I think I need to throw away my scale! LOL!

I am trying not to stress too much about the number that I see on the scale these days. It's a hard thing to do! I have heard so many people say muscle weighs more than fat, track your inches (which I fully plan on measuring again when I go home tonight). I think sometimes that is true. My body seems to be changing , but the number doesn't change much. I feel that my stomach is shrinking, my legs getting more muscular and thinner, and pants are fitting looser in certain spots. I even had to go to the last rung on my bra this morning, which I never used to do. I have to have faith that all my hard work is paying off! One day the scale might say what I want it to, but it might not. I have to be happy with what I see in the mirror! :)

Measurements as of January 17:

Hips: 38

Waist: 37

Thighs: 23

Arms:13

We will see tonight if this has changed!

What's on the menu today:

Breakfast: I had oatmeal (love it, but I have viewed carbs as the enemy for so long that sometimes it's hard to eat carbs! but it was good!)

Lunch: Turkey burger patty, salad, light mozzarella string cheese, and carb master yogurt

Dinner: Ribs, salad, green beans

 

I am trying to make healthier choices, but also incorporate more carbs into my diet! I feel like I need them, because I run and my body needs that or it goes into starvation mode. It's all about moderation!

Sometimes you gain, sometimes you lose....

The battle continues with the scale. It's so funny how quickly that thing changes. Saturday morning I was 165... this morning 168! UGH! I am trying hard not to pay attention to it and keep going. It is a little discouraging though. I know you can gain muscle and it weighs more than fat, so I am just going to keep on going with hopes that I see a change in my body, no matter what that scale says. Weight loss is not easy, but it is something you have to work very hard at. I am willing to do it. This week will be all about keeping up with the jogging and watching what I eat closely. I look forward to being back at 165 very soon!

I did it!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am happy to say I did it! I completed a 20 minute run! Yep, 20 whole minutes of running without stopping. Was I super fast? No. Did I want to quit? Maybe. But did I finish? Thats a big HELL YES! So excited! A year ago I couldn't go to the stop sign, that's about a minute, without huffing and puffing and now I ran 20 minutes! I don't know who I am, but I like the change and this girl is a runner! :) big smile on my face!

It's true! I love running! And a little about me!

I never in my LIFE thought I would EVER be able to say this, but I LOVE running! I have ran 4 times this week.. I am addicted... I have to complete 20 minute runs this weekend (today is my off day, my only off day). I am excited and nervous for 20 minute runs. I know that I CAN do it and I know the feeling afterwards will be AMAZING, it's just getting there. I have determination and I will work hard. I can promise I will write a blog talking about how great I am... lol... for a girl who used to not be able to run to the stop sign and back, I am proud that I ran 8 minute runs this weekend and I will be even more proud when that little voice comes on and tells me my 20 minutes is up! :)

So, here is a little about me (maybe one day I will have followers on my blog that will care! lol)

Age: 28

Birthday: May 20

Concert last attended: Gary Allan (he is hot!)

Dog: No, don't have one.. one day I want a little inside dog though!

Eggs: Eat them a lot on low carb diet, scrambled please!

Flown on a plane?: Yep, quite a few times!

Giver or taker: I love to give to people and I rock at gift giving!

Height: 5'7"

Ice Cream: chocolate chip cookie dog PLEASE! (haven't had this in forever!)

Jewelry: I never take off my rings, I have quite a jewelry colelction (a girl can never have enough, right?) ;)

Kids: No, not yet... one day when I met the man I want to share my life with!

Laid back: I like to think I am, although I do like to plan things and sometmes my OCD gets the best of me. lol

Movie: I think my fav movie as of now is Dear John- so romantic and no matter how many times I watch it, I cry!

Night or Day?: I would have to say night... I am not a morning person!

Only child?: No, I have a little BIG brother (he is taller than me!)

Pet Peeve: dirty people! I can't stand someone who doesn't keep themselves or their house clean!

Quiet?: At times, I can be quiet.. but at times I definitely speak my mind!

Reality TV?: Gotta have my Jersey Shore and my weekly fist pumpin! lol

Season: My fav is definitely summer.. I am a teacher so I am off and I LOVE THE BEACH!

Time you wake up: 6:00 a.m. every day of the week.. weekends, you never know!

Underwear: ummmm yea and none of your business lol

Vacation: Last one was New Orleans... next one I want somewhere tropical!

Work: Teacher

X-ray: had one a LONG time ago when I broke my wrist.

Yesterday: I worked, ran, worked out... typical week day for me.

Zodiac: Taurus and I am definitely one!

Here's to a GREAT weekend and me kicking butt on those runs! :)

The big green monster!!!!

So, yesterday's jog was a success! I actually got to do it outside this time. It was great. The wind was a bit of a challenge going one direction, but I kept on and completed 2- 8 minute runs. I am happy with that :) This morning for breakfast I had the most amazing shake. I was turned onto this "green monster" by a blogger that I follow www.mamalaughlin.com . As I have said before, if you haven't read it... you should! She is funny, an inspiration, and has great ideas! Anyways here is what it is:
1/2 c frozen mango
1/2 c frozen banana
1/2 c frozen pineapple
a handful of baby spinach
1 c 1/2% milk
2 truvia packets

It might not sound that great and I thought "baby spinach, yuck!".. but it is delicous! I love it! I have had 2 this week for breakfast. It seems to be very filling, not high in calories (a little over 200) and it has servings of fruits and veggies in it! It's all about trying new things and making healthy choices! So, cheers to the "Green Monster"!

What a surprise this morning!

Yep, you are seeing right! I am down 2 lbs! I was surprised when I stepped on the scale this morning and saw this! That means I am almost to a 10 lb weight loss! WOO HOO! I thought I was forever stuck at 168 and would never move, but now I know I can and I am more motivated than ever! Running is helping so much with weight loss and confidence! It's EXCITING! Who would have ever thought I would LOVE to run/jog???? Not me... I used to get winded trying to jog for a minute. Today, I am due to jog for 8 minutes and I know I can do it. Will it be easy? No... but nothing good in life comes easy! Happy Wednesday! :)

Let the week begin!

Well, bad news is- I did not lose any weight over the weekend... but good news is- I didn't gain any either! :) I can deal with that...especially considering I ate mexican food Friday and yesterday I had sushi... and I might have had a couple (meaning 2) beers the other day. I am totally ok with that. There will be weekends like that..period.. that is life. I am still working on my jogging plan and yesterday I completed week 5, run 1. It was not bad. I jogged for 5 minutes straight and did that 3 times. I am constantly amazed at myself! I feel even more confident that I can become a runner and I will. I think I am going to have to because the end of this week I have 20 minute jogs coming up! OH MY! I pray I can do it! Just to think in 4 weeks I will be jogging 30 minutes without stopping! Bring it on!

Weight loss can be so confusing!

So, yesterday I did really well.... AT FIRST! I had bacon and eggs for breakfast and a salad with a piece of tilapia for lunch. I was on the right track. I decided that yesterday would be my off day from working out, because I was really tired and knew I would have more time to workout this weekend. Well, dinner rolled around and I decided mexican was what I wanted. It is hard  impossible to eat healthy at a mexican restaurant..I don't care who tells you different! Unless you want to eat JUST chicken fajitas and nothing else.. you are screwed! I had enchiladas and rice and beans. Yep, you heard me- I ate BAD! I was fully expecting to wake up this morning and have gained at least a POUND...but guess what? I didn't gain a pound! I am the same and happy! I am ready to get this day going! I had one packet of oatmeal, 2 slices of bacon, and some grapefruit juice for breakfast. It is raining pretty bad where I am and so the day will be spent cleaning and working out, to work off all that mexican food, plus some. I can't wait to hit the treadmill!!!! There will be days when I eat bad but I am not afraid to get right back on the bandwagon and keep going. :) Life is too short to worry about everything.

P.S.- the confusing part is that I feel when I stay so strict on my diet I don't lose much.. but then I start eating a little bad here and there and I either stay the same or lose... hmmmm, does our body tell us it needs more? Should we listen? I think I will, at least every now and then!

Working hard!

I know, it's not the prettiest thing! LOL! I have seen this quote a million time: "If you still look pretty after your workout, then you didn't workout hard enough!" If you don't believe that, just look at the picture above. That was me yesterday after 30 minutes on the treadmill, jogging week 4. That is 3 minute and 5 minute runs. I was SWEATY! :) But I love the way I feel after I jog. I am really hoping for nice weather this weekend so I can get outside, but they keep saying RAIN (BOOOOO!) so guess on the treadmill I will be.

So, I decided to just do healthy eating instead of a strict diet. I did eat bacon and eggs for breakfast this morning though. I find that they keep me fuller longer than that cereal I ate yesterday. I am also taking a salad today. I think I will go back and forth and some days still have little/no carbs until I reach my goal weight. BUT, there will be days when I do have carbs. I am trying to be realistic with my goals and I know that going the rest of my life without carbs is, in fact, IMPOSSIBLE. Fingers crossed I do good on my diet and exercise plan this weekend! I believe I can!

P.S. this is what the scale said this morning! 4 lbs down since Monday (including water weight) and 7 lbs lost total :) yay!!!

Decisions, decisions!

For the past 5 weeks I have been on a strict diet (with the exception of my NOLA trip- sue me for eating! lol). It has consisted of:

• Breakfast- 2 eggs, 2 pieces of bacon, grapefruit juice
• Lunch- salad with any meat, grapefruit juice.
• Dinner- Any meat and vegetable and a salad, grapefruit juice

It's called the MAYO CLINIC diet... link here. For some it works! I saw a lady at work lose a LOT.. but every diet isn't for everyone.. I gave it my best shot and not to say I won't do it again, but for now I am done. I can't say that the whole things was a complete bust. It did help me to learn more about carbs and nutrition. It also helped me see that I can survive the day on WAY LESS than I ever ate before. I used to have carbs at almost every single meal. I have lost 6 lbs on this diet and that's more than a pound a week, so I think that is still something to celebrate. I did decide last night that I just can't continue to do it every day anymore. I have to change it up. So I have decided to incorporate carbs back into my diet, but still continue to eat VERY healthy and be more self conscious of what I am putting in my mouth. I read a blog every day: http://www.mamalaughlin.com/ She is awesome and if you haven't checked her out, you should! She is very motivational and funny too!

So, this morning I had a bowl of cereal! OMG it was so good.... lol, not really anythign to write home about honestly, but I THOUGHT it was going to be heaven in my mouth. It was a nice change though. For lunch, I will have tilapia and squash and dinner tonight is chili which I will skip the rice and crackers and have a salad instead. I can't wait to go run tonight. I am on week 4 of my "Get Running" program. I rested my legs yesterday and am ready to go again! LOVE IT! I think with these positive changes I am sure to see results. It might be slower than I would like, but I think this will be more of a lifestyle change than a diet for me... that's what it is supposed to be right?! So, cheers to bringing carbs back (in a healthy way) I HAVE MISSED YOU SO! :)

Jogging is getting a little easier!

Thanks to the mosquitos moving in here in southeast Texas, I am not able to run outside right now. The mosquitos weren't that bad yesterday, but the wind was cold! We are due for more rain today and that means... MORE mosquitos! UGH! I really love running outside more than I do running indoors on a treadmill, but this week it honestly hasn't been that bad! I have been able to run my week 4 runs on the treadmill and boy do I feel it in my butt and thighs. I think there is some kind of "high" that you get from running.... your heart pounding, sweat rolling down your face, and the thought that fat is leaving your body as you take each step. I can easily see why people get addicted to it. I am starting to LOVE running! With the Valentine's Day chocolate out of my sight, nothing can stop me now! :)

 

The day of CHOCOLATE!

So, I am proud to say I am on my way back to the 160s! I weighed in this morning at 170. I lost 2 pounds of water weight since Monday morning. I have been drinking water like it's going out of style! I also got on the treadmill yesterday. I am up to 5 minutes jogging straight at a time and on week 4 of my plan. By mid March I should be able to jog 30 minutes straight. I am getting excited. The only bad thing is this morning I was showered with lots of love from my students at school, which includes lots of CHOCOLATE! Oh my! It's hard to say no and I did have a few pieces but I am not going crazy! :) Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

A weekend in NOLA!

Well,I can officially say this weekend was a BUST! It was worth everything I put in my mouth though! LOL! I have come to understand that there will be times in my life when I will chunk the diet out the window for a few days and eat and drink what I want. We are human and sometimes we have to live FREE a little. I stepped on the scale this morning and weighed a WHOPPIN 172.. yep, that is 5 more lbs than before I left. I have to say that some is water weight (from the alcohol I drank on Bourbon Street) and it will go away within a few days. Some of it will not go away that easily though (that will be the fried oysters and chips and everything else I had to eat). I am ok with that and I ready, SO READY, to get out there and jog today. I am ready to get back on track and stay focused on my goal. :) No reason to beat myself up. I had a great time and I think we all deserves those "Free weekends".

Slowly, but it will happen!

So here is a run down of what I have been doing since the first of the year when I made my SERIOUS vow to work hard at this weight loss thing: (I really mean it this time! REALLY!)
I have been on a low carb diet that consists of eggs and bacon for breakfast, salads with meat for lunch, and meat and veggies for dinner. It has not been easy and I have cheated a few times (shame on me!) but it is working. When I weighed in at the first of the year, I was at 175! WHOA! I am now at 167. I know, not much, but I will take an 8 pound loss. 
I workout at least 5 days a week. I started the "Get Running" app on my iPhone and I am at week 3 right now. It calls for 1 1/2 minute runs and 3 minute runs. I did hit an all time high last night. I actually ran for 8 minutes straight and it was GREAT!!! I know now that I can do this and I will become a runner. 
I also alternate between Jillian Michaels (or the devil as I like to call her) and Biggest Loser workouts (Bob is no better, he is Devil #2). 
I have faith that I will get there, in time. My goal is 150 and it seems attainable now. More so, I want to be a runner to be healthy. The low carb thing will not last forever, but I am researching lots of low carb, low fat options to continue to make good choices in the future. I will get back in my fav jeans! :)

Here goes nothing!

My first entry! I have used blogging for so many things in life and it amazes me that I never thought to use it to share my weight loss journey. I think part of me has always been scared to actually write it down, in fear that I would actually be accountable. I am tired of struggling with my weight. It hasn't always been a problem for me. Let me start at the beginning! When I was a child, I was always a little on the chubby side. I admit it, my family LOVES to eat! They love to DRINK too, on the right occasion. It's just a part of who they are. I truly love my family and am very blessed. They are wonderful people, but some of the habits I grew up with are not the best and have probably landed me where I am today. When I went to high school everything changed. I lost quite a bit of weight. I was really happy with the size I was. I was anywhere from a 2-6 in my high school years and never imagined I would have to workout or worry about my weight. Well, boy was I WRONG! That all changed the moment that I graduated and entered college. Then, I moved out and lived on my own. Everyone knows what that translates to= drinking, eating out, fast food, junk, junk, junk, gain, gain, gain. Not everyone is that way. Some people are just naturally skinny and I usually cuss under my breath at these people. LOL! Well, it happened to me. I was devastated. To add to that, I worked in the hotel business, so time was limited and I ate to get a break. I also went out and drank a lot to escape the crazy boring life of studying and working and studying and working. I was FAT. I don't think I realized, but when I look back at pictures I cannot believe I let myself go. A couple years ago I finally realized that I did not like what I see in the mirror, so I took charge. Since then, it has been an up and down journey. I gain and I lose... I gain, I lose. I think I can still "cheat" and drink what I want. I never stick with a running program. I just flat out have failed myself. It is time to take charge!!!! So, today is day 1... more to come! Pictures below to begin:

Me in high school.. I probably weighed between 130-140 at this time. (secretly I thought I was a little chunky! What was I EVER thinking?) 2000

Here I was after college in 2006 on a trip with friends. I didn't think it was THAT bad. Those were a size 13 pants. YUCK! I was probably 190ish at this time.

Since then I have gone up and down and up and down! Here was my skinniest in a while- this was in 2010, I weighed about 158 and work a size 29 from Buckle easily!

Not the best pic I know, but I think you can definitely tell in my face! I was thin and happy :)

Below is the most recent pic of me over Christmas. I was easily back to 175. My fav jeans no longer fit. I have currently lost about 7 pounds and weighed in this morning at 167. I am hopeful to get to 150!!!