Non-Scale Victory Link Up

This week -- has been nuts.

I have been trying to post a blog since Wednesday, but it just hasn't happened! I am very thankful for my sisters at church for keeping me busy, don't get me wrong, but I'm glad to have this morning free so that I can catch up. :)

So here's what's been going on this week

Monday: Spent the day relaxing and playing way too much Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 with Brent. It was nice to just spend some time forgetting about deployment.

Tuesday: Rushed around all day getting ready for Brent to leave. He was being pulled around in every direction that day and we both felt kind of jipped. The day started coming to a close and I had to say "see ya, later" to my best friend. It's always hard to see him go.. I've realized it won't ever get easier..

Wednesday: I cleaned a little, worked out a little, and then finished my day at church midweek service. I realized how lonely I felt not having Brent by my side. But I love my brothers and sisters and how they try to keep my mind off of him. I definitely cried a bit at different random points at the service. I just missed him.. but I was glad to hear the message that night and thankful I didn't stay cooped up in my house.

Thursday: I started the day off with two of my favorite people (Stephanie and Nicole) and we did some Rockin' Body! Oh man, what a fun workout. We only did the first 15 minute workout together because it was their first time, but we got a nice little sweat going.

It's always more fun to workout with friends, right? I definitely had a blast! We have decided to make it a 3 times a week kind of thing. :)
Later that evening, I met up with another one of my favorites, Anna, to have a nice healthy dinner at her house. Then we went and walked around target and shared a lot of laughs. Thursday was a really good day and I was thankful to get out of the house and also get active.

Friday: Well I woke up for a weigh in, and was pretty disappointed to see that the scale didn't move at all. I was definitely disappointed because I thought that I had done pretty good about eating, drinking tons of water, and staying active. But this week just wasn't my week.. so I had to just smile and promise to work harder this week.
I then spent the day babysitting and pretty much sitting on my butt reading a book until that evening. Then I got to drive in snow for the first time! lol Soooo Friday probably wasn't my favorite day of the week.

But all in all, I'm glad I stayed busy this week. I was determined to get out and not let deployment crush me. And it definitely hasn't. :)
____________________________________________________________

Okay, so on to the NSVs! One of my favorite new (to me) bloggers Katie (KTJ) is co-hosting a new link up every Thursday. It's one that I was definitely looking forward to and was bummed that I didn't have a chance to post up a blog on Thursday. So I just decided to post it a few days late. :) Katie says it best in her blog when she says:

"Too many of us base our success just on the number we see on the scale, but there is so much more to it! All the little changes we make are helping us make a healthier lifestyle. Whether you lost weight this week or not, let's celebrate your non-scale victories! So whether you said no to that birthday cake in the office, ran a 5k, or tracked your food every day this week. . . it is time to celebrate!"

I know that sometimes I definitely get caught up in the numbers and not the lifestyle changes. This week, for example, I was really discouraged to see I hadn't lost anything, but there are 2 things that stick out in my mind that I DID do this week and I feel very proud about those. So here is my contribution to the NSV Link Up:

1. I didn't binge. - Every time Brent leaves, I eat my feelings. It's a serious problem.. I don't know that I'd go so far as to say I have Binge Eating Disorder, but I definitely binge at least that first week that I'm alone. This week I made the conscious decision to really watch what I was eating and not fill my body with junk. And I'm happy to say the McDonald's drive thru didn't get any of my business!
2. I packed a lunch. - Usually when I babysit, it's at home. So for me to spend the entire day Friday away from home, away from my own food, away from a comfort zone, I was definitely nervous. It wasn't that I was afraid I would eat my friend out of house and home or anything. I was actually worried I wouldn't eat at all. I didn't want to spend the entire day not eating and by the time I left be so starving that I stopped at a drive thru. So I packed a lunch :)

 It was actually my morning snack, lunch, and afternoon snack. I was very proud that I woke up early enough to pack my lunch AND eat breakfast before going.

These are the kind of small victories that you can't see on the scale. These are the small victories that will add up and show when people take a look at your life. I am very thankful for this journey that I am on and I can't wait to share more NSVs with you!

So tell me, when was the last time you packed a lunch?

2013 Resolutions

Happy New Year! I know that it's already January 3rd, but in true Quinn fashion- I'm behind. I was so busy reading everyone else's New Year and resolution posts that I totally neglected my own blog. *sigh* Better late than never I suppose.

Well to start things off, I need it to be known that I am officially in love with this new blog! Emily, from Fit and Free with Emily, is a REAL and honest blogger who isn't afraid to let her readers in on the ups and downs of her own journey in health and fitness. It is absolutely refreshing to read her blog. Anyway, I was reading through some of her posts and really enjoyed reading her New Year's resolution posts from the past few years. What I like so much about them is instead of picking a few cliche resolutions, she picks a theme for the year. For 2013 she picked Simplify :) She then listed a few things she will do in an effort to simplify her life! Cool, right? What an awesome way to make sure your year is productive and you stick to "resolutions." So also in true Quinn fashion- I'm going to steal her idea. ;) Hope you don't mind, Emily!

My theme for the year 2013 is simple: HEALTH.
As much as I'd love to be skinny, I think it's important that I address my need to get healthy! For me it's more than just wanting to look good or fit in smaller clothes. My family has a serious history of obesity related health problems. Diabetes, kidney failure, high blood pressure, etc. Also, I am battling PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) which is something I need to get a handle in order for Brent and I to conceive in the next few years. Also important is my mental health! I have struggled with clinical depression almost half of my life now. It's something that still affects my day to day life and needs to be addressed. So many things that stem from this excess weight and just general lifestyle that I'm leading. So yeah, I'd love to wear cute clothes, but first priority needs to be my health.

So what am I going to do?

• Drink enough water! Those of you who know me know that I am a big advocate for water! I have done my research, I know how much I need to drink, I understand what happens to my body when I don't. But does that mean I always drink my water? Heck no. I struggle with it just like everyone else.
• Eat clean. It's scary how much of the food I eat on a daily basis is heavily processed. Even scarier is what those chemicals and additives can do to your body! I am going to clean up my diet and get back to giving my body what it was made to digest.
• Do things for me. I have a habit of making sure everyone else is taken care of before I stop to make sure that my basic needs have been met. I need to make sure I am taking care of my mental health as well as finding my happiness. I've realized in the past month or so that I've given up so many of the things that used to bring me a lot of joy. I used to love to write. I used to love to take pictures. I don't really do any either of those anymore. This year I am going to make more time for the things I love.
• And lastly, seek professional advice. Am I the only one who still has an irrational fear of the doctor? I don't know what it is.. I feel like an ostrich putting my head in the sand. If I ignore the problem long enough, it won't exist. Ha. If only it truly worked that way. I know that I need help from a trained physician before embarking on this journey of mine.. Mental and physical health shouldn't be taken lightly. Who knows, I might benefit from someone who knows what they're talking about. But there's just something about doctors.. *shifty eyes* .. I don't trust them.

So that's it! My plan for 2013. I really think this year is going to be a good one. Despite Brent being away the majority of the year, I see a lot of good things coming my way. With faith, friends, and family I know that I will make this a wonderful year of change. 

So tell me: What are your 2013 resolutions?

** A quick P.S.: I will most likely be moving to a different blogging platform soon. Blogger has just become a little insane to navigate..
 

{WIAW} Recent Eats

Hey ya'll,
I'm participating in What I Ate Wednesday! I don't even know how long it's been.. Because it's been so long, I was not consistent with taking pictures yesterday. So I thought I'd just post some of the highlights from the past week. And yes, all of these pictures are from Instagram.. ;)

If you don't know what WIAW is all about, go here to learn more about it.

Lots of Salad..

Edamame sprinkled with Tony Chachere's! Phew! That had a kick to it.

Delicious chocolate banana coffee protein shakes

Frozen spinach cubes for green smoothies.

and LOTS of coffee to stay nice and warm. <3 td="td">

It's been nice getting back into the swing of eating relatively healthy. I still have changes to make and a long way to go, but I'm getting there. I have an incredibly supportive husband who encourages me to eat the right foods.You can see my full daily food log on MyFitnessPal. I would love to see you on there: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/quinntendo

So there you have it, WIAW for the week of Christmas! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with your families and that you are all staying warm and toasty. :)

Recovering.

Let me set a scene for you. Imagine a sixth-grade P.E. class. This Friday they're using roller skates on the gym floor as some sort of special exercise program. It's supposed to be a treat. Imagine a twelve-year-old brunette with hazel eyes who is scared to death of roller skates because she's only ever used roller blades. She has no coordination at all when it comes to maneuvering with the four wheels spread out. How does a person even use these things? Taking it slow, she makes her way around the gym once. Hey! This isn't so bad! She is starting to feel a bit more confident when a group of rowdy sixth-grade boys, skating the opposite way of the crowd, rushes her way. In a panic, she tries to get out of they're way.  But it's too late. One particularly large sixth grader collides with the girl, knocking her right smack dab on her tailbone. Suddenly all she can see is the fluorescent lights of the elementary school gym. She can't breathe. OH MY GOSH it hurts so bad.. In shock, she can't move. And there's the boy -- getting up and continuing his skate around the gym. "HEY! Ya big jerk! The least you owe me is an apology!" .. the words don't make it out of her mouth. All that escapes is a scream. Followed by several "ow ow ow"s. With the help of friends, she hobbles, in excruciating pain, to the nurse's office and waits for her dad to arrive and take her to the doctor. Several hours and lots of tears later, she finds out it's a tail-bone fracture and a shock to the spine. "I fractured my butt?!" You've gotta be kidding...

Fast-forward 8 years later. The same girl is sitting here with back problems she shouldn't have at only 20 years old. And they all stem from that stupid day in P.E. class. The big jerk didn't ever apologize, by the way. The shock to my spine left me out of alignment. Something I'm sure is fixable.. Its just never been addressed by a doctor, no matter how many times I tell them I have a lot of back pain. Because I'm out of line, I pinch nerves in my back ALL THE TIME. It literally happens at least once every two months. When I'm more active, working out, and stretching more often, it happens more often. When I pinch a nerve, the pain lasts several days and leaves me couch bound. This would all be fine and dandy if I wasn't trying to lose weight. This past Monday, I hit the gym. And it felt great! Got a great burn, felt all hot and sweaty, left with a big smile on my face. Tuesday I was ready to do Week 1, Day 3 of Couch to 5k! I'll just bend down and grab my headphones.. and bam. Pinched a nerve. Fell to my knees. Couldn't breathe. NOOOOOOOO! I laid on the floor a good 10 minutes before I crawled my way onto the couch. Worst timing ever. It really put a damper on my week and the things I was trying to accomplish! The pain made the thought of standing in the kitchen to make a meal sound like the most unappealing thing in this world. So I read a lot. Didn't eat enough. Obviously wasn't able to work out. Didn't drink enough water because that required walking. I felt like giving up, honestly. It would have been easier to order pizza and not worry about making my own meals. It would have been easy to get sucked back in to the TV. It would have been easy to just say F it. But I didn't! Luckily I've found some great support and they keep me going. Yeah, I was scolded for not eating enough.. but I think that's better than eating a large pizza. lol

So now I'm feeling better, recovered for now.. but I'm trying to take it easy and be cautious of the strain I put on myself. I don't want to be couch bound again for a looooong time. So today is day 2 of no back pain! Yesterday I did some of the Week 1, Day 3 C25K. But when I felt myself maybe pushing it too much, i went ahead and just walked the rest. I didn't mark that day as complete because I know it wasn't 100%. But at least I did something. Today I'm doing some light weight training (and by light, i mean like 5 pounds. lol) on my arms. Still taking it slow and easy. I'll probably go for a walk as well. But I'm really hitting the diet hard. My problem is getting enough calories! I managed to choke down a 400 calorie breakfast (PB and dark chocolate oatmeal) and a Luna bar so far. I'll talk more about these delicious discoveries later. :) Also upping my water intake since I used an ItWorks wrap last night! Maybe I'll actually see a bit of results since I'm actually drinking the correct amount of water! haha

Anyway, just wanted to update on how the weight loss/fitness stuff is going. So far, okay. lol I owe a lot of my motivation to friends I've made on MyFitnessPal.com as well as the Battle the Pooch facebook group I'm a part of. Lots of motivation coming from different directions. If you're on MyFitnessPal, add me - quinntendo :) Thanks guys! You're all awesome.

Tell me, have you ever fractured/broken a bone? What was it?

"Working on my fitness!"

"he's my witness.
I put yo' boy on rock, rock
And he be lining down the block just to watch what I got"

lol I love that song. Fergie, you go girl!

So lately I feel like I've been putting all of my time and energy in to making healthier choices. I'm constantly scouring Pinterest, blogs, websites, and television programs for better health and fitness options! But I still feel like I'm not doing enough. I've changed my eating habits, cut down on sugar (i shared a dessert with my husband the other night, but other than that I haven't had sugar!), gave up cokes, been going to the gym, bought weights today.. But I just want to do MORE! lol I'm becoming obsessed. It's like all of a sudden it clicked. Literally, I woke up one Sunday morning, checked my weight for the first time in MONTHS and decided I needed to do something about it! I have been a crazy, emotional wreck the past week and a half, but physically -- i feel incredible! I didn't think I could last an hour on the treadmill, even just walking. I didn't think I could do 50 squats, or lunges, or jumping jacks, or wall push-ups! But i'm doing it! It feels so amazing. And I thought giving up soda would be just this grueling process and I'd crave them all the time.. and I don't. I bought Coke Zero thinking I could use it to ween myself off of soda slowly, but I haven't had more than 2 or 3 sips out of a can. Wasteful, yes. But my body is appreciating it. I had the initial caffeine withdrawal headaches, but they went away and now I WANT water. How crazy is that? And I WANT vegetables and I WANT fruit. I'm learning about all of these delicious food options that i've been depriving my body of. I just really feel good about it..

My husband is worried that this is just my "weight loss high" because I lost 2 pounds.. But I think it's more than that. I KNOW that there will be a time when I won't lose hardly anything.. that I'll plateau. But I also know that right now is not that time. With the weight that I am currently at, I should EASILY be able to drop more than 2 pounds in a week. And I plan to do just that. I just love the idea of getting back to my athletic self. lol Who cares if I want to relive the "soccer glory days?" If it means being healthy, getting exercise and doing what's right for my body, then so be it! I feel super motivated, and I love it :) I can't wait to show off my After pictures. lol

Anyways, I just wanted to share a few things that have kept me inspired so far. :)



here's a little collage I made, showing some of the things that keep me going. New shoes, pounds lost jars, quotes, and pictures! This is why I love Pinterest! lol :)

I'm also currently debating on documenting all of my weight loss on this blog, or if I should keep it in a private notebook. I guess the only thing I'm worried about is more ridicule than I've already received. I KNOW I'm big.. I'm overweight. Morbidly obese. That's why I'm making a change! But I know that some people would rather be malicious and cruel, than commend someone for admitting their faults and commend their efforts to change their ways. So I still have some debating to do. I might make a separate weight loss blog, and keep it private. Then later, if I choose to open it for public, I'll do that. :) What are your thoughts? Should I document these things? I would like to be able to look back and see the progress and changes I've made. lol Idk. Still got some thinking to do. :)

Do you try to eat healthy? Or are you like my husband and eat whatever you want, never work out, and maintain a slender figure and can still run circles around me?? haha :)

Getting Fit

You know, I never thought I'd be disappointed to see a negative pregnancy test at 19 years old. Most people my age are thanking their lucky stars when a test only comes up with one line. And while we aren't trying, and any pregnancy right now would be an "oops!" there's still a nagging feeling that brings me down. I think since my miscarriage, I've really felt scared that i'll never get pregnant again. I never got to experience the positive pregnancy test, telling Brent, telling family, making a cute little album on Facebook.. I didn't know I was pregnant until I wasn't anymore.. That's something I'm still trying to accept. However, deep inside I'm worried that I won't ever get to experience those things.. I'm worried that because of my weight and health, i'll never get pregnant.. So that's why I want to change. I'm not looking to get pregnant now, or later this year, or even next year! But I AM taking the steps NOW to become a healthier me.. so that someday I'll get to be a mother. I watched the first episode of My 600-lb Life the other day on TLC, and it hit me HARD.. This couple had been actively trying to become pregnant for 12 years! I can't imagine that heartache. 12 years of negative pregnancy tests.. And when they finally got a positive test, there was no heart beat to be found.. The woman was still not healthy enough to carry a pregnancy to term. I don't want to find myself in that position. I don't know why I had a miscarriage.. But I wouldn't be surprised if my weight was the biggest factor. I AM NOT HEALTHY! And until recently, I never cared.. But something sparked in me, and all of a sudden I'm making the correct changes in my lifestyle to become healthier! It feels great eating the right foods, drinking water, not drinking coke, and working out! And it feels even better stepping on the scale and seeing the pounds drop.

This is going to be a long, tiring journey.. But it's one I'm ready for because I have a lot at stake.. I would love some encouragement from friends and family these next few months as I'm sure it's going to get harder and harder. Brent is being absolutely WONDERFUL and so supportive. I couldn't ask for a better husband. He stands behind me 100% and he won't let me fail. I love that man. If anyone is interested in changing your life, let's do it together!



I know this post is kind of choppy, random, and whatever. But I hope I got my point across. :)