Still Going

I finished the Bolder Boulder in 1 hour 55 minutes. It felt like such an accomplishment that I haven't stopped training to run other races. A few weeks after the Bolder Boulder, I ran a 5K with some friends, and I will be doing the Bubble Run (another 5K) with Chad and Noel at the end of the month. I have also signed up for my next 10K and a 121.1 miles virtual run which logs my daily runs and adds them until I completed it. I am loving it! I am so happy with everything I have been able to do and will do.

191.6

I would like to say the pounds are melting off, but I have worked hard for every pound lost. With my PCOS and thyroid problems, it is hard to lose. I am trying to be patient, though. I have been slowly changing my eating habits as I pay attention to how I feel after eating certain foods. At this point, I am trying to stay away from eggs, chocolate, and soda. I am working on cutting by on my refined carbs, but that is harder for me than giving up other stuff. I feel better when I eat less bread, but not better enough to think that cutting it out would make me fee better. I have also joined a running group. We are going to run the Bolder Boulder this year. I have decided since the Bolder Boulder and I are turning 40 this year, it is my sign that it is finally time for me to make the leap and complete a goal I made when I was a teenager. I can't wait until this is a reality!
I still have quite a bit of weight to work off, but I am hoping by doing this my way (the slow way) that the habits I have been establishing will stick.

Not Reccomended

This has been an interesting week. I was able to lose about 4 pounds in 2 days, but only because I was unable to eat due to a stomach virus. I weighed myself again today, and I had gained back a pound in one day. I am sure it is mostly because I was so dehydrated the day before that the change in weight was because my body was in the process of re-hydrating. I am hoping that I can find a way to get down to this weight without the illness soon.

I have made a dietary decision for my family. Once the margarine that is in the house is gone, we will be completely switching to butter. I know that it is more costly, but I think that the few dollars difference is worth us having better health. We do not eat a lot with butter or margarine, so I will be looking for other things that I can change as well.

Learning the Hard Way

This time last year I dealt with swollen feet and hands on a regular basis. It had been going on for a while, and I had a suspicion that it may have been related to my Dr. Pepper consumption. I just didn't want to give it up, though. I think there were more food items that contributed to the problems I having. I knew something had to change, but I didn't know how to start.
In January, I started participating in self reliance classes through the Church. Chad and I decided that we would stop going out to eat and work on paying our debt with the money we would have spent in drive-thrus. I started feeling better fairly quickly. When we would cave and buy fast food, I would be sicker than I had been prior to trying to give it up. I still get fast food, and I deal with the consequences. I have, however, figured out that what I can eat at what restaurants that won't make me as sick.
Today, for the first time in months, my hands and feet swelled up to the point that it hurt to walk for a little while. What had changed? I have had a lot of salt and soda over the last few days.
I am in the process of learning what does and does not make me feel well. One of these days my diet will be to the point that I will feel as good as I can. I don't think I can ever completely give up fast food or soda, but I can have it less.

Win...Maybe

I added exercise to my morning routine Monday through Friday last month. It has been great to wake up, put on workout clothes, turn on a video, and workout for 20 to 30 minutes before work every morning.
Two days ago, I finally did a workout with weights because I found my weights. Not only did I use weight, the video had a lot of squats. It felt good to be working muscles I hadn't used in a while. It was sad to hear how much my knees creaked. It does not feel good today. I hurt, but I am not letting it get me down.
Today, I got up. Got my clothes out of the dryer, and exercised with a video. It was not as intense as some of the videos I have been doing lately. There are two reasons this is exciting. First, I was in pain, so it was not easy to do. Second, I am off of work today because it is my daughter's birthday. This means that I not only worked through the pain with something less intense, I kept this part of my morning routine even though I was not getting ready for work.

To me, the is a win!

The Jeans

Honestly, I have not lost any weight for a few weeks, but I have been able to notice a difference in how my clothes are fitting. I bought a pair of jeans at a thrift store at the beginning of the summer without trying them on. I was sure I knew what size I was. I would not accept the idea that I was larger than that size. I was wrong. the jeans were too small. My stomach hurt by the end of the work day. I took them off and put on sweats as soon as I would get home. A few times I unbuttoned them in the car since I knew I no one would see me and the kids aren't usually home when I get home on Fridays. I had one other pair of jeans that fit, but they disappeared somehow. I continued to wear them every Friday and started considering how uncomfortable they were as motivation to keep working on my health. I am happy to report that, as of yesterday, I can now wear them without sucking in my gut to button them and without being uncomfortable by the end of the day. Also, they are a bit loose on my legs and rear end. So, the weight may not be dropping as quick as I want, but I am making a difference with each early morning workout and planned meal.

This is Hard Work

First of all, the nutrition class that I am taking is really hard. For some reason, I am just not really understanding the science of digestion (science has never been my best subject). It is so frustrating. I am hoping that I can get the hang of the class soon. I am past the halfway point, and I have to get a good grade because I am on advisement at school. I did learn more about the need for water this week. I drink a lot of water on a daily basis, so it made me feel better about that decision.
So far, the changes that I have made are: I added some supplements that I feel I needed in my life right now; I am doing an exercise video five days a week when I wake up; and I am making and mostly following a meal plan. It is hard to be the one person in the house trying to make these changes. Sometimes it feels a bit lonely. Luckily, I have a friend that is trying to make positive changes at the same time. I just wish she lived closer.