A close encounter of the AFFIRMATIVE kind!

This afternoon I decided to treat my daughter and myself to a pedicure.  Kristen, home from college for just a few days, had been to the dentist using up her 2010 benefits in the nick of time.  I had an emotional morning with the closing of a difficult real estate transaction.  It saw my client break down in sobs when I delivered the news that her ordeal was over.  It's difficult for people who have lost their financial stability, retirement savings and dreams for the future with the plummenting property values of the past few years. And it's difficult for real estate agents on whom they depend to help them through the complicated process of avoiding foreclosure. I spent a bit of the morning in tears of my own, tears of relief and closure and compassion.  Humbled that I had been a part of helping her bring about the very best possible outcome in an impossible situation.

By the time Kristen and I got our feet in jetted tubs of warm water, I looked and felt like a train wreck.  Circles under my puffy, cry baby eyes, mascara smeared, hair I should have washed this morning but didn't have time to do.  There were several other people in the busy salon.  One woman looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn't place her.  Kristen and I read our magazines as the chairs massaged our backs and we received the DELUXE pedicure.  Heavenly leg massages with herbs, mineral scrubs, baggies of hot wax enveloping our feet...  Just what the doctor ordered! 

Then, unexpectedly, the vaguely familiar woman approached me.  I lowered my magazine, she leaned toward me and with her hand on my knee said,

"You are a beautiful, BEAUTIFUL woman!"

Before I had a chance to respond, she was gone.  Kristen stared at me and I stared at the woman making her exit.  What in the world?

Let me just say that I do believe that I am a beautiful woman.  Not movie star beautiful, but without too much effort I can put myself together attractively.  I'm blessed with good genetics (with the exception of the pesky fat gene) and almost no wrinkles in my 54 year old face.  But today, this afternoon, in my frazzled and tear stained state, I definitely did not have the appearance of a "beautiful, BEAUTIFUL" woman!  Certainly not to the extent that a stranger would make a point to come over and tell me how beautiful I am.  This I know FOR SURE!

So what was that all about?  I think that the woman knows who I am.  Perhaps she's a friend of Kerri's and has followed our blogs and Facebook postings.  Perhaps she's reading this now!  I think she is aware of the journey Kerri and I are on, to overcome once and for all our battle with the bulge.  

I have had numerous people comment to me how I have inspired them.  Random people who I am not particularly close to.  Out of the blue they will engage me in conversation about Optifit, dieting, health and fitness.  I have come to realize that there are many, many people out there watching me.  And being inspired by me.  It is a humbling and somewhat overwhelming realization, not unlike the emotional part of dealing with my distressed real estate clients.  People are depending on me!  What I'm doing is making a difference in people's lives! 

So to the woman who reminded me today that I am a beautiful, BEAUTIFUL woman, thank you!  Your kindness has helped strengthen my resolve to carry on and win the good fight.  For me, for Kerri, for my clients, and for all the people that I am not even aware of who are gaining strength and motivation by following my story. 

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A close encounter of the AFFIRMATIVE kind!

Grandma Janna's Optifit Shakes are umm, umm GOOD!

This month saw me take TWO trips to Colorado.  The first one was a quick few days early in the month for the sole purpose of making gingerbread houses with my darling granddaughters, Rileigh and Khloe.  Then, my husband and son accompanied me for a Christmas visit.

Both times, I brought along my Magic Bullet blender and Optifit food.  I like to blend up my nutritionally engineered shakes in the blender with a few ice cubes.  They really are delicious!  The blender is LOUD, so it was impossible to be covert when mixing up a shake.  The little girls would always come running when they heard the sound of Grandma's blender, to help me drink my shake. 

Looking through some Christmas pictures this morning, I had to smile when I saw this one.  Two year old Khloe helping Grandma Janna with her shake.  ENTHUSIASTICALLY helping, I should say!   

And here you see a glimpse of my Big Why.  WHY I am doing this. I want to be around for a long, long time, fit and healthy and able to enjoy these beautiful little girls as they grow up.  It's the best, and most fun, motivation there is! ◦

Grandma Janna's Optifit Shakes are umm, umm GOOD!

Bye Bye 35 and GOOD RIDDANCE!

At week 10 in my Optifit Journey I hit a milestone.  If you've followed along you will know the significance of 35 pounds to me.  If not, in a nutshell:  In early 2009 I joined a fun weight loss competition and lost 25 pounds.  The competition ended, and over the following year and a half I regained all 25 pounds plus a BONUS 10 pounds!  Ugh! 

As the pounds have been coming off since I began my Optifit journey in October, I have thought a lot about how dumb it was to regain that weight.  How all of this hard work I was doing now hadn't even got me back to where I was before I put that weight back on.

At my 10 week weigh-in, the fancy scale spit out my little paper announcing that I had lost a total of 37 pounds!  HOORAY!  That darn 35 pounds was FINALLY gone and I am now making real progress!  What an exhilarating feeling that was!  It was a good moment.

On a side note, I think the science of it all is fascinating.  When I had lost 21 pounds, and was a bit discouraged that I wasn't losing more, faster, I had a visit with Kristi Flicker, our registered dietitian.  Kristi whipped out her calculator and did the math.  Based on my metabolic testing when I began, I needed X number of calories each day to exist.  I was eating Y number of calories per day.  With a pound of fat being equal to 3,500 calories, I should be losing an average of about 3.5 pounds per week.  Well, some weeks I would lose 2, some 1, then 5....  But at week ten I had lost 37 pounds, proving that Kristi really does know her stuff!

I still have a loooooooooooong way to go.  But I am finding so many moments along my journey that give me inspiration and motivation to keep on keepin' on.  Life is good, and I am not going to settle for being a big marshmallow any longer! ◦

Bye Bye 35 and GOOD RIDDANCE!

A pivitol moment at the mall

Enjoying having our college daughter home for just a few days, my husband and I went with her to the mall in Spokane in search of a new coat.  We got to a department store, and all went in separate directions in search of post-Christmas bargains.  I looked for the Queen Size women's department and couldn't find one.  Not all stores have Queen departments, or Plus Sizes, or whatever name they give the clothes that fit LARGE women.  I decided to take a look through the normal-people-sized clothes.  I saw four tops that I liked and decided to throw caution to the wind and try them on in a normal-person-size extra large.  The first one fit perfectly, but it looked too much like an old lady shirt.  The second one was cute, fit pretty good except was too tight on my arms.  I almost got it anyway, knowing my arms are slowly shrinking, but decided against it.  The third one I couldn't squeeze my arms into at all, it wasn't a knit like the others.  The fourth one fit like a charm, I loved it and I bought it. 

Tomorrow, I will wear the first thing I have bought in DECADES in the regular ladies department at the store!  Yes, it's a knit.  Yes, it's a size XL.  But yes, it is NOT from the Queen Sized department!  I'm making progress, I see light at the end of the tunnel, and I LIKE it! ◦

A pivitol moment at the mall

It was an ENORMOUSLY significant event!

December has been a busy whirlwind in my world.  I took two trips to Colordo, had an extremely busy month in real estate, and had to make Christmas happen for my family!  I haven't had time to blog, either here or on my real estate blog, and I've missed it.  I haven't kept up with my workouts, my eating schedule, drinking enough water, journaling, positive affirmations, ANYTHING!  It's so easy to get off track when I get off schedule.  I don't like not being in CONTROL!  I am still learning much and making progress, but have had a few slip ups.

I'd like to share an experience I had on Christmas eve that took me by surprise.  We were in Colorado, at my daughter-in-law's sister's house.  My two little granddaughters were joined by their five small cousins, and the seven kiddos were surprised by a visit from Santa!  Santa called up each of the kids and presented them with a gift bag containing their Christmas Jammies.  What fun!  Then he called up Kristen, my almost 21 year old daughter.  That was a surprise, she jumped on Santa's lap, and he presented her with some jammies, too.  He called up my daughter-in-law Trinity, and presented her with jammies to match Kristen's.  Next, to my horror, he called out my name, and handed me some jammies to match Kristen's and Trinity's. 

I say to my horror because never, ever, have I received a gift of clothing of any kind, that wasn't too small.  Whether a sweater, bathrobe, jacket, it didn't matter.  I would open it, be urged by the giver to try it on, and it would be too small.  Every time, as long as I can remember. I am hard to fit, short and round and bigger than people think I am.  Every gift of clothing would leave me embarrassed and humiliated.  EVERY TIME! 

I DREAD gifts of clothing like nothing else!

I thanked Santa and fretted about those pajamas the rest of the evening.  I was almost sick to my stomach dreading the moment when everyone would urge me to go put them on, and I would be spilling out of them.  Seriously, it ruined my evening.  When we arrived home, everyone put on their Christmas jammies.  Something made me decide to go ahead and try them on.  And do you know what, they FIT!  I can't explain the joy I felt that night and Christmas day, to be wearing matching jammies with my girls.  To be doing something a NORMAL person could do!

It was a pivotal moment in my life.  Why have I settled for living like I have been?  It's ridiculous!  I will keep moving forward, stay the course and never give up!  I'm looking forward to the new year, getting back on track, back on schedule, back into a controlled setting.  Stay tuned, it's only going to get better and better! ◦

It was an ENORMOUSLY significant event!

What I like about my body - what do YOU like about your body?

The gym is NOT my favorite place to be. Not fun.  I am seriously out of shape. 

SERIOUSLY!  As in a big marshmallow. 

My feet have issues, my knees have issues, it hurts.  I whine.  I moan and groan. I complain as I strain.  I would always find myself apologizing to my trainer, either Chad, Cate or Kristi, for being such a whiny baby.  Last week after one such episode Cate said to me that it was ok, she just didn't like to hear me say that I can't do something.  That stopped me in my tracks,  I asked her if I really had said that.  Said those words, "I can't."  She assured me that I had, and it upset me.  I am all about positive mindset and releasing negative energy.  If you haven't, you should read my former post about the importance of positive affirmations. 

After that I made the decision to only think and say positive things in the gym.  No more whining and complaining.  My next appointment with Cate, as she put me through the ringer, I said only positive things through my clenched teeth.  I would moan and groan only happy comments.  "I LOVE IT!"  "This feels so GOOD!"  "I'm getting STRONGER."

She giggled, I sweated and giggled.  We even laughed out loud a few times.  "I'm building LEAN MUSCLE!"  "I'm a lean, mean fat burning machine!"

I definitely had more fun that day.  Cate said she remembered a class in college where they had to write out positive affirmations, and thought that perhaps that would be something good to have in the gym. 

As I was finishing up on the last machine, she asked me to tell her what I like about my body.  That came out of left field and took me by surprise.  Perhaps she was testing my determination to be only positive.   I thought for a moment and came back with "I have thin ankles."  Then, "I have a waist."  It may be large, but I do have a waist....  "I have a pretty face."  I thought of one more, but I'll leave that up to your imagination, it had to do with the "girls."

Cate never really commented one way or another, but it got me thinking about what I like about my body.  The biggie: I have a magnificently healthy body, all things considered, which I have done nothing to deserve.  I have abused my body by subjecting it to a condition of morbid obesity my entire adult life.  My knees are bad and my feet hurt, but can you blame them?  However, at my blood test prior to beginning the Optifit program in mid-October, the only red flag was low vitamin D.  Cholesterol, glucose, everything else - GOOD!  That is truly amazing considering my body composition was more than 50% fat!  I'm taking a 4000 IU Vitamin D supplement daily, and feeling very blessed.

I continue to smack down my drunk monkey and the negative thoughts he tries to get me to listen to.  It's been fun thinking about what I like about my body.  You should try it. 

What do you like about YOUR body? 

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What I like about my body - what do YOU like about your body?

My husband, the jerk?

Over Thanksgiving weekend, my hubby asked me if I wanted to go see a movie.  I think the last movie I drug him to was Julie & Julia, and he hated it as much as I loved it!  He's more into action thrillers, the louder and noisier, the better!

We decided to go see Unstoppable, the runaway train movie.  As it got close to time to head for the theater, I verbalized my unease about my ability to go enjoy a movie in the theater without eating hot, buttered, movie theater popcorn.  That has always been part of the experience for me.  He didn't acknowledge my comment, and off we went.

No sooner than we had cleared the ticket counter, he headed for the concession stand and ordered a large buttered popcorn!  I stared at him in disbelief, and I think my jaw was even gaping open.  I didn't say a word, he saw me looking at him incredulously and said, "What?  I'm hungry." 

I didn't say a word.  In the couple of minutes it took for them to fill his order, take his money, make his change and send him on his way, my mind was racing.

My first thought was something like "What an insensitive jerk!"  I felt hurt because he wasn't supporting me by not eating popcorn in front of me knowing I love it and wouldn't be able to eat some, too.  Seriously, what a jerk! 

But then my mind went to thinking that what I choose to eat or not to eat should have nothing to do with whatever anyone else around me is eating.  It's my choice, and if he wants some popcorn, who am I to be so weak and whiny that I demand he abstain because I have to?  It's not his fault he's healthy and fit and can eat like a horse and stay slim and trim! 

Finally, I closed my gaping jaw and realized that I am blessed indeed to have a loving and devoted husband of 36.5 years who has always supported me in anything I chose to do.  This would include my abstinence from cooking for him for the past couple months.  Including that evening, when he didn't have dinner and decided to eat some popcorn while he watched the movie.  Yes, in front of me when I couldn't enjoy some too.  Well, I could have, but I chose not to. 

He has never said one complaining word about my extended vacation from cooking.  I decided I wouldn't say one complaining word to him, either.  We watched the movie as he munched that popcorn with it's heavenly aroma right in my ear.  Oh, how I wanted some.  DANG!  But I actually did enjoy the movie minus the popcorn and scored another victory.  Janna 1, Popcorn 0. 

And then, I went on to a 4.5 pound weight loss that week, which is SO much better than hot buttered movie theater popcorn EVER was! ◦

My husband, the jerk?

Goodbye FAT CLOTHES! Well, kind of....

Having lost 31 pounds, I went shopping in my closet for clothes I haven't been able to wear for a while, and in some cases, years!  I scored big time in my closet, and pulled out of a box that had moved with me from Colorado in 2008, THREE pair of brand new jeans I had bought on sale when I couldn't quite fit into them.  I had planned to get a few pounds off at the time, years ago. I didn't, and I totally forgot about them.  I tried them on, and they fit!  No such luck with dress slacks.

I tried on lots of stuff, and decided to purge my closet and my life of my FAT clothes. Things that have become baggy and saggy. Like all my decent slacks for work.  Lots of tops.  A skirt and a jacket.  Goodbye fat clothes.  I ended up with 75 items in my purge pile, including the baggy outfit I wore the day before and all my fat summer clothes that will be miles too big next summer.  I bagged them up and immediately drove them to the thrift store, and didn't look back.

Having said that, with STILL more than 100 pounds to lose, every piece of clothing remaining in my closet can appropriately be categorized as fat clothes, but they aren't AS fat!  And I'm NEVER going back!

The past couple years, I have seldom worn jeans.  Something about looking like the broad side of a barn!  (Which I still do, just a bit less broad...)   But those of you who cross my path in the next little while will notice me in jeans a lot. 

  

And now you know the rest of the story!

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Goodbye FAT CLOTHES! Well, kind of....

It was a GOOD weigh in! And I rejoiced!

When I weighed in on week 6 at the halfway point in the 12 week Optifit program, I had a weekly loss of 5.5 pounds!  I was happy, but less than enthusiastic, which I explained in an earlier post.  Half of my brain believed that it was some kind of anomaly.  Perhaps I drank less that day than prior weigh-in days, or I had on clothing that weighed less. 

There must have been SOME explanation besides
simply having dropped 5.5 pounds of fat that week. 

The following week, Thanksgiving week, I actually ate some real food off my meal plan, and other crimes, which I also confessed in an earlier post.  When I showed up to weigh in last Wednesday, I was secretly praying that my weight wouldn't be UP, that I would have at least stayed the same.  I was dumbfounded to see the fancy scale spit out a little paper that said I had lost 4.4 pounds!  Yes, indeed, I had lost 10 whole pounds of fat, not muscle or anything else, in two weeks.  And a total of 31 pounds since I began.

I hugged everyone I could get my arms around, and rejoiced!  I had Kristi Flicker, the beautiful, smart and perky Optifit Dietitian, hold up her model of 5 pounds of gross fat, as well as her model of 5 pounds of lean muscle. 

It is amazing to me to think that in 7 weeks I have lost
more than SIX of those disgusting 5 pound globs of fat! 

Click this link to find out how I felt as I stared at that little printout of proof of my weight loss.

I am thrilled!  And I am so grateful for this amazing opportunity to jump start my journey to good health and fitness.  THANK YOU, OPTIFIT! ◦

It was a GOOD weigh in! And I rejoiced!