Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Getting Healthy Update

A few months ago I started a journey towards feeling better.  I shared how lucky I am to have a husband and kiddos who are supporting me.  I've been working hard for nearly four months and I'm starting to realize that this is going to be really, really hard.  My body does not want to cooperate, but I will make it change.  PCOS and hypothyroidism be damned.

I made it through an eight week body camp program at a local crossfit gym.  I simultaneously loved and hated it.  I loved how I felt, and how my body was changing.  I hated how sore I was everyday, and how hard it was.  But I pushed through it, stuck with the diet, and lost ten pounds and a couple of inches from my waist and a little bit from my hips.

Then the program was over, and I couldn't afford to join the gym.  So I went back to the YMCA and did Zumba, yoga, and weight lifting on my own.  I continued to follow a paleo-esque diet and counted every single calorie.  I lost another 15 pounds and a few more inches from my waist and hips.

But, old habits die hard.  I was stressed from so many things happening--Eamon started kindergarten, I had to throw a kick-ass six year-old birthday party, I had to get ready for Sewing Summit.  In short, I fell off the wagon a bit.  I still counted calories--only consuming between 1200 and 1500 a day.  But my diet was getting more and more carby, and I was hitting the drive through a few more times than I should have been.  Mochas were getting to be a nearly daily thing again.  When you only have a limited amount of calories, consuming 200 calories from one drink is not to be taken lightly.  While I didn't gain any weight, I wasn't losing any either.  Something had to change.

So, I re-evaluated what I was doing.  What worked before?  A super clean diet, strength training, and restricted calories.  What could I change?  Ahem, my diet, for one.  And I could start crossfit again.  So I did.  I tightened up my diet, and have completed my first week at a new crossfit gym.  This is a temporary membership, as I'm having a hysterectomy mid-November, and will be recovering for awhile, but it's a start. 

This is hard.  It's so hard.  But I already feel so much better, and I know that the more weight I lose, and the healthier I get, the easier it will be.  And you know what?  As hard as this is, having diabetes or heart disease when I'm older will be much harder.  So even though I really, really, really want a cookie, I'm going to have my water.  And even though I really, really, really don't want to wake up at 5AM to go to the gym, I'm going to do it.  Because I really, really, really want this.

Total pounds lost: 25
Total pounds left to lose: 75
Inches lost from hips: 2.75
Inches lost from waist: 5

Want to join me?  I'm on myfitnesspal as "elmo9697".

4 comments:

Stephanie Granite said...

Way to go Jessie! You can do it!!!

Jessie Keating said...

Thanks Stephanie!

Tsoniki Crazy Bull said...

Just the other day I realized I was grabbing a "quick snack" out of the cupboard instead of eating a meal. I was grabbing candy or something chocolate instead of heating up leftovers. I stopped getting that and filling up my water cup instead of snacking. I felt great. Then yesterday I was a huge ball of stress. I am starting over tomorrow (Monday) and I just added you on my fitness pal. I sometimes get obsessive when I am tracking so I may not track all my calories, but I need to get back to working out! Great job losing 25 pounds! Over the past three years, I've lost 30. I want to lose 15 for my first goal and then go from there.

Jessie Keating said...

Good job! It's so hard. I was noticing I was dehydrated recently, so I upped the water and have been able to control the urge to snack a lot better!