Catch up!

I sure have been slacking at my regular posts.
It seems like a lot has changed in the past couple weeks.
More news to come in the following weeks so stay tuned! :P

To catch you up...

I've been taking my measurements for the past month.
I am able to see more progress by doing this than by just watching the scale I think.
In a month's time I have LOST 6 POUNDS & A TOTAL OF 4 1/2 INCHES!
4 1/2 inches compared to 6 pounds seems substantial to me.
Most of the inches have come off from my belly.
My blasted hips and butt haven't budge much so my pant size has yet to change.
I do notice a difference in how my clothes fit though.
I'm regaining my confidence.

I have had a bit of a dip in my motivation.
Both James and I haven't "felt like" going to the gym lately.
We have still made it a few days a week, just not as frequently as before.
I want to change that and get back to going on a regular basis.
Being active daily makes me feel so much better.
I firmly believe that motivation is a key to being successful at anything.
I need to find my motivation again!

I've decided that running is HARD!
It's a total mental thing and I haven't been able to wrap my head around yet.
James blows me out of the water with his abilities.
He told me stories about being in the Army and having to run.
I don't envy the things he had to do one bit! CRAZY!
I admire him for his abilities though.
I will be able to run one of these days!

Short and sweet today.
More updates to come in the near future.
Keep reading! :)

A Hearty Dose of Motivation!

I've been slacking at my blog posts.  I've had such great motivation outside of the internet world that I forget to share with you!  So let me share!

My last post I said that I was changing things up and oh boy, has it helped!  I've gone back to eating dinner before the gym.  I haven't necessarily been eating more though.  My calorie intake changes from day to day.  I try to stay right around 1100 calories but sometimes jump to 1300 too.  I'm pretty safe between those numbers I believe... and the scales shows it too!

In the past week I've dropped 3 pounds.  I took my measurements two weeks ago, Monday too.  I decided to take them again this past Monday and to my surprise, I had lost a total of 4 inches!  I'm incredibly proud of myself.  Seeing the numbers gives such great motivation.

James and I have been trying to go to the gym every day.  That doesn't always work but on average we're getting there at least 4 times a week.  4 days out of 7 isn't too shabby.  The past couple weeks I did strictly cardio.  30 minutes on the elliptical and 30 on the treadmill.  I'd go probably an average of 4-5 miles in the hour at the gym.

This week I've switched back to doing weights with James and holy crap!  I feel it!  I love feeling my muscles though.  It shows me that I'm actually doing something!  On top of the weights that we've been doing, we've also been throwing in some cardio time.  Usually about 30 minutes.  I stick to the elliptical for my cardio now.  I try to keep my pace up too.  Around a 6 or so for as long as I can manage.  I feel I'm getting stronger and have more endurance.  I did a mile in just over 9 minutes the past two days.  Not to shabby for someone who started this weight loss journey just over 2 months ago (not to mention having a starting weight of 190...).

Wow!  I think that's the first time I've admitted my weight in my blog!  (I will post my measurements in the near future too).  A starting weight of 190.  Today I'm weighing in at 177.    For those of you that don't like math, that's 13 pounds lost!  Yeah, 13 pounds in a 2 and a half month time frame may not seem that great but I will take what I can get!  I'm proud of every pound I've lost and I will continue working hard to see more results! 

 

 I have been ashamed of the number on the scale for so long.  It feels FANTASTIC to finally be in control of that number and to see the number continue to decrease.  I'm not saying that I'm totally confident again because I can assure you, I'm a ways from feeling completely confident about myself but I'm definitely getting there.  When I'm at the gym I find myself thinking about what others think of me.  In my head it's one of two way.  They either think "what is this fatty doing here... she look ridiculous... she isn't doing anything right..." or "good for her.... it's nice to see that she's working on her... more people should be like her..."  I would hope that people choose the latter of the two!  I know that I will always praise those that are overweight for being at the gym!

Here's my challenge for you... If you want to feel better and grow your confidence and belief in yourself... GET OFF THE COUCH AND GO TO THE GYM (or go for a run outside)!  One things that's great to always remember...

Success!!

I've slacked a bit at getting a post up in the past week or so.  I have no reason as to why.  I just haven't.  Shame on me.  Ha!  Despite my lack of blogging in the past week, I had a really good week!  I dropped 2 more pounds.  :)  Totally stoked to finally be headed in the right direction!  I'm now at a total of 10 pounds down.

This is spot on!  Remembering the goal at hand is motivation!

I have noticed a bit more of how my body works, or so I think.  The first month of eating better and working out seemed to be slow going.  It felt like it took my body that time to "warm up", so to speak.  After the first month I feel like I'm noticing more on the scale and finally seeing a difference in how my clothes are fitting.

With my latest successes I've been very motivated to keep up the hard work.  I've been pushing myself at the gym, mostly doing cardio.  I will go about 2.5 miles on the elliptical and then another 2.5 on either the treadmill or stationary bike.  All done within an hour time frame.  It might not seem like much to some but I'm building up my stamina and endurance.  I hope to be able to move from 5 miles in an hour to 8 soon.  Then possibly 10.  We'll see how that goes though.  

I have found a great source of inspiration.  I stumbled across THIS BLOG yesterday, courtesy of Pinterest.  I find this woman to be such a motivator.  I can totally relate to her journey in losing weight and I respect her for her genuine HARD work in losing weight the right way.  I'm pushed to try harder to see more results after reading through her blog.

While reading through the blog, I read and saw first hand results from the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred.  After gaining a quick found respect for this blogger, I immediately decided that I wanted to try the 30 Day Shred too.   I text James and asked if he would get it for me.  Being the loving and supportive fiance that he is, he had it for me by the time I got home from work.

After a good hour workout at the gym, I went home to start day 1 of my 30 Day Shred.  I've done Insanity before so I thought this would be cake.  Let me just say that the Jillian kicks your ass!  I thought I sweat it out pretty good at the gym.  I was wrong.  By the time I was done with what I thought was a measly 20 minute workout, I was covered in sweat.  I had sweat dripping from my face just as I did when I did Insanity.

Day 2 will be tonight.  I'm shooting for 5 days of 30 Day Shred a week.  I hope to get some killer results.  I will also be taking some before pictures tonight as well as all of my measurements.  I WILL post those here too.  I've hesitated to do so because of how embarrassed I am by how heavy I have gotten.  No more hiding.  I think that posting the cold hard truths here will help hold me more accountable.

I'm more determined than ever right now to drop some more weight.  I really believe that it's possible for me to drop 10 more pounds (maybe even more) by the end of the month.  20 pounds in 2 1/2 months isn't too shabby in my opinion.  I could possibly even get closer to my original 30 pound goal than I thought!

Motivated!

I'm feeling great this morning.  The number on the scale has been agreeing with me this past week.  There's nothing like actually seeing the numbers go down to give you some much needed motivation!

Start your success with the LIVESTRONG.COM calorie counter.

I finally go to the store and bought my favorite multivitamin last week.  Maybe it's in my head, but I think they help me out a ton.  If nothing else, I'm at least taking a multivitamin.  :)  I'm personally a huge fan of the GNC vitamins for women.  I personally take the Women's Ultra Mega Energy & Metabolism.  Before I miscarried, I also took their prenatal vitamins.  Both were great.  

I'm rather excited for this week.  I've decided to follow James around the gym so I can utilize my time there better.  He know what to do to work each muscle group a lot better than I do.  He's worked out in the past and has done really well.  I still feel like a fish out of water when using the equipment.  I know my muscles are going to be super sore but I'm totally looking forward to it.  I know that building muscle is an important part of weight loss.  This picture shows the different in volume of fat vs. muscle.  I want more muscle than fat!

I'm also exicted for this week because I will be getting an armband from Body Media .  I have done my research and I believe this may end up being the best aid in my weight loss.  I'm getting the Link Armband, which is Bluetooth enabled.

The armband will track everything day in, day out (that includes sleep patterns).  It will then link directly to my iPhone via an app and upload all of my information there.  I will be able to view the data and make what tweaks are needed to my daily routines.  The only thing I will have to do is enter my meals.  I'm super stoked to try this out.  It says that those who have used Body Media have had 3 times more success in weight loss. 

A few other things that are helping encourage me along...

IF THIS ISN'T MOTIVATING, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS!

 

SOOOO TRUE!!

I AM STRONG!!

For anyone else out there trying to lose weight, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!  It might not be easy right now but it will all pay off in the end!  Something that I keep reminding myself, THIS ISN'T A DIET!  IT'S A LIFE CHANGE!  You have to realize that you aren't going to go the rest of your life without eating a piece of cake or having a bowl of ice cream.  It's all about moderation.  The sacrifices you're making now are blessing in disguise.  :)

Get fit! Be Healthy!

I don't know what had gotten into me but I just have to say that I have definitely found motivation to get fit again!  Like I said in my post yesterday, we got gym memberships.  Maybe that's what has given me the boost.  Not sure.  I just know that I am totally LOVING every ounce of motivation that I have or can find.  I feel like I'm overflowing with want to get out and get healthy!

Pinterest has been a great source of motivation for me.  Their fitness section is great.  I have found many blogs or articles worth reading, not to mention simple pictures with words of motivation.  Here are some of my favorites:

I also read a quote by Muhammad Ali that said "I hated every minute of training but I said 'Don't quit.  Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'"

Such great words of wisdom to follow!  Suffer now and enjoy the rest of your life as a fit person!  That's exactly what I want to do and I will do it!  I feel more in tune with myself and more ready to get what I want than I ever have before.

Another site that has been good for me is Livestrong.  They have apps for both iPhone and Android.  It allows you to track all calories consumed as well as any exercises you may do throughout the day.  Their online site is great too because it allows you to see a broad overview of how you're doing.  It shows you how much weight you've lost/gained to date as well as a breakdown on the calories consumed.  When I was focused on losing weight before, I had used this app and their online site and was able to lose 30lbs!  I find it very helpful and would recommend it to anyone else looking for a little guidance.

Weight Loss Goal!

I would say I'm probably like a good majority of America... I have struggled with my weight for what I would say has been most of my life.  I was a chunky kid in middle school, thinned out a bit in high school and shortly thereafter and then started putting some weight back on as I approached my mid 20's. 

I am now nearing 30 (only 2 1/2 more years) and I'm not where I want to be, physically.  I also want so badly to be healthy and fit again.  Last year, James and I went on a health kick and both dropped a substantial amount of weight.  We then decided to try to have a baby and our healthy lifestyle was sort of put on the back burner.  I know there's no reason to not continue to be healthy, pregnant or not, hence my new goal of losing 30 pounds before James and I can start trying for a baby again.

I figured I'd post my goal here.  Maybe this will help hold me a little more accountable than if I just keep it to myself.  I figure that I have roughly 3 months before James and I can try to get pregnant again.  This means my goal will be 10 pounds per month or about 2 1/2 pounds per week.  I think this is something that is totally doable.  I don't feel that I'm being unrealistic with my goal either. 

I will be doing it the healthy way.  No cutting out certain foods.  No extreme measures.  Just healthy eating and exercising.  I intend to continue managing a healthy weight throughout my hopeful pregnancy too and then afterwards, drop some more weight to get back to my ideal body weight.

I came across a website today that I found inspirational and very useful.  I would encourage anyone else wanting to lose some weight to visit it too.  It is http://www.superskinnyme.com/.  They have multiple calculators you can use.  Calculators that will help you figure out your BMI or the number of calories you should intake, just to name a couple.  There are numerous articles that I enjoyed reading as well. 

I will post back with my progress throughout the next several months.  I know from personal experience, seeing or reading how other are doing or have done can give you that little extra push in the right direction! 

Here we go!