to be healthy, I need to keep up the healthy eating...making sure I'm getting enough calories each day.  I wasn't super low every day, but 20 or so calories a day meant I was 140 or so calories below my weekly intake...in any case, it wasn't the most healthy practice.

Since that reminder, I've been at or above the daily calorie intake each day.

As the weight loss continues, I find myself still VERY focused on foot intake and the calories burned at the gym.  I wonder how it will feel to maintain a target weight when I get to that point.

Still taking it day by day....doing a better job measuring as I put meals together and especially measuring out snacks.  And stills seeing the growing edges where I need to lower the fat intake and increase the fiber intake...but I think these will always be growing edges.

Thanks for reading.

+peace

And now to find a tasty chicken soup recipe for dinner tomorrow....any recommendations?