A Family in Crisis!

Libby

When we decide it is time to be parents we imagine all of the wonderful things that come along with having children.  The swell of your heart, the pitter-patter of little feet, a meaningful and full life..the list continues...  The thing that takes us by surprise is the incredible responsibility that comes along with these little people we bring into the world.  They are completely and totally dependent on us to understand and navigate this crazy life.  There are instances where we are completely helpless to saving our children from ouches, hurt feelings,  or health problems.  It gets harder when our children get older, we have even less control and our kids are faced with tougher choices and harder consequences.  I think as a parent the worst feeling is when you have failed your child in some way.  There was something you could do to prevent the pain and you chose another path.

My daughter had her yearly physical on Saturday and I knew it was not going to go well. Let me give you the backstory...

She is 9 years old and has been in the overweight BMI category from ages 4-9.  I was never too concerned until that last 2 years. Last year the doctor warned me she was bordering on a high blood pressure and I needed to watch her weight. It was important to approach this situation delicately so her body image was not negatively impacted.  We focused on health, we never talked about numbers or weight.  She was never singled out in our family, we all eat and do everything together.  We did all the right things, she was active, we made significant changes in all of our diets and in April  she had  lost 5 lbs, gained endurance and had a lot more energy.  She was finally in the normal weight range for her age, relief.

Summer came upon us and things relaxed around the house, swim meets "caused" us to eat dinners out more often for convenience.  Candy is also flowing at the meets, after practices, not to mention vacations, that was the KILLER.  I noticed her clothes not fitting and the weight gain but I also noticed the increased headaches, almost everyday.  She also complained of dizziness.  I thought it was dehydration.

The results of the doctor's appointment was she is 20 points over her ideal blood pressure.    The headaches and dizziness along with the 10 lbs weight gain led to a diagnosis of hypertension.  The doctor said she did not want to put her on blood pressure medication so she gave us 6 weeks to get our lifestyle back on the right path.  Quite honestly there is no excuse for what has happened, I failed my daughter.  I let her get sick by putting my family's health lower on the priority list instead of number 1.  Convenience, vacation, laziness, inconsistency, excuse after excuse.

The reality at this point is,"it is what it is", I can only go forward from here.  We have made many changes since last March that are ingrained in our lifestyle.  It changed us, but it is not enough for my baby, we have to go the extra mile and never look back.   The best part is, none of us ever do anything alone, we will be embarking on our newest journey together, as a family.  We will be Driven. to get Heart Healthy.

Her sister on the left and brother on the right still call her "Sissy"
We stick together!

I have a "heart healthy" meal plan that I found on this website: Heart Healthy Meal Plans I will be putting this into place tomorrow.  

One challenge I know I will face is a small 3 day excursion to Washington, DC.  I know that I will have to prep in advance for this vacation.  I vow to bring a Heart Smart breakfast, bring packable lunches and a refrigerated lunch bag, and finally fresh pre-cooked meals from the plan I included from above. I am exhausted already, but in six week, six years, 16 years, etc. it will be worth it.  

Here is an example of healthy lifestyle changes that made a difference over time.  I did not realize how different my body looked and how much weight I had lost and kept off until I came across this picture the other day.  I was 167 in this picture, it was the summer of 2009. Back to back pregnancies took their toll on me, I ate VERY unhealthy and I never worked out.  I never went back there.  My struggle for the last 7 years is the last 10-15 lbs.  I lose them and gain them back over and over and over.  It is an emotional roller coaster and I WANT OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009

2016

I leave you with this...Lasting change and results are possible, I did not  realize that I had accomplished, really, anything that I wanted to with my body, until I saw this picture.  I am too focused on where I want to be that I never took the time to see how far I had come.  

Thanks for listening.

Carbs...and MORE CARBS!

Denise

HEIGHT:: 5’8”

STARTING Weight on 4-25-16 : 208

TODAY’S Weight: not getting on that evil scale until 7-25-16

GOALS:  Fit comfy into any size 12, no muffin top and with a tight shirt!

Establish playtime on a daily basis that helps me achieve a strong body. Break old habits!

MOTIVATION and SUPPORT:  My husband, my family, my friends and my Lord.

CARBS…AND MORE CARBS!

My week started with my parents arriving for a three month visit. With my moms gift of planning and organizing and my dads expertise in everything DIY, this is a combo work/play visit to get our backyard transformed for our sons wedding in October. What this has meant for my diet in the last week though is a lot of eating chips, pancakes, pizza (you've got the picture), oh, and beer!! As I am sitting here writing my blog I am also polishing off a pancake from yesterday's breakfast, I might need some intervention at this point!!!

On a positive diet note, my baby step approach to exercising is still going strong. I squat, lunge, lift, plank and stretch myself through just about every morning and the consistency is paying off as I'm feeling stronger and more comfortable in my skin. This is the first summer in many years that I have worn tank tops outside of my house and felt a confidence in my arms, it's a very freeing feeling. My Pokemon hunting has come to a halt this past week with all the craziness going on at our house which translates to me not doing much cardio and I'm missing it and need to get back. I know I will be feeling the pain of gain if I don't nip this in the bud right now. Surprisingly, I fit into a new size 12 pair of shorts that I bought a couple months ago that i didn't  fit into when I bought them. Big smiles!!!!

Peace,

Panda

Changing your mindset!

Amy

Changing your mindset to me is the hardest thing to do. I have heard over and over again from people that used to be over weight that even though they are "skinny" now when they look in the mirror and think about themselves they are still that overweight person. Well obviously I haven't lost that much weight yet but I was at one of my best friends weddings this weekend and she told me that even though she knew I had only lost 11 pounds that it looked more like I had lost 20. Now this is a friend that wouldn't bs me and I know that but my immediate thought was "yeah right, she is just saying that to be nice". I don't know why but I have such a hard time taking a compliment. I always just assume people are trying to be polite rather then telling me their true feelings. I find that not just overweight people feel this way but also women in general.  How often to we get complimented by our husbands or friends and say yeah right your just saying that. I know I do it all the time. When what I really should be doing is just saying thank you. I still struggle so much with this.

Also being at that wedding made me realize a few things about myself. Now I want to preface what I am about to say with my friends have never said or done anything to make me feel this way. It's just me. But being there standing in a picture with my two not only beautiful but skinny friends took me right back to how I felt in highschool. Like I was never going to be as pretty or skinny as they were ever. All those insecurities I had back then came flooding back. Truthfully it took me off guard. I thought I was past that and happy with who I am but clearly that is not the case and I have work to do. I want to lose weight but truly for me this journey has been more about being honest with myself and my feelings. I didn't even dance at the wedoing because I didn't want people looking at me. I am always so worried about what people think of me and how fat I am. Even going up for appetizers made me uncomfortable.  I didn't want to look like I was taking too much because I am fat and I didn't want people to look at that and think well that's why she is fat. The truth of the matter is that no one was watching what I was eating. They could have cared less what I was doing but that's just how I think. I know it's stupid but I also haven't figured out how to stop it.

For me this week was more about the mental aspect of things.  I want so badly to start believing people when they say I look good. I want to believe my husband when he tells me I'm beautiful but right now I'm just not there. Hopefully as the weight comes off some of my insecurities will leave with the pounds. One of my ultimate goals needs to be to get rid of that fat girl mentality. Right now I am just taking things as they come. They always say you have to love yourself before anyone can love you so that is what I am going to work on along with my weight-loss because to me they go hand in hand.

Blame it on the rain...Yeah! Yeah!

Libby

I absolutely love breezy summer evenings sitting on the deck overlooking the ocean, I feel gentle like the breeze and my worries of the day seem to fade with each crashing wave.  The starry night sky is bright with possibilities of a better tomorrow.  The laughter of sharing stories with family and friends makes my heart lighter and my mood lift.  I wish I could bottle this feeling up and spray it on like perfume, I would call it, " My Moment". The setting may sound familiar but the way I picture it, the emotions, the experience, it is as unique as I am.

There are days, weeks, even years that offer a gentle passing of time, like the moment above.  Life still goes on but nothing of out of the ordinary happens.  I am relatively happy with myself, my place in this world, the person I am am, my spiritual life, until I am not.  Until a thunderstorm comes rolling in...

I remember my dad, saying "come here Libby.", He called me over to an open window.  It was a summer evening, a warm breeze was blowing.  It started to lightning, thunder, and rain really hard.  I was scared like any little girl. I will never forget the smell of the rain, the breeze on my face, and sound of thunder and the ooh and aah  of the lightning.  My dad said, "Pretty cool, huh?" I said, "yes".  That thunderstorm turned out like many thunderstorms in my life,  scary at first but beautiful because it serves a purpose that we do not see immediately but understand over time.

I am definitely headed into a stormy period. I am overeating all of the wrong foods, feeling tired...ugh! My mind has turned its thoughts on other things like books and TV to escape, instead of self-evaluation and improvement.  I am focused on anything other than my mind, spirit, and body or focused on nothing at all.

I had breezy moments this week, we hiked that beautiful trail in long level, worked out, cleaned house. That trail hike was amazing for my family. It was really neat to see how fearless they are when they are not being held back by a scared mom.  They fell in love with water snakes (gross), crayfish, fish, beaver dams, hiking to a lookout over the Susquehanna river.  I loved seeing the smiles on their faces.

 Is this not so beautiful!

 The Creek...runs parallel to the river

 Happy Day!!

 Hunting Crayfish

The Crayfish

I am off of my game as a "healthy mom".  We are vacationing so we are eating out a lot, and our bodies, energy, and moods are paying the price.  I feel especially bad about that and really want to snap out of that quickly because my kids health depends on it.  I do feel I have taken a few steps backward and things are stormy, but with a little perseverance, some accountability, and a few friendly kicks in the butt the storm will clear up to a bright starry sky.

 Most times I get so caught up in the storm that is going on around me, I don't realize the unique opportunity to grow closer to Jesus, family, myself.  I like to blame it on the rain...Yeah! Yeah!   Awareness is everything, right, so my goal is to welcome the storms, maybe not with open arms, but to realize that on the other side is a better appreciation for gentle breezes, starry night skies, and the sound of crashing waves.
BTW
Texting on a flip phone is not fun!  I call people instead!! Imagine the horror!!!

Catch and Release!

Chanon 

I have a tendency to stop short of my goals. Sometimes I feel like good enough is well, good enough.  However, I am focused on being Driven for this blog and my journey to Wellness, and that focus has allowed me to push through those tendencies to stop short of the goals.   

Being Focused has taken many side routes from my original thought process on how I was and am going to get " physically fit".
I have learned that Wellness is a balance for mental health and clarity, physical health, spiritual health and financial health as well. 

I found the distractions in my life such as Facebook was much more of blocker for my journey than I ever imagined.  I realized that being Driven isn't actually about meeting a goal on a scale, but rather obeying Gods desire for my life.  
God desires me to not stop short of his best for my life and that includes my physical health. 

I will continue to walk this Heart in my daily journey to stay Driven. With Gods strength and his best as my Goal. 

This time... There will be no stopping short
This time... I am Driven!
This time... I will listen to God nudging my heart to keep going strong
This time...we are all given another this time every day!! Take advantage of yours and find your Driven heart! 

Blessings... Chanon 

Finding Joy with Catch and Release. 

GOAL!!

Michelle

Starting weight:  210lbs beginning of February

Current Weight:  150.6lbs

Height:  5'5"

GOALS:  My Goal is to lose 60lbs!! Gain strength and endurance!! 

Motivation and Support:  Myself, my husband, and my family and friends.  Watching and hearing about others on their own journeys to getting healthier and stronger give me great encouragement.

NEW GOAL!!  Now that I reached 150 lbs!!  My new goal is to continue to reach 135-140lbs area!!

I did it!!  YAY!!  YAHOO!!  YIPPEE!!!  doing the happy dance!! lol

To look back at things.  I had been struggling with my weight, self esteem & food for a while.  Eating was a hobby for me, I LOVED it!!  I let myself go, I stopped taking care of myself and putting others ahead of me, and all events of life ahead of me.  I would hear "you are a mother of six, you look good"!  REALLY?!?!   The more weight I gained & less active I was, the more I started to hate myself for letting this happen.  It truly affected me mentally.  I married my husband in 2003.  He has and will always see me as beautiful, my size did not bother him or matter to him.  He loves me the way I am no matter which way it is!!   I have not felt truly beautiful for a long time now, and right now I feel amazing and beautiful!!  I am anxious for the day that I enjoy daily activity/exercise instead of dreading it (not sure this will ever happen).  Some days I really do fight with myself to get up and move!!  But I am so thankful for a great workout when I am done!!  I am truly grateful for all the encouragement I have received while doing this for myself!!  I have lost 60lbs  and have dropped several sizes in my clothing. I feel stronger, and healthier, which is all I really want. I am happy...genuinely happy with myself!! I will continue to push & challenge myself as it does feel AWESOME!!

Now to talk about the future.  I am going to take a break from all the strictness that I have been following for myself to burn the extra weight and calories.  I need this mentally and to just maintain at 150lbs for a little!!   I am setting a new goal for myself and that is 135-140lbs!! :)  I will get there just gonna enjoy who I am today for a little!!  

For those who want to start on a healthier journey, I say GO FOR IT!!  And if you have a bad day or moment and fall off track get back up and try again!!  It is totally worth it!!  Life challenges us daily. We are given new obstacles every single day. There's always tomorrow!  You are stronger then you think.  Don't ever give up!!  YOU ARE WORTH IT!! :)

Time Flies!

PANDA LOG 07.21.2016

TIME FLIES!!

Denise

Has it really been that long since our “Driven.” group took a break?  It's all been such a blur! I know my new grand baby was born and I was on top of the world and then I came down with the flu that turned my world upside down! Now I'm on the recovery side of it all and ready for my normal life back. I had good days and “feed a cold” days but all and all I don't feel like I gained any weight. By the way, next week is weigh in for me and I'm not going to lie, I’M NERVOUS! I did buy a device that calculates body fat and percentage though, and I'm excited about seeing results on it especially since my body does not like to drop in weight except in very slow motion. I wasn't very consistent with my workouts either while we were on break due to feeling weak from being sick. I have to say, this was the first time I've been sick since spring of 2012. I know this because that was the tenth time I had pneumonia since we moved to Pennsylvania in 2002. I did much research after that on what herbs and holistic remedies I could add to my regiment to boost my immune system during the winter. I found an article on Olive Leaf Extract in which I bought and started taking right away. I took it daily from that Spring until the next and, no pneumonia!!! So I kept taking it every day, religiously, until my grand baby was born a few weeks ago. How I forgot about me and my daily regiment of supplements is beyond me but, never again! Within two weeks of not taking my Olive Leaf, I got the flu and I got it bad!! Needless to say I'm back on my daily dose. During this time I don't think I did a full workout once but, I'm now back on track and have four full workouts under my belt. It feels great to get back to it and I'm hoping I am Driven enough to even increase my workouts and get my body fat down. My goal is to get it down to 25%. 

Ok, let's talk about Pokemon! I'm so excited about this not only because it's so fun but, my husband walks with me, and a lot!!! We've been married for 30 years and he has never been a walker, until now…go Pokemon!! We've clocked in over 15 miles in the last few days and we are having a blast doing so! By the weigh, Kevin has now lost 30 lbs.!!! I am so proud of him!  So here are some “pre flu” pics and I was on a roll and included my five year old grandson in on my workouts. 

 Pokemon Hunting

 Meeting my Blogging Partner Michelle for the First Time

 Working Out with My Grandson

Working out with Ollie

Vacation is a diet KILLER!

Amy

Weight: 227 lbs   Vacation is a diet killer for sure. In my opinion you have to have complete self control to be able to stick to a diet and exercise plan while on vacation. I do not have such self control.  I mistakenly figured that since I knew I would be getting in alot more exercise than usual with all the walking we would be doing that I could eat whatever I wanted. WRONG!!! Now I did not completely go crazy with food but I also did enjoy myself. That's what vacation is for, right? This is proof that I have a long way to go in my way of thinking. This proves I still have the mind of an overweight person that will find any excuse to eat whatever I want. Food to me is an addiction just like drugs and alcohol are to other people.   When I got home from vacation even though I hadn't eaten great, I hadn't eaten horrible either and I had done exercise so I was actually excited to get home and weigh myself. I figured at the least I would have stayed the same and if I was really lucky I would have maybe even lost some weight. Well neither happened. I had gained almost all the weight I had lost back. I was back to 235 again. All that work down the drain. Truthfully I spent several days after that weigh in telling myself this isn't worth it and that I should just quit and get used to the fact that I was going to be fat the rest of my life. I was so defeated in that moment. So at that point I didn't quit but I wasn't trying either. But then the craziest thing happened. I got on the scale and it kept going down everyday. Truth be told I think it was God's way of telling me don't quit. Keep trying.  So today I am at 1 pound lighter then I was before we left for vacation. I am not going to lie though the weeks that we have taken off from the blog I have not been too committed at all. I had even considered quitting the blog. I have so much on my plate lately and I feel quite overwhelmed. But being off made me realize that without this blog I for sure will keep going back to my old ways and will not continue trying to lose weight. This blog is the only thing keeping me semi accountable. So I guess for now I will keep trying. It's really hard though not to feel defeated. I also need to learn to remember that it's not about the pounds it's about feeling good about myself. I guess for now I need to stay the course and just keep going!

The Old Stomping Grounds!

Donna

Welcome Back Blogging Friends!!!!  Have you missed me?  I don’t even know where to begin. My life has been more than chaotic.  I’ve traveled 21 days in the last 4 weeks.  Thankfully last week was my last work trip for a while.  I am taking 2 weeks off work and my hubby and kids are road tripping with me to NY.  This is a much needed family vacation and we’ll be visiting as many friends and family members along the way as possible. 

One great thing about my previous 4 weeks of work travel is that I was able to get into a good workout routine while away from home.  I really tried to take advantage of being alone and just focused on eating right and working out hard. 

When we started this journey I weighed 178 lbs…I am currently 162.  I have managed to maintain about a 1lb loss a week and really started to tone my body.  It’s been awesome!  I can see the difference and people who haven’t seen me in weeks have started to notice as well. Yay for progress!!

Last week I did an intense gladiator workout with my coworkers while in Boerne, TX.  I loved doing something completely different than my usual hotel treadmill or elliptical jaunt.  Plus I think it bonded me and my counterparts and gave us something to talk about besides computers (blahhhh). LOL. 

Not sure if y'all know but I work for and support a large law enforcement agency.  This world is becoming a very scary place.  I’ve been overwhelmed with tragic events in the news and just want to take this opportunity to thank all of my Law Enforcement friends and family for the service they provide.  Kiss your family members, kiss your kids and remember truly what is important in this life. 

I’m so glad to be back blogging!!  I’m ready to reach my next weight loss goal of 160lbs…hopefully by next week before we leave for NY!!!  Truthfully once I hit my old stomping grounds I plan to eat a little….BiCounty Pizza, DeLuque’s Bakery, Pete’s deli…are these places even in business anymore? Haha!! Guess I’ll find out next week when I go to New York.  Have a great week everyone!  Enjoy life because we only get one shot at it…and if you’re hungry, EAT!!  Just make sure to run a little extra and it all works itself out. J