Heading Home

I'm heading home for the weekend. I'm really excited because I haven't seen my family since early December. While most people worry about not getting enough exercise when they're on vacation, I'm happy because I'll have more opportunities than I do here. My mom loves to walk, which is great, and we can go hiking in the woods for hours. Plus I get to go fishing, which I haven't done in years.

Thank You

Thank you to all those who have sacrificed for the freedom of this country. We will never forget.

A Loss!

Increasing the calories has definitely helped. I weighed in at 163 this morning, three pounds lighter than last Saturday, two pounds lighter than Wednesday.

Plateau

I've hit a plateau both physically and mentally. But I have a plan.

Physically: I recently decreased my calorie intake to under 1400. With as much as I'm working out, that is definitely not enough. I'm increasing my calorie intake to 1500-1600 daily, with one day a week where I'm allowed to eat up to 1800. This plan worked before, so I'm going to try it again. If it isn't working after a couple weeks, I'll revise my plan.

Mentally: For the mental roadblock, I'm going to switch up my exercise routine. I dread doing the videos I have and I have a hard time burning calories without them. So I'm looking into new videos. I have Amy Bento's Kickboxing Xtreme right now. I skimmed it this morning and it looks fun, though tough. I'm debating kickboxing class, too. I think if I put the money down for the class, I'll feel really guilty if I don't go. Plus, kickboxing just seems fun.

Reading: Almost done with The Things They Carried. Loving it so far.

Perfect Running Weather

My favorite weather to run in is cold and wet. There's something so peaceful about running in the rain. It's quiet, cool, and most people stay inside. I always feel like I can hold out longer when it's raining. Maybe it's because I don't get as hot; maybe it's all mental. All I know is I felt like I could've done 3.5 today. I was on call and the stupid phone went off, so I had to stop and answer. I'm not sure why I didn't start running again once I got off the call. Next time, I'm going to shoot for 3.5 and see how I do.

Reading: I'm currently reading The Things They Carried. I'd read the first chapter in one of my English classes and really enjoyed it. The rest of the book is holding true to the first chapter. It's a very captivating book. It's one of those stories that draws you in and makes you feel like you're there beside them, experiencing the death, the life, the sadness, and the laughter.

One thing I've learned for in my weight-loss journey

I've never been much of a cook, but since I started my weight-loss journey, I've realized how important it is to make meals from scratch. Not only is it better for you, but most of it is more filling than it's pre-made counterpart. Some recipes I use as-is, but many I've learned to make much healthier.

For example, I made gumbo last weekend. The recipe I had would've been a good 600+ calories per serving. By the time I got done with it, it was less than 400 and super yummy. I also learned to make jambalaya and today I'm trying my hand at homemade chicken stock. Next week, I'm going to take a stab at chicken lasagna.

Quick Update

Just posting a quick update. Nothing exciting has been happening lately, so nothing new to report. I did lose a couple pounds, so I'm down to 165. I also did a total of 105 modified push-ups today, which was cool.

I'm still struggling with motivation to exercise, but I'm realizing that, for me, exercise is always going to be a struggle. I just don't enjoy it. I'm going to try something new, because I'm really disliking the videos I have. I'm thinking belly dancing would be fun, so I'm going to get a video for that. Right now, I'm going to hop on my mini-stepper and try to go until my legs are too gooey to continue.

The Marines

I watched The Marines today. I really like how they show show many aspects of the Marine Corps. The debate on whether women will be officially allowed in combat one day was interesting.

There was a quote from a retired Marine that really struck home. He said something to the effect of "Quiting is endemic. You quit once, you'll quit again. We don't tolerate that in the Marines." I was a quiter. All my life, I've always taken the path of least resistance. Even now, I want to lose the last 17 pounds, but I'm being lazy about it. Sure, I work out almost every day and I lose a pound or two a week, but that's not enough. I still allow myself to overeat at least twice a week, I skip workouts usually once a week, I eat things that I know are hindering my progress. Even today, I made brownies (which I'm taking to work on Monday).

My initial goal was to DEP by the end of April. If I stick to the path I'm on now, it won't be until the end of July. I'm not going to be a quiter anymore. I will lose those 17 pounds by the end of June, if not sooner. There is no other option for me. I can't see a future for myself other than the Marine Corps. I'm going to prove to myself and to the world that I have what it takes, before boot camp.

PFT!

I went for my run this morning and didn't intend to time myself. I just wanted to get the three miles done. I happened to glance at my watch when I started running, then I looked at it again when I reached the 3-mile mark. I did it in 36 minutes! I kept doing the math all the way back to the car to make sure it was right. It sure didn't feel like 36 minutes, but heck, I'll take it!

Photo Update

Here are some updated pictures. The first is of me in my size 18 pants and a shirt that used to be quite tight, and the second is me in that size 20 dress I wore in my cousin's wedding in June. Current weight: 167