Before Picture

https://www.weighandwin.com/MyCoach/Dashboard.aspx

I can't wait until this body gets smaller. It will happen!

I Will Win

My husband and I have started a contest. We have a daily water and exercise (other than work) goal. The one that reaches those goals the most in the next month will get to pick a movie, and we will actually have a date night. We are tracking our water intake and workouts through the FitBit website. (If it is not tracked it doesn't count.) So far, I am doing well. Contests are good motivators for me. My main goal is to be able to run the Bolder Boulder next spring. By doing this contest, I am hoping it will help build my endurance while I am waiting for it to warm up.

Reboot

I am embarrassed to say that I have not done much to lose weight for quite a while. I lost some weight while I was in training at work and right after my grandma passed away, but that was really due to grief and a weird schedule. I went to the doctor and told her that I didn't lose what I had wanted to lose during the summer while I was running and eating better. She believes that I will start losing again when I get back on my meds. (I know that I shouldn't have stopped taking them, and that I would be healthier if I would take them.) I am also going to start working out again. I am hoping that by working out again and taking my meds, the pounds will melt off like they did in the past. 

Success

Yesterday, the hubby and I completed our first 5K! He ran the whole thing, and I ran probably about half of it. When I was done, I couldn't believe that I had actually finished. It was both hard and rewarding.
Most of the difficulties of the run were self-inflicted. We procrastinated signing up so long that by the time we did the earliest we could start was 10:30. That was a good time to get well rested before the race, but it meant that we were running in 80 to 90 degree weather. The next problem was that I didn't drink any water before the race. If there hadn't been a watering station in the middle, I would not have made it through. The worst mistake that I made was to eat a fast food breakfast on the way down. It was too heavy and too greasy to eat before running and caused problems.
I think the reward is obvious. I finished. I didn't give up. When I was ready to give up, my sister, my nephew husband, and one of my best friends along with her sons were there to cheer me on. I finished in about 47 minutes.
I am so glad that I did this. I will definately run another 5K, and I can't wait until I can do my first 10K, the Boulder Boulder, next year!

Quick note:
My favorite quotes of the day came from my little 5 year old nephew:
     "This doesn't taste like corn..." (Talking about the "color bombs" made of colored cornstarch.)
     "That is devastating right there." (Pointing out that I had lost a safety pin that had been holding on my running bib.)

Before the Race

At the Finish Line

My Cute Nephew and Me

Hubby, Awesome Friend, and Me

He Got A Bit Messy

Sickness and Progress

My eating has been getting worse and worse. We haven't been buying as many fruits or vegetables, I have been slowly drinking more soda, and I have worked out less. Last weekend, I had a reminder of what all of that does to my body.
Friday night, I was starting to feel crumby. Saturday, while at work, I was feeling worse and worse, but I tried to convince myself that I could handle it. (I don't have a primary care doctor right now, and I didn't want to have to pay for an urgent care appointment.) Sunday, I decided I couldn't handle it anymore. (This may be too much info, but here it goes.) It burned so bad to pee, and even worse when I needed to pee. I got online and searched for an urgent care facility and found one. I toughed it out through church since it was my turn to teach, and headed there as soon as the kids were dropped off at home taking the little one with me. As I suspected, I had a UTI. I was given prescriptions  for the infection and the pain and sent on my way without any mention of side effects.
Monday morning, I woke up still feeling sick, but the original symptoms weren't as bad. I knew that I still couldn't workout and needed more rest, so I slept until 6 instead of getting up at 5 to workout. As I went through my day, the rest of me was feeling worse and worse. I didn't know what was going on. My manager suggested I go home an hour after I got to work, but I thought I could handle it. I made it to lunch, and ended up having to go home. I couldn't figure out what was wrong. I was, dizzy, light headed, experiencing nausea, exhausted, and I don't even know how to describe the rest. I looked up the medications on WebMD. It was the side effects of the drugs.
I wasn't able to get up to go running until Thursday, but I did get on the stationary bike Wednesday night. That helped kick things off for me again. When I went running Thursday morning, and I set a new personal record. I ran/walked the 3 mile loop I have been working on in about 51minutes. It felt great! Once again, that was motivation to get out and do better.
I didn't get out on Friday morning, I had been procrastinating homework all week and really had to get some done. I had to spend the time reading before work instead of getting out. I really don't have an excuse for after work other than it was date night.
Yesterday, as the hubby and I were getting ready to go running, the dogs were all getting excited thinking they were going too, so we took them for a walk instead. In the afternoon, when I needed a study break, we went for a 5 mile bike ride (we basically took our selves on a tour of Lochbuie).
This morning, I got up, got dressed and went for a run. I ran/walked the same loop hoping to complete it in under 50 minutes (my goal is under 45 by Saturday). I did better than that! I was done in a little over 47 minutes! I am going to reach my goal. I can feel it. 
Other than having a time goal so I am not the slowest person doing the 5K this Saturday, I have a few other goals for myself. I will have fruit with every lunch. (I pack my own lunches,so I have complete control over this.) I will have veggies with every dinner. (Again, I have complete control over this as well.) I currently fill my water bottle at work that holds about 3 cups of water 2-3 times a day. I will fill it and drink it all 4 times a day leaving me with no need or excuse to drink anything else while I am there. I will not go a single day this week without either riding a bike (indoor or outdoor) or running. I will be down a pound by Friday. I CAN DO THIS!

Time to Get Serious

I feel like I am not serious enough about reaching my running and weight loss goals. I am changing that. I am going to reach my goals. 

 

Hubby and I have officially signed up for the Color Me Rad 5K. We have been doing the Zombies Run! app, but I am not sure that I will actually be ready to run 5K by race day, August 17. I am going to finish the training app in the next 2 weeks, but I am also going to do more. I really want to be ready for this.

For my birthday, my brother-in-law gave me a Fitbit Flex. The Fitbit will help me track my steps, distance, sleep cycle, calories in, and calories out. I have been playing with it since I got it. It is so easy to use! This tool should help me with my goals of running a 5K and losing weight.

Back on Track?

I am hoping I am back on track. My daughter and I found a Yoga series on Netflix geared towards kids and teens last night, so we did the first one. It was about a half hour. I felt great and more relaxed when we were done. We plan to do it again  today.
This morning, I got out running again. I really pushed myself, and I did better than last time! That always feels good.
I gained a bit of weight, but I know I didn't eat well or exercise as much as i needed to. I will do better this next week.

Rough Week

I am having a hard time with the motivation today. I am really trying, but unless I get some kind of work out done today then I will have missed 3 days already this week. Seriously, it is so much easier to sleep than get up early to run or ride. I need to get back into the swing of things really bad. Hopefully, my kids will let me get some kind of work out in tonight so that I can remember how good it feels to get the adrenaline pumping again.

Great Morning

 

This morning I pushed myself harder than I ever have. I was stinkier and sweatier than I have been in a long time. I went 4.7 km during my 5K training this morning. That is the furthest distance that I have accomplished. I also achieved my fastest pace. It felt awesome! Now that I know I can do it, I want to do it again. I think I may be able to go back to running every other day again instead of waiting two or three days between runs. I can't even describe how happy that makes me.
After I got back from my 5K training, I decided to weigh myself. I lost more weight!

More Please

 

I need to workout more. I have only been running every three days for a few days. Not really anything else. This is not a good thing. When I work out I am more likely to eat better because I don't want to ruin the work I just did.
For a little while I was working out in the morning by my self and doing something with the kids (or at least my daughter) at night. I don't totally know why I stopped working out at night other than I just didn't feel like I had the time or I felt like it was taking away from the time I actually got with my kids somehow.
As far as not working out in the mornings on the days I don't run, that is just laziness. (It is far easier to stay in bed for another hour than it is to get up, get ready to work out, and get outside and ride my bike.) I was also feeling discouraged and stubborn. I kept saying to myself, "If I can't do the work out that I really want to do, then I won't work out at all."
Yesterday and today, I got up and got ready and went for a bike ride. It was only about three and a half miles, but I did it. I felt good when I was done. I felt motivated to do more.
I am going to do more. This is the start of a new week. I have yesterday and today done with five days to go. I will do some kind of work out (run, ride a bike, exercise videos, etc.) every day this week. There is no reason to ruin the hard work that I put in last month. I have a head start. I want to build on that and reach my fitness goals.

Inch By Inch

I have not been losing the pounds as fast as I want, but I know that I haven't been trying as hard since I hurt my legs. My work outs have amounted to 5K training every three days. I know I should probably run less and do other things like ride my bike or yoga more until my legs are completely healed, but I am stubborn. I have been doing ok with my eating, but the weekends are a struggle. Don't think I am not losing weight at all. I have lost about 5 pounds since the  end of May. I just hoped I would have lost more.
The good news is that I have been losing something...inches. Woo, hoo! I measured myself on May 27 and put it the measurements to the side telling myself that I would wait until at least the end of June to measure myself again. Today, July 3, I decided to check my measurements again. One measurement is such a drastic difference that I am not trusting the first number (I checked the measurement may times this morning). The difference between measurements is:

• around my belly button -1.5 inches
• left thigh same
• right thigh +.25
• left arm -.5
• right arm -.25
• hips -7.5 (this is the one that I don't believe)
• chest -.75
• bust -.75
• neck same
• TOTAL LOSS -3.25 or -10.75 (depending on if you believe the hip measurements)

No matter how you look at it, this is motivation to keep going and try harder.

Getting Better

I have been icing my legs at least once a day. I slept with them elevated one night (I read that it may help on WebMd). I stretch my legs at random times throughout the day. I massage my aching muscles when I think about it. I am giving myself two days between runs instead of one. What do I get for all of this...I am finally starting to feel better! I can't even tell you how relieved I am that my legs are hurting less and less. I even lost about half a pound during this struggle. This has definitely been a lesson in patience and listening to my body that I don't want to have to learn again!

Frustrated

I am so frustrated with my body. I really want to run. I never thought  I would say that. The problem is my shins hurt when I do, and they are getting worse every time I go out. I have tried several things to try to make them better. I have stretched before, during, and after my 5k training sessions. I have been icing them. I have done yoga on my off days. I gone two days between sessions. All I can think of doing is waiting even longer, and I don't want to. I want to keep training. I want to run. I know I can get out and ride my bike, but it just isn't the same.

More Good News

Two good things happen to me yesterday to help me keep going. I got on the scale, and I had lost more weight. Later in the day, my husband told me that he can tell by looking at me that I am getting slimmer. That was awesome! I'm liking this losing weight/getting healthier thing!

Working Out Advetures

I have having more problems with these stupid shin splints. I haven't stopped my running every other day (that is probably part of the problem). I have been stretching here and there during the walking part of my training. I iced them last night after my oldest son rubbed a few knots out of my muscles along my shins (he was just curious what a knot in the muscles felt like, but ended up helping a lot).
My sore legs have made it hard to get a work out in every day. I have accomplished something each day though. I have done yoga on the days I haven't ran so far this week. I tried doing it with my kids two days ago. I won't be trying that again any time soon. Three kids and three dogs around me is the opposite of relaxing and makes it really hard to concentrate on anything other than making sure that I don't step on or run into any creatures while the vocal creature complain that they aren't doing anything fun like Zumba. Oh well. I tried. I did yoga this morning while said creatures were sleeping, and it was awesome! I ended with more energy and feeling great all over. I will definitely be doing more yoga as long as I am alone while doing it.

Good and Bad

I had a good week in some ways, and a bad week in other ways. I completed week 2 of my Zombie training, but I had some some days when it came to controlling what I ate.
My eating this week was horrible. I have access to snacks at work, and, I have to admit, I took advantage of that. I had some stressful days, and I ate to deal with that. I didn't even realize how bad my stress eating was until this week. I successfully stayed away from soda and caffeine, though. I know that my eating definitely affected my workouts. I was more sluggish, so I was slower and didn't have the intensity that I know I can put into the workouts.
It was a difficult week for training. I didn't expect to be adding stupid heal lifts to my workout. I didn't expect to get shin splints, either. However, I worked though both. I successfully completed all of my week 2 walk/run workouts. I have to say, it was hard, but it is a victory because I completed them without giving up. I know week 3 will be harder, but I will not give up. I want a runners body, and that means putting in the work needed to get there.
As for as great news goes, I did my first mile walk for charity today. Chad and I did the Set the Pace for prostate cancer this morning. It was fun for the most part. I shins were killing me, but I got over it and would love to do it again next year except to the 5k run next time.f
Last bit of news, I swear. I got a beginner Yoga set of DVDs today on our way home from the event. I did the first workout on it. It was harder than I thought it would be, but I am going to add it to my night workouts with my daughter. I can't wait to see if she likes it as much as she likes Zumba!

More Energy, Less Weight

I am doing better than I had expected. I have more energy, I am getting faster, and I weigh less. Who could ask for more?
I was really worried that when going without caffeine, I would struggle with having the energy to get though the work day. I did struggle for the first few days but once I got past the first 4 or 5 days, it got easier. Yesterday, I went to Villiage Inn with my husband, and I ordered lemonade instead of my favorite, Dr. Pepper. I was so proud of myself.
I have completed the first week of my Zombie runs. I was shocked to see that I was actually getting faster even though I felt like I was taking it a bit too easy. The work outs will be a little tougher this week. I actually and excited to find out my next adventure.
Weight has been a struggle for me for quite a while. I have gained almost as much weight in the last year than I did my last two pregnancies combined. I am happy to say, I am breaking that trend. I am down one more pound this week making my total for two weeks four pounds of weight loss. It feels great! I am out of the 190's, and I am excited to see how low I can go this week.

Zombies? Really?

 

I am still doing pretty good at getting out and exercising in the morning. I had decided last week that I was going to try to do two work outs a day. That wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. It is a bit more difficult to motivate myself on the weekends. I basically decided that I will focus on at least one work out those days.
 After only one work out Saturday and Sunday, Monday I only got one work out in as well. Last night, my daughter looked at me and asked what exercise I was going to do with her. Honestly, I wasn't planning on exercising. I was tired. She talked me into more Zumba (it really didn't take much convincing), and I was glad that she did. She is so silly when she does work out videos with me!
For my morning work outs I have started using an app on my phone to train. It is called, "Zombies, Run! 5K Training." It sync's to a website that shows the track that I ran/walked and the amount of time. I really like it! It incorporates running and walking with a Zombie story line. If I had music on my phone (I will be putting music on it asap), it would add it to the experience. I am doing this every other morning, and I plan to ride my bike on the alternating mornings. I started Monday, and I am doing great with it so far. I can tell I am getting stronger!
In other news, I have decided to drop caffeine and soda again. I had been told that it would be easier to do with some Vitamin water or Propel, so instead of my favorite drink in ever (Dr. Pepper) we got Propel during our regular grocery shopping on Saturday (it had more appealing choices in flavors and was less expensive). The first few days were difficult, but since most people that sit around me at work made this decision a while ago and my husband joined me in the effort, it makes it not so bad. Hopefully, I can keep it up longer. Today will be day 5. Last time I made it for 9 days. I will make it longer this time. I really need to live healthier!

Positive Progress

 

I can't believe the progress that I have had this week. I think it has been the most successful week I have had in a long time.
I have gone for a walk 4 out of 5 days since I started tracking! The last 3 days I have walked in the morning and either walked or done Zumba at night. It is hard to believe that I could stay on track and motivated like I am (sad to say since it hasn't been that long). I guess having a goal in mind that is not just weight related is a lot more motivating than I thought. I know I will be able to run the 5K by August 17. Nothing will stop  me.
 Even though my main goal is not a weight loss goal, I am still keeping track because I do have a goal to lose weight as well. So far I am down 3 pounds this week. That is pretty dang exciting for me. I can't remember the last time I could say that I was down that much.
I realized yesterday how bad my self talk was when taking a shower and realizing where I have gained the most weight. For the first time that I can remember, I turned that negative self talk to positive talk. I told myself that it will change. I told myself that as long as I keep doing what I am doing, I will not only be skinner, I will have a runner's body. I know that is possible. It may take a while, but it will happen.

Can Stop Me Now!

This week has been going decently so far. Monday, I got a walk, ride, and hike it. It felt great know that I could do all of that and was a great kick off to a new me. Yesterday, I went for a walk. Today, I have already gone for a walk.
Chad helped me find a few tools to help track my progress. I am using the My Tracks app on my phone so that I can get accurate information on how much distance I have covered and how long it took me, and I am entering that data into this site that will let me know my pace and gives me points and badges for the things I do (I love rewards). I am getting more and more motivated seeing my numbers improve. I don't know how fast my pace needs to be (and it would probably just frustrate me if I did), but I know that it has gotten better with each walk. I know that I will be ready for my first 5K by August 17!

Good Morning

I woke up this morning to my excited husband asking if I was ready to go out walking. I took me a bit to wake up all the way and get ready, but we did get out and walk for about a half hour with the dogs followed by a fifteen minute bike ride. It felt great!
Now, the real test will be exercising in the morning when he has already gone to work. Since the kids are out of school for a few months, I don't have to get them ready which gives me a bit more time. Chad put an app on my phone to help me track how far and how many minutes it takes me to walk/ride. I have also put up a chart to write it down so that I can see it without looking at my phone. I am going to try to build on the momentum that has already started.

I Can't Keep Doing This

I have been watching my weight go up more and more lately. I now weigh about 3 pounds less than I did when I had my daughter (my biggest baby). That is HORRIBLE. I know I have to do something about it.
I have a few things in mind. First of all, my husband and I are going to get ourselves ready to do a few 5k's this year. Another thing that we are going to do is start riding bikes more.
I have been wanting to try a 5k for a while. I really need a reason and person to push me. My reason is that I am getting go out of shape and big that I am uncomfortable. My person that will help motivate me is my husband. (Yay for Chad!) He has a book that gives a guide to getting in shape to train for a marathon. I don't see my self really becoming a marathon runner, but it will get me in shape.
When is comes to bike riding, I like riding a bike. I haven't done it much in a while for a few reasons, however. First, I had small kids. Second, my bike was vandalized, so I needed to either fix it or get a new one. Well, The small kids thing has rectified itself for now. My youngest is 7 and can hold her own on a bike ride. As for the broken bike, Chad tried to fix my old one, but it it very rusty and needs more work. Instead of continuing to work on the old bike that the ex gave me years ago, he got me an early birthday present...a new bike. It is so pretty and much easier to ride than the other one was. We went on a family bike ride this morning, and I can't wait until we can do it again!
I will try to check in to give myself a bit more accountability, but lets be reasonable here. If I say nothing, you can probably assume I am not doing so well...

Another New Plan

This motivation thing is hard. I am trying to get back into the grove of things. I think my main problem is that 5 am comes way to quickly. I really don't have the time or energy to work out any other time of day.
The first few weeks it didn't seem as difficult. After thinking about what changed, I realized my sweet husband is now getting up at 5 with me instead of 4:30. When he gets up at 4:30, I have a half hour of him trying to get ready quietly to start waking up before my alarm goes off. It makes that alarm less startling. Within the next week he should be going back to working further away and getting up earlier, and I can hopefully get back to working out in the mornings. (The bad part will be that I can't talk his ear off...I mean spend some time with him in the morning before he has to leave and the kids wake up.)
I ordered a Zumba kit that should be here Wednesday. I am so excited! (Yes, I am one of those people that will try it because it is popular. I got Tae Bo years ago for the same reason.) I got one of the smaller kits. In fact, I accidently ordered the one for the Baby Boomer Generation because I was just looking at the price instead of the whole title. That is ok. Knowing me doing one that eases me into it would work better anyway. I'll let you know how it works for me.

I'm Losing My UMPH

I am having a hard time with motivation still. I need to find a way for me to grab on to what ever motivation I can and run with it.
I have basically stopped counting calories. I don't know why. I just haven't been doing it. I have missed quite a few workouts in the past week. My water intake is getting better, but that doesn't change the fact that I am GAINING weight. It is so frustrating.
I need to get back the enthusiasm that I had last month.

Making Changes

 

I have decided that I need to make a change in my exercise routine. I am hating the game more and more lately. I really only like the the kick boxing routines, but the workouts that are scheduled most days are circuit training routines. I don't really like them, and half he time the exercises require putting the Wii remote in my pocket, but the game doesn't recognize that I am doing these exercises. I often just give up and wait for the next exercise. I tried changing the program that I was doing to a kick boxing centered program, but it scheduled me for another week of circuit training. I am becoming less and less motivated by having routines scheduled that I don't really enjoy. My solution: I am going to dust off the workout DVDs and use those for my daily workouts. Between Chad and I we have quite a few of them. I don't want to totally lose my motivation to workout in the mornings. I am hoping that by recognizing it now, I will be able to fix the problem. I am also hoping that being able to chose from a variety of options instead of being told what I am going to be doing each day will help me be excited to work out again. I know I need to lose weight, and I am not going to stop trying until I find something that works.

Almost There

3 of 4 weeks complete!

I have been doing the Biggest Loser Challenge for the Wii for 3 whole weeks. I have only completely missed one work out (if you go by the game two because one day I did a video instead of turn on the game). I have to admit I have given up on a few. It is getting harder and harder to get up at 5:00 to workout every morning, but I am still chugging along the best I can.Thursday, I wasn't feeling well so I only worked out for about 10 minutes before I felt like I had the decision of getting sick in my living room or turning off the Wii. I chose to turn off the Wii. I really have no excused for giving up on other workouts.
As far as keeping track of my calorie intake, I do better some days than others. Really, that is harder than working out. I have been tracking it less and less as time goes by.
Over all, I have lost about 3 pounds total. I can't be too upset with that number, but I know I can do better. This will be the last week on this program. I want to finish it off strong. Now that all of the Girl Scout cookies that aren't already spoken for are going to be returned to the troop, it should be easier to stick to a diet of sorts. Hopefully, that will help with the exhaustion I have been feeling as well.

New Year. New Me

I am tired of always being tired, my clothes getting smaller and smaller, the comments from my kids about my weight (I have a feeling I know where those are coming from), and seeing the number on the scale get higher and higher. I keep making goals without really following through or giving up on them before I can really tell if I am going to get results.
I am made my resolution last Sunday morning. (I know it is not January 1, but it is still January.) I will be down to 150 by the end of the year. I am going to workout every day no matter what! I am going to count my calories even if it is depressing that the meal has more calories than I thought it would. When I struggle, which I will, I will lean on my support system (my husband) and keep going.
To start this off, I dusted off my Biggest Loser Challenge for the Wii, and decided to do a preset 4 week plan. I am doing the Boot Camp because it is supposed to help get people who haven't been regularly working out back into the game. I am determined to complete this program! I have yet to complete any workout program from either the Wii or Xbox. This time it will be different!
I have also been getting up at 5 every morning to workout because I just simply don't know when else I can do it without the distraction of children. That part hasn't been as hard most days because my hubby gets up even earlier. I had been just laying in bed half awake, half asleep as he went in and out of the bedroom throughout the morning. I think that was actually harder on me than just getting out of bed and getting moving.
Let me tell you, Sunday was hard. I did one of the easier workouts I have done, and it seemed like the hardest. I didn't realize I was THAT out of shape. Luckily, I didn't get up early that day as well. I may have given up before I even started.
So far this week it going well. I am down about 3 pounds compared to this time last week! That is motivation on it's own!