Temptation like Woah!

Before I dive into catching up on my blog reading and seeing what all of YOU have been up-too, I decided to give a quick update.

I started my new job at a mental health center.  Today is my one week mark. Learning a new job sucks, but it is very interesting and I am loving it so far.

My only issue is the food temptation. I AM NOT JUDGING ANY OF MY NEW CO-WORKERS, I am just saying it how it is. Everyday I have been there so far they have ordered out for food. I have seen everything from donuts and cheetos to pizza and French fries. EVERYONE drinks soda, no one drinks water. No one. It is temptation city but so far I am holding my ground. Oh and did I mention that everyday at 3:00pm a woman goes around with a basket of candy to hand out to everyone. EVERYDAY!!! What The Fu**!! But I am doing great so eat on sistah friends.

I have stuck with my carb cycling this week and I have made it a point to exercise everyday. Monday and Wednesday I was up at 5:00am to squeeze in a work out video. Every night this week in addition to my morning work outs I have also gone for a run.

I am taking full advantage of this nice weather while it lasts.

I am feeling great and doing great and I intend to keep this trend going. Everyone at my new jobs gives me positive feedback and they think I am this wonder woman for being able to stick with my diet and exercise so regularly. I don’t want to give anyone a reason to think otherwise.

Anywho that is all. I am drained by the end of my day and there is little to no down time so this blog will defiantly become neglected, but I will do my best to give updates. J

Post Vacation

I have been gone for so long but I am finally back! I went on a week long vacation with my family at a beach in Maine. I ate like shit the entire week. Drank everyday and ate everything from ice cream and cookies to fried sea food and cheese fries.

Sun Set by the Marsh

Dinner with the fam

Days spent on the beach :-)

 On the last Saturday of my vacation the boy and I went to a very close friend’s wedding. It was a blast! I don’t know if it is because I knew everyone there, or if it was because this is the wedding I have been waiting for all year long, but it was amazing. Needless to say I continued my binge habits and drank from 4pm – 1am.

This was just the pre game :-/

wedding fun

 Sunday morning I felt like complete garbage. I was tired, I was bloated, and overall felt like death.

 I do not regret a thing though, because I had a week long of pure fun. I also had all the motivation in the world to get back on track. This past Monday I started carb cycling again with the intentions of sticking with it for a month. Food preparation is not as much work and I am so determined to stick with it after last week. 

On my vacation I did do the virtual 5k for the “From Fat To Finish Line” group on face book. During my 5k I received my very first “runners nod.”  I was running and a man who was also running smiled, nodded, and gave me a thumbs up as we passed each other.  Words cannot explain how overjoyed I was to have this happen.

 

My 5k on the beach

After my 5k finished in 51min.

 

I am on day four of being back on track and I am feeling great. I have been waking up early to exercise and sticking to the carb cycle. I am having a much better experience this time around.

I am finishing up my last few days at my job before I start my new one. My blogging will most likely not be as frequent as I will be very busy adjusting to my new role. I promise to do my best. I hope everyone out there is doing well!

Comparison Photos

 

I have been on vacation for a week and I have fallen way behind on blogging but I just made some comparison photos from the past three summers at my family vacation and I wanted to share. I will be writting a post soon about my trip!!

Exciting news

My concert on Sunday was awesome. I did not eat healthy and I drank vodka, and I am okay with that. These past few days trying to be on track has been a struggle. Next week I am going on my annual beach vacation with my family, and my expectations of eating good are low. I do intend to run/walk on the beach daily, but as far as food intake I am not making any false promises to myself or my readers.

When I get back from the beach I intend on giving the carb cycling diet one full month. Although it was a lot of work it was manageable and it yielded the results I was looking for. I am excited to get back on it.

I have known for almost two weeks now but I could not say anything but, starting August 1^st I am going to be starting a new more challenging job. I currently work full time at a dealership and part time at a mental health center. The mental health center has a full time position they are offering me and considering this is what I went to school for I am jumping all over it. It will be M-F 8-5. I NEVER in my life have had weekends off so this is very exciting. The pay is almost identical to what I make now, and the opportunity for growth and promotions are endless. I am very excited about the future of my career and I haven’t been able to say that for over two years.  J 

One full week of Carb Cycling

Okay so today is Saturday. It is the last day of my first week of carb cycling. Saturday is weigh-in day and Sunday is a free cheat day. My weigh in this morning showed I have lost 5lbs this week. Fuck yes. Tomorrow I am going to see Zac Brown Band and I am staying at a hotel so thank goodness it is a free cheat day.

On a scale from 1-10 I would say I liked this diet a 6. I only give it that score because I lost 5lbs. It was a lot of work….ALOT! On Sunday I went shopping and spent 135$ on the “approved foods”. On Sunday afternoon I spent almost 3hrs cooking, chopping, washing, measuring, so on and so forth. This was with the boys help.

Day one:  I had a terrible headache and I was starving all day.

Day two:  I still had a headache and was extremely full. I still don’t know how I didn’t vomit, but the protein at every meal was defiantly catching up to me. (According to the book this is a normal reaction from your body during the first three days.) This day I walked/ran at the track for 30min and climbed stairs.

Day three:  I was still kind of full (nothing like day two) but my headache was gone. Over all I was feeling much better.

Day four:  I felt great. No headaches, no fullness. I was actually hungry every three hours and was feeling much better about the diet. I started this morning with push up’s, sit up’s, and squats. I then went for a 2mile walk and did some exercises in the pool in the afternoon.

Day five: I felt great. I feel healthier; I am satisfied with my meals.

Today is day six and I still feel good. I am not sure if I could do this diet long term but I did get what I was looking for (a kick in the face to my diet plateau).

Reasons why I don’t think I could do this diet long term:

1.)    It is a lot of work. Even though I spent three hours prepping food for the week on Sunday, I still spent anywhere from 40min – 60min a day putting the meals together. Mostly because some meals where protein shakes and I did not want to make those until the morning of.  Also since the boy did it with me we went through a lot of food much faster than I expected.

2.)    It is expensive.  $135 a week is a lot of money for food every week.

3.)    Having to eat every three hours can be inconvenient. I felt like the whole week I was watching the clock trying to make sure I ate at the right times. Some days my schedule was funky due to working odd shifts, and I had to eat in my car while driving. Not ideal for me.

Things I liked about this diet:

1.)    I got the effect I was looking for (dropped five pounds)

2.)    I liked eating healthier more wholesome foods. No sugar and no fake sweeteners were allowed. It is all natural -whole grain, not processed foods. (which is why I think I had a headache the first two days, I think that was my body withdrawing from all the crap its used to.

 

Now the question is will I continue this for week two? I still am not sure yet!

I have been so caught up in this diet, prepping food, eating food, prepping food eating food, working working working, that I am relieved and scared for a cheat day. I truly do feel healthier from this week and I am nervous my body will be pissed at me when I fill it with vodka and sandwiches tomorrow. But I am so sick of thinking about my next meal I am looking forward to a day off.

I really think Monday morning when I wake up is when I am going to decide if I will do this for another week.

I will keep you all posted, and I have exciting news that I will share after my concert!

Carb Cycling Day Two

Yesterday was Day One of the Carb Cycling diet. I had a headache and was starving all day.
My menu for the day was

Bfast: Greek Yogurt and Pineapple

Morning Snack: Oatmeal protein shake

Lunch: Ground turkey, long grain rice, veggies

Afternoon Snack: Chicken and grapes

Dinner: Steak, sweet potatoe, veggies

This morning I was not very hungry and the headache was gone. Half way through breakfast I was stuffed but I was told this would happen. I was told its going to be difficult at first to eat the five meals a day, but over time my body will become hungry every three hours as opposed to me dreading eating every three hours.

Today’s menu was

Bfast: Protein powder mixed with water and almond milk poured over fiber one cereal.

Morning Snack: Turkey, celery, and peanut butter

Lunch: Chicken, Veggies, Low fat cheese, marinara sauce

Afternoon Snack: Peanutbutter Protein Shake

Dinner: Egg white omelet with veggies and cheese

 

As of right now I have only made it to my morning snack. I am comfortably full but my chicken parm lunch is due to be eaten in 30 minutes and I really don’t want to! I told myself I would try this diet out for the week and on Sunday see where I am at.

Sunday I am going to see Zac Brown Band and luckily Sunday is a free day and I can eat whatever I want! J I will try to give another update before the weekend.

It is only day two so I feel it is unfair to give a review of this diet so far.

 

This is how full I feel.
 

 

One year anniversary of my blog!!!!

Today is exactly one year that I got the confidence and inspiration to start my own blog. The thought of putting my success and failures out there for the world to see was the best motivation I have ever gained. My idea stemmed from the fact that time is going to pass weather I want it to or not. I can make the best of it, or do nothing at all. One year has already passed from when I decided to begin this blog and I am so happy I did.

I find myself pushing harder during workouts just so I can write about the experience. I find myself reading old posts and reliving moments, good and bad. I look forward to coming here and informing my followers of what is going on in my world, and reaching out to all of you who have been in my shoes for advice. I can only hope my experiences inspire others and prove that anything you put your mind to is possible. This whole weight loss thing is just a mind game. Stay positive and everything will fall into place.

I will be starting the carb cycling diet on Monday July 1^st and it seems to be the perfect time. One positive year is finished and another is about to begin. I appreciate all your support and I look forward to another exciting year in the online community!

Again: If anyone has any experience with carb cycling and can give me some feedback I would greatly appreciate it!!!

Action Shots

The cross country 5k just sent some pix from the race I wanted to share!   :)   They have my official time as 48:37.

I just started runnin'

Pretty sure I was on the verge of death here.

Carb Cycling. Help Please.

I started my couch to 5k training app on Sunday. It was hard! The heat and humidity have been brutal lately. I stuck with it and I ran all 8-10 times it requires me to, for a minute each time. Yesterday after work I hit the gym and completed the app again. Even in an indoor gym with A.C and a huge fan I was DYING. Today I am going to do a Jillian Michaels video in my air conditioned house. I miss that crazy woman. I miss my weights, and I want to switch things up a bit since I don’t have any races coming up.

I did sign up for a virtual 5k through Fat to Finish Line’s face book page that I will be completing while I am on vacation at the beach. But other then that I don’t have anything set in stone. I have races I plan to sign up for in September, and October and possibly August I just haven’t pulled the trigger yet.

I believe I have officially hit a pleateu in my weight loss and I have been toying with the idea to do Chris Powell’s carb cycling. I bought the book last year and read it, but at the time Weight Wactcher’s was working great for me.  I am now committed and willing to do the work it takes to try and give carb cycling a try.

HAS ANYONE DONE CARB CYCLING BEFORE OR KNOW ANY HELPFUL INFORMATION FOR ME?

I plan to start Monday July 1^st. We just went shopping at my house yesterday so I feel bad wasting so many groceries. Plus, I peeked at the book again last night and it is going to take me about a week to plan and prepare everything I will need.

I leave for a week vacation on July 12^th so my goal is to give this carb cycling a try for two weeks. If I hate it I will quit (I have a feeling I will like it though.) If I can get a good system in place hopefully continuing the diet on vacation won’t be too much of a hassle.

If anyone has any helpful information about carb cycling I would greatly appreciate it!

Cross Country 5K

I will do my best to keep this as short as possible.

My 5k Cross Country race on Thursday night was AMAZING!

MY boyfriend decided 20 minutes before the race started that we he wanted to join.

 

The boy and I before the race

 

 

My parents were there and the atmosphere was great. Even during the race people were saying “good job” “you doing great” the entire way. It was a very positive and encouraging atmosphere.

About 75% of the course was an incline and after .5 miles I thought I was going to die. It by far was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I am happy I trained with some incline but even so, I was not prepared for how challenging this course was going to be. It was hill, after hill, after down hill, after big up hill.

At one point I was cramping so bad and my heart rate was so high I contemplated taking a short break, but I kept going.

The last .5 of the race was probably the most challenging mentally because we zig zagged side ways up a hill and I could see how far in front of me I still had left to go (where as on the trail you couldn’t see what was next.)

Seeing how far the finish line was damaged my spirit hard core but I kept going, and I tried to keep a good pace.

When the finish line was straight ahead I got a glimpse of the time clock. (My goal was to finish this race in an hour or less. If the clock had said 59:59 I would have been happy.) When I saw that the finish clock said 48 minutes I was in shock!!!

I gasped, said “oh my god” out loud, and just started running. I could not (and still cannot) believe I finished in 48:35. I was so over whelmed and emotions were all over the place that as soon as I grabbed flowers from my mother who was waiting at the finish line, I continued to run away from the crowd because I burst into tears.

 

 

I was so hesitant to sign up for this race due to the challenging course. On race day I had the biggest butterflies because I truly did not believe I was going to finish in an hour. (And this is when I thought there were only a few hills involved.) I stuck with it and finished. I finished in 48:35 beating my last 5k time by 6 minutes. And my last 5K was on a normal road/pavement, not grass hills and gravel.

I am high off of life these days and I am so proud of myself.

Three years ago I couldn’t breathe after climbing a flight of stairs, and two days ago I completed a cross country 5k course in 48 minutes. FUCK YES!

 

I discovered I have “runners toe” and I don’t even care. To be honest I am proud of this bad boy.

 

Pre Race Day

Tomorrow is race day. I am so nervous. I think a few different factors are playing into my nervousness.

1.) There will be people at the finish line waiting for me.

2.) The course is cross country, so it’s mostly grass, gravel, and uneven surfaces.

 3.) The race starts later then I am used to (6:30pm, when I usually do my workouts anywhere from first thing in the morning to 4pm.)

I know everything is going to be just fine, but I am still new to all of this stuff and emotions are all over the place!

I saw this race posted online months ago, but was very hesitant to sign up because of the course, so the fact I have entered makes me proud all in itself. I am stepping way out of my comfort zone with this one guys.

I will have a post -5k post on Friday.

Once this race is over I am going to start the couch to 5k training app that I have on my phone. I toyed with it last year but never made it past week two. I think I will do better this time around with the main reason being I know how to shut that negative voice up in my head!

I have a 5k for a family member who passed away happening in October and I have just made the decision as I am typing this that my goal is to run that entire thing. No walking breaks. Running. 3.1 miles. I have over three months to train for it and I have already been working on my running for over a year. People do this all the time , why cant I?  

Race Shirt

 I found a shirt for my race which is 4 days away!!!! I am happy with the shirt. I took it to the gym yesterday and completed 3.5 in one hour. It is amazing how a new, cute outfit can get you excited to go work out. I also put together a new running playlist and it worked out great.  It is defiantly important to switch things up to keep you motivated.

 

Neon Pink for my race

 

 

My workout yesterday had me feeling so amazing I cannot wait to go again today after work. It is not too hot out and there is a nice breeze, so I am hoping the weather will stay like that so I can hit the track. If it is too hot I will just go to the gym again no big deal.

I have done very well this week with my WW points and I am confident about tomorrows weigh in.

I had my first product emerge from my garden the other night which had me very excited!!!

First green bean from my garden!

 

 

Hope everyone is having a nice Saturday!

New Shoes

So on Friday I splurged and bought a pair of over priced running shoes. The store man watched me walk across the floor, and then watched me do a little jog. He came to the conclusion I am “netural” and it does not appear I need any type of corrective support. I should have just left after I got that information and bought a pair of 60$ Nike’s like I have now (which I love btw). Instead I played the game and  bought these.

 

I paid way too much for them but purple is my favorite and I defiantly needed a new pair so whatever. As long as I don’t wear them outside (treadmill only) and there is no significant damage within 30 days I can return them.

 

This was the result of the first workout with them.

I know my face looks weird I was just so tired.

 

I am not sure how I feel about the shoes just yet. Today I plan on doing 3 miles at the gym and I have better socks then I wore last time so we will see how it goes.

Sunday I did 3.23miles at the track in 53 minutes. I decided Sunday was the start of the “nothing less than 3 miles from here on out.” My race is a smidge over a week away and I am getting excited.

I am going tomorrow to get a neon colored shirt for the race. My parents, the boy, and even possibly some co-workers plan to cheer me on at the finish line, so the pressure is on! I am telling everyone it will take me about an hour to complete to course. I really don’t know how detrimental the hills are going to be but I am confident I can keep my time under an hour.

Strange Walk

Yesterday I planned to hit the track for two miles and climb the stairs a total of ten times. When I got to the school there was some sort of practice going on and I could not use the track. There are some neighborhoods around the school that are quiet so I started heading that way. I found a street I had never explored and it looked quite so on a whim I headed through it.  Everything went fine and obviously I am okay but I probably wont go on the street again. It was almost too quiet. All the driveways had cars in them but there were no people what so ever. No one’s lawns where really taken care of like most of the neighborhoods in that area, and it almost looked like a ghost town or something. I even passed two dogs who were in an outdoor enclosed area and they didn’t even bark at me. Two little yippy dogs just staring at me, but no barking.

I then found some street with lots of hills (perfect for what I am training for) so it ended up being a good workout. I completed 2.68 miles and after all the up and down hills I decided not to do any stairs.

My plans for the rest of this week is to do nothing less than 2.5 miles each day, and next week nothing less than 3 miles each day. My 5K is two weeks from today!! I think I will do just fine. I had incorporated some hills for my last 5k training because I knew there would be one hill but during the actual race there where four and I did just fine!  I am nervous for this next race because I know it is going to be challenging, but I am probably just hyping myself up like I ALWAYS do about EVERYTHING!

Googled pic of a ghost town lol.
 

Next 5k

I am still alive people have no fear! The week leading up to Memorial Day weekend was rainy all week. Motivation was hard to come by, especially after completing my first 5K. Then the week after the long weekend my co-worker was on vacation and I worked close to 55hrs last week.  Long story short the past two weeks have been wasted. My eating has been so/so and I have only been working out every other day.

My next 5K is June 20^th so I am on a serious time limit to get in some good work outs in the next two weeks. I started Saturday at the gym using the incline on the treadmill. I am very proud of myself because last night I was stuck at work late (6:40pm) and still made it to the gym to get some incline practice in.

My 5K on June 20^th is on a cross country course. It is very close to my house, so over Memorial Day weekend I went and checked out the course. The beginning of mile two is more like a hike in the woods so I am hell bent on training on an incline so get my legs and lungs stronger!

The wardrobe theme is bright neon clothing so those pictures should be something for ya’ll to look forward to ;-)

So I am still here, I am back on track and looking forward to my next race. The weather is bearable again and I am feeling good.

 

Here are some pix of what I found on Memorial Day weekend when I went to check out my next 5K course.

Walk against hunger

After my 5K high- I was quickly onto my next adventure. Just days before my 5K I signed up for a 4 mile  “walk for hunger.” I did this event alone, because it was sort of last minute, but I did not mind. I was able to go at my own pace and there was way more room to move around get going.

I made it to the finishing line in 1hr. I was ecstatic. Then I pulled out my phone to make sure it was 4.0miles and my phone said 3.79. You bet your ass I walked through the finish line out and around the park until my phone said 4.0. I completed in 1:02. J  I am very happy with that. I averaged a 15 minute mile and I helped raise money for less fortunate woop woop!

Tomorrow I am going to check out the cross country root for my next 5k happening on June 20^th. I am loving this stuff!

 

Unfortunately I do not have any pictures from my walk for hunger because I was alone but I took a picture of the t-shirt I scored to prove I really did it! Haha.

 

heck yes

walk against hunger

 

First 5k ever!

Thursday was my first 5k. It was at 6pm in a town about 20 minutes North of where I live.  I woke up early, packed my work out cloths, packed a high protein lunch, and made sure I had everything I would need.  I went in the bathroom at work to change before heading up north only to discover I had forgotten socks! Luckily a girl at work had an extra pair, but it was not a good way to start the evening.

I had plans to meet my friend at 4:30pm and we would head down to the race to get situated and settled. At 4:33pm I get a text from her saying she is running late and cannot meet till 5:30pm (remember the race starts at 6pm). We decide to just meet at the event and I walk .80 down to the race. Thankfully she got there to meet me at about 5:50pm. There were opening announcements and moments of silence and we discovered 6,500 people were participating.

After all the runners had passed, the walkers could start. There were so many people I was immediately frustrated that I could not go at the pace I wanted to. During mile one I was able to run a few times, and I felt bad blowing by people, but overall it was very annoying. All I kept thinking about was I had looked forward to this for so long and now I am having the worst time ever. When we finally got to mile 1 the woman yelled out “twenty one minutes good job guys!”TWENTY ONE MINUTES?!!!?? I have been working my ass off since March and I average a 17 minute mile at most!

Mile two was much more tolerable. I was able to run more and the crowdedness thinned out. I had way more space and I could move a lot faster. My friend stuck by my side the entire time. She ran when I ran and she was right there with me every time I did a quick move around someone slower. At about 2.5 miles I was feeling great. My mood had improved and my motivation was in full gear.

I finished the race in 54.14 minutes and honestly I am okay with that. I am very happy with that. When I first started training I had it in my head I wanted to complete the race in under an hour. Since my training has improved so much over the past couple months, I somehow got the number of 46 minutes in my head as a finish time. Considering how slow my start was -which was totally unavoidable, I am more than fine with 54 minutes.

Overall the experience was great. Between the socks, my friend being late, and my frustrating start, it was still awesome. We ran to the finish line and I could not believe I had completed this goal.

We hung out for a little while and walked around the event. The amount of unhealthy food being served was insane. There was an entire tent of just cookies and brownies. I was shocked. My friend and I got these cool new waters called Karma and chose not to eat.

I made the decision I was going to walk back to my car to burn some extra calories. So I hiked uphill .80 miles back to my car. At the end of it all I burned 682 calories and I felt like I was hit by a small train.

I am absolutely blown away by all the positive comments on my facebook after I had a post about completing my first 5k. So many people wrote about how amazing I look and that they cant believe I did a 5k. So many people told me how proud they are of me, even some people I never thought I would say hear say it. I am still in shock over the amount of support I have received and I am the happiest I have ever been in my life right now. I have a four mile walk on Sunday to fight against hunger and I can not wait!! J

 

 

 

After my first 5k

 

As the walkers start

Passed A Cop And Two More 5ks

Sunday I went to the track for my normal 3 mile walk/run. As soon as I pulled in I noticed there were a few off duty police officers doing some sort of training. “Oh great how embarrassing is this going to be” is what I am thinking as soon as I see them. One man in particular looked more athletic than all of them with muscular calves and broad buff arms. I got in my lane and started my walk. Now I am on a track so things get boring walking in a big circle for 12 laps, so I am just watching these cops warm up and chit chat. Then they start running. Two men running and one man was running with them acting as a coach. Each time they pass me I try to stay out of the way and I notice the “coach” encouraging the particularly large athletic man. At one point I caught up to the small group and notice the athletic man stops. He starts walking, he can’t run anymore and is completely out of breath. (Mind you they have only gone .75 miles while I am at about 2.8 miles.) The coach is yelling at the man “no way you are not stopping we are almost done, lets go don’t stop come on!!!” I was unsure if I should say something or not but before I could stop myself I blurted out, “come on man the fat girls doing it you can finish this!” That gave everyone a good chuckle and ultimately the man finished. Haha. I just could not believe how in shape these guys looked only to find out I was more capable then they were. Seeing these guys at the track when I first pulled in was such a kick in the confidence, but I will tell you when that large man couldn’t keep up it built me back up by ten. That just goes to prove looks are not everything!

I have been walking every day this week because my 5K is tomorrow!!! I am very excited for the atmosphere and completing something I never dreamed I would do.

I just found out the homeless shelter in my city is putting on a 4 mile walk next Sunday May 19^th and I plan to do that for sure. I used to work for the shelter, and I normally do my long walks on Sundays anyways, so why not join the town!

There is also a 5k right next to my house happening in June. It supports mental health and it looks really fun. The only thing I am concerned with is the cross country course. Since the course it right next to my house I plan to start practicing on it before the actual race in June. I think it will be a good way to switch things up a bit, and it will be supporting a great cause. 

 

Needless to say I am doing great. I went to a bridal shower this past weekend and got many compliments on how I was looking. Most these girls only see me three times a year so I knew someone would notice (at least I was hoping!) Thankfully they did.

I will defiantly be writing about my 5k experience a.s.a.p.   Till then…….

Bridal shower in the A.M

After Party in the P.M.

 

In shock!

I can not believe I made a debut on Katie’s (runs for cookies) blog.  I had such an amazing week last week and I was feeling so proud that when I saw her post on Facebook I decided to share. I almost wet myself when I opened my reader list this morning and saw MY picture on HER blog. I know she has tons of readers and so many of their stories have inspired me. I really hope my baggie shirt can inspire someone to keep going in their journey.

Thank you Katie!!

Alison was spring cleaning when she came across this shirt she used to wear 80 pounds ago. You can see on the right how tight it was, and now it just hangs on her! She's training for a 5K, and has stuck with her goal of walking a mile every single day until her race.

Who Needs Drugs?

Saturday after work I hit the gym and I ran three separate times for one minute each time. I completed one mile on the treadmill.  I have NEVER ran for a full minute three separate times. I am lucky to run one minute once.  It is so amazing to see how I am slowly building up my abilities. I also hit the crazy machine for 20 minutes and the bike for 15 minutes.

Sunday morning’s weigh in was 256, putting me at the lowest recorded weight since I have started keeping track last June. I had THE biggest smile on my face. I was so happy and proud to write down that number and have it be “official”. It has been a year of hovering around the same numbers, to finally break it was awesome.

After an egg white omelet I hit the track determined to not have a technology malfunction like I did last weekend. I started my tracking app on my phone and did my walk/run on the inside lane of the track so I would know exactly how far I had gone. I completed one mile is 15minutes. I completed 3.1 miles in 46 minutes. I completed a total of 3.22 miles under 50 minutes. Who needs drugs when you can accomplish goals and be high off life. Seriously. It was such an amazing weekend as far as weight loss and goal accomplishments.  I am loving life today and I can not believe how great I feel after such a successful week!

Happy Monday everyone!

 

Bring on the 5K

429 calories burned before noon :-)

 

Proud with a capitol P.

Lets start with Thursday. I was supposed to meet my friend for a walk at the track at 5pm. I did not get out of work till 5:30. Normally I would have said “it is too late to exercise”, but I reminded myself of my goal to walk every day until my 5K, even if it is just one mile.  I get outside and it is cold and grey and not very nice out and I realize I did not have a jacket.  (Just go home whispered in my ear)  I went to the track only to discover the students were having lacrosse practice so the track was closed for public use. At this point all signs point to go home.

 I drove home grabbed a jacket and did 1.3 miles in my neighborhood. I have had Katie W ‘s guest post in my head for days now and it just reminds me you have to work hard. You have to keep going. Things are going to get in your way but YOU have to decide to keep pushing forward! I felt great after my walk and I am so proud of how far I have come.

Last year when I started my blog I created a “goals” page. I have not touched nor thought about that page in months. One of the goals I made when I first started running was to “jog down Ohio Ave without stopping.”  Friday on my walk I turned down Ohio Ave just like I always do, and once again Katie W’s inspiring post came to mind, and I just started running. I decided today was going to be the day I completed that goal. There was no reason today could not be THE DAY. I ran passing a man working outside (normally I would have stopped because I get embarrassed running in front of people) I ran passed an unleashed dog who was barking at me, I ran up a few minor inclines on Ohio Ave all the way to the very end.

I thought of stopping every third step. I realized this was the farthest I have ever run on this street and if I stop now it will be good enough, but I didn’t stop running. I ran until I hit the dead end of Ohio Ave. I felt like I was going to die, but I didn’t. My legs tingled with pins and needles but I walked it off. My heart was racing, I was dripping sweat, and I was so proud I could have cried.  Two things dawned on me after completing this goal. One: Holey shit I just completed a goal, I can’t believe how far I have come and how awesome I am. Two: Shit, now that I have done it once there is no reason I can’t do it every time.  Ha ha. That is okay though. To be honest I cannot wait to do it again.

Two years ago weighing well over 300lbs I was miserable. Mentally, psychically, emotionally I was in the lowest place I had ever been. Today I am joining 5k’s and counting Weight Watchers points, and I am the happiest I have ever been.

The boy kept telling me how skinny I looked yesterday so I made him take a pic so I could post it on here. My pants are too big and I am not a fan of the shirt but here it is anyways.

 

June 2010 300+ LBS

May 2013 257lbs

 

May Day

Make it count May? Many as you can May? I still am not sure what my motto for this month will be, but I sure do know what my approach will be. WORK MY ASS OFF!

I plan to walk every day until May 16^th (the day of my 5k). It will be at least one mile and does not need to be more than three miles. Any other exercise added is fine the more the better, but I want to walk walk walk.

That is all.

Dam you technology!

Sunday I was determined to do a full three miles. Nothing was going to get in my way. I got to the track and no one was there, I had the track to myself the entire time. I started my app that I use to calculate my distance. I walked in lane 6 and decided I would do tweleve times around in that lane (knowing perfectly well this would be more then three miles.)  I got the urge to run early on in the walk and ultimately completed my first mile in 15 minutes (pretty sure this is my fastest mile yet). I was so pumped up and proud, that I continued to run multiple times throughout mile two. At one point during my walk I had texted my friend a few times when it dawned on me I had not heard my phone beep for mile two. I looked at my phone and the app said I had completed 1.17 miles. BULLSHIT!!! I know for a fact at this point I had gone around lane 6 about nine times which should have been well over two miles. Realizing my texting may have interrupted my app pissed me off so bad. I was keeping track of how many times I went around so I know I completed more then three miles, but not having my tracking device back me up really upset me. I continued on my walk/run and completed lane 6 a total of twelve times in 58 minutes. My legs were sore, my heart was pumping, I was dripping sweat, and I felt amazing. I still can only jog for about 45 seconds at a time but I am okay with that for now. I know if I keep with it my time will increase.

Saturday at the gym I jogged a full minute on the treadmill for the first time. I have jogged for full minutes before but they are rare and it has not been recently.

Anywho before my awesome workout I had cleaned everything imaginable in my home including putting away my winter cloths and taking out some spring things. Remember the picture I found from Vegas? Whelp I found the shirt I was wearing in that pic and decided to do a little comparison photo. I tried to do the same pose I was doing in the original picture haha. I have no idea why I saved this shirt because I know for a fact when I put it away last fall that it was too big for me. I am sure glad I did though because I love comparison photos.

Short Post

I have been walking daily and I have fallen in love with being outside and pushing my legs to work harder. My eating has kind of been all over the place but I am slowly getting back to “normal.”

I am really excited about my 5k next month and I am already researching more 5k’s to participate in. Once this 5K is over in May, I really want to work harder at running longer. The thought of being able to run a 5K in the fall excites the shit out of me!

I don’t really have much to report, things are status quo for me. Working a lot and keeping up with my exercise.

Sorry the post is so short, but I figure something is better then nothing.

Boston/Weigh In

I am so excited/proud for my little 5K coming up next month. I cannot imagine what a dream come true it is for some people to participate in something as amazing as the Boston Marathon.  I live less than an hour from Boston so this event hits very close to home for me.  I have no words for the knot in my stomach I had as soon as I heard about the bombings. What a terrible, terrible thing.

Last week’s weigh in had me up two pounds. I know my eating was not on point, but I did not seriously think two pounds was necessary! In response to the two pound gain I walked for thirty minutes Monday night (yes Monday, I NEVER exercise on Monday) I did one of my more difficult Jillian Videos on Tuesday, I am walking today, tomorrow, and Friday, and I am going to the gym on Saturday. I have also learned my lesson this time and realized how important my eating is. I have two months until my friend’s wedding where my goal is to be down 100lbs. I have two months to loose 20lbs. I realize this may not happen, but if I can be as close to goal as possible I will be a happy girl!

I peeked at the scale this morning and I am down 3lbs. I will work hard, I will not let my eating go off. Point blank period!

My bathroom up date is pretty much done. I only have finishing touches like bath matts and light switches. My entire upstairs is all clean and ready for spring!

Here’s a pic of some of my bathroom, as well as some pix of Boston I took from this past August.