MY Journey. I'm getting excited!!

I am old school. I like to write things down in a notebook rather than use an app. I took that screenshot of Jessica Enslow's plan, and plugged in my own info. She uses iifym.com to calculate her macros. It's very simple except at the end after it asks where to send your macros, enter your name and email, but continue on the site. Use the sliders to adjust your percentages.

This is exciting! It's already empowering to see this start to come together. This mama is no longer in autopilot. I am owning this!!

Now, I need to plan my workouts.

Check out Jessica Enslow's plan on her YouTube video HERE.

Making the Journey Mine

Okay. Here it goes...

Last year was great. Last year, I started seeing that I could be stronger and more fit than I thought I could be. I started weight training. I started learning about macros. All of my progress came to an abrupt halt due to circumstances beyond my control. Then, I just slowly quit. I quit calculating my macros. I quit working out. I quit blogging. I just got so discouraged.

Well, I'm ready to move on now and make my health and fitness journey my own. It's very good to give credit where credit is due, but as one of my midwives taught me, the greatest coaches teach you that it's all about you, and you don't really need them to succeed. The greatest coaches empower you; they don't use you to promote themselves.

So, I've gained 15lbs over the last 9 months, and I've lost any muscle development I'd gained. All the kids are odd numbered ages now:13, 11, 9, 7, 5, 3, and 1.5; and we recently joined the YMCA as a family. It's nice. Free childcare makes a huge difference!

I have to do this. I will do this. I put too much stock in a person and I gave that person way too much credit for my success. The truth is that I worked my butt off last year. I pushed myself. I dedicated myself to following a meal plan. I am grateful for the tools that were given to me to succeed, but I did the work. It is important for me to remember that.

I found another mom of 7 on Instagram named Jessica Enslow. She is in amazing shape, and since she's a little older than I am, a little shorter than I am, and has had as many babies, I feel like what she does is something I could do too. I am going to start here.

I also signed up with Plexus today. I hope these health products help me have more energy and maybe I'll be able to even get off my antidepressant. Who knows. I just know that my body needs some recuperation after 14.5 years of pregnancies and breastfeeding for almost all that time.

I have to prove this to myself, and I will. I hope you're all doing well. It's really nice to be back.

Here are some pics from this evening. I did legs and abs with Isaiah. Selah got in on it too!

Baby Fist Bump! Let's do this!

Why Am I Doing This? ~ Reassessing My Goals

I'm taking this journey farther than I've ever
been before, and I feel a little like Samwise here!

I am in my size 6 jeans. I'm 5 lbs away from my goal weight. I feel pretty good about myself, but I'm losing my drive! For the past 14 years of my life, I've been in a constant pattern of: Get pregnant. Lose baby weight. Get pregnant. Lose baby weight. Get pregnant. Lose baby weight. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

This time, I chose to step things up a notch with personal training.  My life so far has not required a long term fitness attention span because as soon as I lose my weight, I'm pregnant again. Well, I'm not pregnant, and nothing is a guarantee. I can't live my life in limbo. I want to take charge and continue to choose my oxygen mask. I want to be strong inside and out! So, excuse me while I give myself another little pep talk. . .

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I'm in pretty good shape. I'm fitting into my skinny clothes again. I'm stronger. It's not like I'm a competitive body builder or anything. Why not just quit now and get back to normal?

Although all those things are true, it's more than just losing my baby weight this time. Here are my top five reasons to keep at it:

1. I chose to make fitness part of my life this time, not just for a short term weight loss goal.

2. I want to inspire my children to take care of themselves, and show my children that women can be strong.

3. I want to avoid physical problems as I get older, and physical fitness is a major key to that.

4. Being a mother of 7, I will probably have a lot of grandchildren someday, and I want to have the energy I need to enjoy them fully! I want to be an active grandma: babysitting, running, playing, and keeping up with those grandbabies!

5. I want to be confident! I don't want my body or self esteem to hold me back at any age. If I am confident and happy, my children most likely will be too. Not to mention the way my husband is enjoying my growing confidence!

So, little voice telling me to quit, you can hush now. I have a bright future ahead for me and my family. I have goals that will make my dreams come true. I've got this.

And on that note, here are my 14 week progress pics:

Sometimes, You Just Have To Prove It To Yourself

I went on the elliptical machine today and loved it. I burned more calories than I've ever burned! I love how I completely control my pace instead of having to keep up with it. I remember the first time I came in to the gym and tried the elliptical. I thought I was going to die after 15 minutes. Today, I went 3 miles in 45 minutes and burned over 400 calories!

I bought my ticket for the bodybuilding competition! I'm excited to support my sweet new friend, and at the same time, I am really nervous that I will see all the "perfect" bodies, and be really depressed about myself. So, I decided that I am going to train extra hard. If I know I've worked my butt off, I know I'll be a lot more confident. I started this journey to reach my goals, and I am determined to reach them. I was really encouraged today to see my gradual, yet huge progress over the last 8 weeks. It means so much to know that I am having success because I'm working hard and committed to following my nutrition plan. Sometimes, you just have to prove it to yourself. These photos are so encouraging to me. If you decide to get yourself in shape, do yourself a favor, and take pictures. Seeing your progress will be the fuel that keeps your spirit burning.