everything i have in me

I'm a planner. I always have been. And I always will be.

I spend so much time thinking about what will happen next. So much time wondering what I need to do to make that upcoming this actually happen. So much time deciding all the different options. Entirely too much time wondering what I will do, how I will react, how I will survive if things don't go as I planned.

When we went to church on Sunday, I heard words that I needed to hear. Words that brought tears to my eyes. Words that turned those tears into a downpour of emotions. Words that reminded me that while it's not bad to plan it is bad to plan for what I think is best for my life.

There was more to the sermon. And the rest of it spoke to me as well. But the words about living the life God has given me - right now - were exactly what I needed to hear. They are exactly what I need to remember for every day of my life from here on out.

We are in the midst of many life changes. Meeting with realtors. Putting our house up for sale (possibly - most likely). Considering where to go next - what to do next. Focusing more and more on my health and making the decision to stick to it - even when it seems impossible.

And through all of this, I know God is present. I know He has this life for us right now. It's not  necessarily the life I think I should have. But the life I think I should have is likely a life that would be full of emptiness and not a life full of struggle, strength, and growth.

And the life I want? I don't know what I really want. I just know that right now we are taking the necessary steps to truly live the life God has for us.

So, for now, I am planning when absolutely necessary. But I am living more than planning. I am trusting the process and opening myself up to other people. I'm signing up for 5k's and swimming a 50m race next Saturday. I'm trusting that God is with me every step of the way. And I'm remembering that my husband and I are in this together - for better, for worse, in sickness, and in health.

And this life God has for me is beautiful - even during the times of hardships and uncertainty.

(title from "the best thing" by relient k)

with hopes that you'll understand

My first alarm went off at 4:02am. I made it to the bathroom and then yelled at the dogs to come inside before falling back into bed. My alarm sounded a total of three more times - calling me to the gym. Instead, I snuggled deeper into the covers and cuddled closer to the dogs.

There are days when all you can do is sleep. Mornings when a sweaty session at the gym is simply not in the cards. That was this morning, and while I don't feel as accomplished this morning, I do feel much more rested.

I had a lot going through my mind yesterday when I got home from work and even more following Community Group. Thoughts about what I needed to do over the remainder of the week, thoughts about my weight loss journey and why I haven't given up, thoughts about what all I want to do with my life, and thoughts about destiny. Thinking that much wore me out, and I needed time to process it all in my REM cycle.

I still don't know what to do with a lot of it. But I do know that I am here, in this moment, for a very specific reason. I'm trying to be patient while I wait for understanding - even though I am just ready to get it so I can move on.

I'm ready to be done with this weight loss journey, too. At least with the losing 100 pounds part of it. There's still lifelong maintenance after that, but I'd prefer maintenance over the frustration of standing on the scale and seeing a little loss, if any at all.

There is a reason I haven't lost all 100 pounds yet. It's a combination of eating right, drinking lots of water, sweating in the gym, and the fact that I need to push myself to do better with the combination. And that I need to not give up when I do all the right things and still don't see that loss - which happens to be the first thing I want to do every time I see the number stay the same or increase even when I do everything according to plan.

So I will take the mornings spent skipping the gym. I will sleep in when I need to and then work out harder in the afternoon. I will do this (whatever this happens to be at that moment) because I am ready now.

(title from "our battles" by maria mena)

i can see now

Five, sometimes six, days a week my husband is out of bed and on the road by 4:30am. There was a time when I got up with him every single day. I'd kiss him goodbye, hand him the coffee I made, and then collapse back into bed. That time is now long gone, and I usually don't even realize he's out the door and on his way to work.

Every now and then, though, our paths cross in the morning. I told him on Sunday night that he might need to be responsible for ensuring that I got out of bed and into the gym in the morning. He told me that he didn't mind making sure I was awake but that the responsibility would fall on me, not him.

Monday morning, I got up when he did, but once I choraled the dogs back inside, I collapsed in bed and stayed there for an extra thirty minutes. Then, sufficiently rested (or as sufficiently rested as I could be), I stumbled out the door and into the gym. Forty-five sweaty minutes later, I was ready to face the day.

It wasn't the best work-out I've ever had, but it also wasn't the worst. And as tired as I was when I first woke up, I loved the feeling of accomplishment I started the day with.

That feeling of accomplishment followed me throughout the rest of the day. And a feeling of healthiness and energy joined it as the day wore on. By the time I ended the first part of my work day, I was ready to get back into the gym, so I did just that and squeezed in 15 minutes of walking/jogging and 25 minutes of strength training.

The only problem with working out so much is how hungry I am. I know it's a phase and that it will pass once my body adjusts to the amount of exercise. But it's hard to say no to healthy food even when I know the calories will just continue to add up and up.

I really don't know how people restrict calories to the extreme and then burn every single calorie, and then some, at the gym. I need fuel. I simply can't survive the day-to-day matters, let alone a sweaty workout, without that fuel. It's probably a good thing, really. I want to do this the right way. History has taught me that f I don't do it the right way, or for the right reasons, that I will inevitably fail. Maybe not right away. But eventually and inevitably I will.

Doing it the right way means I can't beat myself up for the amount of pizza I ate, again, from The Wedge. Because I ate it slowly and allowed myself time to digest. I waited before reaching for another piece. And I can't beat myself up for it because there's a huge difference between eating all natural ingredients and eating a greasy few pieces of pizza from Papa John's.

Doing it the right way means I need to have goals. Goals of ways to reward myself. And also goals to reach. My focus currently is on the goals to reach - specifically fitness goals.

I signed up to swim a 50m race last week. It's for a work event called Corporate Challenge. I'm not sure how seriously most people take it. I only know that I am using it to my advantage and committing myself to do the absolute best that I can.

Years ago, I was an athlete. I was a swimmer. I loved being in the water and racing. I was never the fastest swimmer but I always tried. At least I always tried until one day I stopped trying. I want to return to the days of being a swimmer and of always trying. The first real try will be on June 2nd. The days leading up to June 2nd will be days of preparation - starting with an early morning swim today.

And I want to be a runner. Each time I see someone running outside or on the treadmill, I feel something rise up in me and say I want that. So I'm going to give it a try and start following the Couch to 5K program because there is just no way I could suddenly start running. And I am going to find a race to run.

No matter how hard it is to jump into the cold pool or how tired I get, feet pounding on the pavement, I refuse to give up. Now is the time to push myself. Now is the time to rid myself of all excuses. Now is the time to have my path cross with my husband's in the morning - him going to work and me going to the gym. Now is the time to hold onto the feeling of accomplishment. Now is the time to do the work and then see real results.

(title from "maybe" by everly)

this road is anything but simple

Our plan for Sunday included the late morning church service, grabbing sandwiches for lunch, and then spending the majority of the day at home cleaning and preparing for the week. When 10:00am rolled around, we found ourselves still in pajamas and not yet ready to face the day.

We then spent the day together - running errands, talking about the upcoming week, discussing our future,  and mentally preparing for the week. It was nowhere close to the day we had planned, but even the planner in me understands that sometimes you need to completely do away with plans.

And I did well all day. I chose a grilled chicken sandwich, no mayonnaise or cheese, with avocado and mustard for lunch with a side salad, no cheese or croutons, with dressing on the side instead of my beloved french fries. I would have much rather ordered a cheeseburger, or at least stolen a few of my husband's fried onions, but I stuck to what I knew would work for my body.

I felt rather satisfied after lunch, though the hunger set in after a day full of shopping at the Outlet Mall as well as Kohl's and Target.

Shopping is one of the things I love most. But I know I have to be careful because I need to not work 60-70 hours a week in order to shop. I need to work 60-70 hours a week to save money and occasionally purchase a few things for myself.

I stuck to the more essential items on this specific shopping trip. Like new running shoes. A pair of completely comfortable Reebok Zigs. They weren't my first choice because they make my already large feet look even bigger. But the comfort I felt when I slipped them on was enough to push aside my own personal issues with having large feet.

It feels good to have two pairs of comfortable shoes - even if they are competing brands, and I still love the Nike Cross Trainers I bought several months ago. Having new shoes, a little something to keep me going, increases my excitement of heading to the gym early in the morning. The fact that they were on sale and that we got my husband a pair of shoes for 50% off helped as well.

When we first went into the store, I joked that I could purchase two pairs of shoes as it was buy one, get one 50% off. And I did try on different Reeboks but none were worth the extra purchase. My husband decided he is interested in running, and will hopefully join me at the gym in the future. He isn't on a weight loss journey but is interested in becoming more fit and healthy. If we can spend quality time sweating together, I'm all for it.

My other purchases were of food and a Bobble Filtered Water Bottle. It's no secret - to anyone who reads the blog or knows me in real life - that my two biggest struggles during this journey have been eating and drinking water. Add in a hectic, busy work schedule and not having access to water all the time, and those struggles are amplified.

So, to go along with my commitment, I bought groceries for the week. I may still eat most of my lunches out due to constantly being on the road, but now I have dinners that I can toss in my purse before leaving the house and not worry about them going bad.

There's a mixture of items - tuna fish with crackers, ravioli, and a couple kinds of soup. I'm hopeful that the small variety will help from boredom setting in and me turning to the foods that will do nothing to aid my weight loss (like Chik-Fil-A's waffle fries).

And, amazingly enough, it's quite a bit cheaper to purchase food at the grocery store rather than at the drive-thru. Plus - if today is any indication - I'll be feeling even better the less fast food I eat. Amazingly enough.

And the Bobble Filtered Water Bottle is something I'm excited about because now I don't have to lug several water bottles to work each morning. I can simply put it under the tap anywhere I am at and then enjoy filtered water. My hope is that by drinking so much water I can rid myself (once again) of my diet coke and diet dr. pepper addiction.

I've seen so many people take the 100 oz. water challenge, but I haven't allowed myself to attempt the challenge because I knew that I would fail. Now, though, I might just have to take the challenge. Having the Bobble gets rid of every single excuse I could make regarding why I haven't included water in my daily diet.

With a small dent in our checking account, and a husband who was more than ready to finish shopping, we headed home and I enjoyed a quick 200-calorie snack of pita bread and spinach artichoke dip. Dinner followed just a few hours, and we enjoyed flat bread, kalmata olive tapenade, roasted artichokes, red pepper hummus, and finally a few pieces of delicious pizza (a piece of margherita and a piece of the truffle shuffle {truffle oil, sage, crimini mushrooms, spinach, roasted chicken, parmesan, mozzarella}) for me  from The Wedge.

It was a perfect Sunday. I didn't make it to the gym, but I stayed under my allotted calories for the day. And I'm all set for an early morning work-out in the morning as well as for keeping my commitment to myself and moving forward on my journey.

(title from "lift me up" by kate voegele)