The First 47 Days

It's been 47 days since I kicked off my path to fitness. In 47 days I have had the following key moments:

• One major food meltdown 
• Hosted Game Night with friends
• Spent the weekend at the beach with family
• Attended one kick butt wedding 
• Had a blast at a Superbowl Party
• Spent the weekend at my daughters dance competition
• Lost 2 days in bed with a migraine
• Celebrated the crap out of my 41st birthday 

Boy, has it been a busy 47 days. Each of the events listed impacted my plan. Workout schedules were interrupted, food prep was impacted or killed all together, allowances were made. And all of that is ok. No, better than ok. All of that is great! When I made the decision to change my life, I did not make the decision end my life. Each day, whether I was off track the day before or not, I had to recommit myself and do the best that I could that day with that day's circumstances. Here is a list of things I did not do in the last 47 days:

• I didn't berate myself for lapses in my workout schedule
• I didn't regret the planned cheat moments
• I didn't take any appetite suppressants 
• I didn't starve myself, at all
• I didn't make things hard for myself 

With all of that I've done or didn't do, I have lost 15 pounds. 15 glorious pounds! I have also upped my fitness level. It takes more effort to get and keep my heart rate bumpin. I feel stronger (physically and mentally). I have more energy than I have had in years. I am much happier. 

I wouldn't say that the last 47 days and 15 pounds have been a cake walk (mmmm... cake...) but it hasn't really been a struggle either. I feel like I have finally found what is going to give me long term success and I could not not be more excited to see what the future holds as I continue to work towards my fitness goals. Yay me!

What's Going On Here and Why Did It Take So Long?

First off, let me throw out there that this is not about getting skinny and being hot. Noted in the title of the blog, I'm already pretty sure that I am fabulous. And while some may consider that to be conceited or arrogant, those who truly know me know that I am neither of those things (at least I try not to be. I do get on my high horse from time to time but that's a whole other story). My fabulousness comes from being a child of God and being free from the angst that living in the world can wrap us up in. This whole new journey of mine is about health. Pure and simple. I've been... um...thick? a long time. My whole adult life. So I'm kinda used to it. Come on now, my brownie uniform in first grade? 6X. Not a 6. 6X. Any childhood huskies or X'ers feeling me here? I was never an overweight child or teen just solid. Big boned. Corn fed. As a teen, my body looked more like a woman than a teen. I was all pa-pow and ba-boom. When I was 15 and at the beach, a man told my grandmother that I was built "like a brick shit house" and couldn't believe I was only 15. And while I still don't know what that means (I probably should Google it), my grandmother took it as a compliment. Being so voluptuous at such a young age certainly helped to land me a hot Marine as a husband but also gave me a base of padding that quickly ballooned when I did become married and for the last 20 years, my weight has basically remained the same. So what's changed? Why now?

I am not really sure why now is the time. Sure, I've gone on diets in the past and even lost 50lbs once (yay me!) but for the most part, I've been content with where I was. Now, I'm not so content. Now, I'm tired of feeling like crap. Arthritis, fibromyalgia, degenerative disc disease and the possibility of another fairly serious condition (I know, I know I should go see the specialist that my primary care physician keeps telling me I need to see but who wants bad news that will only bring you down? Not me. Don't lecture me. I'll do me. You do you. And then when I lecture you for doing you... well then you can go ahead and lecture me. LOL) I have finally accepted that neglecting my body is making me sick and in pain and tired and overall lessening the quality of my life. I've also finally accepted that as a wife, I hold great responsibility for the health of the person I love most in the world. Finally, I've accepted that I am setting my kids up for a lifetime of crap if I don't change their habits now. Ultimately, what they do when they are grown is on them but it won't be without my best effort to teach them otherwise. I've focused on breaking the cycle of other abuses but have let food addiction and basically poisoning go unchecked. No more.


So what's going on here? What am I doing? I am just not being stupid. That's really it. I'm eating food. Real food. Food that actually has nutritional value. Food that either grew in the ground or had a heartbeat. And I'm moving my body. So yeah, that's it. No magic pills, no magic shakes, no specific "diet"... just not being stupid. Oh, and I'm only focusing on one day at a time. That's it. I prep for a week but only think about the next 24 hours.

I'm already fabulous. Join me while I work on getting fit, one day at a time.

-Jen