Hello fellow bloggers and dieters! Or should I say life style changers!
It has definitely been a while since I last blogged. Oh, so many things have been happening and changing that I can't even contain my excitement!!
On March 18th, 2013 I made the biggest change in my life, weight loss wise. I signed up for Cross fit. HOLY CWAP!! I was terrified. What did I just sign up for? There is no way I am going to be be able to do this. I am way TOO FAT for this. Up until that point I had been very frustrated with my rate of loss and was ready to just say, "well kid, you made it this far, and thats as far as you're going to go." NO!! that was not the truth. We had joined Weight Watchers the day after Sharon's party and in a month I had lost 5 pounds. Stupid Damn! I was so mad. I worked my butt off, and some of you know just how insane I can be when it comes to working out and how obsessive I get about my food and making sure I eat the right stuff, at the right time. It seemed like all my effort was just a rat race. I cried several nights that I was convinced I was just going to be stuck here and not ever make it to my final goal. (which at this point, seemed so far away I didn't like to think about it.)
We walked into Fit Body Bootcamp that monday night and that is when EVERYTHING changed. yes, I was intimidated to the heavens. But I got this feeling in my soul that it was going to be ok. I had Jack and Sharon by my side and I felt I could do anything. (at this moment I would like to say, again, just how grateful I am to have them in my life.) They took our measurements and weight and then we had to fill out our goals. I knew them without any hesitation. 1. kick this plateau 2. lose 30 pounds before summer 3. build my endurance
Seems easy enough, right? Yes, it actually was. Now, I'm not saying that the assessment was easy by any means. It wasn't. It kicked my butt. I thought I was going to pass out. Up until that night I didn't even know what a burpee was. Boy did i find out, and now I am a pro. I was so unprepared too. I had just had dinner, and was wearing jeans and a sweater. Not workout gear.
We started taking classes and the first week I was convinced I was going to just die, right then and there in that room with all those other people. guess what? I didn't. I am actually more fit then I gave myself credit for. Sure, I had to modify things at the beginning. Until last week I couldn't even do a real push up. I can now. Im up to 10!!! That is HUGE for me.
You are probably wondering what any of this has to do with paleo. It has everything to do with it. When I first heard of the Paleolithic diet I thought it was honestly, a load of (in little haileys words) CWAP. I didn't really understand it and it seemed like a lot of work. Well, with our new membership to Fit Body Bootcamp, we got a menu and food plan that was in fact just that, Paleo. When I first read,
NO SUGAR
NO CARBS
NO FRUIT
NO PROCESSED FOOD
NO DAIRY
I was ready to say, Nope, not gonna happen.
Well, I stopped being a jerk and we tried it. 3 weeks. only eating, veggies, lean protein and the occasional carb for breakfast and lunch as per our meal plan. It wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be... I did miss having fruit in the morning, but I came to find out that I am really dependent on sugar and not having it has actually helped to curb cravings. Well, now we are 6 weeks into this new life change and I can say, in these last 6 weeks I have learned so much about my own body and how it uses food for fuel. I am eating clean and loving it. I do have a cheat here and there, but I have to be careful as dairy is now my enemy. I miss cheese so much, but I know that my body is doing better without it. It is a horrible protein source and that is what i was using it for. There is so much fat that it's not worth eating. Not to mention how processed it is. I even tried soy cheese.. NO THANK YOU. I will just go without it. I do miss ranch dressing too. It is not worth the results.... so lets get to those!
Well, as i mentioned earlier, I had only lost 5 pounds with weight watchers. Doing their system. Following their rules. I was not successful. I felt discouraged. It was not working... Well, here we are 6 weeks later. and I have lost 33 pounds and over 12 inches over all. My body is beginning to tone and looks/feels so different. Not just from the workout but from what I've been eating. I am sleeping better, I feel better. I don't have any tummy problems (unless i have dairy) I don't have heartburn, (if you have read my previous blogs you know the battle i had and how i almost lost my voice permanently) I don't get headaches anymore, and I have a ton of energy. I look forward to getting up at 4:30am everyday to workout. even when i am horribly exhausted. I love it. It starts my day off on a good foot and I feel myself getting healthier and stronger everyday. I have found so many different ways to make food that is good for you and taste delicious. Yes, there are times when I just want to have something that isn't that great for me and i sit back and think "karilee, you know that if you eat that you will feel horrible and it will take even longer to get to your goal, so is the sacrifice grater than the goal?" NOPE!! it is never too much. the goal is so much more then what I have to give up. I have a new relationship with food. We are now friends, working together to make my life better. Not as a reward or as something i need to help with my depression or feelings. That is the biggest hurdle to overcome. What am I actually feeling right now? and I tired/bored/or actually hungry? I look forward to cooking and I know what will help me toward my goal. I have found new foods that I do actually like, after giving them a fair shot.
It has now been 15 months since I decided to take my life back and use it for what I know God has called me to do. In 15 months I have successfully lost and kept off 141.4 pounds as of this morning. That is an entire person. I basically lost a Maxwell. I can't even begin to wrap my mind around that number anymore. It terrifies and uplifts me in the same breath. How could I do this to myself? it was all me. No one else is responsible for this but me. I am the one that closet ate, and made excuses as to why i needed to eat this and that and why i didn't need to go to the gym that day. I still have about 150 more to lose. That is to get me into a healthy weight range. I don't even know what that is going to look like.
I had a friend, who isn't heavy, ask me why i just don't have weight loss surgery. Well, lets see. There are many statistics of the things that can go WRONG while in surgery and the recovery time is horrible. and quite frankly, I ain't got time for that! Do you know my life? Hello, Max waits for no man. Not to mention, the types of medical problems that can come from it. I am a fan of my gallbladder thank you very much as well as my beautiful head of hair. :) Rapid weight loss is so bad for your organs, and hair, I didn't want to do that. I also took a good hard look at myself and my life. I had to know that I could get my eating under control and surgery is a copout. it is an easy fix for a much more complex problem. I don't look down on others who have had it, I just hope that they actually stick with it and they are being safe and healthy. For me, weight loss isn't about being skinny. It is about being healthy and strong. That is what I am. I am healthy and strong. I will never be a size 2, unless, by the grace of God he shrinks these hips of mine. I am content in that.
I can't express how great it is to be able to cross my legs!!! something so simple. Crossing my legs. I can do that now. its amazing. i can bend over without dying. I can move with ease. my body doesn't hurt all the time. and lets talk about my back for a min. I have spinal stenosis. It is HORRIBLY PAINFUL. There were times it took me 20 mins to get out of bed. I could barely move. I took so many pain pills im sure my liver is glad im getting better. I have my life back!
