ONEderland!

No Scale July was tough mentally. But this morning, getting on my scale all of those emotions went away. I had a goal of 199 in my mind. That's it. That's all I wanted from 208. So to see 194.6 you better believe I screamed "Fuck yeah!" Today marks 16 weeks, 4 months. I am officially down -47.6 lbs.

Yesterday, my workout buddy, Raycee and I did a last chance workout of cardio, HIIT, the stair master, and then some core and ab workouts. It was a great burn and I was so excited at how awesome I felt afterward. 

Now, don't get me wrong this month about 3 out of the 4 weeks I was super strict and dedicated. I missed a few workouts due to being sick and the smoke in the air but I really ate clean. Then there were a few meals where I allowed myself to try new things or add more carbs to my diet. Yes, I was worried, but I always managed to workout really hard afterward or the next day. I think mentally I needed to know my boundaries of eating certain foods when it comes to the emotions that come with afterward. I haven't really "cheated" in months. I wanted to make sure I wouldn't feel guilty eating something I know I should stay away from. I never felt guilty which made me feel confident. Eating is such an emotional and mental event that takes places a lot during the day and it's important to be in a good head space so you aren't sabatoging yourself later down the road or feeling bad about a decision. 

 Last weekend, I was able to see my mom who has also lost some weight the past few months! Check out her progress! 

Aislinn (Big sister), Mom, & Myself

-31 lbs!

 This week I've also had a few Non-Scale Victories when it comes to clothes and overall confidence about my changing and improving body! 

Old Navy clothes, size 14, & my first pair of colored skinny jeans! 

Umm...Hello Confidence! love them!

I've been dairy free for a little over a week now, and sometimes it gets really hard and other times I don't think about it. My friend Annie who is a PCOS fighter & who has lost -75 lbs with healthy eating and Barre3 mentioned the idea of cutting out dairy to improve my breakouts and I can't believe how right she was! I of course talked to my doctor and it was mentioned & agreed upon as an option to try. I'm amazed at the difference in a week!

Here's a pretty funny progress picture. On the L I was 250 in February 2013 and on the R was this week. 

July 1 vs July 31. Month progress. I see improvements and change especially in my back area but at the same time I am excited to keep pushing and see what the difference will be this month. 

 

 

My August Goals! 

 

 

So Many Changes!

I've had a few people ask about starting a fitness page on Facebook. I've thought about it, but right now with everything going on I'm not sure I'm comfortable starting one. I am hoping that the blog gives everyone enough information and I'm completely open to receiving emails and friend requests on Facebook. 

To those of you who have sent emails and friend requests, thank you! It means the world to begin a friendship with each of you and to talk about such an important transition in your lives!

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With the excitement of the last post and wanting to get something posted for everyone to read, I failed to include EVERY exciting thing that has happened this month.


PCOS Awareness Association
 
So obviously, if you're reading this you know this blog is dedicated to my weight loss journey and struggling with PCOS. I've shared the links to my blog on various different sites including Twitter and Instagram. I had a PCOS related account on IG follow me and start to take notice of my pictures and videos which was nice, and to my surprise I received this email :) 

 

I hope you can read it. Of course, I was so excited! I've always loved to write, especially relate able topics, but this was a whole new level of excitement. I would be writing about what I'm currently facing and what I'm doing to better myself. I could potentially help other women and be a type of support. I also felt a tad bit unsure of myself of course; not knowing if I could provide the information women are looking to receive. I knew that God has placed me int his situation for a reason. I would go with it and give it my all. 

So of course, I submitted my first pieces and have loved the whole interactive site. It's a website that allows you set up a profile and talk to other women with PCOS. Click here to check it out. :) I will be posting every other week on Monday. For the first couple of pieces click here. I encourage you to check out the other 4 women who are writing for the website. We all have different perspective, different ways that we have seen results, but we all have PCOS and the desire to beat it in common. If you're struggling with PCOS, please go set up a profile under the "Our Community" tab to be able to talk with other women and doctors who will be participating in conversations. 

 NON SCALE VICTORY 

There is a sale going on at Old Navy, Banana Republic, and The Gap for 30% off entire order (even clearance) and this past weekend I decided to order some clothes. I don't have a lot of shorts or pants so I wanted to do what I usually don't do: buy brand new clothes while losing weight. I decided to buy half size 14 (current size) and size 12 (will soon be there!). When I went to the Old Navy website, in the menu I clicked on "Women's Plus Size" and of course immediately went to the "Clearance" section. I found some really cute jean shorts and after clicking on them, I became frustrated because my size was listed. The smallest size was 16. I was looking for 14. It took a couple of seconds to realize why my size wasn't available. It wasn't because none of the shorts in that size were available in the clearance section. It was because I am no longer plus size!

This definitely called for an emotional moment. I cried. I hadn't even thought about that mental transition until I ordered clothes. Looking and searching through items without looking for "plus size" really changed my mental state about where I was at and where I can go in just a matter of months.

Recent Progress Picture

October 13, 2012 vs July 23, 2013. 

Sick! :(

So, I wasn't feeling the greatest after a long weekend with my nieces. I thought it was a little throat bug due to allergies and being around more germs (movie theater, water park, etc) from the weekend's activities.

Well, after two days of feeling miserable, I was informed it wasn't strep (everyone's original guess). I actually had a fungi infection on my tonsils and throat region. It was caused from........DAIRY! Yes, most of you know that I'm lactose intolerant, but thought I had found a good balance the past couple of years. I found that yogurt was NOT OKAY for my body and I didn't enjoy milk anyway, but for the past 4 months it's been almond, soy, and coconut milk. But I do still have the occasional ice cream, and I LOVE CHEESE! I always had it in moderation since my life style change. However, this weekend I did notice a bit more cheese intake compared the past couple of weeks when a friend with PCOS mentioned that her specialist told her about limiting dairy to help with acne breakouts.

What do you know? The acne is diminishing (or was until this weekend's dairy intake). So, after some talking with my doctor it looks like a dairy free diet is the best way to go. So, I will be no longer eating cheese :( or.......ice cream.

Yes, I know there are alternatives to both of those options and I plan to research and try new things, but for someone who prided herself in not feeling deprived or cutting something completely out of her diet, this will be a challenge. 

On another note, here are some items that are new to my kitchen that I plan on trying. (I will have to look at the ingredients for the Annies mac and cheese). I've tried the tortillas before but wanted to try some new items. 

Please don't hesitate to email with questions! :) chelsearosen@gmail.com or find me on Facebook by searching "Chelsea Niewald" 

"I'm Going to Get a Paper Towel"--6 WEEKS!!!

Today marks 6 weeks since I decided to change my life. I've never gone 6 weeks straight on one of my "health kicks", I guess it's because this is so much more than a "health kick". Today was weigh in day also. Last week I was 229.2 and today I was:

224.4!!! Hello -4.8 lbs this week! :) 

 

I had such a tough week with my little moments of eating fast food because of stress, but I definately feel okay with what happened and I know i can make any set back into a come back! :) 

 

I woke up extremely hungry so I had one banana, four strawberries, two eggs, and two veggie patties. It seems like so much, but after my late night workout the night before, I totally don't mind! 

I got ready for going out for the day, but when I got done getting ready I had this sudden urge of fear go thru my mind. I thought of the graduation parties I was planning on attending and the beer and food and it scared me. I feel like I'm in a really fragile state because of earlier this week. So, I decided to make my lunch. Going to a party full, you'll be less likely to eat a bunch of junk food, because you're actually listening to your body. 

Lunch: romaine lettuce leafs, ground venison, tomatoes, and a little cheese. Delicious!!! I missed having venison. It was sooo yummy! 

 

 

 

  

 Here are a few "selfies" to show progress of facial differences and a full body shot! :) It doesn't hurt to take weekly progress pics! It's super motivating! 

Full body shot! I think I need a new mirror though. Haha.

 

 Once I had lunch, I just knew that I needed to workout. The temptations at the graduation parties really did scare me today. So, to keep my head focused and allow myself to use my fear as fuel, I simply went to Laura's to workout. 
We did a 25 minute "Learn and Burn" from Turbo Jam! (As weird as the moves were, it was an awesome workout--warm up). Once we finished that we did our normal push ups, rows with the elastic bands, rows with the weights, lunges, scissors, and donkey kicks. 

Here is my before and after workout picture!!! Today I have never had so much sweat on my face or chest before! It was crazzzy! Our favorite saying for today was "I'm sweating so much, I'm going to go get a paper towel."

 

 

 

 

After we worked out, I went home to shower and come back for dinner. Jason made stuffed bell peppers. I haven't had bell peppers before because the smell typically makes me stick, but I LOVED the stuffed bell peppers!! 

Green bell pepper, turkey burger, rice, tomato, onions, and a little cheese. I'll definitely be making those in the future!!! 

Dinner was awesome and now we are watching Warm Bodies! So cute and funny so far! I'm going to end on one more note, hope everyone has a great night and day tomorrow. :)