WEIGHT LOSS AFTER 40- BY MARGARET WORKMAN: DAY 14-16: Hot and Cold

WEIGHT LOSS AFTER 40- BY MARGARET WORKMAN: DAY 14-16: Hot and Cold: Like the weather lately, I have been hot and cold with my journey. When things get busy I get cold, when things are routine I am hotter ...

I'M BAAAACK!!!! Heresssss Margaret!

                                                             

1994-Margaret

My inspirational photo from my wedding day. Helps me remember I have not always been this big. I am a work in progress. Every fat cell on my body along with wrinkles and white hair(yes I said white, I bypassed grey ) are all part of where I have been and where I am headed. My goal is to be headed to a healthier body type. Not thin, Not exactly what I was in this picture  because that is impractical and defeats me before I get started, but a healthier happier person who feels better in her skin and accepts herself for who she is. 

2013 Margaret-Week 1

I am still a work in progress and I will not give up on myself. This journey is one of the hardest I have faced. It is a race to get healthy. A race to be around for my husband,kids and family. With God's help anything is possible. 

I will be a healthier, more fit person again. My goals are large and so is my will to succeed. One pound at a time, One day at a time, One meal at a time. 

FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION! 

Wishing all my friends and family who are facing similar struggles great success, whether it be weight, alcohol, drugs or any other self defeating addiction you can beat this. Lets do it together.

Thanks to everyone for your support. Please keep me in your prayers as I continue on this journey of being FIT after FORTY!

WEEK 6- SICK & TIRED OF BEING SICK & TIRED

Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired. This week I have coughed and coughed and hacked and blew what I had left of my brains out of my head.

Bronchial infection did nothing for my weight loss goals this week. I got cold induced asthma which limited my activity but I have to say with all of that I still managed to lose the pound I gained last week.

Thank God for small favors right? I will take the loss.

I am feeling better but still tired...My week at work was chaotic to say the least, between Xerox and our home business I had no down time and had a hard time getting the rest I needed.

I still managed to make it to work every day. Took an antibiotic  too so I wouldn't get anyone else sick. I did a horrible job at keeping track of what I ate this week. Can't believe as I start building better habits in  just 5 weeks, it only took a few days being sick to break me...well its only for this week...gonna work to get back on track as I build up my strength. Looking forward to the weather warming up.

Gonna get my bike all tweaked and make sure my dog leashes are all ready so I can add these small steps to my day. I want to dust the the dust off my HIP HOP ABS DVDS and get on my WII too...I gotta make this fun or I won't do it, wish I was in shape enough to play sports thats how I stayed in shape years ago....
My mind says yes, but my body says "are you crazy???"
Between Inhalers, meds and chaos I am spinning....but this too shall pass...The good thing about blogging weekly is it brings me back to where I began every week. It helps me look back at my week and reminds me why I am doing this. Even though snow is on the ground now I am getting my spring clothes out in preparation for spring...if it won't come on its own I am willing it here...LOL Stay warm and healthy my dear friends.

So today, which is Saturday I am staying in my jammies all morning and drinking my coffee and taking care of me! Now I am making dinner and spending time with my family. Nothing could be finer! 

Week 5-DON"T QUIT

Don't Quit
When you've eaten too much and you can't write it down, 
And you feel like the biggest failure in town.
When you want to give up just because you gave in, 
and forget all about being healthy and thin. 
So What! You went over your points a bit, 
It's your next move that counts...So don't you quit!
It's a moment of truth, it's an attitude change.
It's learning the skills to get back in your range.
It's telling yourself, "You've done great up till now.
You can take on this challenge and beat it somehow."
It's part of your journey toward reaching your goal.
You're still gonna make it, just stay in control. 

To stumble and fall is not a disgrace, 

If you summon the will to get back in the race.

But, often the struggler's, when loosing their grip, 

Just throw in the towel and continue to slip.

And learn too late when the damage is done, 

that the race wasn't over...they still could have won.

Lifestyle change can be awkward and slow, 

but facing each challenge will help you grow.

Success is failure turned inside out, 

the silver tint in a cloud of doubt.

When you're pushing to the brink, just refuse to submit, 

If you bite it, you write it....But don't you quit! 

- Author Unknown

Okay, I knew this day was coming, I weighed in and GAINED a pound....:( Have been overly busy and sank back into some bad habits. But this time when usually that  gain would push me back months or make me want to quit, it makes me more determined. I have added another job too in the past week where I sit in a chair for 8 hours answering provider and member calls and the only activity I get is at night and weekends when I work my other two jobs....doing occupancy inspections and managing our family business. My life is by no means predictable or ordinary or routine.....

I am working on now trying to figure out exercises to do while sitting...wish me luck everyone as my journey just got a little tougher.

But whats a journey without having ups and downs along the way right???

Hope you all have had a better week than me...I will over come this and emerge VICTORIOUS!!!

Never Give up NEVER SAY DIE!!!!

WEEK 4: CHANGING BAD HABITS TAKES TIME

Through this process I am going through of making permanent changes to my eating habits and my thinking about my health, I have realized that THIS IS HARD!! I know no one said it would be easy but really really didn't think it would be this HARD! 

My life is not routine, I do not have set schedules through out my day. I am depending on myself alone! No one is here motivating me to get out of bed at 6 am...so I still seem to want to sleep til 8 am when I know I need to get up and exercise as its the  only time in my day I have time for it.

Knowing this I am still having a block against doing it. However, I am thinking about it which is more than I used to, I am feeling guilty when I don't get my butt out of bed. 

I should be losing 2 pounds a week and instead I am only losing a half pound to a pound...at this rate I will have grandchildren before I get to my goal weight...:( that is not acceptable.

Below are some great snacks that taste yummy too...I am adding some of these to my snack list.
Hopefully it will give some of you guys a few great ideas as well.

Snack	Carbs	Calories	Protein
Frozen fruit juice bar, 1.3 oz	11 g	45	1 g
Orange, small (2.5-inch diameter)	11 g	45	1 g
Light popcorn, 3 cups popped	12 g	60	2 g
1/2 sandwich, with 1 slice each bread and lunch meat and 1 oz cheese	13 g	149	15 g
3 saltine crackers with 1 oz cheese	13 g	172	9 g
Apple, small (2.5-inch diameter)	14 g	53	0 g
Sugar-free pudding, 3.7 oz container	14 g	60	2 g
2 graham cracker squares with 1 Tbsp peanut butter	14 g	153	5 g
2 light Wasa crackers with 1 large hard-boiled egg	15 g	138	8 g
3 saltine crackers with 1 Tbsp peanut butter	15 g	153	6 g
Mixed berries, 1 cup fresh or frozen	17 g	70	0 g
Pear, small (1/3 pound)	22 g	81	1 g
Pudding, 4 oz. container sweetened	24 g	130	1 g
Sandwich,  2 slices bread, 1 slice lunch meat and 1 oz cheese	25 g	204	16 g
6 saltine crackers with 1 oz cheese	25 g	231	10 g
Low-fat chocolate milk, 8 oz.	26 g	158	8 g
Light popcorn, 7 cups popped	28 g	140	4 g
6 saltine crackers with 1 Tbsp of peanut butter	28 g	212	7 g
5 graham cracker squares with 1 Tbsp peanut butter	30 g	242	6 g
Yogurt, 6 oz. container (low-fat, fruit-flavored)	33 g	174	7 g

I weighted in for the week and had not lost or gained....I am not surprised as I did not eat as well and no exercise was done on my part. Not even my counter pushups and squats.:( 

Nobody to blame but myself. This journey is a long one and I am not going to get down over a scale not moving. Back to the drawing board and working this week on doing what I didn't do last week.

Hope you all have a great weekend and are having a little better luck on your journeys.

WEEK 3- My Journey Continues

I dedicate my Weekly blog to the greatest Daddy in the world, James (Jimmy)F. Tillotson!

He always taught me to work hard for everything and that anything worth having is worth working for!! He also wanted me to lose this weight! I am just sorry I did not do it before God took him home! I will make you proud, Daddy, today is a hard day for me as it is my daddy's birthday...he is with God now and its still very hard to grasp that I can no longer call him or give him hugs! I miss you daddy:( the pain is still there and the tears still fall! I will lose this weight and will honor my daddy who told me I could do it when I was ready. I am ready!!!:) I know you are with me daddy and helping me keep the strength to fight this battle. I love you!

  

I have been told to become a morning exerciser. (I hate mornings)-But listen to what the experts say:
Morning exercise works. Let me repeat that: Exercising in the morning is one of the best ways to stick to a routine. Even with the best intentions, life gets in the way of your desire to squeeze in a workout. Anyone—even you—can wake up 15 minutes earlier to squeeze in a 15-minute workout (especially when you sleep in your workout clothes).

My journey continues and I have decided to blog weekly as a daily blog is beginning to stress me out and I gotta not be stressed cause when I am this happens:

My goals this week have been to drink more water and exercise more, I have at least Semi mastered the water. My trainer has invited me to his boot camp training next week at Fitness Plus II (Tuesday night at 630 pm). I have agreed to go,  but nervous as I can see myself over doing it to keep up with the barbie dolls!!LOL. 

But this way I know I will get at least some cardio in for the week. I have another friend who suggested I go with her to a boxing class....Now that sounds fun as I love hitting things to get my frustrations out..hahaha.

I also am planning to do the HIP HOP ABS Dvds I have as most of you know how I like to get jiggy wit it!!!:) Because  that makes me break a sweat and you don't even realize it until you can't breath...haha.
I also weighed in today and I lost another pound...I now am 274! 
Yay!!! Next week I am shooting for two pounds....I think adding in the exercise will help tremendously. Have a great weekend everyone....Check back next week to see how I did this coming week. Gonna kick butt and not look back!! Who's with me? Lets do this!!!
PS...HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!!! LOVE YOUR BABY GIRL!!

DAY 17-20: Achieving Short Term Goals-Yields Long Term Results

As I walk this journey I am on I find many detours along the way! This past weekend ,I was out of town at a soccer tourney in Fort Wayne Indiana with my daughter, eating planned meals at planned times was impossible! I thought I was making good decisions but still managed to go over my calorie count each day! The good thing about journaling what you eat is you can look back at the end of the day and see where you went wrong! I have realized weekends are not my friend but it will not deter me! I know that two days doesn't kill all the work I have done! I also know that in order to be successful you have to set mini goals.
Here are just a few of my mini goals:
1.     keep track on paper or Lose It(app) everything I eat.
2.     do three sets of the following exercises per day: push ups(on counter), squats with chair, crunches
3.     drink one gallon of water per day (still haven't attained this one but getting much better)
4.     eat earlier and wake up earlier.
As one of my favorite Church Hymns say:

One day at a time sweet Jesus
That's all I'm asking from you.
Just give me the strength
To do everyday what I have to do.
Yesterday's gone sweet Jesus
And tomorrow may never be mine.
Lord help me today, show me the way
One day at a time.... ♪
Have a great week everyone!!!:)