Thursday, November 1, 2012
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Update - long overdue
I should have updated by now, but I have not taken the time. It's been over a year now since my surgery and what a year it has been! I have spent the summer working on getting in shape - doing Jillian Michael's dvds and running longer and more often, plus cutting out more carbs and focusing on getting in more variety of protein and more consistent eating schedules. It's been a big process this whole year of finding what works and what does not and filing away keys in my mind that keep me on track. I watched an episode of "Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition" where the contestant worked out 6-8 hours a day. It clicked with me during that 2 hours watching that show: I can work out a LOT more and not hurt myself. I was working out every other day. I immediately switched to making it my goal to work out every single day and it has immensely changed both my body and my mindset. I went from running 3 miles each time I ran to 3.5, then 4, then 5 and most recently 6 miles. It has been amazing to feel my body just DO IT and fall into line with what I ask of it. I feel like a totally new person, it is so indescribable. I just wish everyone could experience this kind of freedom.
At my one year anniversary I had my one year checkup at the bariatric surgeon's office. I weighed in at 174.5 pounds, for a total loss of 105.5 pounds since I started this journey. My BMI is still not in the normal range but the dietician said to not worry about it since I have muscle. Okay, that's all nice to say but I will not stop until I am at a normal weight, no matter what calculation is done to determine it. I'm just 5.5 pounds away from that goal - 168 pounds is the top of the normal BMI range for my height. I will get there, no problem :) My Vitamin D levels are low as are my B-12, which is odd cuz I take those every day, but we're going to double up for a few months and see if it works to get them up where they belong. Nothing dangerously low, but they want to keep all levels healthy of course. My good cholesterol levels are stellar, she said she can tell how much I exercise based on that. So I'm glad to be as healthy as I am now. YAY!
Bob Harper's book, The Skinny Rules: The Simple, Nonnegotiable Principles for Getting to Thin, has totally been a huge key for me this summer. It simply lists 20 rules to live by. I can not live by all 20 rules yet, but I've implemented a few and they have been super helpful. The most beneficial thus far is simply to keep protein and healthy snacks in the front of the refrigerator. I keep myself totally stocked with Greek yogurt, hard boiled eggs, apples and berries. It has made it so much easier to avoid junk food - when I am feeling bored and wanting to eat, I just eat something healthy out of my fridge. Among the list of other great rules are - no carbs after lunch (hard to do but I do remind myself of this when I'm contemplating mindless snacking) no potatoes, no fast food (I gave up fast food 1/1/12 so that one isn't hard), always eat breakfast, do not skip meals, and eat an apple or berries every single day. The harder ones to follow I will start implementing next I guess. I highly recommend this book - super easy to read, lots of recipes and really common sense based.
I ran my first 10k today. I had a time of 1:15:02. I wanted to run it under 1:15 but I guess I got close enough. I would have finished faster but it was EXTREMELY hilly! OMG, it was a challenge but it was also really fun. It was in Estherville, Iowa, the town where my Grandma lives as well as my aunt and uncles. It was so so so so so fun to run in the town that is so dear to my heart and see parts of it I have not seen ever before. I trained and prepared well so I felt strong, energetic and not sore, which was so great. And the weather was amazing - 66 and cloudy. A little humid but still so great to run in such cool temperatures. Then it poured but cleared up just in time for the parade in town :) My goal is to run the half marathon there next year. We shall see!
All in all, it's been quite a journey. I am so much healthier and feel amazing and I feel like the changes I've made to my diet and exercise habits will stick and I will be able to continue to maintain and improve my health. Running in the races I have have been keeping me motivated so I intend to keep doing more and more so I keep getting stronger and increase my endurance. It's so fun to be ABLE to run for an hour and 15 minutes. I am flirting with the idea of running a full marathon at some point. Just to DO it. Probably not the Twin Cities marathon though, it's too hilly :) So I don't know. We will see how I feel when I do the half marathon and go from there. It's totally addicting, this running thing. There is no feeling as sweet as crossing a finish line. My new favorite quote is, "we don't quit when we're tired; we quit when we're done." Kept me going today on a ginormous 1/4 mile STEEP hill.
So I guess that's it for now. I probably won't update this much anymore since I am almost at goal weight and just maintaining my lifestyle. Check my main blog "www.thelifeofcranny.blogspot.com.
At my one year anniversary I had my one year checkup at the bariatric surgeon's office. I weighed in at 174.5 pounds, for a total loss of 105.5 pounds since I started this journey. My BMI is still not in the normal range but the dietician said to not worry about it since I have muscle. Okay, that's all nice to say but I will not stop until I am at a normal weight, no matter what calculation is done to determine it. I'm just 5.5 pounds away from that goal - 168 pounds is the top of the normal BMI range for my height. I will get there, no problem :) My Vitamin D levels are low as are my B-12, which is odd cuz I take those every day, but we're going to double up for a few months and see if it works to get them up where they belong. Nothing dangerously low, but they want to keep all levels healthy of course. My good cholesterol levels are stellar, she said she can tell how much I exercise based on that. So I'm glad to be as healthy as I am now. YAY!
Bob Harper's book, The Skinny Rules: The Simple, Nonnegotiable Principles for Getting to Thin, has totally been a huge key for me this summer. It simply lists 20 rules to live by. I can not live by all 20 rules yet, but I've implemented a few and they have been super helpful. The most beneficial thus far is simply to keep protein and healthy snacks in the front of the refrigerator. I keep myself totally stocked with Greek yogurt, hard boiled eggs, apples and berries. It has made it so much easier to avoid junk food - when I am feeling bored and wanting to eat, I just eat something healthy out of my fridge. Among the list of other great rules are - no carbs after lunch (hard to do but I do remind myself of this when I'm contemplating mindless snacking) no potatoes, no fast food (I gave up fast food 1/1/12 so that one isn't hard), always eat breakfast, do not skip meals, and eat an apple or berries every single day. The harder ones to follow I will start implementing next I guess. I highly recommend this book - super easy to read, lots of recipes and really common sense based.
I ran my first 10k today. I had a time of 1:15:02. I wanted to run it under 1:15 but I guess I got close enough. I would have finished faster but it was EXTREMELY hilly! OMG, it was a challenge but it was also really fun. It was in Estherville, Iowa, the town where my Grandma lives as well as my aunt and uncles. It was so so so so so fun to run in the town that is so dear to my heart and see parts of it I have not seen ever before. I trained and prepared well so I felt strong, energetic and not sore, which was so great. And the weather was amazing - 66 and cloudy. A little humid but still so great to run in such cool temperatures. Then it poured but cleared up just in time for the parade in town :) My goal is to run the half marathon there next year. We shall see!
All in all, it's been quite a journey. I am so much healthier and feel amazing and I feel like the changes I've made to my diet and exercise habits will stick and I will be able to continue to maintain and improve my health. Running in the races I have have been keeping me motivated so I intend to keep doing more and more so I keep getting stronger and increase my endurance. It's so fun to be ABLE to run for an hour and 15 minutes. I am flirting with the idea of running a full marathon at some point. Just to DO it. Probably not the Twin Cities marathon though, it's too hilly :) So I don't know. We will see how I feel when I do the half marathon and go from there. It's totally addicting, this running thing. There is no feeling as sweet as crossing a finish line. My new favorite quote is, "we don't quit when we're tired; we quit when we're done." Kept me going today on a ginormous 1/4 mile STEEP hill.
So I guess that's it for now. I probably won't update this much anymore since I am almost at goal weight and just maintaining my lifestyle. Check my main blog "www.thelifeofcranny.blogspot.com.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
400 sticks of butter...melted
100 pounds are off of my body for good! YAY! That's 400 sticks of butter. Gross. I thought I'd cry or hoop and holler when I saw 180.0 show up on my scale but I didn't. I felt rather numb. Super happy, super excited, it was so great. I told all my best peeps. And then moved on with the day. Since then I have gone back up a pound due to a combination of exulting in my victory by eating bad food and retaining water. But oh wellz, it'll come off in a day or two if I amp up my water again. Now I have to figure out what I want my goal weight to be. My next goal of course is the next 5 pound mark, so 175, and then 169, which is the weight I need to be to fit into the "normal" weight category on the BMI scale. So for sure 169 is my goal. And then maybe another 9 pounds to hit an even 160? I don't know. I feel thin until I look at my health magazines and see people who are actually thin and I realize I easily have another 20-30 pounds on my frame that could go, but it will for sure take a good long while to get rid of it - these last pounds have been here the longest and are the most stubborn. Plus, the body likes to keep a cushion. But I'm going to keep running and sticking to my protein-rich diet and avoiding the junky food during the week and only indulging on weekends (which is my most successful plan usually). I'll get there eventually. My surgiversary is in just 6 weeks. I'd ultimately like to be 169 by then but we will see if that happens. I'd be happy at 175 on that date. Heck, I'm just happy now :) I'm in a size 10 and that is soooo crazy to me. I went and tried on size 10 jeans at the store and I could fit into all but the skinny jeans. Super exciting.
I'm running an 8k race on Sunday. I have no idea what the heck got into me. I have never run 5 miles at one pop before. But I'm going to on Sunday I guess! I felt the desire to push myself and run further than I ever have before so why not? If I have to walk a little in the middle then I will. But my strategy is to just take it easy and jog and try to not walk or stop at all and finish in a little over an hour. We'll see! If it's hot, it will be a lot harder but it's supposed to be a cool morning. I'm super excited and plan to do a bit of a training run tomorrow night, see if I can do 4 miles and how tired I get. Then I'll know how to pace myself. I'm so excited!! I wanna run the whole thing, I wanna do it, I wanna cross the finish line knowing I just did something I have never done before and I am a ROCK STAR :) So we will see! I love that I can even try. I love that I get a lower life insurance rate now too. I love that I am not the fattest person in the room everywhere anymore. I love that my resting heart rate is 58. I love that my thighs are hard as rocks (except for the excess skin, ew ew ew ew) and my calves are super strong. Yay weight loss :) And I'm excited I still get to LIVE and have mini donuts on Sunday after my race. Yummmm.
I'm running an 8k race on Sunday. I have no idea what the heck got into me. I have never run 5 miles at one pop before. But I'm going to on Sunday I guess! I felt the desire to push myself and run further than I ever have before so why not? If I have to walk a little in the middle then I will. But my strategy is to just take it easy and jog and try to not walk or stop at all and finish in a little over an hour. We'll see! If it's hot, it will be a lot harder but it's supposed to be a cool morning. I'm super excited and plan to do a bit of a training run tomorrow night, see if I can do 4 miles and how tired I get. Then I'll know how to pace myself. I'm so excited!! I wanna run the whole thing, I wanna do it, I wanna cross the finish line knowing I just did something I have never done before and I am a ROCK STAR :) So we will see! I love that I can even try. I love that I get a lower life insurance rate now too. I love that I am not the fattest person in the room everywhere anymore. I love that my resting heart rate is 58. I love that my thighs are hard as rocks (except for the excess skin, ew ew ew ew) and my calves are super strong. Yay weight loss :) And I'm excited I still get to LIVE and have mini donuts on Sunday after my race. Yummmm.
Monday, April 23, 2012
I just started running...and running...
I'm not Forrest Gump yet...but, I ran my first 5k on Saturday and I'm pretty pleased. I had been running 5k on the treadmill for a couple of weeks but was worried how that would translate to running outside and in a pack of people. It was cold in the morning, like 45 degrees, and I was freaking out about how cold it was. I just layered up -wore my sleeveless running shirt, a long sleeve running shirt and a running jacket plus my sweat band over my ears and gloves to keep my fingers warm.
That's me in the red jacket at the starting lineup, just starting to jog.
That's me in the red jacket at the starting lineup, just starting to jog.
I was able to start shedding layers after about a mile and I ended up being quite comfortable, even sweaty, in just my running shirt after 2 miles. It was a really fun run, Kat told me before I started to 'run my own race' and that was key advice. I had started to want to pass some people and I started to get winded early so I settled back in to my own pace and just ran where I could sustain my pace. It was a good plan. The last 1/2 mile I really poured it on and I was so excited to see I finished under 40 minutes - my goal was to finish under 45 minutes!! My official time was 37:24. I finished 83rd overall (161 racers), 52nd of the women (113 women) and 19th of my 19-34 age group (35 in my group). So that's about the middle, which makes me happy, I really just wanted to not be very last! :)
Such a positive experience. I now want to start training to run a 10k. And work on getting my 5k finishing time up there, I'd love to be able to get it under 30 minutes at some point. Must work harder!
Monday, April 16, 2012
Pact
I have found myself becoming so complacent on my food choices, just indulging in the little sweet things here and there at the office and salty snacks when I'm stressed. These will always be my struggle, no matter what, it's old habits that creep up on me slowly til before I know it, I'm eating horribly unhealthily and wracked with guilt and self-loathing, just like before I lost weight. So I'm back to hurting myself, both physically and emotionally. So I need to make a decision to stop doing these things. I have another 20 pounds to lose and a lot more fat covering these muscles than I need. I won't reach my goals by making such poor choices. So I am going to make a pact with myself. Here goes. Ahem...
I promise to honor my body's nutritional needs by feeding it healthy proteins, veggies, fruits and grains. I promise to keep sweets and junk food out of my mouth. I promise to eat when my body is craving good food and not for entertainment, emotional soothing or stress relief. I will do these things to the best of my ability. I will set myself up for successful choices by keeping healthy options with me and keeping unhealthy options out of my reach. Signed..ME. :)
I promise to honor my body's nutritional needs by feeding it healthy proteins, veggies, fruits and grains. I promise to keep sweets and junk food out of my mouth. I promise to eat when my body is craving good food and not for entertainment, emotional soothing or stress relief. I will do these things to the best of my ability. I will set myself up for successful choices by keeping healthy options with me and keeping unhealthy options out of my reach. Signed..ME. :)
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
5k!
I ran 5k on Monday on my treadmill, without stopping (except once to gulp some Gatorade -I'm not so good at drinking mid-stride) and I felt super strong and could have gone longer had I really wanted to push it. Super amazing feeling of accomplishment. The Couch to 5K program has really worked well and it's so awesome to finally be at the point where I can just settle in and run. Now I need to work on my speed and run faster as it really is a pretty lame jogging pace when I run. But that's all right, gotta walk before you can jog, gotta jog before you can truly run :) I run in the Challenge Obesity 5k on April 21st and then the Get in Gear 5k on April 28th. I'm ready, and I'm so excited!
I weighed in at 185.2 this morning, so just shy of the 95 pound mark. I'm working hard to get to the 100 pound mark, trying to really avoid the junky food, pack in the protein, drink a ton and work out diligently. It is going to be one sweet milestone, that is for sure! I hope to reach it in the next 4-6 weeks, we will see. My losses seem to be unpredictable and sporadic no matter what I do so it's just a waiting game to see when it happens. And then I will have to assess how much further I need to go. It's all surreal but I am enjoying the fruits of my labors - buying size 10's and 12's when I go shopping, not being self-conscious about fat rolls around my middle, no heat rash on my thighs when it's hot, no aching feet when I've worn heels all day, the ability to work out hard and feel strong, being able to cross my legs like a lady (I really couldn't do that before), not having to shop only at Lane Bryant, touching my toes, having a waist and about 100 other things I can't think of at the moment. It's so sweet :)
I do battle with my body image though more now than before. It's odd but true. The extra skin really bothers me, it is getting worse now that I've got so little fat left to burn off. I could stand to have it removed just about everywhere and I constantly weigh the idea of surgery to take care of some of it. It's kind of a problem though akin to getting new curtains. The new curtains make the furniture look shabby. Then replacing the furniture makes the carpet look bad. So you end up needing to re-do the whole room. That's my problem. Even with intense workouts, which HAVE helped, I still have a lot of saggy, hanging, wrinkly, ugly skin that just won't be tightening up or going anywhere. It's my reminder of what was. And it bothers me and I loathe feeling it and seeing it. I really am more negative about my body now than when I was 94.8 pounds heavier, heck, even when I was 194.8 pounds heavier way back when. I don't really know why. I definitely look better but I am more critical. Perhaps it's because I'm so close yet will never look as good as I could look because of the skin. It's something I have come to terms with and work every day to just accept and deal with. I don't know that I'll ever have the money to have surgery or the guts to go through with such painful procedures so I'm going to have to just learn how to deal with it and be happy with where I am. I shall try :)
I weighed in at 185.2 this morning, so just shy of the 95 pound mark. I'm working hard to get to the 100 pound mark, trying to really avoid the junky food, pack in the protein, drink a ton and work out diligently. It is going to be one sweet milestone, that is for sure! I hope to reach it in the next 4-6 weeks, we will see. My losses seem to be unpredictable and sporadic no matter what I do so it's just a waiting game to see when it happens. And then I will have to assess how much further I need to go. It's all surreal but I am enjoying the fruits of my labors - buying size 10's and 12's when I go shopping, not being self-conscious about fat rolls around my middle, no heat rash on my thighs when it's hot, no aching feet when I've worn heels all day, the ability to work out hard and feel strong, being able to cross my legs like a lady (I really couldn't do that before), not having to shop only at Lane Bryant, touching my toes, having a waist and about 100 other things I can't think of at the moment. It's so sweet :)
I do battle with my body image though more now than before. It's odd but true. The extra skin really bothers me, it is getting worse now that I've got so little fat left to burn off. I could stand to have it removed just about everywhere and I constantly weigh the idea of surgery to take care of some of it. It's kind of a problem though akin to getting new curtains. The new curtains make the furniture look shabby. Then replacing the furniture makes the carpet look bad. So you end up needing to re-do the whole room. That's my problem. Even with intense workouts, which HAVE helped, I still have a lot of saggy, hanging, wrinkly, ugly skin that just won't be tightening up or going anywhere. It's my reminder of what was. And it bothers me and I loathe feeling it and seeing it. I really am more negative about my body now than when I was 94.8 pounds heavier, heck, even when I was 194.8 pounds heavier way back when. I don't really know why. I definitely look better but I am more critical. Perhaps it's because I'm so close yet will never look as good as I could look because of the skin. It's something I have come to terms with and work every day to just accept and deal with. I don't know that I'll ever have the money to have surgery or the guts to go through with such painful procedures so I'm going to have to just learn how to deal with it and be happy with where I am. I shall try :)
Sunday, March 11, 2012
360 sticks
I weighed in at 190.0 this morning!! Wow! Faster than I thought, this week I just dropped a lot of weight for some reason. So that's 90 pounds officially lost, 360 sticks of butter!! WOO HOO!!! It's so surreal, so exciting!! And yet...I am so excited to get the next 10 pounds off to hit my 100 pounds lost mark. That will be such a party, I'm so going to have a party. A big one. Maybe give everyone a stick of butter. :) Actually no, cuz 100 pounds of butter would cost like $300. I don't have that kind of cash :D
YAAAYYY!!!! 190 pounds. 90 pounds in less than 8 months. Less than 8 months ago my life was TOTALLY different. I thought totally different, felt totally different, and holy crap, looked totally different. It's changed everything. AAAHHHHHHHHHHH it's so awesome :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)
YAAAYYY!!!! 190 pounds. 90 pounds in less than 8 months. Less than 8 months ago my life was TOTALLY different. I thought totally different, felt totally different, and holy crap, looked totally different. It's changed everything. AAAHHHHHHHHHHH it's so awesome :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)
Friday, March 9, 2012
A little progress
Well, last time I blogged I had stalled out despite my best efforts. Since then I have had a little progress. Weighed in yesterday at 192.8. Not much progress but then I have not been perfectly vigilant either. It seems that I have to be perfectly vigilant to get results now. So it's definitely more of a challenge now. And I don't wanna be perfectly vigilant all the time. Some days I do great, others, like today, I just kind of let it fly. So it is what it is, try to string together more good days than bad days and keep at it.
I am only 7 weeks away from my 5k. I can now run 10 minutes at a time! Never thought I'd be able to do that. I ran 2 sets of 10 minutes each in my last training run, and that was tough but I felt amazingly proud of myself afterwards. I am not in love with running so I doubt this will be my new passion or anything but it's great to be ABLE to do it.
I'm onto Jillian Michael's Ripped in 30, but it will take me more than 30 to do it cuz I am alternating it with the training runs and I get a day off every week. So I've only got one more day on Level 1 then on to Level 2. It will probably take 2 months but that's okay. It keeps me working on my muscles and stamina and I love that.
Haven't measured in a while to see how many inches I'm down. probably do that on my 8 month anniversary on the 18th. I really hope to be down to 190 by then so I can celebrate 90 pounds lost in 8 months. A tall order but I'm going to really try to keep my hand from going to my mouth with food and work harder on my workouts. Even if I got to 89...that'd be swell :) Ultimately, every day gets me closer to my big milestone of 100 pounds lost. I had to modify my goals because of how slow things have been going. My goals are as follows:
Weight 190 (90 Pounds lost) 3/18/12 (8 month anniversary)
Weight 185 (95 pounds lost) 4/28/12 (The day I run my 5K)
Weight 180 (100 pounds lost) 5/18/12 (10 month anniversary)
Weight 175 (105 pounds lost) 6/18/12 (34th birthday and 11 month anniversary)
Weight 170, (110 pounds lost) 7/18/12 (1 year anniversary)
Weight 160, final goal weight (120 pounds lost) 9/18/12 (14 month anniversary)
I would hope it would go a little faster than that, but I have to be realistic. I had wanted to be at goal by my 1 year mark but now I need to adjust based on how it's been going. This last pile of fat is STUBBORN!!
I have found that the attention I get for my size from people I haven't seen in a long time has gone from really fun and cool to absolutely mortifying. I don't know what to say and I feel awkward about it. Last night I saw a bunch of people I hadn't seen since last summer and I kept my coat on for a while to try to kind of hide. I just feel weird, idk why, I should be more proud maybe? But it just feels weird to have that kind of attention on my body - i always wanted to draw attention away from it and now it just is kind of a big change to people who have not seen me in 7 months or more. So it's just something I have to get used to. I'm anxious for this to be normal now and the attention going away. Now that's not to say that I don't look at myself a ton more nowadays :) I am totally enthralled wtih how I can see some of my bones and just how different I look. I am constantly feeling my muscles and just totally in awe of it. So I am enjoying it myself, but I guess it is weird and feels really self-serving to accept praise or compliments from others for it. Like I'm bragging just by walking around or something. Idk hard to explain. But anyway. It's all part of the process and I wouldn't change anything at all so whatever. :)
Onward!!
I am only 7 weeks away from my 5k. I can now run 10 minutes at a time! Never thought I'd be able to do that. I ran 2 sets of 10 minutes each in my last training run, and that was tough but I felt amazingly proud of myself afterwards. I am not in love with running so I doubt this will be my new passion or anything but it's great to be ABLE to do it.
I'm onto Jillian Michael's Ripped in 30, but it will take me more than 30 to do it cuz I am alternating it with the training runs and I get a day off every week. So I've only got one more day on Level 1 then on to Level 2. It will probably take 2 months but that's okay. It keeps me working on my muscles and stamina and I love that.
Haven't measured in a while to see how many inches I'm down. probably do that on my 8 month anniversary on the 18th. I really hope to be down to 190 by then so I can celebrate 90 pounds lost in 8 months. A tall order but I'm going to really try to keep my hand from going to my mouth with food and work harder on my workouts. Even if I got to 89...that'd be swell :) Ultimately, every day gets me closer to my big milestone of 100 pounds lost. I had to modify my goals because of how slow things have been going. My goals are as follows:
Weight 190 (90 Pounds lost) 3/18/12 (8 month anniversary)
Weight 185 (95 pounds lost) 4/28/12 (The day I run my 5K)
Weight 180 (100 pounds lost) 5/18/12 (10 month anniversary)
Weight 175 (105 pounds lost) 6/18/12 (34th birthday and 11 month anniversary)
Weight 170, (110 pounds lost) 7/18/12 (1 year anniversary)
Weight 160, final goal weight (120 pounds lost) 9/18/12 (14 month anniversary)
I would hope it would go a little faster than that, but I have to be realistic. I had wanted to be at goal by my 1 year mark but now I need to adjust based on how it's been going. This last pile of fat is STUBBORN!!
I have found that the attention I get for my size from people I haven't seen in a long time has gone from really fun and cool to absolutely mortifying. I don't know what to say and I feel awkward about it. Last night I saw a bunch of people I hadn't seen since last summer and I kept my coat on for a while to try to kind of hide. I just feel weird, idk why, I should be more proud maybe? But it just feels weird to have that kind of attention on my body - i always wanted to draw attention away from it and now it just is kind of a big change to people who have not seen me in 7 months or more. So it's just something I have to get used to. I'm anxious for this to be normal now and the attention going away. Now that's not to say that I don't look at myself a ton more nowadays :) I am totally enthralled wtih how I can see some of my bones and just how different I look. I am constantly feeling my muscles and just totally in awe of it. So I am enjoying it myself, but I guess it is weird and feels really self-serving to accept praise or compliments from others for it. Like I'm bragging just by walking around or something. Idk hard to explain. But anyway. It's all part of the process and I wouldn't change anything at all so whatever. :)
Onward!!
Friday, February 10, 2012
Holding Steady
My weight is not budging, just hanging right there at 196.6. Kind of maddening considering all the hard work I've been putting in to my workouts. I do my Jillian Michael's dvd every day and do my 5k training runs 3 times a week. I stick to my calorie limit and get my water and vitamins in. Yet the scale bounces around the same 2 pounds and won't drop under 196. Bah! I'm seeing major changes in my shape, muscles and the way my clothes fit, so that is super awesome, but I would really like to see the scale dropping again. I have 5 days left of my 30 Day Shred dvd, then I'll be on vacation for a few days and come home and do my new Ripped in 30 dvd, which hopefully will change everything up and get my muscles ready for more changes. I have no clue why anyone would ever waste time in a gym or money on a personal trainer when you can buy a $12 dvd and workout 20 minutes a day and get amazing results at home. Maybe it gets boring at some point, I don't know, we will see. But for now, I'm quite enamored with the process.
I'm halfway done with my Couch to 5K training program, although I am sure it will take longer than 8 weeks total to get me up to running 5k without stopping. Right now it has me running 5 minutes at a time with walking in between. 5 minutes is TOUGH but it will get easier. 3 minutes used to be tough and now that's a cake walk so I can see how this will work. I have 11 weeks until my 5k on April 28th, and only 4 weeks left of the training so I am super in good position to be ready to really kill it :) I guess I will use the remaining time to run outside on courses that have some hills so I can be ready for anything. I'm so excited for this, I can't believe I am going to be actually running a race. It's something I never thought I'd ever want to do or could do. Wow how 6 months changes things :)
Shopping is super fun now. I went shopping with Anna last weekend ALL weekend and I got to try on clothes at real stores, not just Lane Bryant. I got to buy a bunch of clothes from Old Navy on clearance and I bought MEDIUMS! OMG that was so super crazy. And one of the mediums is too big, which is hilarious :) I bought new jeans and some 14's were too big! I ended up getting a pair of 13/14 Michael Kors jeans at Plato's Closet that fit amazing. So insane, it's surreal. And I'm not even done yet! I am hoping to settle in to a size 10 some day, seeing as how my hip bones are starting to stick out, I doubt I could ever be smaller than a size 10 cuz I think my skeleton is a size 10! I'm okay with that. :) I don't have visions of being a size 2 or super skinny, but boy do I want this last chunk of fat GONE. It's going to be hard cuz I've been carrying it for over 20 years, but it has to go! Onward! :)
I'm halfway done with my Couch to 5K training program, although I am sure it will take longer than 8 weeks total to get me up to running 5k without stopping. Right now it has me running 5 minutes at a time with walking in between. 5 minutes is TOUGH but it will get easier. 3 minutes used to be tough and now that's a cake walk so I can see how this will work. I have 11 weeks until my 5k on April 28th, and only 4 weeks left of the training so I am super in good position to be ready to really kill it :) I guess I will use the remaining time to run outside on courses that have some hills so I can be ready for anything. I'm so excited for this, I can't believe I am going to be actually running a race. It's something I never thought I'd ever want to do or could do. Wow how 6 months changes things :)
Shopping is super fun now. I went shopping with Anna last weekend ALL weekend and I got to try on clothes at real stores, not just Lane Bryant. I got to buy a bunch of clothes from Old Navy on clearance and I bought MEDIUMS! OMG that was so super crazy. And one of the mediums is too big, which is hilarious :) I bought new jeans and some 14's were too big! I ended up getting a pair of 13/14 Michael Kors jeans at Plato's Closet that fit amazing. So insane, it's surreal. And I'm not even done yet! I am hoping to settle in to a size 10 some day, seeing as how my hip bones are starting to stick out, I doubt I could ever be smaller than a size 10 cuz I think my skeleton is a size 10! I'm okay with that. :) I don't have visions of being a size 2 or super skinny, but boy do I want this last chunk of fat GONE. It's going to be hard cuz I've been carrying it for over 20 years, but it has to go! Onward! :)
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
6 months!
I can't believe it's been 6 months since my surgery, wow the time has flown! I am still losing pretty slowly but I have started working out every day again and have really enjoyed feeling the strength building. I am working on Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred, and it will probably take me more like 40 days cuz I allow myself to mix it up a bit if necessary, but still, should shave off some inches. Tonight I didn't work out but instead re-arranged all my furniture and hard-core cleaned in the process so that counts as a workout. My back and abs are already sore from pushing and pulling and lifting heavy furniture around, oh ya, and I brought a treadmill up my steep stairs. So ya, I got a workout :)
I took pics tonight to mark 6 months. I was in my workout clothes cuz I had INTENDED to still work out tonight after all that cleaning/re-arranging but I didn't. Anyway. So here is me. I can't really believe it.
I wish I had taken full before pictures but I didn't. But a little comparison, here is me a year ago on the left:
Down 82.8 pounds and counting. I don't care if it takes me another year, I'm getting another 37.2 pounds off!
I took pics tonight to mark 6 months. I was in my workout clothes cuz I had INTENDED to still work out tonight after all that cleaning/re-arranging but I didn't. Anyway. So here is me. I can't really believe it.
I wish I had taken full before pictures but I didn't. But a little comparison, here is me a year ago on the left:
Down 82.8 pounds and counting. I don't care if it takes me another year, I'm getting another 37.2 pounds off!
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
324 sticks of butter gone, 155 to go!
I hit my goal this morning, just 4 days later than my goal date. Getting the flu helped I guess, I weighed in at 198.9 this morning, that's 81.1 pounds gone! That's 324 sticks of butter. Off of my body!
I went to buy dog food the other day and I get a 40 pound bag. I had a hard time wrestling one big bag, it was weird to think I used to carry 2 of them on my body all the time, everywhere, always.
I bought new pants yesterday and a button down shirt and it's so awesome to be able to tuck my shirt in :)
So far I have successfully avoided sweets/junk food/snacking and I have been pushing the protein like I'm supposed to. One day at a time, I love the new year - new start!
I went to buy dog food the other day and I get a 40 pound bag. I had a hard time wrestling one big bag, it was weird to think I used to carry 2 of them on my body all the time, everywhere, always.
I bought new pants yesterday and a button down shirt and it's so awesome to be able to tuck my shirt in :)
So far I have successfully avoided sweets/junk food/snacking and I have been pushing the protein like I'm supposed to. One day at a time, I love the new year - new start!
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Missed it by that much
Wellz, if I had not had a goal, who knows where I would have gotten? So I'm looking at it positively and am I basically super excited to have come within 1 pound of my year-end goal. I was at 201 on New Year's Day, 1.1 pound more than my goal weight of 199.9. Based on how the middle of the month was going, I consider it a huge victory. I am down 79 pounds and 35 inches from where I was at the beginning of 2011. I never thought I would ever be able to say that, I really didn't imagine that I'd really do it, it was too good to be true. But here I sit, in my size 14 Gap pants and Large sweater, remembering this time last year when a 24 fit comfortably and I could never wear a shirt smaller than a 2x. What an incredible year :) And I'm not done.
My goal for the first half of this year, leading up to my 1-year anniversary of surgery on July 18th, is to lose another 35-45 pounds, and get toned and in better shape. I have seriously slacked on the exercise routine and while that is bad, it is actually good cuz I have lost some muscle. Sounds bad, but, my calves have always been huge and ALL muscle. I finally lost 1.5 inches on each calf so I'm glad about that.
So, onward, me and Jillian Michaels gotta be friends again and I have to get my treadmill in and running and hit the ground running, literally, in 2012.
My goal for the first half of this year, leading up to my 1-year anniversary of surgery on July 18th, is to lose another 35-45 pounds, and get toned and in better shape. I have seriously slacked on the exercise routine and while that is bad, it is actually good cuz I have lost some muscle. Sounds bad, but, my calves have always been huge and ALL muscle. I finally lost 1.5 inches on each calf so I'm glad about that.
So, onward, me and Jillian Michaels gotta be friends again and I have to get my treadmill in and running and hit the ground running, literally, in 2012.
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