Can I Get an Update?

    I can't believe it's been two months since I posted about my weight loss plan.  Don't think I've been spending that time idly either.  In fact, this whole weight loss journey has kind of taken over my life.  Once everything was decided upon and I mentally prepared myself for what I was signing myself up for, "the plan" was set in motion and hasn't taken a breather since.  Here's a run down of all the things on my plan:

- Counting calories again using TheDailyPlate.com every day.
Done and Done.  Haven't missed a single day.  I'm so proud of myself.  I've definitely had days where I'd love to NOT know how many calories I've put in my belly, but plugged 'em in anyway.  Go Me!

-Post everything I eat on my food blog with the calories.
Again, haven't missed a day.  There were a couple of times I forgot to take a picture of something and/or recycled a picture I already had.  However, everything is still posted with calories for all the world to see here, on my food blog.  It seems more appropriate to call it my weight loss blog now since it's more than just about what I eat.

-Begin w/ doing the 30-day diet again and then continue with a scheduled meal plan.
This was a hard one to finish, but I done did it.  And didn't cheat once.  :)  Though, I was certainly happy to be done with it, I've decided I'm going to do it a couple more times this year.  It's just good to get a fresh start.  Until then, I'm taking pleasure in other things while trying not to overindulge.

-Visual of progress close to bed with encouraging statements. surrounding it.
This has turned out to be my favorite thing.  I LOVE looking over at my bedside wall and seeing the continued progress I've made.  My goals don't seem so far away when I look at how well I've done so far.
Here's what it looked like when I first started:

Here's what it looks like now:

Here's what my progress looks like on My Daily Plate (Starting on Jan. 1st to today):

-Have a reward system.
This has really been motivating.  I've earned 3 rewards so far and at the rate I'm going, the fourth is just a few weeks away.  I'll have to do another post later about the rewards I've earned for myself so far.

-Follow the C25K program.
It's been so good for me to do this, mostly because I HATE running.  However, I'm still stuck on Week 3 and haven't been able to get further.  I realized, after talking with a friend whose been doing it, that I started at the goal running level instead of where I probably should have started and built up from there.  The problem is I know I can run at that level and I don't want to stop, but it makes it difficult to get past where I'm at.  Running for 3 minutes is rough if you're not used to it.  So, I'm going to keep at it until I feel I'm doing well enough to move on.  As far as I'm concerned as long as I'm doing something, then it's fine to go at my own pace.

-Calisthenics and weight lifting with Ty.
Well, I got a little bit of a late start doing this, but I've finally gotten into it and I'm doing it three days a week.  However, I don't have my buddy with me.  :)  It just worked out better for me to do it during the day instead of waiting until night to do it with him.  I don't think he's crying over it either.  ;)

     As of today, I've lost 17 pounds since starting all that time ago (it doesn't seem like it's been two months).  Can you believe that?  Each Monday morning as I weigh myself, I'm excited to find out what all my hard work has earned me.  As shown on the above chart, I'm at 153 and anxious to get back into the 140's.  I haven't been there since the first 8 months of our marriage.  My Heavenly Father has truly blessed me with motivation and mental strength to keep going, even when I'm not excited to work out.  I constantly feel grateful for his help and try to make sure I tell him that as often as I can. 

    If you want to see what I've REALLY been eating and doing for workouts go to my Weight Loss blog here:  whatyouputinyourbelly.blogpot.com.  I'd love to get more comments because who doesn't need more encouragement?  Tips, recipes, and any other suggestions are fully welcome.

How are you doing on your New Year's Resolutions?