thankful for my team...

Sorry I've been a little absent this week... I've been pretty busy lately!  Amidst the craziness of a busy week, I came home one day, checked the mail, and had a surprise waiting...

I will keep the giver's identity to myself, since I think this person would rather remain anonymous, but the card basically said that this gift was "to help me with my weight loss plan... eating healthy costs money, and this was just something to help me reach my goals".  WHAT!?  How crazy is that?  It reminds me that I have so many people in my court.  Over the last 2.5 years, I have not been alone... not for a moment.  Countless friends have prayed for me, encouraged me, and worked out with me.  

Weight loss is no joke... making healthy lifestyle changes is hard work... but I thank God that I have a whole team of people on my side helping me every step of the way!!

I hate this box...

I still don't know why, but I really stink at jumping.  I don't know if it's coordination, balance, fear, or all of the above, but for some reason, I just can't seem to jump!  A couple of years ago, when I had a trainer, I remember not even being about to jump up onto a step (like people use in a step class... yes... I know it's LOW!).  Once during a workout, after I'd finally mastered one step, my trainer put 2 boxes on top of each other and I was supposed to jump up onto them.  Before I knew it, I was face down with a nasty carpet burn above my eye, a bruised ego, and a deadly fear of jumping up onto anything.  

This past week's workout at my new gym included box jumps... not onto steps, but onto a real plyo-box (as in the above picture).  The alternative to jumping was to do step ups, which I did on Wednesday and Thursday.  This morning, however, a different trainer was leading the class, and during the second round she asked me to jump.  I refused.  The third and final round came around and she stood on the other side with her hands out.  She said, "hold my hands, and just jump."  I freaked out... and then I did it.  Twice.  I almost cried.  I tried to psych myself up to do it without holding her hands, but I just couldn't do it.  Not yet.  But I will!  That box is my new goal.  I will jump up onto it without holding anyone's hands SOON!

Today was two-fold for me.  It was a huge victory to jump onto the box even holding her hands.  But it also showed me that I still have lots of room for improvement.  There's still so much I have to learn, and I am excited about learning it!  I have come a long way since September 2010.  Where will I be in September 2013?  Only God knows, but I plan to be stronger... and I plan to be jumping without fear!!

working out in the "comfort" of my home...

Do you ever have one of those days when you really don't want to leave the house?  Well, the snow (or more the anticipation of said snow, which melted very quickly!) made me want to be a hermit all day today.  But... as the clock ticked away, I knew I needed to get in a workout.   I have some workout videos, but they're packed away in a box somewhere. I started to look for them, but then I remembered this workout that Bob did on this week's Biggest Loser.  My trainer from a few years ago also had me do this workout during one of my last sessions in order to show me an "easy" workout at home.  I'm not sure why, but I never did it until today (about 2 years later!)  So... this was my workout!

Basically, I used a deck of cards.  Every suit represented a different movement.  Aces =11, Face cards = 10, and number cards = their value.  So, if I drew an ace of hearts, I did 11 burpees (I made burpees hearts because I LOVE them so much!!!  not...) Jokers = 50 jumping jacks.   To increase the intensity, I used an 8lb dumbbell for my squats (I held it straight out in front) and during sit ups (I held it at my chest for some, and high above my head for others).  When all was said and done, I had completed 95 of each movement!  It took me about 32 minutes to complete it, so now I have a time to beat!

The great thing about this workout is that I can change it up to be whatever I want it to be.  Once I get more weights for the house, I can do more resistance movements.  I could use climbing the stairs in my house as one of the movements.  The possibilities are endless!  I don't have an exercise mat, and most of my house is tile or hardwood, so I literally completed this entire workout in the tiny hallway of my house since it's the only carpeted spot.  Haha!  No excuses!

And if you're wondering if it was an efficient workout... I'll let this picture help you decide...

Hooray for being a hermit AND getting in an awesome workout today!!

it's not supposed to be easy...

Last night after working my regular job (teaching Pre-K) and my part time job (tutoring at Sylvan) and going grocery shopping, the last thing I wanted to do was go to the gym.  It was almost 8:00.  I hadn't seen Chuy all day.  That morning I had an appointment that I had to fast for because they were drawing blood.  I was totally out of sorts all day.  I didn't feel like exercising.  I could have very easily justified skipping the gym last night.  Even as I was walking into the gym, I was muttering to myself  how much I just didn't want to be there.  I was such a grump!  

But as I changed into my workout clothes I felt like I heard the Lord whisper to my heart, "since when has this been easy?"  Sure, I may really enjoy some workouts... zumba is a blast... on odd days I enjoy running... but the last 2.5 years have been FAR from easy!!  I have hurt physically (both from muscle aches and clumsiness in the gym! hehe), I've cried when that scale wouldn't move for weeks, I've lost sleep getting up for early workouts, I've said no to food that I really wanted.  But... these years of work are PAYING OFF!  It's not easy losing 70 pounds, but it's worth every difficult moment. 

This morning I got up and went to a 6am training class at my new gym.  Did I want to go back to sleep when the alarm went off at 5am?  Absolutely.  But do I regret getting up and finishing one of the hardest classes yet?  Not even for a second.

“Act. It’s of God. (Philippians 2:13) If you do rather than lamenting what you can’t do, you will do more than you thought you could.” - John Piper

I knew I'd never be normal!

Just 8 days ago, I began this blog.  I explained that I titled it "Redefining Normal" because my goal this year was to finally be in the "normal" range for my BMI (body mass index).  For my height, that means weighing a max of 145.  I also explained that I was "redefining" normal, because I really don't think "normal" exists!

example of what the body fat % calculator looks like

Earlier this week, the trainer/teacher at the gym took our weights and body fat percentages.  When I told her about my goal to get into the normal BMI range, she said she never uses BMI, and that using body fat percentage is a better idea of how much I should lose.  Well, last night her computations were finished.  I couldn't help but be excited when she was calling out everyone's muscle mass.  Even though I was by far the biggest girl there, I had more muscle mass than a lot of them!  I have 122 lbs of muscle mass.  My body fat percentage is still high, but that's because I obviously still have a lot to lose.  She asked me what my weight goal was in my head, and I said 145... she shook her head and told me that I should be no LESS than 152!  She said that to be less than that, I'll have to lose muscle, and I don't want to do that!  I'm so happy to know that all of the hard work I've done is paying off.

So... I guess I have a new goal. :)  152 it is!  

Just a quick update on South Beach... it is going exceptionally well.  I don't feel at all deprived, and I have a lot of energy (especially considering I've not been going to bed when I should).  I did 2 classes back to back on Monday, and I felt fine.  I was actually pretty surprised by that!

Confession:  I wrote on Monday that I was going to try to run a mile every time I went to the gym.  That hasn't happened at all!  I was a little late on Monday, and then was exhausted after 2 classes & really wanted to get home to my man (it was already 7:30!).  Tuesday was an off day.  Wednesday I did one class, but I gave it my all and was again exhausted (in a good way) & had gone straight from a staff meeting after work, to the gym... I was ready to go home!  Maybe I was aiming a little high with that mile run expectation, but I will be running sometime this weekend to make up for it.

I guess it's official... I'll never be normal!!!  :)

Operation Bridesmaid Dress!

3ish years ago in my size 20 bridesmaid dress

So... I found out this weekend that I am going to be a bridesmaid sometime this summer!  Though it was not part of the plan, a couple of the other bridesmaids and I ended up trying on dresses on Saturday.  I had no idea what size to try on, and started with a 16... TOO BIG!  I tried on many dresses over the next hour, and for a lot of them, I needed the 12!  WHAT!?  The last wedding I was in was a few years ago, and my dress (from the same place) was a size 20.  I still have that dress, and can't wait until I can hang them up side by side and take a picture.  They didn't have the size 14 for the dress that we're pretty sure I will be wearing, so I tried on a 12.  It's way too tight... I don't have to order the dress until the end of February, so my goal is to see just how much I can lose by then.  I really really want to be able to buy that 12 and look amazing in it at this wedding.  I know the bride is the shining star, but my hubby will be there, and he'll be looking at me. ;)  hehe

First step of Operation Bridesmaid Dress is a change in eating... I am beginning the South Beach Diet TODAY! (¡oy!) I've tried this before, but never really stuck with it.  I'm gonna do my best to really do it this time!  If nothing less, hopefully it will break me of my carb addiction (man, I love snacks!).  I am also signed up for a training class at the gym (I'll get into that in a little more detail soon) every day this week, and I want to run at least a mile every time I go the gym (either before or after the class).  

Any other advice on fitting into bridesmaid dresses is more than welcome. ;)

Chocolate Challenge

I, like many people, have a love/hate relationship with chocolate.  It is so very yummy and makes me smile... until 10 pieces later I realize what's going on and then I kick myself for "enjoying" too much of a good thing!  When I came in to work this morning, I found a bag of goodies in my mailbox that I had not taken out before Christmas break.  There was an orange (yum) and about 5 "fun size" pieces of chocolate.  I had one, and right away wanted to have all of them.  So... when the kids left the classroom to go to music, guess what I did?  I FLUSHED THEM!  Yep... it wasn't enough for me to put them in the trash can.  I had to make sure they were gone.  As the day has progressed, I've decided that I am going to go on a slight chocolate fast for this month.  My rule is that I will only have chocolate (of any variety... candy, cookie, brownie, etc) if I am with Chuy (my sweet husband).  He helps me not go overboard.  Plus, he gave me some wonderful Trader Joe's dark chocolate in my stocking, and we can't let that go to waste!  (Side note: the reason he gave that to me was because the nutrition guy at the gym said that having a piece of dark chocolate at night was a good snack option.  See how he helps me succeed!?)

So here goes... no chocolate, unless I'm with Chuy, for the rest of this month!  Who's with me!?  

Thanks for joining me...

Where do I even begin?  I have been contemplating starting a new blog for months now, and here I finally go!  I used to have a blog (www.bonnieb.blogspot.com) that I began in October of 2003.  It began as a place for me to journal my experiences in South Africa, then transitioned a few times, finally ending up as a place for me to mostly write about my weight loss / health journey.  The last time I posted in that blog was May 20, 2011, and I wrote that I was "surrendering the page" to the Lord. I wrote the following words... 

I'm finally excited again... excited to see what the future holds... 

excited to see what God writes on this page!!

Eight days later, on May 28, 2011, I went out for dinner after church with friends and ended up sitting beside this guy that I thought kinda had a crush on me.  He got my number that night, and on March 24, 2012, I married that guy.  What a whirl-wind it has been the past couple of years!  I wouldn't change a moment of it!

Now... to the present!  I plan for this blog to be a place for me to write... the purpose of my writing may change over time, but for now it is a place for me to write primarily about my continued weight loss / health journey, but I will be writing about other things as well as they come up.  I have many lovely friends who no longer live close by, so hopefully this will help them keep up a little. :)

I am calling this blog "Redefining Normal" because my main weight loss goal this year is to get into the "normal" range on the bmi chart.  I am right around 190 now (I started out a little over 2 years ago at 259).  My goal is 145.  I have never been my current weight (on the way down)... never...  I weigh less now than I ever did in high school (and maybe even middle school... I'm not sure).  It seems unreal to me to think about being "normal" but I am more determined than ever to get there! However, I think that normal is a funny word... who defines what normal is?  Is there really such a thing as normal?  I don't think there is... so I'll be writing about my normal... my ever-changing normal!!  :)

So there you have it... welcome to my journey.  I appreciate your comments, encouragement, suggestions, and thoughts along the way.  They have helped bring me this far!

For a little visual of where I've come from, here's a couple pictures from New Years 3 years ago...

And here's a more recent picture that my friend Kim Campbell took for me a few months ago... I've lost about 10 lbs since this picture :)

Who else can't wait to see the next pictures!?  Stay tuned... may a take a while, but I'm in this for the long haul!!