Day 58: Picture Day!

Day 58: Weigh-in 170.6

That's right folks, it says 1-7-0. That means it's time to put up a new picture! Keep in mind, pictures never turn out great when you're taking them with a timer and a tripod, but here's the best I could do...

So 170 marks a little over 15 lbs I've lost since Jeff left. I'm really trying for 5 more before he comes home. I really think it can happen!

Day 53: Getting closer

Day 53: Weigh-in 171.2

Ok so it took me about a week to lose a lb and a half. If I can keep that up, I will have lost 20 lbs before Jeff comes home. I don't know if 20lbs in six months is completely fantastic when I was hoping to lose 30 in three and a half months, but my knees are happier! =) 1.2 more lbs and I'll put up that new picture!

Progress maker: I can see definition in my calves!!! I flex and they look toned, trim, and strong. If the rest of my body looked like the part below my knees, I'd be in a Victoria's Secret catalogue. Well, maybe not, but I'd have no qualms about wearing one of their swimsuits to the beach.

This morning I had a session with my trainer, and things are definitely getting tougher. I can get on the Bosu ball all by myself now though (and if you don't know what that is, be thankful you don't)! I was feeling a little winded today, but I was able to push through it because I'm getting stronger. He's upping the reps, shortening the breaks (or cutting them out!) between exercises, and my form is getting better through it all. Most times I'm just about to work to failure, which is when I go til I just physically can't, and manage to finish. I have three more sessions with him left, but I'm not sure if I'll purchase more or not. I have soccer coming up, Jeff is coming home, and we're getting ready to move. But I'm going to try to get the most out of what I have left.

Day 45: Back in the saddle again

Day 45: Weigh-in 172.4

Yes! It's Me! I have in fact posted once again. I'm not going to lie, I got discouraged. I was posting the same numbers day after day, and frankly it was disheartening to keep this up until something changed. Since my last post on Feb. 11th, I have bounced back and forth between 174-176 lbs. The day before yesterday I broke through with a 173.9. I wanted to make sure it wasn't a fluke before picking this up again.

I had a very frank talk with my husband about how frustrated I was that I wasn't losing weight (on the scale), despite my best efforts. He told me matter-of-factly that we women put too much emphasis on weight, and I should be looking for other indicators that I was improving. So I did:

1. The belt I wear everyday: When I was working I had to buy it because all my other ones were too small, and even this one I could only get on the first hole. I'm now on the 4th, borderline 5th (and final) hole. I can actually fit into most of my other belts again, but I continue to wear this one to measure my progress.

2. My clothes from last summer: Last year I was 195 lbs and refused to buy clothes in size XL or pants bigger than a 12 or maybe 14. As a result I know I didn't look as good as I could have, and clothing was often tight in unflattering places. I can now wear all of those comfortably, even loosely, and am working my way back into my old size 10 clothing.

3. My run time: When I first got on the treadmill, I was unable to finish a full 1.5 miles without slowing down and walking. I couldn't continue a 5mph pace without stopping, and the 1.5 miles took 18-19 minutes. To finish 2 miles took almost 28 minutes. I can now do a continuous 5.5mph pace without stopping, and my mile and a half time is about 16 minutes. Two miles takes 23, but that's just speed walking the last half mile (5.5 still takes the wind out of me, even if i can finish it)

4. Seated leg press: I started with 10 reps at 115 lbs. I can now do 15 reps at 175lbs.

5. All my other weights and reps have gone up as well.

6. I have more energy for every day activities, and my knees and shins aren't bothering me anymore.

I'm still working with my trainer, and in fact have a session with him tomorrow. Every time I work with him, he says I did a lot better than he thought I would, and makes the next workout even harder. One of our workouts was a circuit of 8 exercises that I was to complete 3 times without stopping. He thought it would take me about 45 minutes, and I finished in 29:57. The last exercise of the circuit was a 1/4 mile on an incline, and I finished it a few seconds faster each time.

I am going to try to keep this up better than I have been, but instead of daily posts, I will probably only post when I have reached a new low weight. I know I just went on about how I have made progress in other areas, but I still step on that scale everyday, and that's the number that follows me. The number I'm still fighting to change.

P.S. Only 2.4 lbs before I post a new picture of myself =)

Day 24 and 25: Finally a step forward

Day 24: Weigh-in 175.4

Day 25: Weigh-in 174.4!!!

That's right, I broke through! I've hit the new low! 17.3 here I come! In 4.4 lbs I will post a new picture of me at 170.

This week hadn't been the best for me getting out and exercising, I've been sorta busy taking care of property taxes and various other things. I meant to go today, but I woke up late and I have a lot to do around the house before my friends come over for dinner tonight. We're having steaks, pasta salad, and green beans.

This weekend is supposed to be beautiful, and I plan on spending as much of it as possible outside. We'll take the dogs for a hike or two, and then I'm gonna take the little one to the park. She loves climbing all over things and she's been itching to play outside. Next week, when payday comes, I'm signing up for more personal training sessions.

Right now I have a floor to scrub... and trust me that's a workout.

Day 23: Couch Potato

Day 23: Weigh-in 176.2

Yeah so I still haven't really budged. Not much going on there. I started making my own smoothies using frozen fruit (no sugar added), Yoplait rasberry yogurt, and milk. It's my new desert, replacing my ice cream cone.

I slept most of the day today. I havent been feeling well and my back was sore, so I spent most of the day dozing on the couch. Tomorrow I have a lot of errands to run, so I'm not sure I'm going to make it to the gym either. Maybe I'll do an evening run.

Grrrr. All I want right now is to wake up to 174. Is that too much to ask?

Day 21 and 22: Tryin to get past the wall

Day 22: Weigh-in 175.4

If you'll notice, there is no weigh-in for Day 21. I was unable to get a clear number yesterday, so it will go unrecorded. I'm not sure if it was the party the night before, or the fact that my 'friend' came, but when I woke up I weighed 188.6. My stomach wasn't sitting right with me all day yesterday though, and as I used the restroom a few more times it jumped around from 175 to 177. This morning I was relieved to see it had come back down to normal, but I'm still frustrated that I seem to have hit a wall.

I hit the gym today for the first time since the session with my trainer. I decided to do a blend of my usual routine and the one he had taken me through. I started with a brisk walk/jog for half a mile then hopped off and went to the free weight area. One of the things he had me do was a plank for as long as I could. On Thursday I went for 1 minute 28 seconds, and today I pulled off 1:35. I did about 4 more exercises he had run me through, including the one with the medicine ball. I didn't want to duplicate everything he had me do because I wanted to be able to make it back in the gym this week, but I did throw in a few machines using heavier weights than I usually do. I finished up with another half mile on the treadmill. The whole workout took a little less than an hour, but I came away feeling more productive than I usually do.

I went grocery shopping after I left the gym. I really only meant to get milk, cereal, and dog food but came out with much more, as will happen when you go shopping hungry. Lunch ended up being a turkey sandwich with nothing on it, a snack bag of baked ruffles, and a tall glass of OJ. Dinner will either be a Lean Cuisine or a big salad.

Day 20: Feelin' Like a Winner!

Day 20: Weigh-in 175.2

Ok, so I'm feeling good for two reasons. I found a really good snack that apparently is not detrimental (and possibly beneficial) for my diet: Special K Chocolatey Delight cereal. It's sooooo good! And it gets me to drink more milk, which is really helpful. The second reason is:

 THE PACKERS BEAT THE STEELERS IN THE SUPER BOWL!

Sorry, I had to get that out of my system.

Tomorrow will tell how good of a day today was. I had a bowl of cereal for breakfast before taking the kiddo and the dogs out for a hike. It was a really pretty day, but the trail was muddy, so it was slow going. I had a protein shake when I got back instead of lunch because I knew I'd be eating at the Super Bowl party I was heading too.

At the party, I had two Miller Lights, a Mountain Dew, a slice of a club sandwich, a few BBQ wings, and a few handfuls of M&M's. We were also supposed to take a shot every time the other team scored, so thankfully I was cheering for Green Bay, and that we stopped doing that at half time. That was probably a lot of calories, but I'm sure I burned a few jumping and shouting at the TV.

Today was a good day.