04/08/2011 02:45
My first 5K COMPLETE!!!
Wow! It's been awhile. Well, I DID IT!!!! My first 5K is done and I'm still pumped about it. It was such an adrenaline rush to run through downtown Knoxville and on the campus of the University of Tennessee and then end up on the 50 yard line of Neyland Stadium. The hills were everything I thought they would be... extremely difficult and the back of my legs are still sore 4 days later. As I was finishing the race running through the endzone, I looked up as I was finishing and saw my exhausted self on the jumbotron... it was AWESOME. That moment was PRICELESS. I'm so excited I did it and that's definitely not it for me. I'm gonna try another one next month to see if I can improve my time. I barely missed my goal of under 45 minutes but I was far from last place so I'll take it.
I have been extremely busy this week and haven't weighed myself. And now I'm sick :( I think I've been doing a little too much so I'm gonna take it easy this weekend and hopefully recover by Monday. Time is really moving fast and I'm moving right along with it. Even though I'm down for the count I'm still in the fight. Let's GO!!
03/28/2011 02:58
Checking off my Bucket List
Had a great weekend. One week left until the 5K. I am soooo very nervous but it's gonna happen. I survived a long weekend volunteering all Saturday morning and partying with my family all Saturday night. I cooked alot of food and managed to make a light plate and fight the indulgences of the yummy comfort foods I made. This week I am going to continue my training to get ready for the 5K the first part of the week. Then I'll take a few days off towards the end of the week and wrap my mind around the mental part of the race.
On a side note, I completed the first item on my Bucket List. I read the ENTIRE Holy Bible from Gensis to Revelations. I started last August and finished today and I'm thoroughly excited about it. One item on my bucket list is complete and I have several more to go including the 5K next Sunday is item #3. Item #2 is losing 125 pounds which I am 50 pounds away from (yayyyyyy). Today is the day I declared that I will follow my dreams because if I don't I might get caught in my nightmares.
03/23/2011 17:55
Bye Capris, Hello Shorts!
26.4 pounds lighter since joining this site and 66.4 pounds lighter since my journey began last July. I'm feeling GREAT about the positive changes I've made in my life. It was 81 degrees yesterday and I wore shorts for the first time in a longgggg time. In the past, I opted for capri pants on warm days but I went for it yesterday in shorts and man it felt great! And on top of that, I took my first full body photo in a very long time. Head shots were all I used to take. I'm proud of the new me and when I posted my new picture on FaceBook, my family and friends were amazed at my progress. Seeing all of their comments is just what I needed to boost my morale. I'm the smallest I've been in my whole adult life. And the last time I weighed less than 200 pounds was when I was 16.
I'm so close I can almost see it. Seeing myself in that body is what keeps me going forward. Not feeling tired and sluggish every day, keeps me going forward. Since I gave up bread products for Lent, I have increased my weight loss and I have loads of energy. The Lord gave up unprecendently for me so giving up bread products and living with more discipline in my life was the least I could do in return. My body is my temple and owe it to myself to stay strong and healthy. No looking back, my weight is on the decline and my life is just beginning.
03/21/2011 21:07
Carbs are the DEVIL
Food update: I am convinced that the devil invented carbs to keep as all fat. They taste so good BUT since I gave up carbs, weight has been drastically falling off my body. Conclusion: carbs are out until Easter and hopefully by that point I won't crave them anymore and I'll just continue on without them.
Exercise update: I haven't jogged since Saturday but I actually went for it outside on the trail. I did much better than my first attempt outside. On the flip side, I have been thoroughly enjoying spin class. I leave there dripping in sweat but most importantly feeling accomplished. I can really tell the difference in my endurance level and my metabolism is greatly increasing. The 5K is still on my mind it's in less than 2 weeks. Still a little weary on whether or not I'll be ready but I'm not backing down now.
03/18/2011 20:15
I got the message
Last night I dreamed about food ALL NIGHT LONG!!! I'm not going to list the foods I dreamed about, but it's everything I don't eat anymore. I mean I was right in the middle of one of my gourging binges which was usually 3 meals in one, and I just remembering having a feeling of comfort from all that food. But then, I saw my silhouette and I was the old me at 297 pounds. At first thought of the dream, I felt like I was being tortured and tempted. But when I remember seeing my silhouette, I definitely got the message.
My body, my choices and I choose the smaller version of me that exercises religiously and eats fresh fruit & veggies and lean meat. The me that studies the labels of food in the grocery store and makes smart choices. The me that is accountable to myself. I REFUSE to be that way again. I definitely deserve better.
SN: Fast Food is the DEVIL
03/16/2011 18:17
Will that urge to splurge ever go away?
I was in the grocery store last night and even though I stuck to making good choices in the grocery store, I bought a lot of groceries. I wanted to go down the chips and candy aisle and rack up but I fought the temptation. I've always given in to those urges, but I know the end result and I'm not willing to give up my progress for a sweet or salty indulgence. It's so hard and seems slightly unfair that everything that I consider tastes good is not healthy for me. I think I tortured myself yesterday by watching food network almost all day and I watched them make all my favorite foods. And if that wasn't bad enough, it seemed like every commercial I watched was for fast food!! But no turning back, I'm in this for the long haul. I have to stick to it or I'll return to that 300 pound woman I used to be. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.
03/15/2011 13:18
5 weeks 20 pounds lost
So pumped! I finally reached my first 20 pound weight loss since joining ExtraPounds 5 weeks ago. I'll take that! I started jumping rope for 30 minutes and let me tell you, I must be crazy because that is one of the hardest exercises I've ever done. Your heart rate gets super high and feels like it's gonna pop right out your chest. My legs burn like they're on fire. But I have to say, I love it after I'm done. While I'm in the rotation and my legs are burning, not so much. Nor do I like it when I wake up in the middle of the night with a charlie horse in my calf. But, I can tell it's making me stronger and working me out from head to toe so it's all worth it. My diet is definitely getting much better. This no carb thing has really been rough but I can do it. Just another 30 something days left (OH BOY!!)
I'm still working on the 5K. I actually ran outside this past weekend and it is 1,000% different from running on a treadmill. I really thought I was doing something by running 30 minutes on a treadmill. But outside, where every step is uneven, it's totally, totally, totally different. And that really put me in a downer :( I could barely get through a 1/4 mile. So I started second guessing myself on whether or not I'm really as ready as I once anticipated. I still have 2 1/2 weeks before the race but I'll have to see what progress I can make in the next week. There are a few more races in the month of April so I may have to change the date I originally planned. But, no decisions as of now, I'm going to keep pushing myself and we'll see what happens.
03/11/2011 22:58
Battling Emotional Gourging
Stronger
Happier
Moving Forward
My activity level is changing my whole mood. I am discovering that I am actually a nice person.
Go figure. As I digress, I am making positive strides forward and I'm loving every minute of it. I've actually gotten to the point were I feel like somethings missing if I miss a workout. If you knew me (the former couch potato), you would definitely find that hard to believe but that's a fact. I love working out now. Dieting not so much but working out, I LOVE IT!
I am coming to grips with the fact that I am an emotional eater. Positive or negative emotions, they ALL make me wanna EAT!! But, this last week, I tried a new technique. When I am experiencing emotion and want to eat as a result, I wait atleast 30 minutes before I do anything about it. This way, I make sure I am not eating my emotions and to make sure I'm actually hungry and not just wanting to eat.
During the 30 minute wait, I have a glass of water and also try to preoccupy my mind with an activity whether it be a game on the computer, writing in my journal, tv, or something else. After the 30 minutes, I reassess how I feel and if I am still wanting something to eat,I make a positive choice (fruit, veggie, low calorie yogurt). For me, this has actually been working. If I would have reverted back to my old ways, there's no telling how many calories I would have consumed from emotional eating. Oh well, as long as I am still in the fight, I know I'm doing something right. Stay in the fight friends
03/08/2011 01:49
Still Running!!
30 minutes!! I did it. I am learning how to control my breathing during jogging which I think is the key to a successful jog. I have a tendency to start panicing and sike myself out of the zone. But somehow, I am learning to remain calm and take deep breaths and so far it's working!! Wow, I feel absolutely amazing!! Me, the chick who could only jog for 1 minute last June is jogging for 30 minutes in a row. My previous 5K time on the treadmill was 53 minutes. Today, I clocked in at 48 minutes with 30 minutes of jogging. I'm thinking I should just try the 3.1 miles jogging the whole way. Hopefully I'll get the nerve to try it this week. Then next week, I start training outside. Running outside with hills and an uneven surface will definitely be different but I am up for the challenge. The 5K is 26 days away. Nervous and excited at the same time.
