NEW SEASON NEW BLOG

You can find me here:

http://MichelleMinus100.blogspot.com

For the past month, I've been increasingly desperate every single day about my fatness. I MUST overcome.

In the past, when I've tracked calories, I've used my spreadsheet. I've learned so much doing this! In order to lose weight, I'm going to have to KNOW what I'm really eating and tracking calories will only be for a season. I've decided to join MyFitnessPal.com in order to track my calories more efficiently and enter into the process of reducing calories and increasing my exercise.

One thing I've come to realize is that the morning walk is not optional. I thought the health bounce on the rebounder would replace walking, but at my low level of activity, it just hasn't. I can see the potential, though, if I was doing more than a health bounce. This means I've gained weight because I haven't been walking. I had to order some new, bigger shirts. This of course, isn't the direction I want to go!

As I've been digging in with what I need to do, I've decided that I'm in a new season. These past two years have been incredible when I look back and see the changes I've made. But I can sense there's a new season right in front of me. That in order to lose weight, I need to get more focused and develop a plan based on what the Lord's told me to do. For two years, I've been focused on the freedom of NOT DIETING, but obeying what the Lord tells me to do. Counting calories at this stage for me isn't about restriction, it's not about dieting, it's about accountability and telling myself the truth.

I've decided to start a new blog for this new season. I'm not ditching this blog, I'll be referring to it on the new blog, but I won't be updating this one regularly as I'll be doing my processing on the new blog.

PLEASE FIND ME AT MY NEW BLOG HERE:

http://MichelleMinus100.blogspot.com

Biking

I've been bike riding the past two sunny days! I LOVE IT!

We have a paved trail nearby and I've mapped out the flattest parts of the trail. There's a 2.5 mile stretch (5 miles round trip) that is really challenging. Even a little elevation gain puts me into hard breathing. I can do it in about 30 minutes.

This is good exercise!

The Gabriel Method Update

It's only been a few days, but I'm really enjoying the evening visualization mp3! It is deeply relaxing and I like listening to the affirmations. Tomorrow I'll watch Video #6 while I walk on the treadmill and rebound on the trampoline. I'm really stoked about my new routines with exercise and sleep!

You can get the Evening Visualization mp3 for FREE here.
http://www.thegabrielmethod.com/free-stuff

My Current Exercise Routine

OK, so I get more exercise than just chopping chicken! I bought a turkey breast from Costco and chopped it up for my husband's salads. I weigh 100g of turkey for him and 60g of chicken for me and put the portions in zip bags and store in the freezer. We have one or two nights a week where we have salad together for dinner while the kids have Cheesy Chicken Casserole or Mac n Cheese.

I really want to improve my strength (Get Strong).

Right now I'm doing:

treadmill (just starting to get back to walking, doing 10-15 minutes at 2.5 and no incline)

fitness blender easy warm up on YouTube

rebounding (15-25 minutes of health bounce)

This is more exercise than I've ever done before! This is completely sustainable and a good baseline from which to intensify.

What to work up to...I'd like to be walking a minimum of 30 minutes on the treadmill with some intense intervals, I should probably START with the warm up video and I like to bounce as a reward for the rest of it. I purchased the "10 Minute Trainer" kit and I'll look forward to starting that when I'm ready for more. I'm eager to use the resistance bands which came with the kit!

Better Sleep

I've been feeling desperate and looked back on the things the Lord has been telling me to do. Back in April of 2012, He told me to go to bed earlier and get up earlier. The past few months, I have really been getting to bed later and getting up later! I haven't had total victory in this area, so it is time to focus on this.

I asked Him what specific times I should go to bed and get up the other day. 11pm and 6:30am. Kids can have lights out at 10pm and then I can get myself in the sheets ready to sleep by 10:30/11:00pm.

I set my alarm to go off at 6:30am.

I've done this the past two nights. I feel fantastic!

Treadmill

My clothes feel tighter.

I stopped walking outside in November and started rebounding inside. This has been good for the health of my lymphatic system, but I don't think it has really given the same health benefits as walking. I'm going to keep bouncing, but I've been thinking about just going back to my neighborhood walks...but then...my friend Christi said, "Have you considered a treadmill"?

Well, yes, in fact, I have. My husband has been wanting one for a long time, but I didn't want one because growing up we had one that never got used. I figured it would just be a waste of money and assumed it wouldn't actually get walked on.

So I listed my objections...my main one was "how do I research which one to get?"

She said, "Just go on Craigslist and buy something for $200 or $300, they all pretty much do the same thing."

So I did!

The first one we found only had a maximum weight of 250lbs, which wasn't going to work for my husband. And the lady sold it out from under us, which turned out to be a blessing.

The NordicTrack has a wide tread, which I was thinking would be good for my husband, giving him plenty of room (I'm finding that I like the room, too)! The model I found nearby is good up to 375lbs. I think I got a good one!

We got it into the TV room and it is HUGE! Thankfully, we found a great place for it! It now lives out of sight in the easy-to-access office!

I LOVE IT! I can set up the laptop and watch and listen to whatever I want. Though I'm missing out on some Vitamin D from walking outside, I really don't miss having to grab a coat, drive to the neighborhood where I walk, put on my headphones, etc. This is SO EASY! I also like that I can control my PACE. I'm walking faster on the treadmill and I'm going to experiment with incline. I think I can program it with incline and speed intervals, but I haven't figured that out yet.

The Gabriel Method

I did a Google search on "why can't I lose weight" or something close to that and found an article by Jon Gabriel. I then looked at his website, TheGabrielMethod.com, and I'm intrigued. Here's a man with a testimony! He lost 220lbs without traditional methods. His photos are astonishing. How can that be the same person!? I mean, it is the same person, but he is completely transformed. His story is inspiring.

This is interesting.

There is a measure of truth that resonates with me, so I think I'll read the book (I actually signed up so I can watch the videos of the book and it also gives me access to some recipes and mp3s among other helps).

I'm really enjoying watching the videos. More to come.

Two Years

Wow. TWO YEARS I've been at this. I remember my first month way back in January of 2012.

This has truly been a step-by-step process because I would not have been able to make these big changes in my life if it weren't for little steps at a time.

I am committing to 2014 being the year I lose 100 pounds.

The inside transformation I've been experiencing for two years can finally show up on the outside in 2014 as I increase my exercise and improve my nutrition.

I've been walking in the mornings for TWO YEARS.
I've been eating more fiber each day for TWO YEARS.
I've been cutting down on refined sugar for TWO YEARS.
I've been watching my portions for TWO YEARS.
I've been drinking more water for TWO YEARS.
I've been eating a salad each day for almost a YEAR AND A HALF.

I have a solid foundation to build my weight loss upon. I'm really ready to do what it is going to take to lose weight.

As I've been thinking about this, some interesting emotions have come up. I've been dealing with them as they do. One weird thing is that I feel hesitant to lose weight because I'll need to spend money on a whole new wardrobe. As FUN as that will truly be, there's also a financial component that is holding me back. I need to solve this by starting to save now for the new clothes I'll be needing. I also have some weird thoughts about being "sexy" that I need to work through. I wonder if I've used my weight to hide somehow. That's a raw thought that I'm not sure I want to really admit, but I'm willing to look at it in order to get free.

I'm excited about what's to come!

Fitness Blender Free Workout Videos

In my recent searching online for ways to "get strong", I found a site called Nerd Fitness and wanted to try the workout...but I needed to warm-up first. That's when I found this 5 minute "easy warm-up" by Fitness Blender.

I've done this before bouncing for about three days and I can tell I'm already getting better at it! The plan is to do it a few days and then do it twice for a few days (or more).

I also added a brisk one mile walk by Leslie Sansone into the mix. I was having hip issues when I did this last year, but I'm going to go easy on the side-to-side moves and see if that helps my hips not hurt.

The other day, I did a 1/2 mile walk outside my house. I'd like to be walking again, but hate driving five minutes to a sidewalk to take a walk. On the nicer days this winter/spring, I'm going to see if I can do a little outdoor walking on my busy rural road, we'll see how that goes.

I think I've underestimated what I can do physically. I haven't wanted to exert myself to the point of becoming disinterested because a workout was too hard. I've wanted to focus on the HABIT of exercising and less on the intensity. But now it is TIME to up the INTENSITY since the habit truly is in place. So I'm looking for something sustainable, a workout for right now at 225lbs that I can actually DO and not become discouraged.

Walking outside and/or inside, rebounding health bounce and more and maybe a strength workout might be the direction to take. I'm also working on upgrading the nutrition on our dinners, too.

Get Strong

I've been spending a lot of time researching workouts the past few days.

I need to do something MORE. The health bouncing is really awesome, but I need to bump it up and GET STRONG.

Options:

-go back to walking: now that it is getting lighter again earlier, that could happen. I would want to listen to some kind of "paced" workout on the iPod

-do a trampoline/rebounder workout: can't find anything I really connect with

-resistance band workout: I found a few DVDs I might try, I think I could actually DO these

-10 Minute Trainer by Tony Horton the P90X dude and do what I can
-Fitness Blender on YouTube has some workouts for free, not sure if I could even do them

Sleek Water System

This is too good!

Just an update on water...this system has become SLEEK!

It takes 12 gulps to finish a bottle of water. If I swig three mouthfuls at a time, that means I only have to "drink" four times per bottle. Each morning I put TWO BOTTLES the bathroom. With each trip to the bathroom, after washing my hands, I take three swigs. It's pretty easy to go to the bathroom a minimum of eight times per day (because I'm drinking so much water!), so there's two bottles done.
I drink TWO BOTTLES while bouncing each morning-easy-I put them on my desk and drink away while I'm rebounding. That leaves ONE BOTTLE remaining. I consume that bottle with any meal and I'm DONE!

I used to work sooooo hard at trying to get my water down, now I do it so easily without even thinking or applying myself! Yippppeeeee!

Some Things I Really Want to Do

There are some things I really want to do, but my current frame won't support such activities. It's like this photo of the gray mist blocking out the sun...I want freedom from fat so I can live life more fully.

-I want to do more difficult hikes...at this time, any hike with "ridge" in it is virtually impossible and I don't even consider putting it on the hike bucket list, but I get a natural high from being on top of a ridge or mountain and I'd like to do more of that
-When we were at the Ape Caves in 2013, there were two choices, the easy and the hard. I want to go back and do the hard-because I can.
-The Gray's Harbor lighthouse has 137 steps...I want to walk up and down with confidence and vigor when we finally visit!
-I've always wanted to try kayaking...I think I'd get STUCK in the opening, not to mention the blood circulation would probably be cut off "sitting" too long.
-I had various opportunities to ride horses when I was young, I would LOVE to ride a horse again (without causing it injury).

Mostly at the moment, my ideas of freedom revolve around being outdoors and being able to do more strenuous activities on the weekends. Recently, I've actually had the thought that I'd enjoy travelling with my family to Europe, something I would only want to do if I was thinner.

Of course, there's the everyday realities of being able to buy cute clothes (not just ones that have elastic waistbands), having more energy, LOOKING BETTER and being healthier. But what motivates me right now more than any of the things listed above, is leaving the misery of a guilty conscience and overcoming in this area! The Lord has brought me here to have me overcome and have victory and freedom-I want to cooperate!

Year in Review-2013

I never thought I'd drag out this process as long as I have, but that is reality, so I'm owning it and being honest about it.

I first posted on January 27, 2012...that's almost TWO YEARS AGO. Even though that seems like a long time, these two years have not been wasted, even though I'm still about the same as my starting weight. Not all is lost because I've actually grown in wisdom and good habits during that time, but that also means it is time to move forward and not stay in this place...I need to keep growing, or rather, losing! When I started this blog, I really thought I'd see immediate results and I would be documenting weekly weight loss for about a year, that this blog would just be a documentary of my shrinking figure. Oh my word, I had no idea what really needed to change was many lifestyle choices. I would say I've been successful in the way that I haven't given up, I keep striving to improve my efficiency in these areas, but not to the point of dying to my flesh the way I know I need to in order to see weight loss results.

Here's what I learned last year in 2012:
I learned a lot this year! I spent a lot of time WALKING and I've never done that before! I learned how to increase my fiber and eat a salad-a-day. I learned that I can reduce my cow's milk intake dramatically, decreasing the sugars I consume.
What I learned this year in 2013:
-My "bad fruit is telling on me". I am fatter than ever and everyone can see it! I've "lost" about two pounds. I'm utterly miserable in my plump state.

-If I want to influence people, I need to truly overcome and have good fruit in this area of my life. (LESS of me!)

-I did lose 12 pounds in May 2012 following the Lord's principles that He's given me-it works! What have I actually been doing the rest of the time? Thinking a lot about it all and not actually engaging or obeying my conscience. That tells me something important...I don't REALLY want His ways if I'm not surrendered in dying to my fleshly appetite. So I must ask myself...do I REALLY want His ways or not? This needs to be contemplated and acted upon. Am I going to move forward and obey His leading through my conscience or not? I already know the answer, please help me Lord. My ways literally lead to death and I don't want to do it my way any longer. I want to cooperate with you no matter how difficult it may seem right now.

-Half of this past year was spent "wrestling" with a diet that I never decided to DO or NOT DO, until now. I am NOT doing it and I'm relieved to realize I actually needed to make that decision and I've made it. In writing that previous sentence, I realized I needed to leave the Facebook group and I just did that, which will be very good for me. This diet that entered my life in July has been a major distraction...I never felt it was from the Lord for me to do, but I flirted with it a lot. It is not for me right now in my process. I'm really grateful for my friend sharing it with me, though, because it got me using coconut oil, which is just awesome! Thank you Lord!

-Tracking in general does not help me! (I love setting up tracking sheets for myself!!) I seem to do a lot better writing down "goals" and then being Spirit-led in each moment about reaching them. Tracking seems to put my focus on "perfection" rather than obedience.

-There are things I REALLY WANT TO DO and my weight is holding me back from living to my fullest desires. That just stinks!

-Buying brownie mix in bulk and having it at all times in the pantry "for special occasions" is too tempting for me!

-I've been looking everywhere ELSE "for answers" instead of dealing with what is right in front of my face. I've been checking out many different library books (I never read them) on dieting, looking online for before and after photos of others and enjoying weight loss being posted in the Facebook group I just left. Lord, I'm so sorry I have been looking outside of what you've provided for me, thinking I need something else or something more. There is no other besides You. I'm so sorry.

-I don't see drinking coconut or almond milk as a sacrifice, I truly prefer it over cow's milk, though I prefer to cook with cow's milk. The only reason for the move is to reduce sugar intake.

-Eating more fiber and salad and drinking more water has truly become a habit and lifestyle change that I don't see abandoning-ever. I can see how exercise, more veggies and water have allowed me to have a more active life these past two years because if I wasn't doing those things, I probably would have gained even more weight instead of holding pretty steady!

-The change from walking outside to using my rebounder (trampoline) inside has been a really good one for me. I'm exercising more consistently and more days per week (like EVERY day) and reaping benefits-I feel great and LOVE exercising this way. I do think my body misses the time outside for the little sun exposure I was getting, though. As I lose weight, I know I'll need to increase my activity, but for now, the walking has been sooooo good for me on many levels.

With regards to going through a process of learning to love sacrificially over the past three years, I see some contrasts to my process of losing weight and I want to document some specifics here:
-I obeyed immediately to every nudge to my conscience and I engaged in battling my flesh (I have not entered this kind of serious process with my weight yet)
-The Lord did not reveal "the next step", it was a Spirit-led process and every moment was surrendered (The Lord HAS seemed to reveal to me all the steps ahead of time. Knowing this has not necessarily made it easier to obey)
-I knew the Lord had all the answers I needed, I didn't need to look "out there" (In this process, I've spent the past months, "looking out there", when all I need is right here)
-I had no clue how the process would look and I thought it would take a lot longer than it did. (I had ideas about how this process would look, I expected to see fruit immediately and go through the process in a year).

Here's the facts:
-I haven't lost any weight since May 2012 when I lost about 12 pounds. I've gained back most of them. I'm about 227 and I started at nearly 230. That's not really an improvement on the scales, but I've made many good life changes in the past two years and haven't gained more over 227.
-For my health, I need to do this. I can't stay at 220+, I've GOT to get into a season of losing.
-I know if I obey, I'll lose (or WIN)!

I'm not going to make any big declarations here. I know what it looks like to be surrendered because I've experienced it in my process of learning to love sacrificially in my relationships. I want to apply that to my process here. There are a few important things I need to take with me in the days and weeks and months to come:

-I can no longer procrastinate...NOW is the time, there IS no other time, 2014 is year three in this process
-do I REALLY want His ways? If I love Him, I will obey Him.
-I know how to listen to the Lord as He speaks to me through my conscience, I need to join with Him and cooperate with His leading
-I need to engage in battling my flesh with the same intensity as I've done before, I will have to battle more than once for each temptation, but my spirit will get stronger while I weaken the grip the flesh has on me (this gives me a lot of hope!)

The Chocolate Problem

I have eaten A LOT LESS chocolate this year! But...

but...

but...

I don't think it is realistic to NEVER eat it (and the Lord isn't telling me that anyways). Part of what the Lord wants me to do is NOT eat all the candy I used to eat. That's what "cut out obvious refined sugars" means. I totally have permission to eat a couple cookies when my daughter is making homemade cookies or enjoy a special dessert prepared for my birthday. Treats made out of love may be eaten in moderation. I need to avoid extra sweets that have no personal "relational" value...like the random Halloween candy, for example. I need to avoid daily foods or treats that are high in processed/refined sugar.

Except...

there seems to be times when I MUST have some chocolate. It doesn't mean I have to eat A LOT of it, I just really want a little taste. I don't know if that means I need some more magnesium or zinc, but it would be awesome to find a way to have nibbles of chocolate at those times which I crave it. And this isn't every day. There just seem to be times when I highly crave it and it can easily be quenched with a morsel. This is not an indulgence issue, this is a self-governing, few tastes sort of thing. Can I find a morsel that isn't sugary?  If there's a way to get this taste/texture without sugar impact, then why not? If there's no sugar hit, I'm not feeding the monster, but living moderating and in reality. It is a long term, living real life sort of thing. This issue needs to be examined and a solution needs to be discovered.

There ARE two solutions I'm pretty excited about...one is DIY and the other is "buy it at the grocery store"...I prefer the second.

Skinny Chocolate comes to me via Trim Healthy Mama...it's made with coconut oil (the coconutty flavored one!), cocoa powder and Truvia and I like to include chopped peanuts and shredded unsweetened coconut. This really meets the need. I only have a small portion and that satisfies. They also have a recipe that I like for fudge that fits the bill, too.

So these two recipes are available and are to be made ahead of time in pre-portioned small bites stored in the freezer.

Another, more favored selection is Midnight Reverie (duh duh dum)! At 86% cacao, it packs the flavor punch without the sugar hit!
One square breaks down like this:
60 calories
6g fat
4g carbs
1g sugar
and there's even a whole gram of protein and a whole gram of fiber in this little guy!

Since these squares easily break into quarters, that gives me four luscious bites...often I only want one or two of the quarters because they are bitter. This easily provides the chocolate taste/texture satisfaction I'm looking for!

Midnight Reverie comes in individually wrapped squares or in a large chocolate bars (the squares are the same size). Recently, they went on sale and I bought a bunch. No guilt chocolate...now that solves the "chocolate problem" for me!

God's Principles for Michelle's Weight Loss

Principles is a new name for "Things He's Telling Me" and I think I might just start calling them Principles when I refer to them in the future.

This is a place to review what the Lord has told me to do over the past two years. When I started asking Him in 2012, He started answering me by impressing His wisdom and communicating to me through my conscience. The past two years have been spent striving to implement these principles (aka-surrendering and obeying). I started keeping track on this blog when I sensed His nudgings through my conscience. How grateful I am, Lord, for your leading!

Two years into my process, there's a refinement to the original commands:

-Morning Walk has become Morning Rebound with YouTube Video and iTunes Playlist
-Eat More Fiber Daily has become Eat Fiber One Cereal Daily
-Drink More Water Daily has become Drink 5-16.9oz Water Bottles Daily
-Stop Eating Obvious Refined Sugar has become No Obvious Refined Sugar (unless special occasion or relational event) or Low-Sugar-Hit Chocolate Morsel for Cravings
-Count Calories will soon become For 2014, 1200-1500 Daily Calories
-Get Up Earlier/Bed Earlier (I've been improving my evening bedtime lately)
-Get Strong (I'm starting to think this is for later when I need to up my exercise)
-Eat One Salad Daily has become Eat (at least) One Salad Daily (sometimes I have a hearty salad for dinner, too and I've eaten a salad for breakfast on occasion)
-Eat Half Dinner Serving (working on this for 2014)
-Release from Walk if Start Dancing (released to rebound instead of walk in 2013)

Right now I feel really good about the following principles:
-Morning Rebounding
-Daily 5 Water Bottles
-Daily Fiber One
-Daily Salad
-No Obvious Sugars

The rest need some attention.

Bouncing in Sussex

Love rebounding every morning! This has been a great series! He also has a fantastic video of his trip to New Zealand, too.

Rebounding at 14,000 Feet

I am not inspired to write much, which doesn't happen very often. These are the darkest days of the year as we approach winter solstice...ah, only 11 more days until we start back the other way. It is gray and dreary this morning.

But not on Mt Whitney!

I bounced up to the summit house this morning!

I've been thinking about things I'll be able to do when I lose weight and that's been inspiring me.

Bouncing Down the Grand Canyon

I tried a new video today. A marathon through the Grand Canyon, whoah! There are six of these videos. The trailhead is at the top and the run goes down, down, down. Some of the path is really narrow with scary drop-offs! It was fun to watch!

Bouncing and Breakthrough

Over the past three years, I've been in a process to gain the hearts of my children. I've been learning to love them sacrificially and the Lord has done a beautiful work in turning our lives around.

I've been comparing my process in learning to love with my process of losing weight.

I haven't really lost any weight recently and am totally stalled in what should be a process of turning my health around. I've spent some time with pen and paper evaluating what the difference is between my two processes.

Last week I got serious about obeying what the Lord has so graciously told me to do in order to lose weight, in order to be free of so much of me, in order to turn my health around. I am very much in process of understanding it, but I know I CAN obey without understanding it all.

I had a huge breakthrough in eating half of dinner a few nights and engaging in putting down my flesh when I felt tempted to eat sugar. He really makes it easy, when I cry out to Him. I find that I've been silencing my conscience in order to indulge my fleshly desires for more food and sugar, denying the fact that's He's already given me instruction...I'm not engaged, not obeying, and of course...not seeing any results toward weight loss.

I keep going back to the basic few things He's told me to do...am I doing them?

Walk: I'm bouncing 20-30 minutes per day and I think I've only missed two days since I started-LOVE IT and feel disappointed when the time is up and I have to stop. What a gift to not have to leave my house to take my walk. I love pulling the trampoline in front of the computer, stretching and bouncing! I'm not doing cardio and I'm not taking my feet off the mat, just bouncing up and down and moving my arms to keep my rhythm. They call that the "health bounce".

Fiber: It is pretty easy for me to eat my 30 grams plus unsweetened almond milk each day. Sometimes I do have this as a late afternoon snack on days when it doesn't get eaten for breakfast. I'm finding that I really like the Silk brand because it is a thicker, more substantial consistency.

Water: I'm doing it! Five water bottles per day (this is REALLY working) as long as I'm at home, I can pretty much get these down every single day. 82 ounces. Daily. Yay!

No Sugar: This means NO SUGAR-daily. I've put some Skinny Chocolate (THM recipe) in the freezer for times I feel I can't live without a sweet. It has zero impact on my system and satisfies when I need some chocolate. I also need to engage in putting down my flesh when I have urges to eat sugar. I realize that I haven't been engaging AT ALL, but now I am...it is making a huge difference.

Salad Daily: I've been doing SO MUCH BETTER eating my salads. I feel great when I do and I LOVE to eat them...once they are assembled! It helps if I start putting my salad together in the morning, tossing in the lettuce so when I get hungry, I can just start tossing stuff in the bowl.

Half of Dinner: I've actually done this for a few days...wow! Thank you Lord, I feel terrific!

Putting all these things together should result in losing weight. :)

Another Way to Track Water Intake

You know, I'm always looking for the thing that works best for me.

I always lose my water bottle around the house. Using a piece of yarn has been the best method for me so far. I've been trading off two bottles for some time and I've wanted to do this very thing with five bottles for awhile. I love the counting backwards and have applied it to this method. I like being able to see all the day's water in one spot. So here we go!