Weigh In Results!

I weighed myself this morning, and I only lost another .8 pounds!  A little frustrating since I have been exercising like a crazy person for the last two weeks, but better than nothing I suppose!

I am taking today off from the gym, because I’m still sore and I feel like my muscles need a day to reform and get refreshed for my run tomorrow.  Tomorrow I try the 4th level of Couch to 5k again, and I’m terrified!  I hope I do better!

Anyway, I have a bunch of stuff to do today, so I am going to get outta here!

Whoa….RUNNING!

Holy shit. I just attempted level 4 of the Couch to 5k.  For those of you who don’t know, that is 5 minutes of walking, 3 minutes of running, 9o seconds of walking, 5 minutes of running, 2.5 minutes of walking, 3 minutes of running, 90 seconds of walking, 5 minutes of running.  Now, if you’re not a very large person or someone who exercises moderately, that may not sound like much.

I have been 100% sedentary for the last 6 years, and when I started the Couch to 5k, the website warned me that I could either run for time or distance.  That means that 5 minutes can either mean 5 minutes of running or a half a mile at a slower speed.  Being the perfectionist that I am, I said, like hell I’ll do EITHER OR.  I decided that right out of the gate, I would train for a 30 minute 5k. That’s 3, 10 minute miles.

Soooo, back to what I was saying.  Today I bumped it up to level 4 of the program.  That means that each of those 5 minute sections are half miles, and the 3 minute sections at quarter miles. I must say that I did pretty well.  Better than I thought I would, but I wasn’t able to finish.  I completed through the 2nd minute of the last 3 minute run.  That means I missed 6 minutes of running.  Instead of finishing the running, I walked for another 10 at an incline and kept my heart rate at 165. It was HARD, but honestly, I cannot believe I ran for 5 minutes straight.  That’s the longest I’ve run since high school!

I was a little uncomfortable because there was another girl in the gym with me right next to be and probably was thinking I was strange as I grunted and moaned towards the end of the 5 minute section.  Oh well, I am excited to try it again tomorrow and see how I do.  Next week, I started running longer distances.  I am so excited to finish this 5k!!

This week!

I have had the most incredible week. Something seems to have changed, dramatically.  I have been exercising, dressing nicely, getting my work done, eating healthy, and I haven’t even had any drinks in the evening. I think that’s because I’ve just been to motivated to let a few drinks zone me out.

I wanted to say that I don’t feel like myself, but I think that’s completely wrong.  I think I feel EXACTLY like myself. I don’t think I recognized it because I haven’t felt this great in YEARS.

I’m excited for my weigh-in on Monday, and I am looking forward to a great loss.  In addition to a loss, I am starting to get noticeable definition in my calf muscles, which I am incredibly excited about.  I have walked/run almost 20 miles this week, and it is paying off big time.

I was reading in Women’s Health that running can improve mood and combat depression, and I totally think it’s true.  A few weeks ago I was wandering down a dark path…hell, about one year ago I wasn’t even leaving my house. SO MUCH has changed in the last year, and I feel fucking incredible. I am excited for my future, and I am ready to make it to the finish line.

I have learned more about myself in the last year than I have in my life.  I’m working through my feelings of self-doubt and self-loathing and realizing that I have all the potential to be a very beautiful person, inside and out.

I am looking forward to doing a “Year in Review” post in November (the 17th is the anniversary of my weight loss journey). I am thinking it’s going to be a looonnnggg post!

I will check in again on Monday with my loss this week!

Another pound down…

Lost one pound this week! Woohoo, and I moved up to level 3 of the C25K running program. Go me.

Typical Friday Night

Oh Friday – you’re here already.  I shouldn’t say “already” because I’ve been chomping at the bit for Friday since like…9am on Monday.  What am I doing this weekend? I’m heading down south to Indiana.  I’m taking my brother’s senior portraits tomorrow (which I’m super excited for) and I’m going to visit with my mom (which I’m not so excited for). I know, I know – I shouldn’t say anything negative about my mom.  She’s the only mom I’ll ever have, I get it.  The thing is, sometimes she feels more like a kid than a mom, and after this busy week, I’m not feeling like listening to another of her sob stories.

I decided to wait until early tomorrow morning to make the drive.  Mostly because I hate driving through Chicago at rush hour on a Friday.  Tonight I am drinking a bunch of coffee and creeping all over the internet.  I am pretty bored and totally unmotivated.  That is a crappy and dangerous combo. There’s about 50 things I could be doing right now that would be productive, like not ignoring the laundry and freelance projects.

I bought some great boots at Target, as well as a really cute shirt.  Unfortunately, the shirt didn’t fit.  I will have to return it sometime next week on my lunch break.  I’m still excited about the boots, and I can’t wait until fall!

Well, back to watching TV and surfing the web.

My Goals

I added a new page, because I was inspired by Kim at “The Road to Beautiful” blog to create a goals list.  I will probably keep adding to it, but I started with the basics!

Check it out: My Goals

EXERCISE!

I’ve been pounding the pavement…err…treadmill like a real runner the last week. I’ve been plowing through the Couch to 5k and doing The Shred in my off days.  This morning, I literally fell out of bed when I tried to stand.  My leg muscles are truly shredded.

It feels great to take exercise head on.  The apartment I moved into a few months ago includes an excellent, never-crowded gym.  I think it will be key in my success through the fall and winter.

I am back on the wagon this week, and I’m really proud.  I’m looking forward to plowing through these 25 pounds and breaking that 200 pounds mark by Christmas.  Setting mini goals, like “I can lose another 30 pounds, because I’ve already lost 30 – I know I can do it,” helps me to keep myself in check and not get burnt out. I can’t wait until I weigh 199 lbs. I will be so happy!

Still hanging on…

Hello! Long time, no post.  How does a week and a half just slip away like that?

I have been having some trouble staying on plan, but I have kept exercising.  What results is a 2.6 pound gain in 2 weeks. Basically, I have been keeping myself *somewhat* in check by keeping on plan 80% of the time and continuing my running schedule. I have also, however, been eating some pretty bad foods.

Today though, is a new day! I am back on plan this morning and ready to keep moving forward. I also have to mention that I have weighed around 225 since April, which is probably the longest I have gone without gaining in my entire life. I am shocked that I have made improvements strong enough to keep me someone level.  That means that as soon as I get back on track, I pretty much pick up where I left off.

I visited my dad over the weekend, and decided to make copies of all of the family photos he had on his computer.  I found a few photos of me from 2004 at about this exact same time of year that completely blew me away. I was probably around 190 pounds, and I looked awesome! It’s exciting to know that in only 35 pounds, I will look like that again. I am loading them on to my computer today as inspiration!

Anyway, I’m back on the wagon again, and summer is always hard for me.  Somehow, I always gain weight in the summer. I am glad that I’ve kept things under control for this long!

See below for my somewhat depressing *entire* weight chart…since November 17th, 2008. It’s depressing that I haven’t lost more, but I have maintained a loss of about 30 pounds for almost a year, which is a complete first for me, so I am proud. The next 30 is coming off before the new year:

This week’s weigh-in!

I am down a wopping 3 pounds this week, which is really nice.  I have been really trying to get back to that magical 217 that I hit so many weeks ago before gaining some of it back, and I am finally almost there. I keep thinking to myself – it’s only 5 more pounds now. In two weeks, I will be back to my lowest weight since 4 years ago!

I got out of bed this morning so early, so right now I am watching Roseanne reruns before I get in the shower. I stayed home yesterday and I wish I could today as well. My throat is still so sore and my cough will not go away!  Anyway, I have to drag myself to the office, so off I go!

Before/After Photos

I decided to do it…finally.  Check out the “Weight Progress” page link at the top for my before and after photos.  Keep in mind, though, that the weight loss is still in progress!