Week XVII: Update

Hey Readers,

Sorry I've had about a months hiatus from writing. I've been a busy bee! But such is life, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

As busy times come and go, staying healthy is something that needs to remain constant and consistent, regardless. I'm not going to pretend to be perfect. I've certainly indulged here and there in the past month (especially with the emotional eating that went on during the Superbowl game :/ ), but in general, things have remained the same for me: keeping a tough workout regimen, eating a healthy diet, and finding ways to keep my mind & spirit at peace with things.

Currently, I am still down just 35 lbs., but I also recently found out that I've lost 8% of my body fat over the past few months... which is quite significant. It's not only a big drop in body fat, but important that I am now in the "normal" range for my total body fat percentage, based on my weight and height. I skipped straight from the "obese" to "normal" surpassing the "overweight" numbers completely. Not going to lie, I was kind of impressed with myself. Although, dead-lifting 95 lbs. and running 8mph 1/4-mile sprints should bring rather substantial results. My trainer would like to see me go down another 4% to be the in "fitness" range.. but we'll take that goal one day at a time.

I also recently ran into the health director at my gym and she relayed to my trainer how shocked she was to see my transformation. Thirty-five pounds is a lot, but especially while transitioning much of that weight from fat to muscle. Thus, inches have been the biggest difference with me. I lost over 9 inches around my back/chest alone.. kinda gross for me to think about, honestly. And I can really see a lot of definition in my arms, legs, and abdomen. My endurance has grown drastically, as well. I started jogging at 5.5 mph and now run a 8:30 minute mile at about 7.2 mph every day. My trainer really wants me to start running half-marathons considering I run about 3 miles every day, but I don't think she fully understands my hatred of running. I just can't kick it. I absolutely feel miserable when I run and I don't really know why. So, the half-marathon is being put on the back-burner to my other goals= 15 more pounds of weight loss, and 4% drop in body fat.

All-in-all, a lot of exciting stuff going on. But, most importantly, a lot of these changes are becoming just part of my every day life and giving me the confidence to push forward and really crush those last 15 pounds.

Hopefully the next time I write I will have more progress with my goals and will continue to find motivation within myself and from my readers :)

Love you all and hope you are feeling healthy and happy as always!

Quote of the week:
"Whether you think that you can, or think that you cannot, you are right." - Henry Ford (spoken every day by my trainer)

xx,
-Kate

Week XVI: Patience

Good Afternoon Readers,

I wanted to talk to you about something that is very important when trying to reach your fitness and/or health goals. Many of you, I'm sure, have made resolutions to lose weight. Unfortunately, many will also give up after about two weeks of making that resolution. Instead of pointing fingers, I can sympathize with many of you on why you might give up so quickly.

When I took on this challenge of living a healthier lifestyle I had a number in mind that I wanted to lose within a years time. I broke it down and figured out how much that meant I would need to lose each week in order to hit my goal. Well, you can imagine my frustrations when it took me almost two whole months to even drop a pound. TWO WHOLE MONTHS: 8 weeks: 60 days.. to even see one pound flutter off the scale. But, the great thing is that I did lose that one pound.. and many many many more following.

It's human nature, I think, to give up after not getting results immediately. Particularly in this day in age we are conditioned and expected to have instant gratification. To put in so much time and effort and see results is like a high, but when you don't see results it's like a punch in the stomach. Thus, many of us figure, 'why put in so much effort if things aren't going to change.'. Something I learned from my journey on this healthier road was that patience can bring the biggest rewards. Liposuction, quick-fix diets, "magic pills", can bring on quick results, however, they won't last and don't teach you how to keep that weight off. Taking the time to figure your body out and coach it to success is the only way to reach results that are lasting and worth your while.

I know you are all thinking that this is easier said than done: waiting for the weight to come off. And you're right. Motivation is a hard thing to hold on to when you don't have anything tangible to keep you going. But, as I said, my journey has been a learning process. And I knew there was no turning back to my old ways, this was it. It was keep trying, or be unhealthy forever. So, I decided I needed to find my "tangible" object to focus on and find motivation within. The focus I kept in the forefront was the fact that, although the weight wasn't coming off, I was feeling stronger and my body was loving the endorphin-endused workouts. So, I stuck through it. I never gave up and I wish everyone could feel what I'm feeling now. I'm only 15 pounds away from my goal weight which is unreal to me.

I've built such a happy person through all of this. My happiness did not come from seeing the weight drop, it came from looking and feeling healthy, laughing and smiling without feeling self-conscious, and being the Kate I know I'm supposed to be. Patience pays off, people. Anything is worth the weight wait ;) You have to want it, mind, body, and soul. And you can do it!! I believed in me, I believe in you, and know that in each of us is a happy and healthy person who just needs patience and perseverance to come out.

Quote of the Week:
"It's not about the weight." - my personal trainer

xx
-Kate

Week XV: The Invisible Muscle

Hi Followers!

The holidays are such a tease: delicious cookies, feasts, wine, desserts for us to enjoy, then (BAM!) New Years resolutions start a week later. Okay, really, whose sick joke is this???

Well, it may be really tough for us to get off track and jump back on, but it's also a good time to strengthen what I call the "invisible muscle". This invisible muscle is the strength it takes from falling off the bandwagon to having to climb right back on. For some people this takes weeks, maybe months to pull themselves back up after they've given in to the 'dark side'. And yet I was always amazed at how some people could eat one bad meal and then completely get back on track by the next. So, I thought right now was the perfect time for me to learn how to strengthen this muscle and have a quick rebound after I had a not-so-healthy week.

Easier said than done, right? Well, considering I've been following a healthier lifestyle for more than 4 months now, it wasn't as hard as I imagined. Let's go back in time about 8 days ago: Katie gets diagnosed with "walking pneumonia", which translates to "not allowed to workout for a week". Lingering holiday food around, no where to escape to, and visions of sugar-plums danced around in my head... okay we'll blame that one on the pneumonia. As you can tell, this was becoming a very appropriate time for me to fall off the wagon.

So, it certainly wasn't my best week. But, I continued to remind myself that this was a trial period for me. Trial, in terms of how I would react to this "beyond my control" situation. Typically in the past I would have just gone full-throttle into the eating bad, lazy, don't care attitude. But, I knew I was stronger than that, and thus, I decided instead of throwing in the towel, I would compensate for my situation. So, I made sure I kept my food intake in check more closely since I wouldn't be able to give my body a good workout. Some of the things I did was to keep a food diary (bodymedia.com), drink a TON of water, and get lots of rest. Even though I wasn't working out, my body was burning a decent amount of calories to heal itself. I did give in to a few cravings but only because, as I mentioned in a previous post, if I pushed that craving aside I would most likely want it twice as much later. And honestly, it worked. I had my unhealthy choice but then got it out of my system and didn't look back. Either way, I really tried to stay optimistic and not give up when so much was trying to pull me down.

Now, a week later, I am back in my gym routine (slowly of course), and on my regular food plan, as well. I'm only planning to go to my trainer once this week as my lungs aren't quite where I'd like them to be just yet. But I'm getting there, and I'm so glad that I had the strength to stay afloat while many temptations were pulling me down into the lazy, eat-what-you-want trap. I really found a way to pulse that invisible muscle called willpower to stay on track and pull myself up off the ground when sickness and the holidays were waiting for me as a speed bump along the way.

You know, I'm a really big adventurist. I love to create journeys for myself and see where I end up, who I meet, situations I'll have to handle, how I can grow from these new experiences.. But, I'm learning that one of my biggest adventures never even required me to leave my town. This whole experience of testing myself and pushing myself to be the best "me" has been a whole adventure on its own and probably been the most rewarding journey I'll take myself on. But then again.. never say never, right?!?

Well, until next time readers...

Quote of the Week:
"Life is either a great adventure or nothing" - Helen Keller

xx
-Kate