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Post 60 Day challenge with background
I’m so very sorry I didn’t keep this blog string current. I’m beyond amazed at the changes in me. 
Since May of this year, I have lost 25 pounds and 15.5 inches. Since the beginning of the 60 day challenge (august 1st to October 1st) 15 of those 25 pounds and 6.5 inches disappeared. My clothes fit so much differently. I’m nearing my size 14′s again! I’ve not worn them in 2 years. There’s been a lot of crap that’s happened to me over the last 2 years. I know that no one’s life is a cakewalk by any means, I just found the last 2 years or so of mine to be particularly challenging. A little reader’s digest of my last 2 years.
I separated from my husband – and took my 4 kids and went to live with my parents 800 miles north
we lost our house
my husband and I reconciled
he moved back in
8 people in a 2 bedroom house is hell
husband is still unemployed (almost 2 years)
my previous weight loss achievements were being flushed from stress
my weight was slowly climbing
thanksgiving
yule/Christmas
huz took red to a monster truck rally
our marriage nearly disintegrated
I started smoking again
huz found work
we started looking for our own place
huz took a job in Maine
we found a place in Maine at the end of summer 2011
FREEDOM – we had our own place again
thanksgiving 2011 – just me and my boys
Christmas/yule 2011 – whole family (all 6 of us)
husband is fired from work
a few months pass
totaled my car – leading to a 6 month period of being house bound
huz is jumping job to job – seriously seems like a new one every couple of months
Beyond the Willows is formed and I’m getting a trickle of income
thankfully kids do well in school through all of this.
end of summer 2012 best friend moves in.
3 yo is potty trained
things are on an even keel – thank the gods
November 2012 we’re moving again – one year later
Through all this, I’m still trying to move forward. This is not the worst story out there, I am aware of this. Still, some pretty amazing things have happened as well. I’m almost back to the weight /size I was 2 years ago. I’ve helped my best friend start to get his life moving forward again – away from the toxic living situation he was in. The huz found a job for my best friend. We’re moving into a beautiful gorgeous 1800/1900′s house right in town.
My progress from this 60 day challenge? it’s just amazing. ready?
amazing – 2 months is a very Noticeable difference!
This, i achieved this even with all the other chaos in my life. Next step – i will quit smoking again.
If you want to try the vitamin supplement ACE leave me a message. I fully believe it helped my loss. I started taking ACE in June. I weighed 210lbs back in May. Now today – I weigh 183lbs. I’ve lost nearly 30 pounds!
Thank you, if you’ve been following my journey. I’ll be sure to do occasional updates. Once I get a couple more body shots, i’ll collage them and post.
If you follow my blog, and would be interested in a holiday stay fit challenge, let me know. I’d love to coordinate one.
Blessings & Gentle Breezes!
Healthier Me now with more Pics :D
Here it is.. the down side to putting it out there for the world to see- this week’s stats aren’t that great. I’m not making excuses, however, I’m about a week out from my period. I’m seriously retaining water everywhere. I’ve also been tracking my food, and low and behold, I’m actually not getting anywhere near enough calories in -an average day? 800-1000 cals. yep.. WAY TOO LOW! But I’m rarely hungry.. so, now I need to figure how to get proper calorie rich foods into my system. I don’t mean a bag of chips and a can of soda. I’d be swollen 3x my size lol!
SO, for anyone following my journey, here are my stats this week.
- Weight ~ 201
- Waist ~ 39.25 in
- Hips ~ 50.25 in
- Thigh ~ 26.5 in
- Neck ~ 14.5 in
and so you don’t have to look to last week’s post~
As of Today July 27, 2012 my Stats are:
- Weight: 200
- waist: 39 (difference of 3)
- hips: 48.75 (difference of 3.25)
- thigh: 26 (difference of 2)
- neck: 14.5 (difference of .75)
- total to date: 9 inches & 10 pounds gone!
You can do the math. I’m just a little more than perturbed about this. EVERYTHING but my neck has gone up, by a half-inch or a pound. I’m seriously pissed off at myself. Enough so that i just want to give up. That’s how I’m feeling. OH! Also? when using the Wii Fit scale – add 10 pounds on to my weight. It makes me think my scale here at home is severely wrong. Mostly, because it’s closer to the scale weight at the doctor’s office. I wasn’t happy with my weigh in there 2 months ago either- 217. Lucky me, I’m broke so I can’t go grocery shopping. So, it looks like cereal and Luna bars.
So, on that note, I’ll share with you, the small changes in my face over the last month.
very subtle differences. mostly more definition in my cheek bones.
Feel free to share & comment! I love to hear from you! 
Healthy Challenge Update..
they’re just numbers..but hell if seeing them move smaller doesn’t make ya feel great!
Last Friday, I shared with you my current goals to get healthy via this post http://thewanderinggypsie.com/my-healthier-me-challenge-warning-there-is-tmi/. I laid it all out there for the world to see. I think, to keep the motivation going and myself on track, – each Friday, as I weigh in, I’ll post here as well with my current stats. Good or bad. Just keepin’ it real. Anyone who’s gone for a lifestyle change (no diets..that’s just stupid talk) knows there are bumps in the road. The weight didn’t appear over night, so it’s not gonna disappear over night. right?
Here are last week’s stats:
As of today July 20, 2012 my Stats are :
- Weight 201
- waist: 38.5 (difference of 2.75 )
- hips: 49 (difference of 2.5)
- thighs: 25.75 (difference of 2.25)
- neck: 14.75 (difference of .5)
- total of 8 inches and 9 pounds
***(please note, I went back and calculated the stats- they were off. so I’ve corrected them this week)***
When I stepped on the scale again this morning, (praying to the gods all the while) I was super happy to see the weight change stuck!
As of Today July 27, 2012 my Stats are:
- Weight: 200
- waist: 39 (difference of 3)
- hips: 48.75 (difference of 3.25)
- thigh: 26 (difference of 2)
- neck: 14.5 (difference of .75)
- total to date: 9 inches & 10 pounds gone!
Yep, I’m doin’ a freakin’ happy dance. I’m SOOO close to breakin through that 200lb barrier. Most of those inches have come off since June 16th. In fact 7.25 of them. The thing that’s different?
Bottoms up!! Base minimum of 100oz a day for me!
The supplement I’m taking along with my exercise and water. Of course, I’ll also keep honest with you and tell you, I’ve only been actively exercising for the last week. The supplement I’m taking works, with or without changing your exercise routine. Of course, everything you do with your healthy lifestyle change will affect weather or not it sticks for the long haul.
Here’s a tip for you this week. A rule of “thumb” if you will. The amount of water everyone needs daily varies from person to person. There’s a formula you can use, to figure out your daily water intake. When you see it you’re gonna think “OH MY GOD THAT’S A LOT OF WATER!!” Well yeah, it is. But think about it. Our bodies are made up of mostly water, right? Dehydration is the cause of many ailments. Like what? Back pain, Headaches, kidney or bladder/UTI infections. If you are properly hydrated, your organs will work properly, removing toxins and excess water & fat from your system. It will also be less hungry. Our bodies at some point have mistaken thirst for hunger. Once you start drinking your water, properly, you’ll be less hungry and your body will once again recognize thirst for what it is. Ok, so now for that formula. I will use Me as an example. Take your weight and divide by 2, this will give you the proper BASE amount of water your body needs daily to maintain proper function. For example 200 / 2= 100. For me, the base amount of water I need daily is 100 oz. I say base, because if you exercise for 30 minutes, your body loses water because of sweat. You MUST replace this water. For every 30 minutes of exercise, it’s another 8oz of water.
There are many, many strategies for getting in your water. Yes, I’m WELL aware of the implications of drinking this much water. The toilet will become my best friend. (Believe me, it’s even more of a pain with “mommy bladder”) *lol* I’ve heard some people tell me they “trick” themselves into getting all the water by using a 1 cup measure and setting a timer for every 30-60 mins throughout the day. I like to keep a sports bottle (that I’ve measured it comes to 22oz) and fill it up several times a day. And, Because I don’t like the “taste” of plain water if I can avoid it, I use flavor enhancers. Yeah, not the healthiest, but I figure, if I’m getting my water in, why not. Currently my favorite is Mio. The Sweet tea variety or Orange Tangerine.
With all that said, I wish you well this weekend. Mercury is getting closer to direct and I’m being pulled in what seems like a zillion different directions. So, I must go. There will be an update on Roxie this weekend I’m sure, along with other fun news. So, stay tuned!
~Gypsie
My Healthier Me Challenge (warning there is TMI)
this is probably one of the hardest pics i’ll ever share. (please don’t mind the chaos)
I’ve been hesitant about sharing this. Mostly because I still really hate Full body pictures. Any person can take a decent slimming head-shot of themselves and post it. I’ve gotten pretty damned good at it if i do say so myself. Truth is however, I’m not thin, I’m rather quite chunky or fluffy or in all honesty fat. I hate it. I hate the extra rolls, I hate that I can’t fit the ‘cute’ stuff that makes me feel good.
So, once again, I’ve taken the step. To just DO IT. I joined a Biggest Loser challenge on one of my teams that i belong to on Spark People. The challenge started on May 5th. Cinco de Mayo. Good thing i didn’t ‘pig out’ on nomtastic Mexican cuisine. Honestly, over the last 2 months I’ve been eating pretty darned well. Of course, there’s been an exception or two. *coughburgerking* But really? ANY person who knows about healthier lifestyles and getting to the point where you are healthy and happy, knows to not completely cut yourself off from those horridly not good for you yummy tasting foods you crave.
SO, I’m putting it out there now. Here are my Stats as of May 5th, 2012.
- Weight : 210
- waist : 42 inches
- hips : 52 inches
- neck : 15.25 inches
- thigh : 28 inches
Please note, I’m ONLY 5’4″ first thing in the morning lol! by the end of the day I’m lucky to be 5’3″ haha. NOW, would you like to know the progress I’ve made in 2 months? It’s not stellar, but it’s something that’s for sure!
As of today July 20, 2012 my Stats are :
- Weight 201
- waist: 38.5 (difference of 3.5 )
- hips: 49 (difference of 3)
- thighs: 25.75 (difference of 2.25)
- neck: 14.75 (difference of .5)
this is me, May 18th (with some very faded blue & pink in my hair)
- not flattering, but it’s head on – see what i mean?
this makes for a total loss of 9 pounds and 9.25 inches. I gotta be honest when I say I don’t see it.
This is me a week ago – different filter/lighting and angle. best of 3 if you ask me. also, no glasses.
to make my point here’s a pic of me that I took a week ago. you know, the one where those of us trying to hide weight know just the right way to take a photo so we can look at ourselves in the mirror..
Ok, NOW onward!
Here’s what I have been doing:
Taking a daily supplement, working hard on getting a minimum of 64 oz of water a day in. Eating smaller more frequent meals, and as of Wednesday, 20-30 mins daily of “Formal” exercise. By this, I mean other than up and down the stairs multiple times a day doing laundry, putting the minion to bed for nap/bed time, the ‘voice olympics’ you know – “HEY GET OFF THE COUCH!” ”QUIT HITTING YOUR SISTER!” etc *wink* While my lungs get a great workout that way, that’s about all that does lol! Also? Sex. Yep, I said it. When done right, you’re whole body is feelin it. However, it’s hard to count the calories burned during it, cuz, well everyone burns calories during sexcapades differently. I don’t have a nifty gadget that I wear that’ll tell me how many calories I’m burning..and well Spark People doesn’t have a tracker for that activity. *wink* So, i don’t really count it. Even if more recently – I wouldn’t be exaggerating to say it’s been nearly nightly (and sometimes before breakfast) *wink*.
Now, for the possible TMI I warned about via twitter. I’m a mom of 4. Many of you know this. Having kids puts some MASSIVE strain on your bladder. All mom’s will understand this. Now, being over weight and starting exercise again, after being more than a bit lax in the past couple years – causes what I have termed “Mommy Bladder”. Mommy Bladder is the cause of ”Sneezepee” and “coughpee” Yes, they’re exactly what you think. Add on some extra weight, and these become a royal pain. When exercising – my “mommy bladder” even though I “JUST” emptied it, says “hurry you gotta go pee! ” so I take a break in my workout – visit the loo and a trickle. It’s really annoying! However, I know from past experience, that once the weight starts to come off and I get under 180 pounds that annoying “mommy bladder” loses its hold over me. Don’t get me wrong, because of having 4 kids 3 of them on the bigger side (over 8 lbs one was 9 lbs) that will probably mean that “mommy bladder” will always strike at inconvenient times. Not that there’s EVER a convenient time to have “Mommy Bladder”.
So, with all that said.. this is me, where I’m currently at in my own personal journey. Can you relate? Do you think I’m off my rocker?
I’ve started a Secondary challenge with a fantastic group on facebook, that runs until October 1st. I’ll post the full body comparison shots then.
Have a fantastic weekend!
~Gypsie
Time for the weigh in
So, here it is, my first weigh in for the Get off your broom challenge, that i posted about last week.
200.5 it’s only 1 pound loss, but it’s better than not losing, especially since it’s been a crazy week, and no formal exercise. I’ve been trying to watch what i eat and how much of it i eat. I’ve realized, that i’m going to pretty much have to cut out dairy and a lot of carbs..but in all reality, i don’t eat much carbie stuff anyway anymore. once in a while i’ll eat a bowl of cereal, or have some pasta, but I’ve been trying to focus on more proteins and veggies.
I’ve also found a cheese that i love that’s naturally lactose free! super excited about this! Havarti -is awesome. it’s also fairly low in sodium too! my most favorite cheese? Provolone is horrid on sodium ..and so not good for my stomach.
Today, i also dyed my hair back pink. I’ve always marched to my own drum. People can shove it up their tushies if they don’t like it. I know that this severely hampers my chances for *regular* employment. So, i really need y’alls help to get out my jewelry items. just pass the link around if you’d not mind helping.
http://www.bonanza.com/booths/celticcreations
Now, the ears. This is my annual tradition. i have 5 pair. i rotate through them. a different pair every day..so to speak or color coordinate them.
ANYWAY…
If you’ve noticed, I’ve also got a tab link at the top of my blog to this page as well. Help a girl out please?
Enough shameless self promotions? nah..
have a good one.. OH! Happy Thanksgiving Canada!
D5 Creation