Owning up.

Okay, so this is a big leap for me...

 

Oh shit. I went there.

My whole body is on the internet. Phew. Breathe girl.

30 lbs. I wasn't seeing much difference in the mirror, so I decided I would compare photos. Same shirt, but I just got back from a run today (when the 'during' photo was taken) and so I had my running tights on. That's sweat and sunscreen right there. Anyway, I was like WHOA. Wait. 

That face on the left? Miserable. In denial. Horribly self-conscious. Only did things for others and ignored herself. The face on the right? Full of energy, happier, less self-conscious. Now sets aside time for herself. 

I've got a LONG way to go. I'm looking forward to seeing myself through.

Lazy Sunday.

...not really.

I burned 1000+ calories on my bike today with Mr. M. 14+ miles on bike and I felt great! I was so proud of us - neither of us have gone that far before. :) Our wish is to ride to Valley Forge and back (20+ miles one way).

I've been diligent and have been receiving so much support. It's made me very grateful.

I'm down almost 26 pounds in 3 months. It doesn't *sound* like a lot to me...but I know it is. If I wore a 25 lbs. jacket, I'd probably realize how heavy that is and cry.

But I won't cry. I'm happy.

I'm never going to do this weight loss thing again. I'm determined.

Gold watch.

Er, I such at updating (both) blogs. :(

The good news is that I've since gotten down to about 247 lbs., for a total loss of almost 24 lbs. since the beginning of June. I don't cut calories, I work out like a beast, and I eat whatever I want as long as it fits my macros.

It's honestly been great.

Most of the reason why I've been sucktacular at updating has been MyFitnessPal. It is honestly amazing and I have found such AMAZING people for supports and to support in return.

That's been great too.

I work out 5 days a week, with most days containing two workouts - one morning, one might. Sundays are our long bike rides.

Everything is great.

Until next time!

Updates!

I finished the 9 week program. Boy, that last week of Phase 3 was no joke. The last workout consisted of everything I hate (minus stride jumps) and almost back to back mountain biking and mountain boarding. OMG. Ow.

I'm so proud of myself.

No missed workouts!

I can fit into a size 18 jean now! YAY. I'm also 253.4 lbs. as of last Saturday. My family came into town on Saturday and we ate at a steakhouse. I enjoyed myself and did not gain any weight (even water weight) from it. :)

Started 30 Day Shred today. I can tell I'll be sore in the morning. I will be running the first day of C25K tomorrow morning, bright and early. I feel like I'm insane for doing both. We will see.

Til next time.

I found it!

Mountain biking starts at 3:02. My legs hurt thinking about it.

Rains.

It's been scorching hot here in Philadelphia. Ugh.

To think I'll be running in two weeks in this weather is making me nervous. I've run before and in the heat, but I've never started running in the summer. It's always been late winter/early spring. Eek!

I've been working out. Phase 3 don't play. I've been feeling really...worn down. It's only for a little more than one week, though. I'm so proud of myself for getting to the end of this program with NO missed workouts.

I've been looking into heavier dumbbells. 15 lbs. for the squats, 8-10 for arms, I'll stick with 5 for the shoulders right now.

Yesterday, I went to my MIL's house to eat. It was sausage, pasta, sundried tomatoes, and pesto. It was a calorie bomb. OMG.

I've been starting to reintroduce things into my diet. I bought a pint of ice cream a few days ago. I have 1/4 of it and leave it alone. I can have things, just in moderation. :)

Eating at my BMR has been really awesome. I feel better and I'm losing weight!

Until later!

I've been work work work work working on my shit.

Last week's weight: 258.6
This week's weight: 255.8
Total loss: 2.8 lbs.
Total lost: 15.2 lbs. in 6 weeks.

This weekend was busy, which is why I wasn't able to update.

Saturday's Wii Active 2 workout kicked my ass. I had to sit down like 3 times. There were 3 sets of 75 rep mountain climbers (EEEEE! WTF.) The jump roping increased to 110 reps. The stride jumps have increased to 110 reps. They made me mountain bike AND mountainboard in the same workout. I was like dfldjfdlkfjdlkfj by the end.

I'm so glad Phase 3 is for two more weeks.

I'm gearing up for running when this is over. I'm nervous.

I went to a BBQ yesterday. I had some wings, chicken, pasta salad, fruit, and chips. I had 1600 calories left for the day, so I think I'm okay. :) I went bike riding (my tire blew halfway through) and we walked home. That was 300 calories.

Until next time!

Pushing.

Phase 3 has proven...interesting. It's harder, but not necessarily so hard it's impossible.

For instance, instead of 12 "jumps" during mountain biking, you'll do 18 (it was AWESOME!) Instead of 180 reps of foot fires, you'll do 240 (omg, ugh). 12 rep sets are upped to 15. It's less activities (32-35) but they're longer to complete.

And for some reason, they make you run A LOT.

I've been finding it hard to squeeze in extra calories to make up for the calories I burn on workout days. I've re-introduced peanut butter paired with fruit and will be doubling up on my pastas or rice.

I went clothes shopping today and...it's hard. I have to buy clothes that look good, but will see me further into my weight loss. If I buy a 2x, it probably won't fit in 2 months, which makes it a waste of money. If I buy a 1X, it may not look good right now.

I hate being so big right now. Ugh.

Enough venting...until later!

Good Eats #1: Dessert

I always loved dessert - even now while I'm changing my lifestyle, I don't want to give it up.

I think I've found a great compromise!

Mochi ice cream! (not my photo)

Mochi is a Japanese rice cake. It's typically filled with something sweet, like a bean paste. I normally don't mind the daifuku, but mochi ice cream? Splendid!

There's a different texture here. It's cold, and when you bit into it, you get the dough along with a sweet ice cream. My first box (I started eating it this week) was mango. So I'm biting into the dough and getting sweet, sweet mango ice cream. It does take some getting used to, but it is so worth it. It's also only 100 calories. :)

I've really been craving Asian foods lately. I had gyoza a few days ago and I had take out (for my cheat meal) on Sunday. I have no idea why, because normally I could go without for a while. Must be the salt.

I obviously have no benefit by suggesting this food. It's just delicious and I wanted to share it. ^_^

I think I'll do this more often.

Workout tomorrow. Phase 3 begins. I'm scared.

Oh, and...

It pays to be nice.

I frequent a produce stand in a very crowded part of the city. That particular stand is always busy but the staff is always really kind. At checkout, I got to joking with the cashier (I used to be a cashier myself, so I know their gripes. I try to make things easy for them) and all of a sudden, he pushed a button for a 10% discount.

I didn't say anything about it, I was so surprised. He gave me my receipt and said, "Just so you know, I gave you a discount. Have a wonderful day."

I said goodbye and walked out of the store. I thought about it and I smiled all the way down the street. I guess being nice and joking about the insane heat gets me places.

:)

Nothing like this.

Goodbye, Phase 2. I didn't know you'd try to kick my ass with the last workout. Ouch!

4 sets of 55 rep mountain climbers, running/jump rope/back to running, mountain biking twice! Pivot lunges, cross over lunges...planks. It wasn't pretty, but I'm finally at phase 3 for the first time. Only 12 more workouts.

Weigh in time:

Last week's weight: 261
This week's weight: 258.6
Total this week: -2.4
Total all time: 12.4 :)

I'm 4.5 lbs. away from meeting my July goal. I think I can do it. At the end of July when I finish the 9-week program, I'm going to be looking for running shoes. I forgot how costly they are.

Lets revisit these.

Eating goals:

1. Include a serving of fruits or vegetables with every major meal.
2. Buy a food scale!
3. Buy a blender!

Exercise goals:

1. Get through one set of 55 rep mountain climbers without stopping by the end of Wii Active 2's 9-week challenge. (done twice!)
2. Finish one 6-foot and up Standard song on DDR without stopping.
3. Complete the 9-week challenge (end of July) with less than 2 missed workouts (of 36).

Upper body day is a trick!

Just got done with my workout. It was "upper body" day. IT'S A TRAP!

They'll make you do pushups after your sets of 55rep mountain climbers. They'll make you run when you don't want to. They'll make you hold up dumbbells even when you're not using that arm. MEAN.

It's over though, and I burned 353 calories.

I have a post-workout photo but I sent it to the wrong email. Lol, oops.

The scale has been saying 259. I don't think it'll hold up to the gyoza I'm thinking about devouring soon. Salty, but delicious.

On the wedding front, nothing is happening. Mr. M has always been easily overwhelmed, which is why I do a lot of the footwork in the planning. I do the research and give him our options. He works well with that, so I keep doing it. We're thinking about our honeymoon...looks like I'll be doing the footwork, lol.

I can't wait until Christmas time when I get to try on dresses. I want to be...under 230 by then. I'm a solid 16/18 by the point, so more dresses will be available to me.

Until next time!

Work it, girl.

Last week's weight: 261.8
This week's weight: 261

Not quite at the goal I set for myself. I did look at the MyFitnessPal graph and in the month of June, I've lost 10 lbs. to the pound. That's 12 pounds from my highest weight. I could get down that I didn't lose too much, but then I realize my body has given up a massive amount of weight in the past month. I'm not going to sweat the number. Thank you to my amazing body for cooperating with me this month of June!

Workout 20 was INTENSE. They introduced reverse lunges with a high knee jump. I never realized how stiff my legs can be. Lots of running segments, mountain biking, one freaking torturous squat hold, alternating crossover lunges, and the bane of my existence (stride jumps).

It's over, though, and I burned 402 calories.

I'm munching on blueberries. Going to make a cabbage soup for myself tonight. I have to use the CSA cabbage because Mr. M HATES cabbage.

July's goal still stands at 254 lbs. That's 7 lbs., which I think is completely doable with how large I am now.

I hope everyone is doing well!

Workout 19!

Man, that was not the "easy" workout I was expecting. FOUR sets of 55 rep mountain climbers (one after a set of pushups!), 2 sets of 80 rep stride jumps, lots of compound moves like split squats and lateral shoulder raises...they started putting ab work into the middle of the workout. Owww.

I feel the bulge in my quads again. I'm loving it.

I came home, fell asleep (I've been exhausted from work), then scarfed down both my dinner (rice, eggs, and a side of broccoli) and my "dessert" (kale chips - yum!), digested, then worked out. Tomorrow morning is workout 20, and I'm hoping to go on a long bike ride with Mr. M on Sunday.

Weigh in is tomorrow...I'm nervous. Various weigh ins this week have yielded no loss. Oh well. I feel great.

I had a post-workout photo but my gmail is acting up. Maybe I'll do some food pics of the cabbage soup I'm hoping to make.

Until later!

ETA: Gmail is being nice now:

Trying to feel happy after getting my butt kicked in that workout.

Halfway there.

...with the 9 week challenge, of course.

Workout 18 was hard. I'm really liking phase 2. Things are tough, but I feel like I have more fitness. My feet have been my only obstacle. My Achilles and the ball of my foot hate jump rope and running in place. Otherwise, I got through two sets of mountain climbers, two sets of mountain boarding, 2(? It felt like more) sets of foot fires, pivot lunges (ow), and I was introduced to drop lunges (basically doing a reverse lunge but kind of hopping into that position suddenly) and split squats with one armed shoulder presses.

I'm so freaking excited about all of this. I did about 20 minutes of DDR too. I can do 6-foot DDR songs just fine now! That's how I know I'm getting fitter. I used to stop and fail out of those...now I can do two in a row. I'm 260 lbs., ya'll.

I'm getting my bravery up to post my start photos. Bleh...

Tomorrow is a rest day. Friday's workout will officially be new territory in the program, and will be mostly upper body. I look forward to it.

I'm awaiting the email from Greensgrow about what goodies we'll get in our CSA tomorrow. Best $240 I've ever spent.

Rains.

It poured here in Philly today. I got home right before the storm hit.

Today's workout was challenging. 4 sets of 180 rep foot fires, a long "sprint", narrow shoulder presses and a new exercise called jump squats.

There were 34 total exercises. When I recap, I will spare you by only highlighting some of the exercises. It felt good even I was low on energy today. My achilles is still tender.

Tomorrow is the hard day of the program...lots pf sets of mountain climbers, and mountainboarding! Yikes.

I've been struggling with keeping my fat intake down. Salad dressing can be a fat bomb!

I blanched the collard greens and bok choy yesterday. I knew it would go bad before I could get around to eating it. I hope it was succesful as I've never done it before.

I made kohlrabi fries last night and today. A little olive oio and seasoning...it tastes a lot like a potato.

Terra sweet potato chips...TRY THEM.

Weigh-in: Week 3, and other ramblings.

Last week's weight: 264.4
This week's weight: 261.8!!!!

I think this month's goal of 260 is achievable. :) I will be so glad to never see the 260s again. Good riddance.

That didn't come easy - those 9 lbs. that came off this week were hard earned. I sweat, I gritted my teeth, I sweat some more.

Today was a killer normal workout for Saturday. 4 sets of jump roping, 3 sets of mountain climbers, mountain biking came back (twice!), cross over lunges, front squats, and they introduced freaking one-legged hip bridges. AWFUL.

The one thing I'm seeing is that why I'm still absolutely abysmal when it comes to mountain climbers, I AM outrunning those "runners" during Outrun. That's when your digital avatar runs down the trail and when it sees a runner up ahead, the game orders you to pass them. I usually get 4/5 (the 5th one is ALWAYS like 2 feet from the finish line, so I never outrun that person) but before I was getting 2/5. Improvement!

I have off from the program for two days. Wednesday's workout will be the furthest I've gotten in the program. I'm really proud of myself for sticking with it. It's my third time around and both of the previous times, I've quit because of running. I wanted to run more than I wanted to finish this program. I'm waiting to finish this program first before I start c25k. This is for several reasons:

1. I hate not finishing programs. Both times I've quit the 9-week program, I've felt guilty. I'm already a two time graduate of C25K, so I want to finish this one.
2. I've never, ever run at this weight. It makes me uncomfortable. I've started running at the high 240s, but not the low 260s. I'm trying to lose some of this weight first before I start running. At least then it'll be close to known territory.
3. This program is no joke. It's building up my lungs and I think it'll be a natural transition to running. I've already lost nearly 10 lbs. on this program in 3 weeks. I'm hoping for 20 lbs. total by the end of the 9 weeks.

That's all for me.

Man, that workout was a killer.

Workout 14 of WA2 was no joke. The mountainboarding tricked me - it went from 47 to 58(?). I don't remember because by the end, my quads were screaming. For those of you who have never used Wii Active 2, you're blessed in that you don't have to do mountainboarding or mountain biking! Mountainboarding involves holding a squat while your avatar glides down "mountainous" terrain. When the rails with "treasure pieces" appear, you're supposed to twist hop from side to side. After this, you're supposed to keep the squat hold while alternately jumping over the obstacles. Then you're supposed to "run" up the side of the mountain, only to repeat the process. With the round with 58 pieces, there's 3 running portions and tons of jumps. OUCH.

Then at the end of the workout, it had me do both flutter kicks AND reverse crunches. Boy, was my core screaming.

I've been having a problem eating enough calories. I'm eating around 1600 or 1700 calories right now, and that's what I'm used to when I'm trying to eat cleanly. However, I think I need to remember that I'm not 200 lbs. anymore. I need to eat more. So I've bumped it up to 1800 and will eventually bump up to 1900. Maybe 2000. I don't know, I'm a puss.

I'm tempted to play some DDR (easy cardio because I don't feel is exercise)...but my Achilles is bothering me. Weird, because I've never had a problem.

A confession: I don't understand the Paleo craze. My mom is trying it and I see all this praise for it...but I like my potatoes. I lost a lot of weight eating potatoes and pasta and all that. It feels like a glorified Atkins to me. Am I wrong?

On the wedding tip, I'm kind of already over planning our wedding. I just want to be married! I've been with Mr. M for FOUR years. We'll be together for 6 before we get married. I know, first world problems, but wah. :(

Fun survey.

The Alphabet Soup of Me

A. Attached or Single? Happily attached since 2009. I have a great fiance.

B. Best Friend? My fiance, MOH A and MOH Kat.

C. Cake or pie?  Cake, everytime.

D. Day of choice?  I like Saturdays.

E. Essential Item?  Deodorant.

F. Favorite color? Red.

G. Gummy bears or worms?  Both hurt my teeth. :(

H. Hometown? Elizabeth, New Jersey.

I. Favorite Indulgence? Anything sweet - a slice of cake, etc.

J. January or July? Both are equal to me. Either too cold or too hot for me.

K. Kids? None, but I want them one day.

L. Life isn’t complete without? Love.

M. Marriage date? 4/25/2015.

N. Number of brothers/sisters? 2 brothers.

O. Oranges or Apples. Oranges.

P. Phobias? All bugs. Heights. Falling.

Q. Quotes?  "Pray for the dead. Fight like hell for the living." Mother Jones

R. Reasons to smile? Everything!

S. Season of choice? Spring or fall.

T. Tag 5 People. Just do it.

U. Unknown fact about me? I am extremely neurotic.

V. Vegetable? Spinach! Bok choy! Broccoli!

W. Worst habit? I crack my joints without even thinking. I yawn all the time.

X. Xray or Ultrasound? Doesn't matter.

Y. Your favorite food?  Pizza for actual meal food. Cake for dessert.

Z. Zodiac sign? Virgo.

Phase 2 begins.

Today, I started Phase 2 of the 9 week challenge (via Wii Active 2). I actually enjoyed myself! I didn't have to get on the floor, thank god, because right now I'm way too big to get on the floor for extended amounts of time. It was lots of "running" in place, jump rope, foot fires, lunges, and squats. I've just been re-introduced to front squats...yay!

I felt really good doing the workout and I burned 335 calories!

Sweet potato chips are amazing. I may walk over to the Chinese market and pick some up. Unbelievably good! I've been very hungry lately so I've been eating. I'm not going to deny myself nourishment. Normally, I'll grab some grapes or a mango pop. I had a piece of cake yesterday, and it was wonderful, but I remembered not to overdo it. Everything in moderation, right?

I've been dreaming about honeymoons. Mr. M wants to go to Aruba, but I like the couples resorts in Jamaica. We've never been on vacation together (even after 4+ years!) so I really want to make it special. I haven't been on vacation in over a year. I rarely take a mental health day...but I am today!

I'm feeling good. I feel like allowing me some sugar and some salt unlike the last time I dieted gives me more enthusiasm.

Until next time!

Since I've been gone...

I've lost 7 pounds! YAY!

I've been working out 4x/week and eating better. The CSA we're participating in is amazing and I'm so looking forward to this week's share. I've also fallen in love with an Asian market we have a few blocks over. Cheap produce, great prices on meats, and all the Chinese smells I remember from being a kid. I might have lingered on purpose.

So, there you have it.

End of June goal: 260 lbs. (-11 lbs. total)
End of July goal: 254 lbs. (-17 lbs. total)

Eating goals:

1. Include a serving of fruits or vegetables with every major meal.
2. Buy a food scale!
3. Buy a blender!

Exercise goals:

1. Get through one set of 55 rep mountain climbers without stopping by the end of Wii Active 2's 9-week challenge.
2. Finish one 6-foot and up Standard song on DDR without stopping.
3. Complete the 9-week challenge (end of July) with less than 2 missed workouts (of 36).

Good food can be tasty, too!

Oh my god.

I'm having such a good eating day! I'm having a salad - but I bought Lean Cuisine's Salad Additions - and OMG! SOOOOO GOOD.

I picked up the Asian Chicken Salad...mmmmm! Go buy it!

Weigh in tomorrow.

Light 'em up (I'm on FYAH!)

Yeah, about those pics. They're there. Ick.

I just wanted to brag about how I woke up and did a 6:30AM workout. I have been feeling fantastic all day.

Tonight is the night.

So, tonight I'm going to do something that embarrasses me.

I'm going to take pictures of myself in my clothing. No flattering poses, no anything. Just me. This will be my measuring stick for the future. It will suck now, but I'll (hopefully) never be there again.

I also have a Wii Active workout to do tonight, which will be good considering my mood right now. Working out really does help with mood. I'll be needing it.

New beginnings.

Hi!

This is the start of a long-lost project of mine: losing weight. Why? I'm getting married in 2 years, and I'd like to look the way I feel. :)

I've always had problems with my weight. I've had a few short periods of time where I was a size 12, but I usually do not stick with that. Shame, because I rock a size 12. I'd love to get back to it for my wedding day. This is my way of staying accountable. Hell, there may be pics and quirk! Who doesn't like that?

So this is a promise to myself and to whoever reads this: I can do this, and I want to inspire people to do it, too.