Carie's Weight Loss Journey - Week 7

I cannot believe that I am 7 weeks in! Seems crazy! Time has flown by! August third is approaching fast! I only have a little under 2 weeks left to get my BMI down as much as possible! I'm working on burning fat and building muscle. I've done more research into fueling before a workout and replenishing afterwards. The only thing that is frustrating, is that some places say, "Eat this!", while other say, "Don't eat that!" Blah! But most of the people out there in the fitness-blog land say to eat what you want to, as long as it is a healthy snack/meal.

All I have wanted to do the past week is binge eat. I have no idea why this week was the hardest for me... I didn't realize how binge eating had a hold on me. I use to do it nightly before I started my weight-loss journey. Every time I would get the girls a snack, I'd snag a few teddy grahams, a packet of gummies, a handful of pretzels, etc. I would ALWAYS have ice cream at night after the girls went to sleep. Not just ice cream, ice cream covered in chocolate syrup, crushed up candy, etc. I would buy a candy bar with every shopping trip. Not just a regular candy bar, a KING size one that I would inhale and hardly taste. Every time Charles and I would go to Taco Bell, we would get a bucket of Baja Mountain Dew and share it together. (I am not a huge pop drinker, but I would give in every now and then.) When we were heading out of town, I'd get a pop or fountain drink for the trip, followed by a super unhealthy fast food meal with a large pop. We'd buy a large pizza and split it between the two of us... 

And then there was my Dairy Queen obsession after Vivian was born... A large Chocolate Extreme Blizzard at least 2 to 3 times a week. 

That. Was. Bad. Really bad.

The kind of bad where I knew we couldn't afford it, so I'd make my husband credit card it. I still feel bad about it... I would like to blame it on my postpartum depression, but I won't. I could have lived without it.

It's kind of embarrassing to admit... but it's the truth.

I didn't realize how much of an emotional attachment I have with food. How weak it makes me feel... And that is when I tell myself this:

Looking back at my old eating habits, it makes me grateful for MyFitnessPal. The calorie counter has been awesome! And it has really opened my eyes to just how terrible my caloric intake was. It's no wonder I gained a ridiculous amount of weight. I have no one to blame for the way I was, except myself. But the same can be same can be said for right now on my weight-loss journey... I am where I am now because of ME! But I couldn't do this all on my own! I have had some awesome help and support:

Saturday, July 14th - We were all going to go swimming at the pool, but they were closed because they were understaffed. So Charles ran to the store and bought a sprinkler for the back yard. Holding my baby and running around was quite a workout! Jamie and I ran our Cto5K workout that evening!

Monday, July 16th - I woke up early to do my Zumba Toning DVD. It involved the toning stick and a chair. I was a little nervous, but the workout was awesome! I was a sweaty mess after the hour was over! Later that afternoon, Jamie and I walked to Zumba. It was a tough workout, but I was feeling the burn!

Tuesday, July 17th - I walked to the Y in the afternoon to get 30 minutes in the cardio room. I did the NuStep for 10 minutes and an elliptical machine for the last 20 minutes. I worked at the fat burning level instead of a cardio level. Jamie wasn't able to run the Cto5K workout with me, so I ran it on my own. It was nice to have the quiet, but I was kind of lonely! I might need to invest in an iPod or MP3 player for days like this!

Wednesday, July 18th - I walked to Zumba and met Jamie there. Jen was a little late, so I got to talk with some of the ladies that go to Zumba with us! Which was nice! We still got our hour-long workout in! Afterwards, Jamie and I ran the Cto5K workout from the day before so that she wouldn't be behind. I was sore, but it was nice to jog with a friend!

Thursday, July 19th - Cto5K with Jamie! It was the first time both of us have ever jogged for 8 minutes straight! (First time in a long, long time for me. First time for Jamie, ever.) I was very, very proud of myself and for Jamie! Not only did we run that once, but twice! For a total of 16 minutes! WOO HOO!

Friday, July 20th - Walked to ZUMBA with Jamie! Had an awesome workout! Halfway through, Jamie had to stop because her legs hurt really bad from her workout the day before. When we started the second half of the class, I noticed that I had no energy. I realized then that I had not eaten a snack before my workout. I will NEVER make that mistake again. My instructor, Jen, introduced me to a new class member who saw us doing Zumba in the parade! She's looking for results, and Jen wanted to show her that in just 7 weeks, you can lose up to 20 lbs!

Start to Week 7 progression photos:

Start to Week 7 photos:

Start Weight: 202 lbs

Week 1 Weight: 193 lbs

Week 2 Weight: 190 lbs

Week 3 Weight: 190 lbs

Week 4 Weight: 189 lbs

Week 5 Weight: 188 lbs

Week 6 Weight: 184 lbs

Week 7 Weight: 182 lbs

Weight Lost Since Last Week: 2 lbs

Total Weight Lost: 20 lbs

Weight To Go: 47 lbs

I am very, very happy! I HIT MY 20 LB MARK! It was my original goal when I started the BMI challenge on June 1st! I can't even describe how great I feel right now! I went through my entire drawer of XL shirts today... AND THEY FIT! I still have some weight to lose, but I am wearing shirts that have sat in my drawer for over 3 years! I am so, so happy!

I celebrated my getting my hair trimmed! It cost $20. One dollar per pound. I am looking forward to the next 47 lbs and the goals and rewards I have in store for myself! I will post my goals and rewards in another post soon. But for now, I am off to spend the rest of the day with my wonderful family! Hubby and I might go out for supper tonight to celebrate my birthday a little early. I turn 25 on Monday! We decided taht we would buy a meal together and share it for two reasons: 1) Save money. 2) Cut calories.

I think it's a win/win for me! I get to spend one-on-one time with my hubby while still enjoying a meal and not worrying about calories! 

My new motto for the week: