June 1st Commitments

My good friend and awesome Medifast Happy Afters Contest winner, Kelsey, suggested to her Super Sexy Medifasting sisters that we make some commitments to ourselves this June.  We're posting these to our facebook group and will look back on our month in 30 days.

This month I will…

• Commit to my blog and mymedifast support groups daily.
• Continue to work on keeping my water and L&Gs interesting and tasty.
• Supporting other Medifasters through interactions on mymedifast and facebook.
• Focus on being a model of good health for family, friends and students.
• Exercise 30-45 minutes a day.
• Remove all oversized clothes from my home.
• Remember where I started and where I am going – and treat all travelers on this journey with respect and kindness.

I know that I need to set goals for myself and write them down in order to move forward towards getting where I want to be.  So, I have these written near my desk and in my planner so that I can focus on my goals and commitments this month and well into the future.

I look forward to seeing where I am on June 30th!

Go get 'em, tigers!

Wrapping Up the May Challenge

As I have said a few times in the past weeks, I am part of a challenge in my health coach's facebook group.  Each day had a theme and every week included a weigh in, complete with a picture of my feet on the scale that had to be posted to the group.  Talk about an accountability check...

Today was the last day of the challenge.  I went into this week leary of what my final scale number would be, as I'm feeling bloated and exhausted from my cycle - but decided to set my head right.  I have been on track all month and have been doing great.  The daily themes have kept me focused on my goals, choices and making sure I am doing everything I need to be successful in creating and maintaining a healthy lifestyle and weight.  This even included a rest day on Sundays.

Lynn, my incredible health coach, posted the following today:

“As we draw to the end of this competition I wanted to say that I am proud of each and everyone of you group wide. The support, the team spirit have all been phenomenal. I have seen real changes in you, changes that I am sure will last and shine through in your new lifestyle. This is such a great place to come to, first thing in the morning, in the evening, or even throughout the day. 

One of the keys to success is to surround yourself with others who have the same goals as you do. I believe we have accomplished that. How many of you are now aware of your daily steps? How many of you have increased your amount of water? Learned new tips or recipes? What is your take away from this last competition and what would you like to see as we move forward? 

You are all winners, welcome to your new lifestyle :)”

From others on the team I have gained some new perspective on my journey – whether it be about taking one day and one meal at a time or appreciating each day as a step in the right direction.  I have found new ideas for food and have even incorporated a few of them into my menu. 

As I move forward, I’m continuing to pay closer attention to my total steps for the day and not just taking time for a walk, run or bike ride.  I make an effort to have more steps in each day.  My water consumption continues to be high – but now I’m focusing on shaking that up a bit while still staying in the guidelines of the program.  I’ve been trying some different fruits and vegetables in my water and have a system going at home for this. 

Overall, this past month has really helped me examine why I am on this journey and what I hope to gain from it.  Of course I’m happy to see the scale reflect my hard work, but how I feel and how I carry myself is a reward that a number on the scale can’t do on its own.

Now, onto new adventures in the month of June. 

Go get ‘em, tigers!

Today's Habits of Health Discussion

Today’s Habits of Health Discussion

Habits of Health Recap

What have you learned ?

This month’s experience of sticking our toes in and starting to get a taste for Dr. A.’s Habits of Health has helped me to take the time to focus on my goals and why I am on this journey. 

It is easy to say, “I want to lose weight.” It is a completely different thing to sit down and imagine a different life for myself – one at a healthy weight that includes a consistent involvement with physical activity…not just when the weather is cooperative – I am in Wisconsin, after all.

The act of sitting down, reflecting on my life, my health, my choices and planning for things to be different is so much more than ordering my Medifast meals from Take Shapefor Life and eating five of those a day plus preparing a Lean & Green.  Planning to be successful, navigating roadblocks and pot holes along the way, choosing to stay on plan, accepting slips and moving forward are all part of this journey.

Sharing my choices and my journey are also something that has been a large part of my success and is something I committed to when I recommitted to this program thirty-six days ago.  Through this blog, my participation in discussion groups and blogs on mymedifast and my two Medifast-focused facebook groups, I am sharing my journey and all aspects of this process with the people in my life and those along on this journey with me.  Having the support and encouragement of as many people around me as I can pull together has helped me to focus on my goals because I know people are watching, listening and cheering for me along the sidelines. 

What positive changes have you made this month?

It has been just over a month since I have recommitted to this journey and to my goals of health, weight loss and physical activity.  In this time, I have made a very focused effort to share my journey, take time everyday to evaluate my progress and where I may need a hand and I’ve taken a step back from my plans for an intense summer cycling program.  I am focusing on each day as its own opportunity for me to move closer to my goal, while enjoying each day as the gift it is.  This time around, I am working to appreciate the process and where each step takes me – not just on what the final portrait will look like.  

WHY Lose the Weight?

I just got home from a long day at school - our last Parent/Teacher Conference night of the school year.  I planned on vegging out to a dvd for a bit before getting things ready for tomorrow and crashing in bed with my nook.  But the voice in my head sent me to the blogs on mymedifast, instead.


And I am so glad!!!


I just read a blog post by a seasoned Medifaster.  One who has been there, done that, lost the weight, gained it back, lost it again and is maintaining her healthy weight, healthy lifestyle and has taken on the role of a health coach.  I read her blog daily and often find kernels of wisdom that I have packed into my toolkit of advice to carry with me on this journey.


Today's blog was about defining what you want and setting an attainable timeline for reaching said goals.  


I know that I cannot predict which day I will reach my goal weight any more than I can predict the winning lottery numbers.  However, I can set attainable goals that my choices can help move me towards and this will allow me the opportunity to have better control over how I get to my goals.  I have a time frame that I plan on arrive at my goal.  However, first I need to clarify WHY I have a goal in the first place.  Yes, there is a number that I plan for my scale to arrive at and I plan for that to happen anywhere between my 38th birthday - which is October 28th of this year - and Christmas.  


My ultimate goal is to be healthy.  To look healthy.  To feel healthy and live an active life.  I want to be able to jump on my bike and KNOW I can do what I set out to do - not be surprised by my accomplishments or have others be surprised because I don't look like someone who can bike 200+ miles in 2 days.  It's already very much a part of who I am.  Now, I'm just working on making all of the pieces of me fit the puzzle that is Jenny.

Yep! That's TWO Century Loop Stickers!

Double Century

2008 Wisconsin Bike MS

Best Dam Bike Tour

There.  Now you know.  It's out there in the wide, wide, open.  


Between now and then, there will be many milestones to celebrate and events to commemorate where I am on the journey - and plenty of photo ops!  My school's last prom, graduation, the MS Bike Tour, my 20 year high school reunion, The Dirty Girl Run with a group of friends & former colleagues, time with family and friends, and those great spontaneous moments in life that just need to be photographed.  Every day is a celebration.  A celebration of moving further from where I was and closer to where I'm going.


As I commented on the wise Medifaster's blog just a few minutes ago, "The things we pick up along the way - the things we never thought about - need to be celebrated, also. Standing taller because you feel better about yourself - taking chances you never would have before - receiving a compliment graciously - being assertive about the choices you make to improve your health, life & attitude - each size smaller - being able to walk, bike, run, move more than you could before... Each of these successes is a part of our journey and needs to be acknowledged and celebrated as a stepping stone to our goal of a healthy life."


Go get 'em, Tigers!!!