Imperfect Progress

Taken right before we started our journey – July 2104

Sister’s weekend August 2014

Can you believe that we are a whole year into our ‘get healthy’ journey? August 3^rd marks a wonderful occasion of taking our health more seriously and trying to “break the chain” of heart disease and obesity that plaques our genetic pool.

I am currently reading a book called Unglued by Lysa Terkeurst. In the book, she talks about imperfect progress and how we have a vision of what our progress should look like and when it doesn’t match up to our vision, we quit or feel like failures. I immediately applied this same concept to our journey. When we started we set goals to lose 100 lbs in a year.  At the one year mark we sit at 30 (Michelle) and 35 (Paige) pounds lost. 

Not perfect and not our ultimate first year goal…but still progress! What is really amazing is that we aren’t disappointed. At this time last year we would of loved to be 30+ pounds lighter and healthier. We are both elated!

Every time we show up to the gym and make healthy food choices, PROGRESS! Every time we eat a not so healthy meal and then work out an extra hour to counteract some of the calories, PROGRESS! Every time we make poor food choices and then feel disappointed in our choices, still progressing. There was a time when the bad food choices wouldn’t have even entered our minds. This year has been amazing. WE HAVE CHANGED!

Here are some of our biggest changes that aren’t reflected in weight loss numbers:

1. I now can tie my shoes and climb a flight of stairs without becoming winded.
2. I am down 2 dress sizes and Paige is down 3!
3. We actually enjoy working out and feel weird on our rest days because of our lack of activity.
4. We were able to spend an entire day at Water Country or Busch Gardens walking up  stairs, up and down hills, without being sore the next day. This is a huge change from last year when I could only ride 2 rides at Water Country and took a narcotic at the end of the day because my legs were hurting so badly.
5. We incorporate and enjoy fruits and vegetables in our daily diet.
6. We understand that good eating habits start young and that we can’t let our kids eat junk all the time because they are young, thin and active and then expect them to eat better as adults. Damage to the heart happens even when you are skinny and inactive.
7. We both have identified triggers/stressors that make us eat poorly. Trying to reduce these triggers is essential to healthier living.
8. Preparation is so important to our success. Shopping, and cooking things ahead of time so that you grab healthy foods is vital to making good choices. We are prepared!!!
9. We changed our vocabulary…we don’t cheat…we have a high carb reward meal or we make a poor choice. We are accountable for our choices. Speaking positive promotes thinking and acting positively.
10. We primarily drink water or water with Advocare Spark supplement. Sugar is sugar       whether you eat or drink it. Artificial sweeteners create some of the same detrimental insulin responses to your body.

Lastly, we just want to thank our huge circle of support and encouragement that has come from emails, calls, texts, gym friends, co-workers, family, friends and even some people we just met through Facebook. It has motivated us more than you all know!! On to year two and another 100 lbs of progress!

Love you all!

The younger Phat sister,  Michelle

I’ve Got The 30 Pound Blahs

What is wrong with me? I have lost 32-34 pounds (depending on the week) but I just can’t break this cycle. Up a pound, down a pound, up 2 pounds, down 1.5 pounds..I’m losing my mind and my patience with this health journey. I’m working my butt off at the gym, eating right, drinking water, so what gives? Why is the scale playing with me?

It’s playing with me because I’m not as committed to the program as I was six months ago. When I started this journey I  scrutinized every piece of food that I ate, every calorie. Today, I work out hard (4-5 times a week no matter what), drink water (but occasionally I don’t get enough), but I can honestly say I am not eating right.

I’m coming clean. I allow myself a high carb meal on Sunday but that one meal has turned into 3-4 meals a week. That one piece of candy has turned into 5 pieces of candy. That one cheat has turned into a few cheats.

I recognize a plateau and I am not in one. I am not doing all that I can to get healthy and reach my goal weight. It can only be accomplished through exercise and DIET. One doesn’t work without the other. On Sunday I weighed in at 195.5 (34 pounds lost). I have 46 pounds to lose to get to goal weight by August.

This is me recommitting myself to eating right again. Sometimes we just need a reset.

The older Phat Sister, Paige 🙂

You Do What??????

For the last 26 weeks I have followed a routine of better health. I feel great and I look better. As you may recall, there were several events that led up to the commitment Michelle and I made to ourselves and each other. The passing of our Aunt and several heart attack victims later, we have made enormous changes in our lifestyles. I exercise 5 times a week, I eat sensibly, I drink at least 64 oz of water a day…and I smoke. Wait, WHAT??????

That’s right, if you didn’t know you do now. I have smoked since my early 20’s. I wanted to wait until I hit my midpoint of 40 pounds lost to stop smoking but I can just don’t want to do it anymore. Why wait? I know that weight gain is probable but it’s okay. My hope is that any gain will be minimal since I am eating better and exercising so much. I guess time will tell and athletes don’t smoke.

As we said in the beginning, no secrets, we own it all… all our unhealthy life choices. My decision to stop smoking is part of “Breaking the Chain” and there is no such thing as a healthy smoker.

To all my friends, family, and to my husband, I am apologizing now for the inner-bitch that will emerge in the next few days. Please be patient with her, she won’t stay too long.

The older Phat Sister, Paige

My Favorite Things!!!

Anyone who knows me knows that I love OPRAH!! I really value her as a person. I also really loved hearing about her favorite gift items every Christmas (although I couldn’t afford most of them). In the spirit of the holidays, I thought I might put down some of my favorite gift items.

Here they are:

1. Nerium!!! It reduces fine lines, pores, age spots and has tightened my neck from weight loss. One step in the day and one at night. Paige and I will never use anything else! The gift that gives all year long.
2. Plants! I especially enjoy a Christmas Cactus for a shot of winter color.
3. Jamberry nails- no chips, last 1-2 weeks and are fun!
4. I love tea.  It helps curb your appetite and it’s cozy and warm in the winter. This Green Peppermint tea from Trader Joe’s is my favorite.
5. Make your tea in this awesome tea steeper and strainer all in one. You put it on top of your mug and it strains out the bottom. Ingenuitea!
6. Personalized gifts that use your favorite pics from the year are an awesome gift. I love looking at old pictures while I drink my tea.
7. I have never really liked perfume because it makes me sneeze and aggravates my allergies. I have finally found a scent that doesn’t bother me and that I love. Lollia’s “Relax” perfume.
8. Bad hair day? Nothing says cute like a monogrammed baseball hat!
9. I love to play games, but I like games that challenges the brain a little. Thinkfun has a ton of great games to choose from.
10. One of my favorite new things are wallets that can double as a wristlet or clutch. That way I don’t have to take my whole purse to the store if I don’t want to. This one is from the new Jewel collection from Thirty-One.
11. As I have mentioned in previous blogs, I struggle with my water intake and taking vitamins. Advocare Spark helps me with both of those things and it tastes good! My favorite is the orange flavor.
12. Eyeliner that doesn’t smear, smudge or flake? I finally found an awesome one! Mary Kay Gel liner, $18.00 and worth every penny.
13. FUZZY SOCKS! Especially the ones with shea butter.
14. Pets- adopt an animal and I guarantee it will be the best gift your family will ever get.

Best wishes for happy, healthy and safe holiday season!

The younger Phat Sister, Michelle

12 Days Of Christmas…Phat Sisters Style!

I was trying to think of a fun post to celebrate the Holidays. The 12 Days of Christmas is one of my favorite Holiday songs so I’m gonna share it with you with a twist – Phat Sisters style. Start with the end in mind. Enjoy!

On the twelfth day of Christmas my Phat sister sent to me:
Twelve fitness trackers,
Eleven garden salads,
Ten water bottles,
Nine vitamins,
Eight protein shakes,
Seven laps of swimming, (well considerably more but you get the idea)
Six pairs of goggles,
Five golden bananas,
Four weekly workouts,
Three french fries,
Two hugs of love,
And a roll of mozzarella sting cheese.

Happy Holidays!

The older Phat Sister, Paige

The Blessings Of Being Fat

Thanksgiving 2012

You may not realize this if you have never been overweight yourself, but there are definite benefits to being fat. This is Thanksgiving week and in the effort of trying to be grateful for ALL things, I sat down and really thought about what blessings have come out of me being overweight for the majority of my life. Here is what I came up with:

• You have less wrinkles on your face when you have chubby cheeks!
• You develop a great sense of humor (out of necessity) and you learn how to take things lightly or rebound from things quickly.
• You learn to know people and love people from the inside out (the way you want to be known and loved).
• You spend less money on fashion because there are less fashionable clothes and less options of stores to buy from.
• You are less threatening to other women and therefore more relatable.
• You are able to develop more male friendships because they aren’t always thinking of dating you.
• You don’t need to wear as many layers or coats because your body fat insulates you and keeps you warm.
• You eat without restrictions and things that are yummy.
• Less prep time to eat unhealthy, more fun time.
• The time you would spend exercising, food planning etc., you get to spend doing other things. For me, I spent a lot of time with my kids, fostering animals and volunteering in other organizations.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We are really thankful for all the support that each of you have given us along our journey!

The younger Phat Sister, Michelle

Save, Spend, Share

It’s hard to believe that I have been working (post college) for 25 years. I was walking through the VCU campus this week and reminiscing about the days I walked the same steps as thousands before and after me. I loved being a student at VCU but school hardly prepares you for life…it’s just the beginning of the many successes and failures that we have all encountered.

Something that school didn’t teach me is the importance of Saving, Spending and Sharing. I was looking at one of my favorite Facebook pages >> https://www.facebook.com/amightygirl and they had the perfect gift idea to help others understand the importance of all three… a sectioned bank! Brilliant! 

I quickly translated the concept into what Michelle and I are doing as 2 Phat Sisters. I think we have the Sharing piece down. Sharing our progress and stories has been one of the most critical and rewarding parts of this journey. Through the sharing we hope to inspire others. Sharing = Accountability and Inspiration.

When I thought about Saving, the first thing that came to mind was food. I am very picky about when I eat carbs. I save up for my high carb meals and I only eat them 1-2 times a week. I eat carbs but not in excess and never with high fat meals..and I LOVE pizza so it’s really hard for me.

Spend, I spend more time planning for meals and working out. I won’t leave the house without a snack in my purse and I eat every 2-3 hours even if I’m not hungry. Exercise has become a part of my daily routine and I don’t feel right unless I do it.

Three words when put together have such an impactful meaning for finances, but I love that I was able to relate them to our journey too. How do you Save, Spend and Share in your life?

The older Phat Sister, Paige

The Yin and Yang of Life

Notice the mask pin on my sweater.

I graduated from nursing school in 1996. After the graduation, I traveled with my friend Daniel Cox from Virginia to Colorado. We had decided at some point during that celebratory time to mark the occasion by getting tattoos (I guess graduating wasn’t enough). He was going to get Tigger jumping across his leg and I had decided to get comedy/tragedy masks on my ankle.

I collected many masks while growing up. They were all over my bedroom walls in every color, shape and size. I liked the yin yang connection between comedy and tragedy. You often couldn’t truly appreciate one without the other and to have a balanced life you need to have a little of both.

I just now am realizing how fat “masks” so many things about people. It doesn’t allow people to see all that a person truly is. As an overweight person, I have learned to use humor to diffuse the criticism and judgment of others.

Well the tragedy of this story is that I did get a rather large tattoo on my ankle and the comedy of the story is that Daniel still today has a leg that is void of any tattoos! I still believe that the hard times make us appreciate the good times even more. That is why this journey is so sweet to both Paige and me. We have had a lifetime of struggling with food, exercising and self-esteem. That alone makes “breaking the chain” so, so sweet!

The younger Phat Sister, Michelle

The Trick About Halloween Candy

This time of year is always hard for me. Three holidays in three months and all of them revolve around food. The first is Halloween. Or should we rename it Sugarfest? I would say without a doubt – candy, cakes, cookies and sugar are a huge part of why I am 250 pounds right now.

Here’s how past Halloween’s have gone for me:

1. It starts with buying candy corn and candy weeks before Oct. 31^st. Usually by the time Halloween comes around, I would need more candy to replace the candy I had eaten. In most cases, I had eaten most [if not all] of it. Sound familiar to anyone?
2. The night of Halloween, my kids would collect full bags of candy. Interestingly, both of my children are not huge candy lovers. So they would eat some the night of Halloween and then they would dump it in our big candy bucket.
3. I would then proceed to eat their candy for the next couple of weeks and they would forget all about it. Talk about self defeating behaviors and habits.

Here are my new, healthier guidelines for Halloween:

1. I only buy candy one to two days before Halloween.
2. I leave our bowl outside while we trick or treat which assures me we won’t have any candy left.
3. I let the kids pick out 10-15 pieces of their candy to keep in their rooms and donate the rest to the soldiers or we sell it to the dentists. Last year our gym collected the candy for the soldiers and I know some local dentists will pay the kids per pound of candy.

I no longer allow my temptations to stock my refrigerator or shelves. Just as a recovering alcoholic wouldn’t stock their shelves with beer, I am trying to only have healthy options to grab in my house. I feel positive that this Halloween is not going to be that tricky at all with my new guidelines in place.

The younger Phat Sister, Michelle