My NEW 90 DAY Challenge

Ok...this is it...it is time to change for good. I am tired of carrying around this extra 50 lbs on my body...it has to go. When I turned 30 earlier this year, I reflected back on the previous decade of my life. I realized that I had missed out on so many great things because I didn't feel good about myself...and it all stems from this excess weight. It's unreal how many aspects of my life is affected by not liking myself. My marriage, my parenting, my friends...some part is affected. The day after I turned 30, I got serious. I started eating better and working out and I didn it for 2 weeks straight. I had my Aha! moment and I was on a roll. But then I got a stomach bug that stopped me from exercising one week, then a bad cold that stopped me the following week. And I've never had the momemtum like since then.

About 75 days ago I started a 90 Day Challenge where I was going to exercise and keep it up until I could see some results. I experimented with cutting out sugars and most flours and lost 4 lbs in a week. Then gained it back the following week when I strayed from the plan. A while later I worked out for a week and lost a few more pounds, but then gained it back. For some reason I just can't seem to stick with it to see lasting results and I'm not sure why. Am I afraid of losing my weight and being skinny? NO...I long for the day that I can wear a size that only consists of 1 number and not having a roll of flab that hangs over my pants! I think I look at how far I have to go and just give up. Yet, I'm sabotaging myself by giving up because I'm not giving myself the change to prove that I can do it! It's time to start believing that I can!

So I'm declaring today, Nov 30th, the first day of my NEW 90-day challenge. Not that I plan to only do this for 90 days and then stop. First of all, I like the way the name sounds...lol. Secondly, it is a long enough time period where I know I WILL see results if I stick with eating right and exercising. And once I start seeing results, I know I won't want to give up...I'll want to see it through until all the weight is gone!

I should clarify something...I am not doing this to be skinny like the models in magazines or on tv. Honestly, I just want to be HEALTHY and TONED. I believe that God make all of our bodies shaped differently...I just want mine to be the best that it can be. I want to feel good about myself. I want to prove to myself that I can do it. And I want to be an inspiration to others who haven't started their journey to be healthy yet. So when I say I'm carrying and extra 50 lbs, I'm not really saying that I want to lose 50 lbs. This is a journey where I intend to assess my weight loss and decide when I'm satisfied with the way I look and feel. I haven't been really thin and fit since my sophomore year in high school...and I was 135. Since then I've had 3 kids, so I'm assuming that my body will never be that thin again. I guess only time will tell. But to me, this exess weight feels like 100 lbs that I just can't shed and that I'm dragging around with me as I go through life. No more!

To start me off this week, I am going to focus on getting at least 30 mins of exercise 5 days a week. (perferably 45 mins each day) I would love to workout 7 days a week, however I don't want to set myself up for failure on day 1. If I miss a day or take the weekends off, I can keep going and not feel guilty. I also want to cut out sugars once again...or at least cut out most of them. The white flour is gone too. I have already switched to whole oat and whole grain flour, but still would like to limit them in my diet. Dr Gott's No Flour, No Sugar Diet makes a lot of sense to me and opened my eyes to how many calories sugar and flour has...and virtually no nutritional content. It's worth a try...especially during the upcoming holiday season and the mass quantities of sugary and floury goodies. This will be a good lesson in self-control, but I'm up to the challenge!

So during this 90 Day Challenge, I would appreciate your support and prayers. Feel free to ask me if I've worked out today, or how my eating it going...or if I've lost any weight! I NEED accountibility! I put this off so long because I've used the excuse that I don't have anyone to workout with. Well...from now on, there are no excuses! I WILL do this...whether I'm alone or have a buddy by my side! And I will keep you posted along the way. I'm usually not good on keeping up with blogging, but maybe this will give me the reason to just keep blogging, just keep blogging....(sorry...I've watched Nemo way too many times!)

Yes, I'm scared. Yes, I'm dreading the work that I will need to do in order to shed this weight, but I need to keep my eye on the prize...a healthier me! Phillippians 4:13 tells me that "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." And I know I'm gonna need His strength to get me through this!