Shape It Up Assignment #1

My friend Crystal, signed me up (and I willingly joined) for an open group called "Shape It Up" on Facebook.  A number of friends from the Central Missouri area are on the group and we all want to lose weight but are lacking the motivation and some of us are just not sure where (or how) to start.  Since I am not a local-yocal any more, I am participating from my computer.  The group's official start date was January 15 (correct me if I am wrong ladies.)  Each week there are "assignments" or "challenges." and I will post them here and my accomplishments or lack there of.  I will be as honest as I can.



Week 1 Challenges:
1.  Start a journal.  Scribble your anger, anything that helps, personal triumph, and downfalls.  You can add what you are, but you don't have to.  I want you to get in a mental mindset of the things you do every day that keeps you at your weight.
2.  Get a sheet of paper and write down why you do what you do.  Don't write down excuses.  Dig deep and try to discover why you reach for the bag of chips at night.  Finding these things out and addressing them are vital.  Once you figure out why you reach for stuff then you can control it and stop it.  No one makes you eat these things, keeps you from working out or buying them.  You do that!
3. Set a goal.  If someone says something about your goals, remember they are your goals.  They are not you.
4. Find a way to display your goal.  Many of us are very visual and like to have our goals laid out.  It can be a jar of marbles or a poster with stickers.  
5. Last but not least...POST!  If you are happy, sad, excited, frustrated.  Share it with us.  That is truly what this group is for.  You are not alone anymore!!

Start a journal - check.  I started this blog a couple of years ago to document our homeschooling adventures.  Then it went to a cleaning/organizing/goal oriented blog, and well it has been stagnant for some time.  Hopefully this will help me document not only all of that but it will now become my Shape It Up Journal.

Why do I do what I do?  Where do I begin?

The cliff notes version is that after the birth of my daughter, 9 years ago I started having grand mal seizures.  I was put on medication to help and it did for a while but something changed and we don't know what.  The seizures became more violent and more frequent.  I was tired all the time.  I actually called it my exercise technique because I would chew my tongue up to where I couldn't or wouldn't eat (the diet), and then the workout my body got left me sore all over.

In 2004, I had multiple seizures in 9 hour period that resulted in memory loss - my files were rearranged.  It was no longer safe for me to drive.  My once independent life was changing before my eyes and I was now dependent on my husband and what few friends I have here in FL.  I was unable to go where I wanted and when I wanted to go because as a one car family I was forced to depend on my husband's schedule plus in many cases someone to watch our daughter.  I became depressed.  I became angry.  Things I could once do...going up and down the stairs, climbing on chairs to get something from up high, cooking (burners are bad), doing dishes (knives are bad), even taking a shower unattended was a "no-no." The medication I was on made me a zombie.  I was miserable.  My neurologist told me he was starting to lose his faith in the fact he had not been able to "fix" me.  But in March 2010, this wonderful man did!  Easter Sunday 2010 was my last seizure.  April 4 to be exact.  I am now on the magical concoction that has kept me seizure free and I can drive.  We are still a one car family, but at least I can drive (when I have it!)

Because I had nothing better to do, I would sit and watch TV with my child and eat and sleep.  There was really no movement.  By the time my husband came home from work it was late and going for a stroll was not an option.  The medication I was on was also affected my weight.  August 2011 I started working out.  I was walking roughly 2.5 miles a day.  There are no hills down here so to me it is not much exercise but it is a start.  Many people started commenting about how great I looked.  Really?  Me?  You talking about me?  I didn't feel any different and my clothes definitely still fit the same.  That weight I was hoping to lose was muscle gained.  In late September, early October, I hurt my foot and have not walked much since.  My foot is healing although some days it is painful, but I think I can get back on the band wagon, but the motivation is lacking.  I do drink a lot of water but I also drink soda - when I am stressed (which has been a lot recently).  I don't think I eat a lot, but I don't eat healthy.  A lot of pastas and not much in the way of veggies or fruits.  I can't convince my husband to join me so I tend to fall back into that rut...

So what are my initial goals?
1.) Focus on taking my vitamins daily (multi-vitamin, iron, vitamin B, and folic acid.)
2.) Limit my soda intake to 1 can of soda a day (which will be really difficult considering the project I am taking on for the next month).  
3.) Use the Lose It app on my phone to record my food intake.  This will help me see where I am lacking.
4.) Start at the beginning of the Starter's Exercise Plan with my daughter (my motivator).  Crystal posted it from my Pintrest page.

Ultimate Goal
To lose a total amount of 40 lbs.  I want to stop thinking about how I look and act on it.  Heck, I want to be able to buy those cute clothes I have posted on Pintrest I like!!  (The funny thing is I hate shopping clothes shopping.)