Jennifer's Journey: Week 2 – Continued

Written By admin • 5 min read

“I tried to sleep in, I really did, but this is my first Monday morning weigh in! I have been here for one week and each Monday we all weigh in to see our progress. Every two weeks, we weigh and measure. My assessment time was 7:20am, but I was up at 5:00am. I was anxious. I wasn’t really scared because I felt like I did everything I was capable of and I knew I didn’t go off of the program’s nutrition plan one bit. I was still bouncing in my seat while I waited for my turn.

I had a goal in my mind of 5 pounds. I thought that was optimistic, but I really wanted it. My dear friend here saw me on my way down, she lost 5 pounds. Another woman walked out losing 7 pounds. I was getting a little more nervous. Finally, it was my turn! I walked in and Wayne got me on the scale. I watched and saw it come up. I looked at Wayne and said, “Is that right?”

He told me I lost 7 ½ pounds!! I jumped off the scale and hugged him, then rushed out to tell my roommates and friends who were waiting to hear! I was ecstatic! Then at lunch Wayne announced who this weeks “Biggest Winner” at camp was… and I won! They take your percentage of weight lost and mine was 4%!!

That means I won an extra massage at the spa! MONDAY ROCKS!

Assessment appointments also mean that we have boot camp in the afternoon on Mondays. We did a hike on Monday morning and I wanted to keep up the pace and not stop until it was time to come back down. I made it! I found a friend on the way back and we both decided to jog down. I was pretty impressed with myself. We got back and did the resistance band class. I was really encouraged by my weight loss, so I tried to push myself at all of our Monday workouts.

After boot camp, a few of us decided we wanted to walk back from the rec center instead of being dropped off at the church to walk back to camp. The walk from the church is about 2.5, the walk from the rec center is closer to 5 or 5.5. I booked it for most of the time and really felt like I gave it my all. I was extremely tired Monday night!!

I am still having some sleep issues which may have contributed to my complete 180 degree turn on Tuesday. I woke up at 1:30am and couldn’t fall back to sleep. I dozed out just before my alarm went off and I was dragging all day. I just made it through boot camp. I tried to do the stairs on Main Street. I did the walk there and back and did the stairs 3 times. I left early and came back to my room to take a quick nap and then get to lunch a little late.

Lunch was so good! We had a grilled tuna steak with a fresh pico de gallo and vegetables. Some days here I have been forcing myself to eat because I don’t feel hungry or it doesn’t mesh with my taste buds, but this was gone really quick!

For dinner we went back to the hospital for nutrition training with Liz. We continued learning about portion sizes and she taught us the plate method. First, don’t use a large dinner plate. Use the smaller (sometimes the salad plate at some places) one. Then one half of that plate should be salad and/or non-starchy vegetables. The remaining should be quartered between your protein and your starch. She also gave us a handout with the serving size of an item and a visual of what it would look like. For example, 3 oz. of protein equals a deck of cards or a small potato is the size of a computer mouse. I think this is especially helpful when you are eating out because you can’t measure it exactly.

Tuesday has been my hardest day here so far. I was physically drained which quickly led to me being emotionally drained. Afternoon workouts were difficult and a couple of times I was close to tears because I was so frustrated that I couldn’t work as hard as I wanted to. Medicine ball class is always the worst for me because it is the end of the day and I am tired already.

I struggled through and could not wait until dinner was over and I could hit the steam room. It has become one of my favorite times of the day. Savannah, Danielle and whoever else we can round up head down to sit in the sauna, the steam and then the hot tub for a few minutes. It relaxes my muscles and it really a nice time to just laugh and visit before bed. I know for sure I will be asleep before my head hits the pillow this time!”~Jennifer
I am 37 years old and a mom of 4 beautiful daughters. I am a stay-at-home mom who is never HOME! I do some work from home helping my husband run his business. My weight was not a problem until I got pregnant and began having children. I have never completely lost that weight. I have tried different diets and felt like a yo-yo for the past 8 years! (see me on far right of picture)

A combination of things happened in my life to make me decide to make some major lifestyle changes and putting myself first, making healthy choices for me and my family. Please join me on my journey on several blogs: on the Premier Fitness Blog, on the TimeOutMom Blog, on the Mom It Forward Blog, and on the Today’s Mama Blog, as I do five weeks at the live-in camp and get twelve weeks of coaching and support after I return home. This is going to be life-changing! It is already life-changing!