Some Exciting News and Updates Coming Soon!

Back at it! I got seriously burnt out on posting, so after a nice sabbatical I feel ready to roll again.

I have missed blogging and I am prepping some updates for my next challenge. With our first baby on the way in less than a month, I know that carving out the time to stay heart healthy and fit is going to be especially challenging. I am going to post some of my ideas, thoughts, failures, and successes back on the blog. 

Very excited for the future, and enjoying the present. 

Cheers...

Tuesday Lunchtime Links and Update

Happy Tuesday,

I have been getting tons of questions lately like "What plan do you follow?" "How do you stay motivated?" "Do you follow other blogs?" Things like that. Sooooooo... I'm going to start posting links and stuff that I find really helpful. Now that I have been on this lifestyle change journey for almost a full year, the way I live my day to day life has evolved. So has this blog. I'm going to try and make this a helpful place for people that need some extra encouragement and just general info on how to make a lasting lifestyle change. Whether you have 10 pounds to lose or 100, this is all about changing it up for the long haul. 

Personal Challenges:

Balance is sometimes the hardest thing to maintain with any kind of consistency in this busy world of ours. For me, I've figured out that the strength training is great, but that I can't sacrifice the level of cardio I was doing. So, I am going to be doing strength training in  addition to the cardio training I do already. My goal is to continue weight loss while also throwing in strength training to tone it up.

Biking is still my #1 choice for cardio, because I enjoy it. I had a killer 21 mile bike workout Saturday morning that burned over 1200 calories, and did it in just over 90 minutes.  

 

 

However, minute for minute, it's hard to beat the results you get from running outside. I did a 5k last night in this nasty FL 90 degree heat and humidity after an hour of yard work. It was absolutely intense and difficult. I was soaked by the end, but it was rewarding. In about 40 minutes I torched at least 600-700 calories.

Workout Goal:

2 5k's per week

1 20+ mile bike ride per week

3-4 days of strength training + cardio at gym per week

Check out these Lunchtime Links: 

6 Sneaky Foods That Are Healthier Than You Think

Your Friends Can Make You Fat :-)

How To Start Running If You're Not A Runner - READ THIS ONE

Eat This Not That: The WORST Summer Drinks

Is it better not to eat at Night? This is always a tricky one for me!

I also get lots of questions on the Apps I use to track my workouts. Here they are:

Two Great FREE Apps are MapMyRide and RunKeeper

Paid App I use for running is Nike+GPS 

Special thanks to all who have reached out to me with questions about your personal goals and especially your successes! It's very cool to know that some part of my journey has helped you in yours!

If you're friends with my sister Laura C. on Facebook, go give her a shoutout...She's been running and working her way up to a 5k :-). I've put her on the spot and said we are going to run a 5k together by the end of the summer. 

Also shout out to Ryan W. He's starting his exercise routine today and taking step #1 towards a better lifestyle.

“Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will find that they haven’t half the strength you think they have.” ~Norman Vincent Peale

 

SUNDAY SCOOP - 5/20/12

Happy Sunday :-) 
One of the most important things I've learned over the last almost TEN months of doing this lifestyle change is that REAL and MEANINGFUL change is always accompanied by some measure of sacrifice. In other words, You will have to make some tough choices, give up a few things that you used to do, break old habits, learn new habits, and go out there and make it happen. Nothing worth having can be changed in one day, one week or even one month in most cases. Change for the better  means a long-term commitment. 


So many people ask me what I'm doing special, or if I take any pills, or pregnancy hormones lol.  There is no secret or anything like that, it's just hard work and sacrifice. Trust me, if I can do it, ANYBODY can.


WEIGHT UPDATE:
Highest Weight seen on the Scale: 307
Weight on 7/27/11: 294
Weight Today 5/20/12: 255 


So right around that 50-60 total pounds mark! 


I actually started strength training at the Anytime Fitness here in Dunedin, because I wasn't getting the same results with just cardio anymore , and I want to tone up and all that jazz before we head over to Hawaii this summer. It's going really well so far, and they gave me a great deal. I did gain 1 pound back the first week doing weights, but the trainer there tells me it's normal. I go through a cycle of Arms and Abs, Back and Shoulders, Chest, and Legs.  I'm already seeing and feeling the results and it's been a really nice change of pace. 


Quick Notes: 
1) Some people ask me what App I use to track my biking. It's a free App called MapMyRIDE. Very accurate and helps challenge you to do more each time. 
2) If you're looking for a good breakfast replacement bar or supplement bar try the CLIFF bar. The two best flavors are Blueberry Crisp and White Chocolate Macadamia. SO GOOD! The 6-Bar pack is only $5.88 at Walmart. $1/breakfast. Cha-Ching




HEART HEALTHY: 
Being Heart Healthy has been one of my biggest goals from the get-go, and my blood pressure has slowly been getting better and better! This time last year I was getting Stage 1 Hypertension readings for my blood pressure. However, now I'm seeing great readings consistent with what you see below. 117 over 70! WOW. Huge change from where I used to be, and my best BP Reading yet!  

Some BEFORE PICS: 

THE DREADED SIDE SHOT: 

Andddddddd Some Today shots! 

I have had so many great people send me emails, comments, etc. Some of you are sending encouragement, and some of you are in the same situation I was in. Some of you I know very well, and some of you I have never even met! 

Some of you have told me that you feel like you have way too much to lose, and you're not sure it can be done without surgery or some kind of medication. Some say, "Cool, well I'll wait till things slow down (Or for the summer, or for the school year, etc etc etc) , Or I'll wait till I have a little this or that." I appreciate you all very much and I GET IT. BUTTTTTTT, the time is now :-). You have to start today. Not next week, or next month, or next anything. You've got to get your commitment level there and then just go for it. You will have slip-ups and mistakes, but that's life. You live and learn, and keep on going. You can do it if you are willing to make it happen. I know you can :-)

Thank you for your support! Keep it comin! 

"“Don’t wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful.” ~Mark Victor Hansen"

Hello, Hello. It's been too long...

Hey Everyone! 

Sorry it's taken me so long to update this thing! I'm gonna do a post with Pics and stuff later this week. As always life is busy, and I finished teaching my college course for the semester , so I'm just catching up on all this. 

Things are going really well , so do not fear. I've joined an Anytime Fitness near my house for strength training to add on top of cardio and am loving it. I can't believe it's coming up on TEN MONTHS that I've been committed to this lifestyle change. Time flies when you're losing it....I also bought another pair of size 38 shorts last week so that feels real good! :-). My old clothes are starting to pile up in a big trash bag in my room that I'm going to take over to Goodwill. 

Anyways............Stay tuned. I'm not dead lol and I haven't quit. Still on the losing side and feeling great. 

More to come later ...

Happy Thursday! -- Size 38 ... WHOA

What's up everyone? Did about 12-13 miles on my bike tonight on high intensity, so feeling good!

Guess what, I'm back on the losing side! I lost about 1.2 pounds this week. 


Last week 255
This week 253.8

I have some family visiting in town this week so I wasn't able to get my full update in last night, but I wanted to give a quick update and share this Article I found that is really interesting. 

Here's the link if you want to read the whole thing ....  but I found these tips really useful.  

From Bob Harper's Article , "Here are my best suggestions:

1) Improve the quality of your sleep. New research shows that those getting 7-9 hours of sleep are less likely to be overweight. Sleep improves blood sugar regulation, reduces stress hormones, and balances out hunger/fullness hormones (leptin, ghrelin). Are you getting good sleeps? If not, is there anything that you can change that would help?

2) Increase and/or preserve muscle mass. The only way to push your metabolism back up is to gain muscle mass. The only way to gain muscle (or improve your ratio of fat to lean muscle) is to engage in strength training week (a goal of 2 times per week isn't enough because often, you'll only get 1 of those in).

3) Be very selective with type of carbs. Choose lean protein, lots of veggies (cooked and salads), and stick with higher fiber carbs (brown rice, high fiber cereal, high fiber bread, beans, and fruits). You could experiment with replacing 1-2 of your carb servings each day with veggies and protein.

4) Practice stress reduction. There is evidence that lower stress levels are associated with lower body weight. Regular exercise, hobbies, yoga, meditation, breaks at work, getting sunshine, etc. all help you lower stress level, balance hormones, sleep better, and be able to make healthier choices.

5) Revisit your eating. Are you writing things down or are you guess-timating? In fact, You may not be eating enough and under-eating can actually undermine weight loss as your body goes into starvation mode.

6) Revisit your exercise program. You body adapts to your exercise program which means that you burn fewer calories doing the same thing. You may need to increase the intensity."

It's a funny coincidence because these are all things that I found when I was doing research on getting over a plateau. 

Anyways, this first week of plateau fighting has been going pretty well , but not as well as I'd like. I'm going out this weekend to get small set of weights to do some strength training. I'd honestly rather do that then join a gym, just because I don't want to waste time driving somewhere 3 nights a week.  


On a brighter note I bought my first pair of size 38 shorts this week! It felt really amazing to buy a size since I haven't worn since High School. Also, the t-shirt I'm wearing while I'm typing this is from a family trip to the Outer Banks, also when I was about 15-16 yrs old. 
So good things happening.

Thanks again to all of you for your wonderful encouraging notes, texts, messages, posts , etc. 


Thanks to my Mom for sending me this quote for the week :-)


"By Perseverance, the snail reached the Ark." - Charles Spurgeon

8 Months Down !!!

To quote Will Rodgers, "Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." 


The last 8 months have been life-changing for me. At my highest weight I for sure weighed over 300 pounds. The highest I ever actually saw on a scale was around 307. After that I didn't weigh-in for a longgggg time. When I started tracking this back on July 21, 2011, I was sitting at 294. 

These pictures are from around that weight... 

So, on 7/21/11, I decided to get healthy once and for all and started my journey towards weight loss and a lifestyle change. Needless to say there have been many ups and downs. And this is one case where you want as many downs as possible. 

And now, sitting at a weight of 255, and over FIFTY pounds lighter... things are starting to look alot differently. I've had to throw out shirts, shorts, pants,  you name it lol. It's been a crazy feeling on putting on a XL shirt instead of squeezing into a XXL or ordering a XXXL shirt online. Amazing feeling. I'm at the last notch on my belt now as well. I think it's about time to by size 38 pants! 

Also, a  couple weeks ago I had a big accomplishment , in running my first ever 5k at the Gasparilla Event! 

BUT......

The last 3-6 weeks have been really challenging for me, because my body has just hit a serious plateau. I think this made my mind also hit a plateau. I found myself getting frustrated not seeing that bottom line on the scale change. I mean really frustrated , and really discouraged. I almost felt like I hadn't lost any weight at all. Very hard to explain.

So I started to have slip-ups here and there , and being less and less careful with my day to day planning. Don't get me wrong, I haven't been slamming Big Mac's and fried chicken every day, but I think a plateau is a mental game as well. And  today I have a plan to snap out of it! 

I actually was able to watch "Biggest Loser" last night for about an hour, and I got some really great tips and pointers. Sometimes I hate that show, because you aren't losing weight as fast as they are, but I'll be honest it also has lots of great tips, and pointers. I realized that I've got into a bit of complacency. While I love being 50 pounds lighter...255 is not my goal weight. I'd like to get down to the 200-210 range eventually, and I believe that is realistic, healthy , and attainable.  

Some things have to change...again...so I'm cranking out a new plan to help push my body and mind over this plateau. 

Short term Goal. Lose 12-15 more pounds by the time we go to Hawaii on 7/1/12  

Long term Goal. Get down to 200-210 pounds. 

Exercise:
I'm going to begin interval and strength training along with my running and biking aerobic exercise. By now, running just isn't having the same effect on my body, and I need to shock the system by mixing it up. My intensity with these needs to increase. I'm actually hitting the gym with a couple friends Saturday morning to learn some new workout ideas.

Food: 

Plan, Plan, Plan. Count, Count, Count.

I'm going to begin looking at all my total intake again throughout the day. 1,500 - 1,700 calories per day again. More fiber and more protein in the mix. I'll keep you posted on how this goes. 

Mind: 

More Sleep. Smarter Workout and Food planning. Not letting slow-downs get me down and discouraged. Stay positive and keep moving forward! 

I'm hoping this plan will help me get back in the swing of things and back on the LOSING team. I appreciate so much everyone's help and support. I love hearing from you! 

I LOVE this quote -- “Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Weigh-In Wednesday Week 32!!!

HEYYYYYYYY EVERYONE!  -- Happy Wednesday and Happy Leap Day!


My Peak Starting weight was over 300 pounds. The day I weighed in I was 294 back in July


Today my Official weight loss is still at 42-43 pounds depending on the day. 

Still trying to push my body into the 240's. I've seen some more awesome changes with my clothes though....and I think I'm about ready to start wearing size 38 pants :-). 


Before Pic of the week....

And a rare before from the side view ... 

And After .... 


Check me out with one of my old t-shirts! This shirt was TIGHT on me a few months ago---

From the side ... 

Anyways....IT'S RACE WEEKEND

Got some cool things going on this week. The biggest and best is that I'm going to be participating in the Gasparilla 5k Festivities this coming Saturday morning :-). Check out the link, their site looks great! 

I'm going to be doing this with a group from my office. They do this every year, and I signed up a few months ago. I know that a 5k isn't exactly a marathon, but going out and doing this in public with a group of people is a BIG deal! The last time I tried to run in public it was at a kids race at my Dad's company's fall work picnic and I quit with an "Asthma attack" about one lap in...I was 10...hahaha. Scarred for life :-(  


I have been running the past few months and I'm really excited and slightly nervous. This is going to be a great experience. I can't wait to post pics etc from the event. 


See you all very soon... 


“Courage is a resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear.” ~Mark Twain