February and March have flown by and I realized I have not given an update on how the new program is going, what my progress has been, and just life in general. So, here we go!
Health Progress
Scott and I started our new program in mid-February and while we have made progress it has been slow and steady. I am happy that as of today I am down 12.4 lbs since the beginning of January. While I really wish I was further along, there have been some bumps in the road.
The biggest thing that has helped is tracking my food. (Even if the food is less nutritious than it should be.). For the past year or so I had completely stopped any sort of tracking. It was just one more thing on my to-do list that my mind just could not make my body do when I was in my deep rut. The last thing I wanted to do was weigh my food, measure it out, and track it in an app. BUT, I know that it is one tool that I have to hold myself accountable. When I track my food, I tend to do better than when I don’t. There are still days right now that I give in to chips, queso, and a margarita…but it is a work in progress.
The next thing that has helped is making sure I am drinking plenty of water. For whatever reason, in my “rut” I stopped making sure I was drinking enough water. It sounds so dumb, especially for someone who regularly got in one gallon a day. I just couldn’t make myself drink it. I am back to 96 ounces a day and working to get to a gallon.
As far as getting back to the gym or running…that is not going as planned. The original plan was to go with my youngest daughter in the evenings to this new gym…but when we can go, it is full of teens that would rather take up equipment and chit-chat than actually workout. Plus, we have some new additions that I will introduce to you later that have complicated things a bit.
Life Update
Part of the reason our progress has been slower than I had hoped was due to unexpected two little additions to our family. The first week of March, two scared puppies showed up at Scott’s work. No chips and no one responded to flyers and lost/found social media posts. Now, if you all know us, we already have two large-size dogs. We have a black lab/pit mix (Beaux) and a tan Staffordshire terrier mix (Ruby). We have a huge heart for dogs. Animal control told Scott that they would only survive three days if they took them to the shelter…you all know we could not let that happen to them. SO…home they came.
It was a challenge for the first week as we were trying to find a home for them, but after a trip to the vet we found out they are 1. a lot older than we thought and 2. they are going to be GIANT dogs. One is a mastiff mix (Rocsoe) and the other is a Great Pyrenees (Phoebe) mix. Have fun Googling how big they will be when they are full-grown. As of right now, they are about 16 weeks old and weigh in at 43 and 37 lbs respectively. Understandably, most people don’t want that large of a dog…let alone two. I have to rethink my decision daily at times! HA!!
To say life got a lot more complicated would be an understatement. Not only did we have two new puppies, but we had to manage introducing them to our current dogs (which went better than expected) and now begin the joys of potty training and all things that come with puppies.
I feel like a newborn twin mom…I need sleep!
While our lives have been upended a bit, I would not trade them for anything. They are sweet, funny, and keep Ruby on her toes. While our house may be decreasing in people, it is not going to be empty by any means.
Lessons Learned this Month
The biggest lesson I am learning this month is transitioning God from being just part of my transformation weight loss journey to Him being at the forefront of my journey. This is one thing I LOVE about my new coaching program. Everything is rooted in scripture.
Last week on our coaching call, someone asked our coach “What does God’s love for self look like?” In this world were so much is focused on “self-love”, “self-help”, “self-care” how can we do that God’s way and not in a selfish way.
I loved the scripture our coach pointed out.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Now, most of us have heard that scripture in how to love others, but what if we thought of that on how God wants us to love ourselves.
Love is patient – Am I patient with my progress in my goal?
Love is kind – Am I being kind to myself in this journey?
Love does not envy – Am I envying someone else’s progress instead of focusing on my own?
Love does not boast and is not proud – Am I letting pride get in my way?
Love does not dishonor others – Am I dishonoring myself or others with what I am doing?
Love is not self-seeking – Am I doing this for the right reasons? Am I doing this to honor God or myself?
Love is not easily angered – Am I getting mad at myself for where I am at in the journey?
Love keeps no records of wrongs – Am I letting my past mistakes hinder my current journey?
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in truth – Am I listening to the negative thoughts that come to my head or am I rejoicing in that I am a child of God and the truth of who I am?
Love always protects – Am I protecting my health?
Love always trusts – Am I trusting God in this process?
Love always hopes – Am I hopeful and grateful for this journey?
Love always perseveres – Am I trusting that even in the ups and downs of the journey that I will persevere?
What an amazing scripture for this journey! It was a great reminder to me that God wants me to love myself. Not in a selfish, wordly way, but to love me the way HE love me.
I will continue to keep you all posted monthly and since I am hopeful and trusting in God, I know that I will persevere through this journey.
If you are interested in the program Scott and I are doing (Fit for Heaven), you can find more information at this link.
Transforming D. 