My Journey

Weight Loss: Doctor’s Orders

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Was at the doctors for my yearly check-up. Verdict was, loose weight or get on 4-6 different medications. I chose weight loss. Therefore, Weight Loss: Doctor’s Orders. Therefore, I am going to give this blog another try. I thought I was ready last year but I still had fears and honestly with 80-100 hour work weeks, I just did not have the energy.

Getting Past The Fear

My fears have always been the fear of failure, however, I have failed more times than I can count so just another bad excuse. I think, I need to learn that as long as I am being true to myself and can stand by my actions, failure is simply part of the process.

Weight loss has ups and downs but mine has been more downs than ups. I kept telling myself, that it was ok if I did not loose the weight as long as I worked out. However, I went to the doctor as I had been feeling awful lately. My body was aching, I felt a burning painful feeling on my chest (right between my breasts) and my energy was less than 0. I had days where getting out of bed in the morning was a struggle. Not because of depression but simply because my body was tired. I had been feeling like this for a while but I kept pushing off going to the doctor. I kept telling myself:  “I was just being a wimp” or “I am just overworked, it will get better”.

Working With My Doctor

One day, I was headed home from work with my husband. We were walking up the stairs and he asked “why are you weezing and breathing so heavily?”. I thought to myself “gosh, have I become this overweight that I am out of breath just walking up the stairs?”. I thought it strange as I was still working out several times each week so my overall cardio should still be the same. Then the burning sensation started, it got worse and worse to which point I finally went to see the doctor. This was over a 3 month period.

It turns out my weezing was not from my weight but that my asthma had come back. Doctor thought it might have been triggered by stress. The burning sensation was from too much gastric acid, most likely due to both the food I was eating and stress. We did a bit more tests as I had not gone to a doctor in years. I still had high cholesterol and it was even higher. My blood pressure was on the cusp of being too high and my vitamin D levels were at a record low for me. All 3 signs of me being overweight taking its toll on me.

Another Option

I am not a fan of medication, if I can avoid it I will, but I accept if there are no other option. I had gotten my asthma medication and my medication for my gastric acid. Both were helping. However, when the doctor started talking about more medication for my cholesterol and my heart, I immediately said, no there has to be other options. The doctor of course candidly told me I needed to lose the weight and cut out as many carbs as I could. I agreed that I would do this and come back 3 months later. So weight loss, doctor’s orders.

My appointment is June 18th. I am now roughly a month in. I have lost 13.2lb (6kg), I have cut all carbs except for fruit. So I am not doing a full Keto diet (only berries allowed), but I am weighing everything, turning my squash into my alternative spaghetti option and eating only lean protein.

Right now it is 1 day at a time but I am ok with that.

Xoxo

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My Journey

Results – Step 4 To Losing Weight

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This last step might be obvious but it is the most important. Results! The point of all of this is results so they should be highlighted and celebrated.

I know that in the long run, I might not see results every week but the goal is to lose a 100 pounds. This is not simply for the reason of looking good, fitting into clothes better etc. It is about my health and how I would like to live my life.

My husband and I have a goal of retiring as soon as possible and then travel the world. We want to make sure we spend as much time together as we possibly can and that means that I need to take my health seriously.

As I have written in previous posts, I have high cholesterol. That in itself is not killing me at this very moment but it can in the long run. Especially, with my family history, it is important that I take that seriously as it could shorten my life significantly or decrease my life quality in such a way that I would not be able to enjoy the things that I look forward to the most.

Although, this is a great motivation in itself, it is at times not enough, so I have set up a few small rewards each time I hit my goals. As my first main goal is 30 pounds with 5 pound intervals I have come up with 6 rewards to begin with.

So below I have listed the desired pounds with the reward next to it.

248 lb – New summer workout capri pants. The ones I have, all have wholes in them and some of them are not really that comfortable and convenient.

243 lb – It might seem odd but I love being organized, so cleaning out of my clothes is actually a treat. Yes, I want to sort my clothing and find out which I need to get rid off and which I still love and use and which I think I would want when I have lost my weight. This should be fun and I will make sure to post about the fun times.

238 lb – My feet seriously needs some love, so I will get some products that can help me out when taking care of my feet.

233 lb – Gloves for working out. I am making use of bar and dumb bells more and more and it does at times hurt my hands. So thought gloves might be a good idea.

228 lb – I think it is time for a new dress or two. If you know me, you know that I have way more dresses than a woman needs but they are just too pretty, practical and fun.

223 lb –  As this is the 30 pound mark, I want to celebrate in style, quit literally. Therefore, my 30 pound reward is to get my hair done. My favorite hairdresser is really expensive so it is a once a year treat (if not more seldom) but I would love to go back to my short hair.

I knew, I had gained weight and above number is way higher than what I stated last time but I just learned that it matters where you set your scale. Where I have been setting it roughly takes off 20 pounds so I did not gain that much but it just gives me a more true look at what I weight. I, therefore, now have to weigh myself in the kitchen where there are tiles and not wood or carpet. Bummer, for my confidence but looking at the true numbers is more important.

As I get closer to my 100 pound goal, I am sure the results will have to adjust slightly but for now, I know I can loose 30 pounds without too many concerns and I will go through the results as I get closer to my 100 pound goal.

I am really excited to reach my goals and I hope you will be with me along the way, cheering me on, go for a run or simply share your most delicious healthy recipes.

XOXO

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My Journey

Goals – Step 1 To Losing Weight

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I do not think there has been a diet, book or TV program I have not watched that has always started with “Goals”. Some have said to set yourself the overarching end goal, others have said to set yourself small goals, medium goals… you get the point.

One thing most have in common is a set of smaller attainable goals that will give you the sense of victory. This has always been both a motivator but, also, one of my pitfalls. I would reach goal 1 or 2 and then be so pleased with myself I would “allow” myself X amount of time to enjoy not constantly thinking about what I eat and drink and how often I go to the gym and how much I burn while I am there. This is all well and good, however, I would always forget to move towards the next goal and I would end up going back to goal 1, if not -1, after having put on more weight than I had already lost.

My thoughts are therefore, how can I avoid my own trap?

Talking to my friend Claudia yesterday made me realize that there is a thought behind the idea of what Weight Watchers do (that is her thing) and she managed to loose 60 pounds on that system. You would get 1 day off every week so you had a bit of a break from counting, managing, dealing and simply being in a constant state of competition with yourself.

I think, I will take her advice and try that out this time around. I will set goals but leave myself to breath 1 day every week, which honestly, also works much better with my lifestyle and my other blog, as I have restaurant reviews pretty much every week. Luckily, I have my husband to take care of the leftovers.

From the title and my post from yesterday, there are a few steps I need before I feel like I can succeed.

  • Step 1: Set Goals
  • Step 2: Set Guidelines
  • Step 3: Consistent Motivation
  • Step 4: Results

This is one of four posts on setting myself up to success and the only thing I know that could knock me off my course is the need for a schedule but I will have to bite the bullet and just deal with it.

I hate schedules. I have never been a fan and I tend to be a “off the cuff” kind of person

I should probably get on with it, setting my goals but before doing so I wanted to make sure you all were aware of my thoughts behind my goals and why I decided to set this type of goals.

I want to set small goals. Even smaller than I have done in the past to make sure that I celebrate the victories. The older I get the harder it is to loose the weight and I should be rewarded and celebrate even those small moments.

We all know that I need to lose 100 pounds but that is a bit too much to think about so this time, I am simply going for an overall goal of 30 pounds which would then be divided into even smaller goals. I will celebrate ever 5 pounds that I loose. The celebrating and rewards that would come with every 5 pounds would be part of kicking off my motivation as well, although much more would go into Consistent Motivation.

I am not going to set myself a timeline, as that would simply stress me out and I know too well what stress does to me. I give up before I have begun and I start stress eating and I put on more weight. So there we have it. 30 pounds with 5 pound intervals.

I will still keep you all informed on where I am weight wise but I will move away from my weight pictures as I have done in the past and instead focus on the things that I do to reach my goal. More on that in my next few posts.

Stay tuned and I am so happy that I have a following that has not given up on me just yet, while I keep struggling to lose the weight that my body so desperately needs to get rid of.

XOXO

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My Journey

Week 39: Things Are Starting To Come Together

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I got my extension to my extension! This means that I have an additional 10 months in the US legally, while waiting for my more permanent green card (10 year Green Card, as they are no longer permanent).

I did not want my blog to become too political but it is too hard to ignore the new administration that is completely void of integrity, moral and ethics. As someone who is going through the Green Card process legally, I am telling you, it is not easy. I am one of the fortunate ones. I am Danish, white and married to someone that is American and looks white (although half Venezuelan) and I have the option to legally find a way to stay in the US. Sometimes, I think, what if I was not Danish and white but Muslim and from Iran? What if I was staying in this country illegally because I had nowhere else to call home. Even though I feel the anxiety from waiting to see if I get my permanent Green Card and whether or not Trump is going to change the law/rules while I am out on vacation, I know that is nothing in comparison to what other people in this country is currently going through. My heart weeps for them and I am crossing my fingers that we all will get through these times unscathed and not too much damage to the foundation of what is the US (and quite possibly the world).

Even though I feel the anxiety from waiting to see if I get my permanent Green Card and whether or not Trump is going to change the law/rules while I am out on vacation, I know that is nothing in comparison to what other people in this country is currently going through.

With that said, and all of my anxiety, I am still excited that Mike and I are finally going on trip together. When I got my extension we finally agreed upon the destinations while in Europe. London, Porto, Lisbon, Paris, Denmark and back to London for a family wedding. I love to travel, learn, discover and go on adventures (hence the name of the blog). I know it will be a challenge to not gain too much weight while I am on vacation especially as it will be for 34 days. I will not have my scale with me but I will stay on track with the help of my measuring tape. It should tell me if I am going out of control, staying within my weight or perhaps even loosing weight. The Monday before take off I will make sure to list my dimension before I leave so we can all keep track of my progress while traveling.

I love to travel, learn, discover and go on adventures (hence the name of the blog).

I have never measured or kept track of my weight while traveling for this amount of time so this should be a first and I am sort of excited to see how all the walking, climbing, eating, drinking etc etc will effect my weight. There are definitely lessons to be learned and I can’t wait to see what I can do differently, better or all together stop doing while traveling. I am, also, excited to write about my trip, the adventures, the places and hopefully you will be inspired to go yourselves.

At the moment I have my head buried into several books Mike took out from the library about Portugal, Paris and England. I am trying to figure out my schedule in Denmark and I wanted to plan a few things to do and see there as well. I, usually, have more plans than I can actually do, especially, as I have to work from London and Denmark but the benefit of working New York hours is that there is room for adventure in the morning (before 1PM local time). I was thinking of doing “KattegatCentret” in Grenaa while visiting my dad, Aros when going to Aarhus and something else in or around Viborg, Herning or Holstebro when going there. Then at least Mike will not go insane from boredom. To my Danish readers, I would love some input and ideas of what could be fun to do or see in those areas while there. And for people who have been to Portugal and Paris let me know if there is something that we should check out that would not necessarily be in all the tourist books.

I, usually, have more plans than I can actually do, especially, as I have to work from London and Denmark but the benefit of working New York hours is that there is room for adventure in the morning (before 1PM local time).

I hope you can all help me stay on track and perhaps even drag me out for a workout while in London and Denmark.

About the past week. As you can tell from the image. I actually lost weight! I am super excited about that. Although, only 1.4lb from the past 2 weeks, I have been stuck in the 20’s for a while so it was good to see a 1 for a change. The past 2 weeks I have been staying on track with the gym, went to the Oyster and Beer Festival, played in the snow, took at stroll down the Highline after the show had fallen and baked the most delicous chocolate cake. I know I should not but I tried to make a more healthy version and it paid off. It is the best chocolate cake I have ever made (and that is counting my sisters wedding cake, which was amazing). Luckily, Mike ate most of it which is probably why I managed to loose a bit of weight. Check out the images below from the past week.

XoXo

 

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My Journey

Week 37: Nerve Racking Time

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Just to get the numbers out of the way. I gained 3.6lb from two weeks ago. I can’t say I am disappointed. I let myself have a wild night Saturday and I am pretty confident that alcohol is the culprit. I have been good with my diet otherwise and I am back in a good routine with my workouts. So if I can stick to my diet and my workouts I should be back in no time. Much of it is probably water weight. Alcohol messes with my system EVERY time. So stay tuned for next week.

As for my headline. As most of you know, I am in the middle of applying for a Green Card. We have a family wedding in London coming up in April but my extension is running out on March 17th. So I have been trying for over a month to get an appointment as I need an extension to my extension. Crazy, I know but apparently it takes between 1 and 2 years to get the condition off of the temporary Green Card.

With the Trump news, I have been an even more nervous wreck, even though I should not have anything to worry about. But the thought of traveling and then knowing that you have no idea what this man might come up with next and I might be the one in the airport not allowed back in is truly scary.

At my meeting today, I got to ask all of my questions. Questions such as, if they call me in for an interview while I am out of the country and I am unaware of my appointment. Then what? Technically, they could throw out my case, and I have to start over, but if I am traveling there are some leniency and I should be able to apply for a new appointment. If I get my permanent Green Card (permanent in the sense that I will have it for 10 years) while I am out of the country will my temporary one be invalid and not usable once I get back into the country? No, it will still be valid as long as I have my extension.

So with all of my questions answered and our minds put at ease, we have decided to go ahead with our travel plans. I am super excited. I should get thumbs up from my job tomorrow and we can go ahead and plan. The only downside is my sister, my nephews and her boyfriend and his kids are coming on April 1st while I will still be out of the country. I am hoping to be back early April 3rd though to be here with them for their last 4 days in New York. A bit of a bummer that things are falling around the same time but I think we can make it work.

If everything else falls in place, flights, job and the like we are most likely headed to Paris and Portugal this time around (besides our usual stop to London and Denmark of course). Super exited. Never been to Portugal and I have only been to Paris for 1 day (and a long time ago) so it will be great visiting places I have never been.

Let the planning commence and soon there will be blog posts about trying to loose weight while being on vacation. That is always a challenge. So should be good.

Most of all, I am happy for Mike. He has not had a vacation since Christmas of 2015. So about time he takes some time off.

If anyone of you have been to Portugal or Paris (or lives there) please send some recommendations our way.

So exited!

Xoxo

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Fitness, My Journey

Week 28: Status Report

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I can’t believe it has been 28 weeks already. Where did the time go?

Well, I guess, I have to catch you up on what has happened this past month. As you can tell from the picture, I am now down to 220.6lb (99.9kg) and I have officially lost my first 20lb (9kg) (actually 22lb (10kg) but I skipped the 20 so… I still want to celebrate). I can now say that I am under a 100 kilos. It is a number, I always told myself I would NEVER get above. Yet here, I was… Waaaaay over 100 kilos. My next goal is to get to 195lb (88 kilos). That was what I weighed 7 years ago. Shortly after I had meet Mike, I had to go to the doctor and she did a full check up and my number was 195lb. She was kind enough (read a little sarcasm in between the lines) to tell me that I was over weight and should consider loosing some. Well, thank you doctor and I then gained 50+ lb (23kg) after that… yikes!

So the new year will bring me to that goal. 195lb and I will be back in “Onederland” and Mike will get back the body he first knew, or at least somewhat. A 50lb weight gain WILL make changes to your body that you can’t undo unfortunately. And they are not flattering changes. I have these fat pockets by my hipbones, you know the ones that normally protrudes on skinny girls and that gets highlighted as something sexy because it signals that they are skinny and therefore beautiful?? Yeah, mine… not protruding but hiding from the world under an inch of fat. Hopefully, I can dig them out a bit.

Last time, I wrote, I had signed up for an 8K in January. Unfortunately, my legs did not want to come with me, or at least my one shin. Every time I would start running it would burn, burn like something in my muscle was tearing apart so I decided I needed to stop running and let my body heal. I have still been going to the gym but staying away from any high impact workouts. I have had running tests done a few times and I know that I tend towards overpronation when running, which means when running I need a shoe that supports my arch. My current shoe is neutral, meaning you do not lean more to one side or the other on your foot when running, which means it has not given me the support that I need. I knew this when I started running but the shoes that really helps me are so darn expensive. Well lesson learned. Don’t be cheap if you run. You need the right shoe. Needless to say. I will not be making my 8K in January but I will train for a run in March instead with my new shoes having just arrived and it will give me enough time to start out slow. Will keep you posted on the progress.

And now for my December plans. Can you believe it is already December? Well, we all know that after Thanksgiving all bets are off when it comes to your diet so my goal for this season is simple. Don’t gain weight.

If I can stand on the scale on January 2nd and it still says 220lb. I will be a happy woman (I almost wrote girl, but who am I kidding… can’t pass for one of those anymore). Any motivation you can send my way to get my butt out the door and to the gym is very welcome as I will need it for these cold, dark December days. I believe my friend offered to text me in the morning. If you are still up for that. I need to get out of bed at 5am in the morning. I will happily text you as well as we need to get out in the mornings.

Next week my sister is coming and that will be a test in itself. That I go even though she will be here and I would just want to sleep as I would probably be tired but please kick me out of that bed as I really need to get up and get out.

Well, that was it for now.

 

Xoxo

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