Throwback Thursday - HUGE non-scale victories

I started this weight loss journey of mine in January of 2016 by signing up for the 12-week challenge at our Gold's Gym.  I can honestly tell you that I did not believe I would be successful.  Thankfully I had a trainer who believed otherwise and here I am 15 months later, still going strong.

Once I began to see that what he was teaching me was working, I never once considered quitting.  I had tried for years and years with no success.  So to be successful, finally, I was not going to stop.  One thing he told me at least once a week and sometimes more often was "the 12-week challenge is just your springboard; it's just what is getting us started."  I know the 12-week challenge is about to end at Gold's Gym and I would just like to encourage those participants to keep going.  What I am about to write is some of the non-scale victories I have experienced in the past year to 15 months.

For simplicity sake, I am re-posting the card I made myself last July.  I made that for the weeks that the scale stayed the same and I was tempted to get frustrated.  The numbers have changed on that card by now, I've lost more weight, more inches, but you get the idea.

Let's just talk medically for a moment.  I used to have high blood pressure and take medicine for it.  I no longer have high blood pressure and no medicine is needed.  I used to have moderately to high inflammation with my rheumatoid arthritis.  My rheumatoid arthritis is basically in remission (It's checked by blood work every 3 months.)   I used to need to use both hands on the stair railings each morning when I first woke up to walk down the stairs from the bedroom to the kitchen because my body hurt so much.  Not so anymore.

Rheumatoid Arthritis blood work results.  Vectra test.

Let's talk stamina.  For the past 15 years at least I have passed on any camping trip, any family hike, any trip that would take a long plane ride.  I've missed out on a lot.  Recently Dave and I went to a NASCAR race in Phoenix.  It was 95 degrees.  First of all I had no trouble with walking up and down the bleachers.  I had no problem with the heat.  I felt like I could have kept going for awhile even after it was over.  While I was there I read on Facebook that a friend had hiked Rifle Falls with her children.  I was like, "Dave, I'd like to hike Rifle Falls."  

It's funny because almost as soon as the words came out of my mouth, I was like, "WHAT did I just say?"  I absolutely meant what I said, but what a 360 degree turnaround from one year ago.  My kids have wanted me to join them on hikes for years and I just physically could not do it.

It was on this trip that my mind began to shift.  I am reading a great book called, "Who Says You Can't, You Do."  Between this book and the things I was realizing about myself, I began to wonder why I was SO hung up with the number on the scale.  My entire life had changed for the better in the past year and I want to focus on a number??????  That's crazy.

This next point I am going to share I have gone back and forth on whether or not I wanted to make it public.  I am going to make it public, because I believe there are other people in this same situation and this just may help them, so here it goes.

For the past 12 years at least, maybe more, I have not slept in the same room as my husband.  Yes, that's correct.  I was so obese that I had a HUGE snoring problem.  I was tested for sleep apnea 2 or 3 times over that time period, but I did not have that.  I did not need a C-pap machine and honestly I was thankful for that.  For many years, I slept on the couch downstairs.  When Jessica went off to college, I slept in her room. When we went on trips, we had to get an extra hotel room for me.  My snoring was so loud, none of the kids could handle it either.    So I'm going to just let that sink in for you for a minute.

When we went to Alaska last May, we had to get an extra suite for me.  That was quite expensive.  That has been our lives.  Very few people know this about us, but in the past a few couples I have talked to have told me that they too do not sleep together.  My children will read this so let's state this simply because I know the question is crossing your mind.  All areas of our life are fine.  We just did not sleep in the same room.  

WELL, we won a trip to Bermuda for the summer of 2017.  We have won trips in the past and we have given them away, because of the fact we would need an extra suite.  This trip is a cruise and it's Bermuda.  I talked to Dave and told him I really wanted to see if we could make this work.  So that NASCAR weekend was the test.  We were in Phoenix two nights and we only reserved one room.  They ended up upgrading our room so we had the option of one person in a bedroom with the door shut and one person in the living area on the couch.  But we did not need that option.  The verdict is that I do still snore but not NEAR as bad as one year ago.  We made it - two nights in the same bed in the same room.  THAT IS A HUMONGOUS NON-SCALE VICTORY!

So yes I am sure I will still be tempted in the future to "worry" about the scale, but if I just "shift" my thinking to all that I have gained, that worry will melt away.  What are your non-scale victories?

For a reference point for any new readers - me right before I began
the 12 week challenge (December 25, 2015).  I started the challenge and
this weight loss journey of mine January 18, 2016.

Diving in to New Adventures

For the past 20 years, I have told myself I would like to swim again--BUT not until I weighed 175 pounds or less.  One year ago, Ryan found out that I had been a swimmer and that I had put the above restriction on myself.  We talked about it.  I told him I just needed the confidence to get in the pool and I asked if he would help.  I knew he believed in me so I felt comfortable asking for his help.  He turned a semi-private training session into a "pool" session for me and Marivel.

When I first realized I was pretty good at swimming.
9 years old here.

 I remember that first Monday morning that we did this.  It was February of 2016.  I could barely swim 50 yards (down and back) without stopping.  BUT it felt great to be back in the pool.  And no one made fun of me for being big like I had feared.  (I was well over 250 pounds.)  His willingness to train us in the pool those 2 or 3 times gave me the confidence I needed to keep swimming on my own.

Collecting a medal at 15 years old.

College Swimming

In August of 2017, with lots of encouragement from Ryan, I tested the waters (so to speak) and signed up for the Senior Games.  I successfully swam the 500 yard free (20 lengths of the pool.)

There was a period of time from October to January where I was not training with Ryan.  In January I decided to ask him if I could train with him exclusively at his new place of employment.  We sat and talked about goals and what the workout plan would look like.  The topic of swimming came up.  I'm still not at my 175 weight that I had in my mind as the weight to start swimming; however I am pretty strong.  I've wanted to swim Masters for years!  I tried it once 16 years ago when we lived in Gunnison.  I went to one practice and I never went back.  (It was tooooooooo hard.)

Well after talking, we decided to throw in a Friday morning (5:30 a.m.- 7:00 a.m.) Masters swim workout to my weekly routine.  I've gone to 5 practices so far and they have welcomed me warmly.  I can keep up pretty well now (as opposed to when I tried in Gunnison.)

Today is a Masters State Meet.  I swear I almost didn't sign up, but wise words got me to reconsider.  I'll be swimming the 1000 yard freestyle (40 lengths of the pool.)  Remember, 1 year ago I could barely swim 50 yards?

Thanks for always, always believing in me - especially
all those times I don't believe in me.  You're a great
motivating coach and I really appreciate you.

When you swim 500 yards or more, you need a "counter."  Marisa (who I wrote about last week) has agreed to count for me.  I'm in the 55-59 year old women's category.  We'll let you know how it turns out!  But number one, I plan to just have fun!

Thanks Marisa for counting for me!

Well I did it!  I am exhausted and hungry, but that always happens to me after I swim.  I especially want to thank Coach Megan and Coach Ed and then Cami and Petra who all encouraged me today.  (Cami and Petra are swim moms that I used to see almost every day when Jessica was swimming.)  I am so happy to have accomplished this goal and set a starting point for this journey.

Me and Cami (she's still working the scoreboard.)

Me and Coach Megan (She taught me how to dive in
with goggles for the Senior Games.  I've got that one down now.

During the race

Keeping up pretty well with the girl next to me.

Third in my heat - Lane 7 (in red ink kind of hard to see.)

Had I waited until I thought I looked "good" enough, or was "thin" enough to turn in the times I did in college, I'd still be on the deck observing.  Life is short.  If you want to do something - go for it!  I'm sure glad I did.

NASCAR, Burger and Beer

If you've been following my blog, you'll know that for Christmas 2016 all my husband asked for from me was "date cards."   Well the March date card is a "live" NASCAR race.  My husband loves NASCAR.  Me?  Not as much.  But the things we do for love, right?  I am actually pretty happy to be trying something new.

We (Dave and I) will drive to Phoenix basically all day Saturday and drive home all day Monday.  I think I'll plan some "pit-stop" activities for us.  Mana and Ryan have taught us very well on the many uses of a deck of cards.  I think I'll assign a driver to the A, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc.   Then at our "pit stop" we'll pull a card.  Let's say we pull a 5 and I've assigned Chase Elliott to the 5.  Chase Elliott's number is 24.   We'll do 24 squats.  (Do you think he'll like my idea?)  lol  How about Jumping Jacks for Jimmy Johnson??? 48 of those.

Sunday is the race and we get to be with a good friend of ours and his son, and Dave's cousin and his cousin's wife.  I've been instructed to "live life" and have a great time.  So I plan to drink some beer and eat a burger.  If you know me well, you know that in the past 15 months, I've eaten a burger once.  And I can probably count on one hand how many times I've drank beer.  But people, it's going to be 94 degrees - and I'm supposed to "live life."

I'll be posting to Instagram @pattysfitnessjourney and to Snap Chat  pjdeters.  My husband is a pretty funny (humorous) guy, so if you need a laugh this weekend check us out.

Just breathe!

I feel as if I've got so much going on, I need to stop and remind myself to just breathe.  Breathing is so important in all aspects of life.  I know how to breathe properly when swimming and I'm learning how to breathe correctly with weight lifting; but sometimes that rower can kick my butt.  It's helpful when your trainer is reminding you breathe in/breathe out.  It reminds me of the metronome when playing piano.

Inhale, Exhale, Inhale, Exhale!

When it comes time to train, I need to push all that's going on out of my mind and just work for those 60 minutes.  Sometimes kicking and punching a bag actually helps me feel better.  I guess what I'm trying to say is mastering your mental game is equally as important (if not more so) than mastering the physical game.  I doubt myself a lot and when that happens I withdraw and make backward progress instead of forward progress.  Does that ever happen to you?

Some people self-sabotage with food.  That's not me.  I think my self-sabotage is in the mental aspect.  I mean I am NOT the person who says, I'm going to go have a donut.  Or I'm going to go have a drink.  I'm the person who stayed in bed extra long this morning and got my husband and son worried that I wouldn't get enough calories in so they brought me breakfast in bed.  But mentally, sometimes that's a whole other story.  And I'm not writing that to get any reassurances from anyone.  I'm being that honest with you because I know others struggle with the same thing.  I don't like being coddled - not in the least.

Well, when you put it that way?  Continue all the time!

What do I do when these feelings of self-doubt creep in?  I unplug from social media.  I pull out my favorite Bible verses.  I journal in my written journal.  I read entries from a year ago and remind myself how far I've come.  I think of past athletes or coaches and think, "What would they say right now?"  I ask myself where would I be in a year if I did quit today.  That one almost always snaps you back to reality.  I talk to my husband, my family, and my trainer - but again not to get pampered, just to get back in the right mind-set.  I go for long walks with my favorite music.

What works for me may not work for you and what works for you may not work for me.  But if you get those feelings of quitting, work on that mental game.  I went to Jason McClelland's high school play last night and one of the songs was "Get Your Head in the Game."    That's it - get your head in the game!

My week began with my mom having to go to the ER again and kind of just snowballed from there; but today is a new day and I plan to conquer the day and the week.  (If you think of me this week, think of her and her finding a solution.  Telling an 88 year old woman, "Well, you're 88" is NOT a solution.)

I just want to say a big thank you to all that follow me.  Out of the blue my sister and my niece both from states far away wrote me this week at just the right time to tell me how I was inspiring to them.  I had friends invite me to coffee, I had a mom at the play last night tell me I inspire her; I've had people I hardly know stop me in the grocery store and say the same.   Nancy called me out of the blue to chat; Jenna wouldn't let me back out of the bod pod date and I'm glad I didn't.  You all inspire me and help me to stay at it.  So thank you for your wise timing and your wise words.

Hanging out with you two was just what I needed!

For my family followers, I will write a family blog post early next week to update you on all that's going on with our tribe   Will there be a doctor in the house?  Upcoming events for my followers is a trip for my boys to the Gallapagos Islands (for 10 days) with a carry-on bag only.  Just saying that causes me stress and I'm not even going.  My very first ever NASCAR race in Phoenix with my husband as a "March" date, and a decision I need to make about my Masters swimming.   I'm sure I'll write about these things eventually.  Until then thank you again for your support.

(I'm supposed to be with friends in 30 minutes and my husband is telling me to eat - so that's it for today)  :)

I'm Not Going to Write Anymore

I'm not going to write anymore!  That's right.  That's what I said on Wednesday.  I'm done.  I laugh when I think of what Ryan said, real calmly, "Well, I don't think that's the answer."  But honestly, it is how I feel at times.  Then today when chatting with my sister-in-law and my cousin, they both tell me how inspired they are by my posts and I'm like, really?  Because I was about done!

So I ask myself, "What have I got to write about?"  Do you want to hear about how fun Monday was at Main Event Fitness with Jenna and Lisa?  How it was so nice outside we decided to go for a little run to get our heartrate going.

Or maybe about how hard Tuesday's cardio session was with Ryan.  I swear I think he's trying to kill me.  Or after it was over how happy I was (that I was still alive) and that I had burned almost 600 calories in one hour.

Oh wait, how about Wednesday when I stepped on the scale to see a whopping .5 pound lost and I kind of got angry about that.  Maybe that would be the story, right there?  But perhaps I should spin it on a more positive note and write about a PR on bench press or the fact that my tendonitis in my thumb is healing up nicely?

Perhaps you would like to know how it makes me feel when Ryan tells me I can't drop my calories to 1500 on Saturday and Sunday.  I need to keep them at 1900 like I do the rest of the week.  That one always makes my day.  Want me to write about that?  (As I sit here on Saturday thinking "Shoot I need to eat again.")

Or how about how on Thursday's cardio session we beat Tuesday's calorie burn and we got above 600 calories burned in one hour.  (Is "we" really the right pronoun there?)

Wait- how about how it took me back to when I was 14 years old walking into AAU swim practice for the first time, when I walked into CMU's pool Friday morning and couldn't find the Master swimmers?  (They had switched pools and the coach wasn't there.)  Or how I conquered that insecurity.  I didn't run away.  I got in with them and completed the entire workout.

How about my hairdresser telling me I should write a book.  I've thought about that.  But people want a book that says, "How to lose 100 pounds in two months."  or something ridiculous like that.  I'll write a book when the 100 pounds is off and has stayed off.  That's what's going to happen and that's what I'll write about.

I will write a book some day!

Should I tell you about how I don't even want to go out to eat and drink with my husband because I'm afraid my weight will go up.  That's not "living life" now, is it?  (Now that's not how I always feel, but it is how I felt last week.)  

I don't know guys.  I just don't know what to write about.  I'm human.  I have ups and downs.  I think it may be time for me to make updated index cards to remind myself of the gains I've made in the last year for those times I get in the "I'm not going to write, anymore!" moods.

Thoughts?