Last week at a glance...

I know what you're thinking. It's been 4 days since I weighed in, so you're thinking that I must be upset about it because I haven't posted till now. Well, you're WRONG! And I'm so happy about it. (Not just because I love being right, but because I'm not upset about it at all. ) I had a great week! And I was actually happy with the scale for once. Why? Because it told me that I lost 3 pounds. It's been a long time since I've lost that much in one week, and it put a smile on my face!


I cut my calories down and varied it from each day. 1200 calories on Monday, 1300 on Tuesday, 1400 on Wednesday and Thursday. I made a conscious effort to drink even more water (I felt like a water balloon!) and to monitor my portion sizes. One of the things that I started watching again was my protein intake. I was reminded of the fact that I am a "balanced oxidizer", which means that at every meal and snack my food should consist of 40% carbs, 30% fat, and 30% protein. Now, I don't get too technical about the percentages, but I estimate the best I can. While I have been eating healthy, I glanced back through my food journal and noticed that my fat and protein intake was low. That creates a problem for this carb lover! Unfortunately for me, I can't eat a meal that consists of only carbs and veggies. I need the healthy fat and protein, too. So, my favorite choices of those have been eggs, chicken, nuts (raw and unsalted), plain yogurt, milk, natural peanut butter, cottage cheese, beans, etc. I'm confident that I saw weight loss because I upped my intake of protein and fat this past week. Backing off on the carbs (insert a big sigh here!) and rounding out my meals is my road map to weight loss.

I also tried to just get myself moving more throughout the day. Yes, exercising in the morning is great, but there are things that I can do during the day that will get my heart rate up and my muscles moving. Jumping on the trampoline with my younger sisters is a wonderful lower body workout. Riding my bike around with them burns calories, too. Pulling weeds in the garden while holding a squat position is another way to tone my leg muscles! Running up our flight of stairs instead of walking and holding the railing...walking to the mail box instead of picking up the mail in the car after arriving home...etc. You don't have to be in a gym to get some exercise!

Like I mentioned, I pulled out a few of my fitness books to get some more ideas. I felt like I had been doing a lot of the same exercises for the past few weeks, and it was time for a change. I switched up my cardio workouts, adding some new exercises along with the old goodies. And I got more ideas of ways to tone my arms and abs. It was fun to challenge myself in new ways at the gym. I'm making progress, but still have a lot to work on!

And on top of changing my exercises and my meals, I also prayed and asked the Lord for wisdom. While reading through my favorite "go to for help!" books, I asked Him to show me what I was needing to change and how I should go about doing it. I asked Him to guide my thoughts on this topic. And He did! Once I was able to quiet my heart and listen while thumbing through the books, I began to get some ideas.

I was able to be joyful about what I was eating, because I knew it was the right amount and the right kind. I was able to enjoy my workouts, because it seemed new and exciting...and sometimes painful. :-) And I didn't have any fear or dread of the scale on Friday morning, because I knew that I'd done my best - no matter what number popped up. It was an encouraging week! I also gained many insights from the Word, which I have to post later this week.

When we call, our God answers! ~Bekah