Weigh-In: Week 10

Current Weigh: 225lbs

Weekly Loss: -5lbs    Total Loss: -16lbs

HECK YEAH!!!!!!!!!!

I kicked major butt this week.  Speaking of butts, mine looks fabulous!  

I was checking myself out in the mirror after weighing in this morning, 

and I have to say, my rear end is looking fabulous!!!

(no pictures, I'm not into the whole post-your-bare-ass-online thing!)

I logged 51.1 miles this month!  So proud of myself for that!

My body is getting stronger and can handle longer walks now.

June Goals

Get under 220 lbs

Log at least 50 miles

Incorporate more jogging

Walk at least 6 days a week

Walk more than 5 miles 3 of those days

Strength train on days of shorter walks

Allow one untracked meal a week 

June is going to be an interesting month for me.

My M-F schedule relaxes a bit, but I'm starting a class this Sunday that's going to consume 5 weekend days.  

I'm not the early riser, so I'm determined to go for a walk as soon as I get home on those days.  

At least my eating will be more controlled, it's time spent at home that gets me!

Happy June Everyone!!!!!

What are your goals this month?

Weigh-In: Week 6

Current Weight: 230lbs

Weekly Loss:  0lbs     Total Loss:  -11lbs

I'm completely, 100% fine with the fact that I didn't lose any pounds this week.  I didn't gain any, either!

I did lose some inches!  I only started measuring myself 2 weeks ago, something I really wish I had started in the very beginning, but better late than never!  

In the past 2 weeks, here are my inch changes!

Neck:  -.5"      Waist:  -1"      Hips:  0"      Arms:  -1"      Thighs:  -.5"      Calves:  0"

And my face!  

Here's a side-by-side from March to April!

I looked so swollen and puffy!!!  I feel so much better after these 6 weeks!

Sometimes, we get too caught up in the numbers to realize that they aren't the end-all-be-all of this journey.  I'll be posting more about this later in the week.

I also hit my fastest 5K time ever!  43:10!  Not a great time in general, but a great time for me, so WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

April ended with me losing 11lbs, logging 50 miles, and feeling great!

Here are my goals for May:

So, what are your goals this month?  

Post them below, make them reasonable, 

and let's do this together!!!!

Weigh-In: Week 4

Current Weight: 233lbs

Weekly Loss:  -2lbs    Current Loss:  -8lbs

Doing good, feeling good, looking good!

Slow and steady wins the race, so I'm happy being down 2 more pounds!  

So far, I've walked 33 miles this month!  I'll definitely reach my goal of 40 miles for April!

I also hope to be out of the 230's by May, so we shall see how that goes.  

I feel great!  I have energy, I physically feel great, and I mentally feel awesome!

The secret to what's working for me this time around?  TIME!

The harsh reality of life is that there is no easy fix for losing weight and being healthy.

Pills won't last in the long run, neither will anything that involves extreme fitness or diet.

Those aren't really healthy, either!

What does work?  Taking the time to do what you know you need to do.

I spend AT LEAST 2 hours a day, 

if not more, on my health.

It might be an hour of yoga, 45 minutes walking, time cooking and prepping meals, scheduling exercising, developing recipes, grocery shopping, etc.

Yes, the time might seem like a lot, but it's our lives we are talking about. 

If your life isn't worth the time, what is?  Money?  No.  Making other people happy?  No.

Family?  Family is important.  Get them to be a part of your journey!  
If they can't/won't, realize that in order for you all to enjoy your times together, 
you need to be healthy!

One of the greatest parts of this week was seeing how supportive my husband and friends are with my efforts.  My husband and I both work a lot, and that means we don't have much time to spend together.  This week, we were going to go out to dinner on Friday since we were both free.  I felt bad, but I asked Chris if we could do dinner at 8:15 so I could go for a walk and go to a yoga class.  Without any problems, he said yes, of course!  He knows that in order for me to be successful, it's going to take time.  He's even getting back into cycling, too!  Yesterday morning he went for a ride while I went for my walk.

My friends are also awesome!  We went to dinner at a friend's house on Saturday night.

She kept me in mind and had plenty of healthy options for me to enjoy!  How sweet!

(Note: I was responsible for dessert.  I brought fancy cupcakes.  We had a cupcake tasting.  

It was amazing!  And not healthy.  Amazing nonetheless.  I fail lol.)  

Happy New Year!

Alright, it's day 3 of 2012, and I've kept to my goals!  So far, so good.  I made it through the Giants game on Sunday and only drank one beer.  And lots of water.  And a delicious turkey burger!


I often forget what I used to do in the past that was successful, but I have to say that keeping this blog has allowed me to go back and look at the past.  If something was good, I posted it here.  Yesterday I needed a breakfast to go, but wanted something more than a fig bar.  So, I came back here, searched for my breakfast tags, and rediscovered a delicious pumpkin smoothie I made last year.  I had everything in my pantry to whip it up, and it was so good!  I even had it again today.


One of my strategies to help me along has always been to cook up multiple meals on Sunday to have for lunches and dinners throughout the week.  This week, I made Split Pea Soup (6 servings, 4 Points+ each) and Meatball and Spaghetti Soup (6 servings, 5 Points+ each) from Skinnytaste.com.  They are both so delicious and perfect for this time of year when it's chilly outside.  I'm slowly cooking my way through that website, and so far most of her recipes are really good.  I highly recommend checking it out.


Here's to 2012!  

I Survived My First 5K

I did it!  I survived the 5K!  And I even ran a little bit of it!


It wasn't a timed race, but I estimated it took me about 45 minutes to complete.  My knee was fine, but my breathing was more of a problem.  It was crazy humid out.  I have to say it didn't feel as far of a distance as I thought it would.  And, about 10 minutes after finishing, I got a second wind and wanted to get going again!


I've decided that I'm going to start walking/running outside more often, in addition to everything I'm doing at the gym.  I really liked it, I just have to work up my stamina.  My knee feels fine today, my hip is a little off because it isn't used to impact like that since the elliptical has no impact.


I have many more 5K's in my future.  I'm hoping to be able to run most, if not all, of a 5K by next summer.

I'm still alive, I promise!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while.  I haven't been back on track since I left for vacation.  Between that, the hurricane, and school starting, I've been feeling overwhelmed.  I'm back now!


Yesterday was my first day 100% back on plan.  I tracked everything, went back to the gym, and went to my personal training session with some friends from work.  I feel good, and all it took was being in the right frame of mind again.  


Last week I gained .2 lbs, this week I lost 3 lbs.  I'm back down to 188 lbs, a total of 34 down from where I started.  Next week you can look forward to regular posting resuming, I promise!!!

Goodbye Summer!

Well, the time has come.  It's Labor Day, and summer is over.  Work starts again tomorrow, leaving the weekends to grab the last warm rays of sun before autumn fully sets in.  


I have a very good feeling about this school year, in more ways than one.  I believe my weight loss is going to start back up.  I haven't been back on track since my vacation, not tracking my foods, not measuring anything out.  It's nice, but I know it's hurting me.  


I've got a batch of white bean turkey chili going for lunches and dinners during the week.  I'm planning out my meals so that when I go shopping, I know exactly what I need and what I'll be eating when.  The year is busy and crazy, but that means I have to plan ahead, and I work well that way.  


I'm going to get back on track with the gym as well.  It's so much easier for me to go there on my way home from work instead of leaving the house to go there.  I got my new knee brace, so hopefully that will allow me to continue to push myself.


My birthday is October 8.  This year I'm turning 27.  My goal as of now is to reach 140lbs by the time I turn 28.  That's over a year to lose 50lbs.  I can, and WILL, do it!!!!!


To all of my fellow teachers:  Have a great school year!  Here we go...

Week 32 Weigh In

Current Weight: 185.6 lbs

Weekly Loss: 3.6 lbs      Total Loss: 36.4 lbs
HECK YES!!!!!!!!

We're going to look at some side-by-side comparisons 
Now (tan wall) vs. Week 6 (blue wall, 206.4 lbs) 

 

 

I wish I had started taking pictures from the very beginning!  By week 6, I was already down 15.6 lbs, but you can still see the change from then until now.  My face has slimmed down, legs are thinner, arms are a bit smaller, but my major area of change in my opinion is my middle!  My stomach used to stick out much more, and my butt was ginormous!  It's still large and in charge, but not quite at the level it was before.  My hips also lost a lot of weight, its perhaps the most noticeable change for me.  
We're getting there!!!

 
Okay, I feel better now.  I've been trying so hard to stop flopping around 190, and I'm going to do my darnedest to keep this losing trend going.  Perhaps under 180 by the end of August??  We shall see...

I'm back!

While I'm nervous about weighing in tonight (1 lb isn't much of a buffer- fingers crossed!), I am excited that I'm finally back into a good workout routine.  I've been kicking butt, my body is sore, and I like it!  Yoga last night was awesomely brutal.  Nick, the instructor, knows that he can push our class, and he does!  I was sweating, my heart-rate was up, and I felt great!


This summer, I plan to ride my bike much more often than I ever have.  I live close to the beach (3.1 miles), so that's my first goal.  It's not the physical exertion that worries me- it's my ACL and knee.  They are pretty strong, but I still get nervous the first few times I try something new.  I'm going to have Chris come with me for a while just incase.  


After the beach, my next goal is to ride to the library (3.3 miles), a slight bit farther away.  After that, my furthest goal as of now is to bike to my gym (5 miles).  


I'm going into the summer ready to kick major butt!!!!

Week 19 Weigh In

Current Weight: 189 lbs baby!!!!

Weekly Loss: 4.2 lbs       Total Loss: 33 lbs

Happiness and sunshine!!!

I am so happy!  Hit 2 goals this week- getting under 190 lbs and losing over 30 lbs!

Back when I got below 200 lbs, I was hoping to be under 190 by May, and I did it!

Next goal- under 180 lbs by July.  I'm almost back to my gym routine, and I know that helps me tremendously.  It is also nice that spring has finally arrived so I can get out and about in the nice weather.

GO ME!!!!

Getting back in the Groove

My schedule has opened up a bit, but I haven't gotten back 100% into my gym routine.  I'm easing my way into it, and hopefully by next week I will be back in the gym 5-6 days a week.  Right now, I'm at more like 3 days, which is better than nothing, but I can do better!

I'm still eating relatively well, so hopefully that'll keep me going in the right direction.  I made the BEST green smoothie the other day- almond milk, spinach, kiwis, yellow apple, mango, peaches, strawberries and honey.  DELICIOUS!!!  I experimented with freezing half of it, and it didn't affect the taste or texture, but it took longer to thaw out than I thought.  

Tomorrow is my weigh in day, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed!!!

I survived!

The play was yesterday, and it went very, very well!  And I looked awesome!  I didn't take any pics, but I will be back in the dress in a few weeks, and I promise to post some pics, because I really did look fantastic!  I sound so full of myself, but I'm really just proud!  And, my feet and knee survived in those shoes, so I was very happy!


Today it finally warmed up around here.  After I got home, I went to change into shorts.  I realized that the shorts which were too tight on me last summer are now way too big on me!  Hooray!  I'll start shopping for the summer shortly!


I will be weighing in tomorrow in the late afternoon (finally).  I am so excited to be able to now get back on track with exercising since my schedule is so much more open.  Here's to kicking off my weight loss once again!

"Walks. The body advances, while the mind flutters around it like a bird" ~Jules Renard

This past weekend, I was going to meet Chris in the city when he got off of work at 2pm.  Since the weather is finally getting nicer, I decided to take the train in earlier and just walk around.  That's one of my favorite things to do (and I get in exercise!).  I love to walk around the city without having a specific plan of where I'm going.  I'm an observer, and I enjoy taking it all in by myself.


So, I skipped my usual morning trip to the gym, and arrived at Penn Station at noon.  I had a good 2 hours (I wish I woke up earlier!) to myself to do whatever I wanted.  I also love taking pictures, so I was sure to have my camera with me, complete with fully charged batteries and an empty memory card!


I knew that I eventually needed to end up at 59th street, so I decided to make my way over to Central Park via Times Square.  What a great day!  I kept my pace up, and enjoyed my day so much!  The walk to the park was nice and entertaining.


The park itself is always great.  I love how the terrain has a lot of hills, it definitely makes the walk more challenging.  I made a conscious decision to always take the path that would require me to walk on an incline!  I ended up walking for almost 2 hours straight, and even though my shins felt it the next day, I felt very accomplished.


We decided that once the weather gets a little nicer, we are going to do this more often!  Just spend a day walking around, discovering new places, spending time together, and getting in some exercise.  I also want to work my way up to being able to walk both of my dogs by myself this summer.  For those of you who don't know them, my dogs are energetic to say the least, and they aren't good walkers at all!  They constantly pull, but we are working on it.  Between training them and improving my own health, I should be able to take them out on my own.


Here's one more quote that I enjoy:  "People say that losing weight is no walk in the park.  When I hear that I think, yeah, that's the problem."  ~Chris Adams

The first sign of spring in the park!

...but I'm soooooo tired!!!!

One of the biggest ways I used to hurt myself was by making excuses.  I can't go to the gym tonight because I'm too busy.  I ate really bad foods all week because I didn't feel great.  When you really think about it, why do we make so many excuses that just hurt ourselves?  It's not like we're doing anything that effects anybody but ourselves.


I stopped making excuses, and I think that that one change has helped me to be successful this time around.  Even if I'm tired, I still drag my butt to the gym.  Even if I only get on a machine for 20 minutes, it's 20 minutes more than nothing, and I feel better about myself for putting in the effort.


There are times throughout the week that I just want to pull into Carvel and grab a large extra thick chocolate shake, but is it really that good?  I am more satisfied by making chocolate milk at home with unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze and light chocolate syrup, not because it tastes better, but because I don't have to feel guilty for guzzling useless calories.


So, if you're having a tough time getting on track, see what excuses you make for yourself.  Try to go a week without making any excuses to yourself, just do what you set out to do in the first place.  It's not that hard, and you'll feel so much better about yourself!


Let me know how it goes!

Weight Loss Goals

So, my husband often asks me "How much do you want to weigh in the end?"

My answer- "I have no idea!"

I have never been much thinner than I currently am since I reached my adult height sometime during my teens.  I don't know what I'll look like as I lose, although I am excited!

I don't really have a long-term weight loss goal, and I think that's okay.

Instead, I have short-term goals, and I feel like when I get to my "final" weight, I'll only know it when I actually get there.

Goal #1- Get under that darn 200lb mark.

I feel like it's my enemy.  200.  I got below it for ONE DAY in college.  ONE DAY.  199.5lbs.  That's it.

So, I'm attempting by the end of February to be out of the 200's for good!  I'm going to weigh in on Wednesday, so I'll know where I stand as of now.  Last Monday I was at 207.6, so I feel like it's quite reasonable for me to reach Goal #1.

The little kid in me likes prizes for achieving success (ooooh, a sticker!!!!!).  So, I have decided that once that darned 200 is behind me, my behind (and the rest of my body) deserves a massage.  It shall be done!

After that, most likely my goal will be continued loss in 10lb increments until, well, until I'm satisfied : )

For now, off to the gym!!!  I've got my game face on!!!

My game face, incase you were wondering!