Monday, November 22, 2010

Weigh in - 11/19/10

Finally we have a happy weigh in! It took me 6 weeks but i busted through that plateau! That has been my biggest challenge since starting my weight loss journey but i got through it.

My weight this week was 176.6, exactly 2lbs down from last week (Monday actually) and officially my lowest weight ever! Happy day!

That being said i did not complete all of my workouts this week. My body was screaming for a break and it looks like a break was just what it needed. This is going to be a lighter week for me but i still want some results. Healthy is the ultimate goal here!

Last weeks goals -

Saturday - Bob Harper: Pure Burn, Super Strengh: Inside out Method, Zumba
Sunday - Walk 3 Miles, Jillian Michaels: BFBM
Monday - Bob Harper: Pure Burn, Super Strengh: Inside out Method, Yoga
Tuesday - Walk 3 Miles, Jillian Michaels: 30 Day Shred L1 & L2
Wednesday - Rest Day/Yoga

-X-Thursday - Walk 3 Miles, Jillian Michaels: No more Trouble Zones-X- Only Walk
-X-Friday - Walk 3 Miles, Bob Harper: Pure Burn, Super Strengh: Inside out Method-X- Only Walk

This weeks goals -

Monday - Walk 3 Miles, Wii, Zumba
Tuesday - Walk 5 Miles, Yoga
Wednesday - Walk 3 Miles, Wii, Kickboxing
Thursday - Walk 5 Miles, Yoga
Friday - Walk 3 Miles, Wii

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Getting my party on!

I had some GREAT news today in my inbox! A few days ago a friend mentioned to me that Houseparty.Com was running a chance to host a EA Sports Active 2 party in your home. I signed up for it thinking nothing about it and went on with my normal day. Well today i got an email that i was a finalist and i am now a confirmed host! So what does this mean for me? I not only get to invite all my friends and family over for an awesome fitness party but i get the game to keep! Last week i was thinking there wasn't a chance in the world i would be getting this game and now it's going to be delivered to my door (assuming everything works out!). I can't wait to get my EA Sports Active 2 groove on!

Photobucket

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

What's for dinner tonight? - Cilantro Lime Salmon

One of my favorite new recipes!

1- 2lb Salmon Filet
3 Tablespoons of Lime Juice
1 Tablespoon of Minced Garlic
1/3 Bunch of Cilantro - Chopped fine
1/4 Cup of Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to Taste

Mix lime juice, garlic, cilantro, and olive oil together in a small dish. Set Aside.

Make 4-6 slits across salmon filet. Salt and pepper.

Brush on olive oil mixture and let stand for 5-10 minutes.

Spray glass dish with non stick cooking spray, add salmon, and cover with foil.

Bake in 350 Degree oven for 30-45 minutes.

Serve with brown rice (we like to mix hot sauce in ours for a little kick), and a fresh garden salad with fat free dressing.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Weigh in - 11/15/10 Updated photos!

Let's start off with my weight. What a disappointing week with the scale! I didn't lose a single ounce. Let me just say that i was not a happy camper with those results, that is until i took my inches and those i'm pretty happy with!

Weight stayed exactly the same.
-1/2 inch from my chest
-3/4 inch from my waist
-1/2 inch from my belly button

All in all not a horrible week! Plus i'm really starting to see some tone in my body and it's pretty exciting!

Now on to my photos. This is a pretty scary thing, good thing i'm not too modest! Not to mention, it takes things like this to look back and see how far you have come. I never thought i would share any of these photos but i think they are really good proof of how much i have changed over the last year, and i'm proud of what i have done to my body.

The new slideshow is down at the bottom of the page. The first few photos are from our family photo sessions with the wonderful Brianne Bradbury (Check her out! www. briannebradburyphotography.com) and the rest are the really scary ones i never intended to share.

That's all for now!

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Weigh in - What Weigh in???

Weigh in this week is slightly delayed. I'm shooting for a Monday weigh in this week so that i will be more likely to behave over the weekend. Let you guys know how it goes sometime Monday afternoon. I have a lot more working out to do between now and then! Here's my schedule from last week...

Saturday - Jillian Michaels: Level 2 30 Day Shred
Sunday - Yoga
Monday - Jillian Michaels: Banish Fat Boost Metabolism
Tuesday - Bob Harper: Pure Burn, Super Strengh: Inside out Method
Wednesday - Free day. Wii fit/ea sports active
Thursday - Bob Harper: Pure Burn, Super Strengh: Inside out Method
Friday - Jillian Michaels: Level 1 30 Day Shred


COMPLETE!

Here's this weeks Schedule...

Saturday - Bob Harper: Pure Burn, Super Strengh: Inside out Method, Zumba
Sunday - Walk 3 Miles, Jillian Michaels: BFBM
Monday - Bob Harper: Pure Burn, Super Strengh: Inside out Method, Yoga
Tuesday - Walk 3 Miles, Jillian Michaels: 30 Day Shred L1 & L2
Wednesday - Rest Day/Yoga
Thursday - Walk 3 Miles, Jillian Michaels: No more Trouble Zones
Friday - Walk 3 Miles, Bob Harper: Pure Burn, Super Strengh: Inside out Method

I'm going to be looking in to some new workouts this week too so my schedule may change if i find something i want to throw in. I'm trying to get my hands on a copy of Bob Harper's Cardio workout but i'm yet to find it in stores which is slightly frustrating. If it comes down to it i will order it online next week, i really need some new material to kick my butt a little harder!

I'm working on new progression photos as we speak, they will be up with Monday's weigh in!

I was super excited that the new EA Sports Active 2 is being released next week, and even more excited to see that it is coming to all the different consoles. I had huge success with the first game and with the addition of the new heart rate monitor on this one i'm expecting it to be even better. However i just saw the price for this game, can we say OUCH?!?! Yikes! That's not going to be under the Christmas tree for me this year, that's for sure! I guess i will settle for a new yoga mat, running shoes, and heavier hand weights!

Suggestions for new workout dvd's to try are much appreciated. I love the stuff i'm doing now but i'm looking for harder workouts all the time.

That's all the super exciting news i have for now. Be on the lookout for my Monday update!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Screaming in pain and loving every minute of it

By now i'm sure my new neighbors must think i'm a freak. Imagine hearing some dude screaming on the tv, and a series of screams, grunts, and heavy breathing. Now i'm sure different people will come up with different conclusions as to what is going on behind my closed curtains but hopefully most of them will think i'm just a workout fanatic...and not too freaky!

I am about halfway through my brutal week of workouts. I haven't given up and i made it through one of the toughest workouts yet today. A friend and i started Bob Harper's "Pure Burn Super Strength" hour long workout at around 9pm tonight. Both of us expected to only make it about halfway through because this workout is no joke. I'm not going to lie, i wanted to die about 10 minutes into the workout but i kept going, telling myself that i would stop when my friend texted me to tell me that she had stopped. Well by the time she texted me, i was in the zone and refused to give up. I kept begging my body to just give me 10 more minutes, 5 more minutes, and eventually i made it to the cooldown. I Survived my first WHOLE workout with Bob Harper! I didn't make it through without sweating like a pig and screaming through sections of it. I swear my arms will never be the same, and i'm not sure that i will be able to sit tomorrow. I'm excited about the major toning my body is going to get from this series of dvd's.

Tomorrow is my "free" day for the week. Originally i had planned on some Wii EA sports active, but i might do something a little harder to really push myself. I'm hoping to see some major results this week if i keep up this pace!

Saturday - Jillian Michaels: Level 2 30 Day Shred
Sunday - Yoga
Monday - Jillian Michaels: Banish Fat Boost Metabolism
Tuesday - Bob Harper: Pure Burn, Super Strengh: Inside out Method
Wednesday - Free day. Wii fit/ea sports active
Thursday - Bob Harper: Pure Burn, Super Strengh: Inside out Method
Friday - Jillian Michaels: Level 1 30 Day Shred

Monday, November 8, 2010

Muting Jillian and Drooling Over Bob

If anybody is trying to get in shape at home chance are that you know who Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper are. Whether you watch them on the biggest loser, buy their workout video games, read their books, or just see them on a tabloid at the supermarket chances are you know them and love/hate them. I know i do.

I've been following a lot of Jillian Michaels workouts since the beginning of my weight loss journey. I had barely heard of her when i started losing weight but within a month i knew exactly who she was and what she stood for, and to be honest she kind of scared me! My friend Jackie sent me some of Jillian Michaels dvd's to try out, so i thought "what the heck, it can't hurt me that bad right?" Riiiight. Let's fast forward to 30 minutes later when i was lying in the floor in a puddle of sweat hoping just HOPING that i would survive after that butt kicking she dealt me. I wasn't used to this kind of physical activity, never in my life had i dreamt a workout could be that hard. Now let's fast forward again to today, a little over a year since that first workout. I still hate Jillian's guts most days, i scream at her, i want to smack her, and mostly i just want to mute her voice! But i keep going back for more, why? because she is amazing and helps me to get my body where i want it to be. Today i pushed through her whole "banish fat boost metabolism" dvd for the first time since i have started working out. What an awesome feeling! I admit i had to stop at some points, i had to alter some movements, and i wanted to die about 36,000 times but i kept going and when i can feel my legs again i'm sure it will have been worth it!

After this extremely brutal workout, i checked my mail and saw that i had received a dvd i have been waiting on - Bob Harper: pure burn super strength (part of his inside out method series).





I was dying to try it, even though i had just finished my hour long workout with Jillian...soooo i popped it in. There is a beginner workout that is 25 minutes long, and a normal workout that is a little over an hour. I knew i would never be able to keep up with him for the whole hour after my workout earlier so i chose the beginner. I loved it! It's definitely hard on your upper body but you can feel your body toning up. The plus side is that for some of us, Bob Harper is slight eye candy and drastically less annoying than Jillian. I have my first hour long workout with him planned for tomorrow, maybe i won't like him so much after. We'll see!

Friday, November 5, 2010

Weigh in - 11/5/10

Week 1 of back on the wagon, wow what a good feeling! I'm am so glad that week 1 is over, that means that tomorrow starts the dreaded week 2. I'm going to kick week 2 in the butt, no stalling or little loss for me at the next weigh in! Nope that is not in the plans AT ALL.

This week had it's ups and downs, i didn't get as much working out done as i wanted but i'm working myself back up to the daily workouts. Too much, too soon = something sprained, bruised, twisted, or broken. Not a good way to lose weight!

So i'm pretty happy with my results this week. I lost 1lb and got within ounces of my lowest weight. I'm hoping next week to see a big fat 176 on the scale and say goodbye to this 177-180 yo-yo i've been on for the last month. I also took my measurements this week for the first time since August, i have lost over 10 inches overall since then. Pounds are not the only important thing in the game of losing weight!

I have a friend working with me on a workout schedule to get me back to this so i will check in midweek to let everyone know how that's going. I'm going to be sore and exhausted for sure, but it's going to be totally worth it when i see some awesome numbers next week.

Be on the lookout for some new weight loss progression photos, i'm working on getting those up over the weekend!

Goals for the week -

Lose 2lbs
Workout every single day
Take my vitamins and drink my water (and only water!) every day
Say no to all dining out and temptations

This weeks workout plan -

Saturday - Jillian Michaels: Level 2 30 Day Shred
Sunday - Yoga
Monday - Jillian Michaels: Banish Fat Boost Metabolism
Tuesday - Bob Harper: Pure Burn, Super Strengh: Inside out Method
Wednesday - Free day. Wii fit/ea sports active
Thursday - Bob Harper: Pure Burn, Super Strengh: Inside out Method
Friday - Jillian Michaels: Level 1 30 Day Shred

It's going to be a LONG week!

Monday, November 1, 2010

Let's do something spicy!

I have to admit, i don't know the nutritional value of a lot of my recipes exactly but i put all my information into MyFitnessPal and go by what it tells me. Calories might be a little off, but it's pretty accurate!

Here was dinner tonight!

Spicy Shredded Beef Burritos

Approx 3 hours cook time, mostly in crock pot.

1 Tsp Olive Oil
1lb Lean Stew Beef (or a lean steak if preffered)
1/2 package Lawry's Baja Chipotle Marinade
1 Package Taco Seasoning
2 Tbls Tomato Paste
1 Tsp Red Chili Flakes
1/2 Beef Stock
1/2 Medium Yellow Onion, diced.
1 Tbls Minced Garlic

Heat olive oil in skillet.

Mix the chipotle marinade and 1/2 of the taco seasoning in a bowl, coat beef.

Quickly brown beef in skillet.

Place beef in a crock pot. Cover with garlic and onion.

Pour beef stock and tomato paste in skillet beef was browned in. Heat until thickened, and add the rest of the taco seasoning and chili flakes.

Pour over beef in crock pot. If needed, add more hot water just to cover beef.

Cook on high for 2 hours. When done, take beef out and shred with a fork. Serve with sauce and onions from crock pot.

For the rest of the meal...

I use La Tortilla Factory burrito tortillas, 80 calories each and high fiber. 2% shredded cheddar cheese, and fresh salsa.

For whole burrito it is only around 300 calories. Black beans or whole grain cilantro rice would be a great addition to the meal.

Starting off the week with a bang

No more slacking for this girlie! No sir, i am back on track 100% and it feels great. The first two weeks of a healthier lifestyle are always the hardest so i'm sure i'm going to be met with a ton of temptation these next couple of weeks, i just need to make sure that i stand firm and don't back down. I want to see my numbers start to drop again!

My current new goal is to be in the 160's by Christmas. My lowest weight was 177 and last week i was hovering around 178 so the 160's are totally doable. I'm not shooting too high, slow and steady wins the race (not the cupcake, that would be bad!).

Today has been all about water, water, water. That is the best way to kick off healthier eating, not to mention my skin will thank me in a couple of days after it gets re-hydrated! When i fell off the wagon, i drank soda like it was going out of style. I still refuse to keep it in my home but when we would go out i would always have it. It's a really bad addiction for me. I can say no to chocolate and cakes all day long, but put a Pepsi in front of my face and i can't walk away without drinking it. Do they have a Pepsi drinkers anonymous? I could totally benefit from that...

I finally finished my first REAL workout in my new place and it feels good. The first time is always the hardest! Tomorrow will be workout #2 and on to bigger and better things! Today was a 2.5 mile walk, and Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. I would make a plan for tomorrow, but i might just have to wait and let my sore muscles decide that one for me when the time comes.

3 more days to weigh in!

Friday, October 29, 2010

Weigh in - 10/29/10

Wanna talk about falling off the wagon? I was kicked off the wagon, fell off a cliff, and sat there and gorged myself with brownies to get over it. That sounds productive huh? Not so much...

We all have bad days, weeks, and in some cases months. It happens. What is important is that we put down the brownies, pick up where we left off and keep soldiering on. Ready? Me too!

We have officially moved into a new apartment. It's amazing, has tons of space, and is right in the heart of a park district with tons of walking trails. We have been here two weeks and i have been on those walking trails a grand total of 1 time. ONCE! Unacceptable! I also keep using the move as a huge excuse to eat anything and everything i want. I have given myself a slap on the hand though and am officially back on track. Today was my first weigh in in a while. I am up a little over a lb since slacking off over the move, not horrible, but i never want to see the scale go up.

Unfortunately it is getting colder here every day which means my workouts outdoors are going to be coming to an end for the season and i will be spending a lot more time under the control of that beast we all love to hate...Jillian Michaels. I'm not going to lie, i'm looking forward to letting her workouts kick my butt again, however i'm not looking forward to listening to her voice during every workout. I get so angry that i'm screaming at her to shut up by the end of the workout, maybe that works in my favor...

Exciting news on the sizes lost front! I am officially in a junior size 13 jean, and a misses 10 (that's a bit of a squeeze but they button so it counts right? RIGHT?!?!). I am only one size away from my goal of an 8. 2011 is going to be my year for reaching goals and being "average".

So all in all, i'm ready to get back on track to being in the best shape of my life. Who's ready to join me?

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Much needed time off

Long time no update? I'm a terrible slacker some days i know, but this time around i'm a little less of a slacker than it appears.

I have lost down to 178lbs and am currently holding steady there. I'm not thrilled about it but i'm not sad either. Maintaining my weight is a huge thing for me, and i'm only a little over 20lbs from goal so maintaining is going to be my middle name. I might as well get it figured out and used to it now, 20lbs isn't too far away!

However i'm not really plateauing so this is why i'm not too sad. Honestly i'm not working out as much the last couple of weeks. I am trying to stay active but with our big move coming up soon (only a little over a week away!) it's becoming harder and harder to find time to fit everything in. I have been sneaking some light and quick workouts in to stay on track, and packing all these boxes has to count for something right?

I have been at this extremely hard, every single day for almost an entire year. As a matter of fact next Thursday will be my one year mark of my lifestyle change. I am taking some much needed relaxing moments to catch my breath, one year is a long time! However i am far from being out of the race, i'm so close to the finish line! A good friend and I are even working on a website to help motivate other women out there just like us, who just strive to be healthy, that in itself is an amazing motivation to me.

This week will resume my normal weigh in posts so keep an eye out!

Weekly goals -

Squats/pushups challenges - 3 days
Walk 12 miles
Yoga - 2 days
30 Day shred - 2 days

Goal of 1lb loss

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Weigh-in 9/20/10 & Vacation

I've been home almost a week and i haven't updated. I'm a slacker. Let's get to it...

Vacation was fantastic. I might not have been at the weight i wanted to be at for it but i still felt pretty confident, and on the plus side some of my clothes and swimsuits were even too big. I also bought all size medium tshirts while there, sure they are relaxed fit but a medium, seriously?!?! This is a girl who could barely fit in an xxl a year ago!

There was some bad eating, i will admit it. I had pizza, i ate a cheeseburger, i even snuck some cookies at one point. Food downfall of the week... I ate at "Lady and Sons" in Savannah, GA. Anyone that has ever watched food network knows what i'm talking about and boy was the food every bit as bad (and good) as i expected it to be. I'm sure i gained 5lbs just by looking at Paula Deen's chocolate chip gooey butter cake sitting on a plate before me, but this is a lifestyle change and not a diet so i ate that piece of cake and i did NOT regret it! Did i feel nauseated and on a sugar high for the rest of the day? Sure, but it was a fantastic vacation treat.

Thanks to my best friend going along, i was active enough to not feel bad about the food choices i made during the week. The first two mornings alone we walked for hours on the beach, and not only that we walked TO the beach and FROM the beach, who needs a car? We swam, walked, rode bikes, climbed stairs to a lighthouse, shopped til we dropped, and spent a whole day at the water park. Somewhere midweek we both came down with a cold, probably from lack of sleep at that point but i refused to let it stop me. I was determined to enjoy my entire vacation and i did. There are even pictures to prove it, AND pictures of me in my (too large!) swimsuit. I may not be tight and toned but i'm pretty proud of how my body looks now, cellulite and all!

So after the bad eating and the cold i caught (which has led to me not getting out of bed much this week) i wasn't even planning on doing a weigh in. I was going to give myself a week to recover and weigh in this friday. That was the slacker me. I gathered all my courage and managed to pull myself onto the scale Monday morning and to my surprise i hadn't gained an ounce! My weight was exactly where it was when i left last Saturday, 179.0! No loss, no gain. I enjoyed my vacation without overdoing it and that makes me ecstatic.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Weigh-in 9/10/10

Let me just start off by saying that i took the week off. It's not something i do often but sometimes it just feels good! I also think that i needed to take a little time to rest after some of the crazy workout weeks i have had lately. My body feels nice and refreshed which is great considering my vacation starts in 3 hours!

Speaking of vacation, i guess this is the point where we talk about whether or not i met my goal. I didn't but it's absolutely OK! I set a steep goal for myself because i knew i would be lazy otherwise, and i didn't really think i would meet that goal but surprisingly i came pretty close. My original goal was to weigh 175 by my vacation and today i weighed in at 179. It was only one lb for the week but that's not too shabby coming off of a HUGE loss a couple weeks ago, especially for a week that i didn't do any workouts.

This is also one lb closer to my goal which is now...only 29lbs away! Wow is that an amazing feeling! I'm so happy that i will be going on my vacation weighing in the 170's. My smallest weight was around 178 when i met Roman and i'm only 1lb away from that! I'm also 1lb UNDER my weight listed on my state ID, how awesome is that!?!

This week is going to be full of activity, and fun in the sun. Not to mention plenty of confidence in a swimsuit, for the first time in years!

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Weigh-in 9/4/10 - 100lbs LOST

Weeks seems to pass so much quicker when you never stop! I can't believe it's weigh in day again, i really have no idea where this week disappeared to...

I met most of my goals this week, as for the ones i didn't meet, tomorrow starts a new week! I managed to bike the 20 miles and walk the 15 miles that i set my goal for. Unfortunately i only made it to the gym 2 times. I think i worked a little TOO hard and my poor legs needed a couple of days rest before getting back at it.

As for my 4th goal (and seemingly most important) i halfway made it. I was aiming to lose 2lbs but i only lost 1lb. I'm TOTALLY ok with that. Mostly because that put me officially at 100lbs lost! What a fantastic feeling! Even i didn't truly realize how far i had come until i sat back and thought about that. How amazing is it that we can change whatever we want if we set our minds to it? Last year i looked at Roman and said "you know in one year i can lose 100lbs, can you believe that? How awesome would that be?!?!". Well, it's pretty effing AWESOME!

How cliche...?

"You can do anything you set your mind to"

"You can be anything you want to be"

"If i can do it, anyone can"

It's true! There is no magic behind what i have done. I haven't taken any pills, hired a personal trainer, or followed any "fad" diets. I have done every single pound of this with simply watching what i eat (and i still eat cheeseburgers and pizza, wow do i sound like a walking advertisement!) and exercising. Absolute 100% willpower and belief that i CAN lose this weight if i WANT it bad enough.

Vacation is coming, one week from today. I don't think i'm going to make my goal of 175 so i'm shooting for 178 instead. That's 2lbs for the week. I'm also going to take it easy on the gym this week. My only plans are to bike and walk outdoors to take advantage of the beautiful weather. Same goals, 12-15 miles walking, and 15-20 miles biking. I'm hoping for a pretty easy, restful, productive week.


Now onward to the next 30lbs...

Friday, September 3, 2010

Quick interview with ME!

I was chosen to answer a few questions on whattoexpect.com, and here is the result!

WTEN with Melissa - Daily WTE - What To Expect Blogs

This website has helped me through so much. From pregnancy questions and support from other expecting mommies to all of my weight loss challenges and new friends i have made. It really is a "must visit" site for all mommies!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

I had no idea that i had muscles there...

SERIOUS workout yesterday. I accomplished almost everything on my list for the day. I didn't get as much walking in as i wanted but it was well over 90 degrees and i wasn't going to take Lori out in that. I did manage to go over my goal on the bike, i wanted to reach 7 miles in 30 minutes, i completed 8.3 before my 30 minute timer went off, and that was with 3 minutes of super slow cool down. As for all the other workouts...i blasted all of those out and BOY do i feel it today!

I'm not going to lie, this is NOT easy, it's one of the hardest things i have ever done. However next to having Lori it is probably the most rewarding pain i have every gone through in my life. Some sick part of me likes the pain that goes along with the workouts, it helps me to know that i am doing something right. I woke up this morning feeling like a semi-truck full of bricks had hit me. I haven't been in that much pain in a loooong time, this was even way above the normal Jillian Michaels butt kicking pain. I hobbled around for the better part of the morning before i started feeling semi human again. I'm still sore but i can actually sit down in a chair without wanting to die. Definite improvement!

Today was another rest day. A very much NEEDED rest day. Good thing i took advantage of it too because tomorrow is going to be just as brutal as yesterday. I have exactly the same schedule. I'm hoping to actually complete it since it's supposed to be cooler tomorrow. I could do all my walking in the gym but there are no windows down there and i can only handle so long being stuffed away in a gym.

Despite the rest day i did do my 200 squats/100 pushups challenges. I am now officially caught up and can resume my normal schedule of M/W/F. My poor muscles, i promise you guys get a rest on Saturday!

A friend of mine recently shared this website and i wanted to share it as well. Pretty much everything this guy says is what i have followed. I think he has some fantastic tips to help anyone lose weight and get healthier.

http://chris.pirillo.com/50-weight-loss-tips/


That's all for tonight, long day ahead tomorrow. I'm going to need some serious strength to get through it.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Looming Deadlines

Today was a rest day for me. To be honest i hate rest days, they make me feel lazy and useless but i also understand that they are extremely important for my body to repair itself and get me ready for harder workouts. I especially hate them when i am less than two weeks away from a beach vacation...

Even though today was a rest day, i still managed a 30 minute walk and restarted my 100 pushups/200 squats challenges. I completed both challenges a while back but have restarted them because i loved the results i got, especially in my arms. I did my exhaustion tests today, Day 1 will be tomorrow, Day 2 Wednesday, and Day 3 Friday. Then i will resume a normal Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule with it. I have lost a bit of strength in my arms since stopping it, but i'm hoping to gain that back pretty quick.

Tomorrow is going to be a whole day of fitness, i'm probably going to drop into bed at the end of the day and not move. Here is my list...

Walk in the AM with Lori (2 miles planned).
Gym at 3, biking 7 miles, strength work, and couch to 5k on the treadmill (approx 2 hours).
Walk with Megan and Roman at 630 (additional 2-3 miles).
Finish the night with some wii and yoga (approx 60-90 minutes).

Looking at that list makes me want to go to bed right now so i will have plenty of energy! I really want to hit through to over 100lbs lost this week so i'm trying to push hard. The next 4-5 days are going to be exhausting, but hopefully very fulfilling.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Weigh-in 8/28/10

Another week, another weigh in. Being a stay-at-home mom (and one that doesn't drive) i don't really get to get out that often so it's nice to have something to look forward to every week. For me, that thing is my weigh in!

I do a lot of "Shape-up" Challenges on the "What to Expect" message boards. These challenges are 10 weeks long and i've been doing them since the beginning of the year with great success. Well this was the end of week one of a brand new challenge so i worked extra hard to get some fantastic results. I feel like i really slacked over the summer, still losing but not losing nearly as much as i would have hoped. The new challenge gave me the motivation to get off my butt and kick it into high gear again, and this weeks results PROVE it!

I started the challenge at 186.7 and weighed in today at 181.0. That's a 5.7lb loss since the middle of last week! Keep in mind this was not just one weeks work though, probably around 10 days but still a great loss for that amount of time!

Which brings me to my current goal. I have a beach vacation in 13 days, YIKES! Swimsuits...ugh... I set myself a pretty hefty goal a few weeks back to be 175lbs by then. At the time that was a solid 2lbs a week, which has proven to be pretty difficult because i'm at a point where i don't always lose every single week. Thankfully the loss this week boosted me right back where i need to be and i MIGHT just reach that goal. I'm going to get pretty close at least and that's pretty exciting!

My goals for the next week...

Lose 2lbs
Gym 3 days
Walk at least 15 miles
Bike 20 miles
Continue controlling my bread and potato intake (this is SOOOO hard for me!)

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Journey to a new me

I had my first baby last year. May 2009 to be exact. Before getting pregnant i had always been a bigger girl, always the "fat friend", the "well at least you have a cute face" girl. When i left the hospital from having my daughter, my weight topped out at it's highest point ever, 280lbs. I had just had a baby, so being fat was expected right? It was ok, i could use her as an excuse. I mean OBVIOUSLY it's ok that i'm fat now because i have a kid. Or so everyone kept telling me...

I was getting SICK of that excuse, it was NOT ok to use my daughter as an excuse to be obese. Sure i gained weight when i was pregnant but that doesn't change the fact that i was already 240lbs before i got pregnant. 240lbs on my 5 foot 7 frame was just not cutting it.

I guess i thought that the weight would just magically disappear. I was already back in my pre-pregnancy clothes, 6 weeks after giving birth. I was using "girdles" to "trick" people into thinking that i already had my normal shape back. My normal ROUND shape...

One night in October 2009, i was getting ready for bed and looked in my mirror. I did NOT even recognize the girl i saw and i broke down. I was still weighing in over 260lbs, and i was devastated that i had let it get so out of hand. So right then and there i decided that i was done. I logged in to some message boards i am a member of and put out a plea for help, asking anyone for advice and support. I got several responses and i started thinking that maybe, with some help, i could do this.

One fellow mommy stepped up and agreed to help keep me in check every single day. She offered advice, workouts, and a little tough love when i needed it. Slowly, with a lot of hard work and healthier eating, the pounds started melting away. I lost over 7lbs my first week, and that gave me the motivation to keep going.

The months followed and i surprised myself by keeping up with things. I was working out regularly, eating more healthy than i ever had, and losing more weight than ever before. I was telling everyone i knew about what i was doing so they would help keep me accountable and i soon had a whole group of supporters that refused to let me fail.

It has been almost one year since that night in October that i decided on a change and 15 months since my daughter was born, and i have shed almost 100lbs. I still have ups and downs, but every day is a new beginning and i am determined to see this journey through to the end.