Dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum....

I went to workout today after church and lunch. Picture this in your head....I have my tank tops, yoga pants, and new shoes on. I have my hair pulled up in a Pom Pom and a crazy headband holding all my bangs back. Not at all attractive, but knew I had to pull those bangs back on week two. Sweaty bangs are not attractive. On week three, I had to buy weight lifting gloves because I got a callus!!! I am not going to have callused hands...just not gonna happen. So I am quite a sight when I go to the gym, but I don't care! 

My normal workout schedule goes like this...

10 min - warmup on the treadmill

40-50 min - weight lifting (the pretty term is strength training...but I call it weight lifting)

30-40 min - treadmill

The gym has a cinema room. In the cinema room it's dark like a movie theater. I love it being dark!! Nobody can see my struggling to run! They play a movie every day....it just repeats every 2 hours or so. I have watched great movies...Grease, the Notebook, Iron Man....etc. Well, today was the best kick butt movie ever!!!!! ROCKY II!!!! 

The movie starts with the theme song and the Rocky vs. Apollo Creed fight. When I say the theme song, I mean THE THEME SONG!!! I love that song! I play it for my kids at school during testing week. When you hear it, you think you can do anything! I did the impossible today. I ran 1 minute..walked 2 minutes. 8 TIMES! So I ran 8 minutes!! A.Maz.Ing!! 

So not only am I fired up today after running 8 minutes, but I am reminded that music plays such an important part of my life. For those who don't know me, I'm a singer. I've been singing since I could talk. And music inspires me! I teach music to 400ish elementary students each week. I love my job more than anything. It's my goal to instill a love for music in them. But today....THE THEME SONG reminded me that nothing is too great for me! I can run 8 minutes today....and 18 minutes in a few days!! I just have to keep my eye on the fight ahead of me and remember I am not running alone! I know God is beside me at the Gym and he is helping me fight for good health! I can't do this without Him! 

Luke 1:37 says, "For with God nothing shall be impossible."

So here is the recap!

I have just written 5 posts in a row! Wow! If you are still around, I hope you will go on this journey with me! You can encourage me and I will encourage you!!! This is going to be a long process! 

It's funny.... I already see glimpses of the new and improved Holly. The Holly with a new life!! 

I'm not doing this to be skinny. I really hate that word. I'm doing this to be healthy and look good!! Whatever weight that ends up being, I will be happy with it. I think I will lose about half my body weight.  Wow....that's a lot! 

So, I'm going to bed for know. I was just so excited about telling my story that I had to do it in the middle of the night! Hopefully this will not be a habit! I need my sleep!

Thanks for reading....

Now, we are in the present tense!

My verb tenses have been all over the place! Sorry to those English teachers and grammar nuts! I just wanted to get to the present! 

So here we are! 

I have lost 27 pounds so far! Since January 3rd!! I don't have the eating thing down perfectly, but I'm working on it! Here is a little tidbit about myself...I don't eat fruit, and barely eat veggies. So, eating has been a challenge. I don't crave the chocolate and junk. Which is a miracle. But I don't love the veggies and fruit yet. I am a work in progress! 

The gym is my favorite thing about my journey so far! I go almost every day. I say hi to my new friends, and then I work out for about an hour and a half. I didn't realize it would be such a time commitment, but I'm worth it! The new Holly is worth it! 

So, today was a big day! I jogged for 1 minute straight. When I started I could barely walk a mile. Now, I am jogging at the slowest speed available. I can actually walk at the speed I am jogging. But it's something! It's a lot!!! 

I have 2 fitness goals that I am looking toward. I have a short term goal and a long term goal!

1. My short term goal is really sorta long term. I want to run in a 5K! I am planning on November! I want to run in the color run race! I've heard it's easy and fun! I know.... That's almost a year away.... I'm giving myself plenty of time! At the rate I am going.... I need it! I bought my first pair of running shoes today! Whooot whoot!!!

2. My long term goal is to be a Zumba instructor! This is far fetched right now. To see me in a Zumba class right now is scary to say the least. I am a musician though and I have some rhythm, so I think I can do it!! Well, I know I can do it!! My plan is to get certified when I lose my extra weight! 

That's it right now....my fitness goals are out there for all to see! 

I know I'm doing something right!

Here is the first weigh in! I lost 24.2 pounds and 17 inches (that's only on the left side of my body!! Lol) I was too excited! God was giving me results to let me know I was on the right track! 

I don't know how to edit this pic, but you get the gist of things! Look at that face!! My next weigh in is in a week and a half! Can wait to see that difference! 

What did I do next?

Well, I did what came naturally. I joined the gym! I was scared to death. I came in thinking I would do a little walking on a treadmill. Boy was I wrong. 

So, my gym is awesome! Wonderful people work there and they are soo encouraging! Allison signed me up. I got the premium package which will allow me to take classes on top of working out in the gym. They have a computer program that gives you workouts, complete with how much weight to use and how many reps to do. Yep, I am lifting weights!!!

Never would I have dreamed of weight lifting! The first week or two was difficult. The machines are numbered and I could never find the right machine. Oh, and there are men everywhere! I don't have a problem with men being everywhere, but it was intimidating! I got used to the equipment and I got used to not caring about ALL the men who looked like they knew what they were doing! Maybe they don't. Who knows?

I am officially a gym rat and I love it! I hate taking rest days! I feel like they hinder my progress, but I know they are necessary! After working out for 10 days straight, I got a stomach bug. Just God's way of saying I needed a break. So I took 2 days off and got right back into the swing of things. I take a rest day every week....usually on Saturday because I like to lounge on my day off. 

I'll talk more about the gym later! 

Keep reading for the first official weigh in!

So the journey began...

Now that I have been honest, let's start the fun part. The journey. I know it's not going to be all roses and sunshine. I know that there will be hard times. I know that I will want to give up. 

I KNOW THAT I WILL SUCCEED! 

Why, because with God there is hope! Now some people have just stopped reading my blog and I'm only on post 2. That's okay! I believe that someone out there will benefit from reading this. 

On January 2, 2014.... I changed my diet for life! Yes....not for 9 months to lose the weight, but for life. Was it hard? Yes. Is it still hard a month and a half later? Yes!! The only thing that got me through the first 10 days was God and a lot of prayer. The Bible says that our body is God's temple! I don't want God to dwell in an obese temple, so I changed (with His help).

I cut out all caffeine, sugar, gluten, and dairy for the first 10 days. I lost 17.5 pounds!!! If that's not motivation, I don't know what is!! I am following a plan called the Daniel Plan...look it up! Rick Warren wrote it with the help of some fabulous doctors...including the Dr. Oz.

So, after the 10 days, I added dairy back into my diet because I couldn't live without some cheese. I left all the other junk out! 

After my mindset changed, my diet changed. After my diet changed....we'll you will have to read the nest post! 

Why get a new life?

I'll tell you why....

Because I'm tired of being obese. 

Because I have no energy. 

Because I hate being on medication because of problems related to being fat. 

Because I got a ticket for not wearing a seatbelt because it wouldn't fit. 

Because I couldn't ride rides with my nephews at Silver Dollar City.

Because I take too many naps after work. 

Because I want to be a better teacher and have fun with my students.

Because I have pushed away all my friends (If I pushed you away, I'm sorry. Know that I still love you!)

Because my family is worried about my health.

Because I have trouble walking up a flight of stairs.

Because I spend money to fill the void of being lonely.

Because I eat the wrong things and they make me feel blah.

Because I don't exercise AT ALL.

Because I have trouble getting off the couch.

Because I can't cross my legs like a lady.

Because my feet are swollen and hurting. 

Because I'm tired of wearing tents instead of cute clothes.

The list could go on and on, but I'll stop there. Depressing huh? On December 31, 2013....something changed...my life! No, I didn't lose all my weight overnight. But I decided to change everything. I changed my mindset. I began to look toward the future and know that I would never be obese again. At 321 pounds, I had a breakthrough! I saw myself differently. I saw the future me! The vibrant sanguine Holly that I used to be! The Holly that had lots of friends! The Holly that loved to ride rides at Six Flags! The Holly that enjoyed life to the fullest!

So here is the old Holly.....never to be seen again!!