Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Never give up!

Recently, I had an emotional break down about my weight loss journey.  I started this journey back in January and felt I was giving it my all.  I had not had a cookie, slice of cake, lick of frosting, spoonful of ice cream at all, until last weekend.  I made sure I worked out at least 5-6 days a week, some weeks 7 days but the scale would not move beyond the already 15 pounds I lost up until last month.  I did realize my clothes were fitting extremely better, I understood muscle weight is more than fat but I wanted the scale to move.  I started to have these crazy thoughts come in my head like, "why do it the right or healthy way, just go on another liquid diet like last year and lose 15 pounds in 2 weeks, why, why, why".  Until, I went to the doctors and came to my senses.

1.  The liquid diet obviously didn't work!  Yes, I lost 15 pounds in 2 weeks but not only did I quit after 14 days, I gained not only the 15 pounds I lost but an additional 13 pounds back (what a waste).

2.  My body must have adapted to what I've been doing over these last few weeks and it was time to take it to another level.

3.  Nothing worth having does not come easy, I must work hard, stay focus, stay dedicated and, most importantly NEVER GIVE UP!!

4.  My visit to the doctor earlier this week I received some exciting news.  I learned my blood pressure in December was 130/80 (within normal range but high normal) was now 110/70 (WOW) that is considered VERY GOOD, almost athletic level which is 105/75 and considered EXCELLENT).

All the above plus more helped me to realize I must keep pushing forward, I will not quit, my body is not only changing on the outside but most importantly inside (my heart).

Here I am on day 81, the longest I have ever committed to any weight loss/ healthy lifestyle change and I have accomplished SO much. (I started off with long walks, that turned into me jogging and, now I am running intervals on 6mph!! That alone is a huge accomplishment for me and the list goes on).

I believe my body adapted to what I did to lose the first 15 pounds (I still have roughly 42 pounds to go) and it is now time to make changes.  I started using Webmd.com weight loss planner to track food log, I increased my cardio's duration, intensity and, decreased my daily calories (I no longer eat every 3 hours, now only the first half of my day I do).  Making those changes the scale already dropped 2 additional pounds, totaling 17 pound weight loss.  I am starting to feel the weight just coming off.

I guess what I am trying to say is Never give up!  I could have easily let those negative thoughts over power me but I didn't!!  I could have given up when the numbers on the scale didn't move but I didn't.  I came to my senses quickly, revisited why I started this journey in the first place, re-evaluated my weight loss plan, made the changes and, guess what it worked!!

Below you will find another great motivating message from JoePaulSpeak's blog.  I hope it is as meaningful and helps you as much as it has for me. :-)

Best wishes,

Keiyana

**(I will upload my March photos on 3/31/12)**


morning_cup_of_joe

Morning Cup of Joe – Never Give Up

There is a man who lost his job the same year he was defeated during a run to serve in the legislature. A year later, after several attempts, his business failed. Shortly thereafter, his significant other passed away. Nearly a year after that, he had a severe nervous breakdown. This same man would experience over a dozen losses spanning over three decades. His tenacity and ability to stick with it despite his failures allowed him to become the 16th President of the United States of America.
President Abraham Lincoln’s attempts at success was rejected countless times before he finally heard his first YES! It may take you 10,000 times or 10 times to accomplish your dreams; either way, do not give up. We can only imagine what kind of world we’d be living in had he not persevered; the landscape of the world would be significantly different. The secret to his success was that he remained disciplined and committed enough to continue to keep trying until he received a favorable response. This is the recipe for success and exactly what you need to do.
The interesting thing about setting goals is that we really don’t know the exact date we’ll accomplish them; yet it is imperative that we continue to work diligently towards the accomplishment of said goals. Understand that we will never know the exact date that we will win simply because most people give up right before they get the thing they were working so feverishly for. Many people give up because they lack the necessary patience and perseverance required to accomplish any goal. You must stick with whatever it is you are doing, even if it seems like there is no end in sight. Your goals can and will be achieved if you simply choose not to throw in the towel. Quitting will never be an option for a winner.
Don’t give up 3 seconds before the miracle happens.
To The Top!
Joe Paul

8 comments:

  1. I am so glad you didn't get defeated and not go the easy route (liquid)! Sometimes plateaus are our body's way of saying "Haha, I know what you're trying to do!" And by changing it up you told your body "I run this ish!!" lol Keep up ther good work! Can't wait to see your progress pics, I know there is a difference!

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    1. Thank you ChiChi you always know what to say to make me laugh (lol). Thank you again for all your support, I truly appreciate it.

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  2. Persistance, not perfection. Make that your mantra.

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    1. Love it!! Thank you Trina for your support and encouraging words, it is much appreciated!! :-)

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  3. Just keep pushing! I think so often we lose sight of the other accomplishments...like lower blood pressure and inches lost. You should be congratulated! I can't quite tell if you have lost 15 pounds since the beginning of the of the year...that's an average of a pound of week - which is good safe weight loss!

    I think you right...every ten to fifteen pounds you'll probably need to tweak your eating habits or workout habits to see more results...

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  4. Keep up the good work! Mixing things up, especially exercises, seems to be key to weight loss.

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