Wednesday Workout

So I accomplished my goal this afternoon and actually ran on the treadmill. I was amazed at how easy I found it to be. I remember 12 weeks ago I couldn't run at all. My shins hurt, and it was really just too much work. So even if I gained 1.5 lbs, I am still so happy that I ran!!! I ended up setting the program for 30 minutes and ended up doing 5 minute intervals of walking fast and then running. So in all I ended up running for 15 minutes. Can you tell I'm excited??? And you know what else, I actually enjoyed it. Maybe one of these days I'll get to run a marathon like so many of you have done.

Workout summary:

Strength Training Lower Body - 22 minutes / 152 calories burned
Cardio - 51 minutes - 623 calories burned
Average heart rate - 152
Highest heart rate - 172


Of course all this information is provided to me from my heart rate monitor. I love that thing. It was the best $150.00 I have ever spent. I would totally recommend it to everyone!! Oh.....and one more thing. The scale at the gym indicates I am down a pound from last week so I am hoping I was just a little puffy this morning when I weighed myself. Thank you gym scale!!!

Weigh In

Weigh in this morning was very sad for me. The scale shows I have gained 1.5 lbs. :( Who knows why and sometimes I wonder why it is so hard for my body to decide to lose weight. Perhaps it's fighting back after years of torture!! ha ha Oh well, I guess that's just extra motivation to get to the gym and switch things up again. Maybe finally conquer that treadmill and try running! Everything happens for a reason. Positive thinking right???

I am a faithful watcher of The Biggest Loser. I can't get enough of it. I think I find a lot of inspiration in Kristin. She always amazes me. She has lost an incredible amount of weight and keeps on going. She withstood the temptation of eating all that crappy food and showed it by losing 8 lbs. I want to be like her when I grow up!!

I know that weight loss is a lifelong thing and it will never happen overnight, so I guess if I've had a small gain that's okay. I know my body is changing, as this weekend when I went to put on my snow pants they were no longer tight!! I think last time I wore them they had to be left open at the top because they were cutting me off in the middle. Maybe it's time to start measuring and get rid of the dang scale.

So now I am at 15.5 down in 12 weeks. Still not too shabby! Maybe next week will bring more progress. I'll update you this afternoon and let you know how the gym went!! Thanks to all my new friends for all the encouragement. It is appreciated more than you know!!! :)

It's Tuesday!

I had a wonderful weekend out in the pure sunshine, but let me tell you it was so cold. It was about 18 - 20 degrees outside. We took our kiddos out to Eureka for a little snow machine trip. It was so nice to be away from the real world and just enjoy our family. To be away from the constant worries of counting calories and worrying about my next workout. I wasn't consumed with food at all. I still ate on plan, but I never once had that nagging voice inside my telling me I needed to eat more food. We spent the majority of the day outside and I ended up with a sunburned face as a result. I think this weekend was just what I needed. Proof that life goes on beyond counting calories and worrying about working out. That, I can go on the rest of my life with my new lifestyle.

Today I get to have lunch with my best friend whom I rarely get to see anymore. With kids and work and living about 40 minutes away it makes it kind of hard. I also get to have the world's best salad!! Yummy!! I am so ready for lunch and I have 3 hours to wait. Oh well.....I guess all good things come in time!!

Weigh in is tomorrow for me so I am hoping for a loss. Even a tiny one would make me happy!!

Why????

Okay, so I was feeling pretty good today and then I had someone at work take a full body picture of me. Now I am ready to cry and fall into the pits of sorrow! I feel like I haven't made any progress and it is disappointing. I know it's just the beginning and I'll keep on going but it is just still depressing. Why........when I was starting to feel really good???? Here's the pic. YUCK!!!

I look like a football player. Why such the big bulky broad stance?? AAAHHHHGGG! I want to just throw up. I hate it. I guess it's extra motivation to keep going to the gym. I like the face shots much better!! :)

Looking back......

Isn't it funny how you can look back at old photographs and think, man I wish I was that size again. And in all reality you really thought you were fat at that time. I look back at some older pictures and just wish I was back to that same me. Look at what I have let myself become. So here's a picture of myself about 12 years ago and boy do I wish I looked like that again.

Well minus the glasses I would like to look like that!! Those things are huge and hideous!! *hee hee* That just cracks me up!!

So in my search for a full body shot my mom commented and suggested that I post a few pictures from throughout my life. Here's some from baby on up. Enjoy the picture show!!


That's a baby me!!

That's me on the far right!

This is the year I met my soon to be husband only 11 years later!

16 years old!

Senior Prom in 1998!! Scary that I even just posted that pic! It's horrible.

Senior Picture. Looking kind of cute here!

21st Birthday and getting fatter by the day!! Shortly after this pic, I ballooned up to 260 pounds. It is quite scary and one of these days I will post the picture I have. I lost about 30 pounds doing the Atkins thing with my mom!

This picture is from November 2008, a month before I started this journey. Can you tell I am still trying to hide??

I am now down 17 lbs and so very happy with the outcome so far. Maybe I'll take an updated picture today to post!!

Pictures

I am having the hardest time ever. I have been searching for a full body picture of myself to use as my before picture. It seems as of right now to be non-existant. Funny how that is. I think back to getting pictures taken and me always telling my husband that he needed to zoom in closer and just get a shot of our faces. Really??? A fat girl doesn't want a full body photograph. Well, NO!!! That would mean she would have to look fat. And god forbid that a fat girl looks fat!! Who was I kidding. So needless to say, I am still on the search. There has to be some hideous fat girl full body shot somewhere. Let me know if you snuck one in on me. I know I don't have any. :)

Running

I am sitting here after a very great workout, wondering how I have evolved into this person I am right now. Never in a million years did I ever expect that I would be working out, doing an hour and a half of strength training a week and three hours of cardio a week. I feel strong, and I feel refreshed. I feel like a new person almost. Hard to believe that I let myself live the opposite way for so many years. So the gym was wonderful today. I went a little earlier than I usually do and it was quiet and peaceful. I managed 30 minutes of upper body, 30 minutes on the elliptical machine, 25 minutes on the stationary bike. Total calorie burn of 780!!!

Then for some unknown reason I had the urge to get on the treadmill and see if I could muster up the courage to run. SO I get on and start walking at a fast pace, with a slight incline. I'm walking and the whole time I'm telling myself bump up that speed and get running. Did I do it......NOOOOOOO!! I kept thinking to myself "everyone is going to be watching me". Running involves your whole body, and well, when your heavy that's just not a pretty sight. I really want to run though and I have no idea why. I've heard all the info about how bad it is on your body, and that women shouldn't run. Blah, Blah, Blah........BUT I WANT TO RUN!!!!! I even have been having dreams about running. Who knows why!! So my goal is to gather the courage to embarrass myself in front of the whole gym and just go for it. I'll let you know how it goes. :)

Here's a picture of my littlest man. He's just the cutest!!! I may be a little biased though!