1st picture- Beginning of weight loss journey, Jan 2012, 347 lbs

2nd picture- April 1, 2012, 313.4lbs

3rd pictture- May 20, 2012 today’s post/update

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Well folks, I’m back and I bring great news!!

I have hit my first major goal of being under 300lbs.

I reached that milestone this week! Now I’m at 299, and to be realistic with you it might be a losing battle this week to stay under 300. I’m heading up to the Dallas, Texas area on Friday for a weekend of fun and partying. My intentions are to still work out and attempt to eat right. Not sure how successful I’m going to be at the eating right part or working out . The good thing is I will have plenty of time in the next 4 weeks to work my tail off before my 3 week vacation to Cozumel and the Riveria Maya.

So I’ve pretty much been doing what I have since the start of this program. Still doing lots of swimming and walking. My swim routine is now consisting of 2000 yds on most occasion. I’ve done 3,000 yds and even did 4,000 yds one time. Walking is also increasing to about 50-60 minutes at a time. So the exercising is still going strong.

Eating is still going good, but IMHO not as good as when I started. Another bad thing is that I do not seem to recover from my bad eating days as easily as I have in the past. In other words the weight does not come off as easy after a bad day of eating. Still I keep plugging away and my next short term goal is to have lost a total of 50 pounds from the start of program. I’m only 3 pounds away from that. My goal is to lose another 40 lbs by the end of the year. Wish me succes in achieving the goal.

Now to the really great news. My A1C (3 month average of blood sugar levels) went from a 9.8 in January to a 5.5 this past week. That is excellent progress. A normal person would be around 5%. A goal for a dibetic would be under 7%. As a result of my hard work and the decreasing A1C, the doctor has started reducing my dosage on some medicines (lower dosage of blood pressure medication) and completely taking me off others (glyburide- diabetic medication). We’ll see how it works out for me on my next visit, and if need be we will adjust.

So until next time I bid you adios!!

A few nights ago, I was on Facebook and a post from a friend of mine popped up.

She had just signed up for a half marathon.

My breath caught in my throat.

Two years ago, I was on the cusp of running and completing my first (and only) half. I was in the best shape of my life.

Let me go back…just before seeing her post, I had been editing photos from my daughters first birthday. There were several of me and they were all ‘aha’ moment photos. You know, the kind where you don’t even recognize yourself. Really bad.

I mean, how sad is it that I wanted to edit myself out of all of my daughters first birthday pics?

Seeing my friends post for the half, and her invite for others to join felt like divine intervention. Like someone was throwing me a lifeline, a chance to get back to me.

Before I could over think it, I clicked through to the race page, whipped out my credit card and signed up.

And just like that, I’m going to be running a half marathon in October. The panic has set in and I’ve questioned my sanity, but I honestly need to have the fear of humiliation seared into my brain to motivate me to get my weight/health/LIFE under control. The fear of the sweeper van will push me to train.

I feel like I have a great support system…both here, with my newly formed training team, and online, with my Sisters. From time to time, I’ll probably show up here all whiny. Please feel free to verbally kick my ass.

I never knew peer pressure could be so necessary, so positive. But that’s what it took for me. And I will continue to bend to this positive influence all the way to my next finish line.

Hello Shrinkers!! We have a brand new weight loss challenge starting on June 1st and we want you and your BFF and spouse and cousin and sister and grandma and brother and mother to join us! Seriously. Come one, come all.

If you’re new to the Sisterhood, we have these fun little weight loss challenges periodically and they are not only a BLAST, but your butt will shrink a little too. One of our mottos around here is ‘losing weight isn’t easy, but it doesn’t have to suck!’ Hanging out with us will make it fun!

For more information on the challenge and how it works, click on over to our Current Challenge page and bone up.

This challenge has been dubbed June Tune-Up. I’m not sure about you, but I’ve hit the part of the year where my New Year’s resolutions are so far in the past I don’t even remember if I really made them, and summer is knocking on my door, but I’m not quite ready to step out yet. I am in need of a serious Tune-Up both mentally and physically!

If you’re not about weight loss, or you want to include some awesome physical activity into your day, Melissa is putting together a fantastic fitness challenge for the month of June (see our past challenges here), so you’ll be able to Tune-Up and Tone-Up with the Sisterhood. And, if you head on over to the Kitchen, the Shrinking Kitchen that is, we’ll help you Menu Plan Your Butt Off with fresh, healthy menu plans with printable grocery lists each and every Sunday. It’s like a one-stop shop for all you’re health and fitness needs. Yeah, we’re pretty awesome like that….always looking out for you!

Here’s what you need to know:

1. This challenge will last 3o days – A great way to kick off the summer with a fast paced challenge!
2. It’s team challenge, meaning you’ll partner up with someone to form a team (two people to a team please). You will compete against other teams for the title of Biggest Shrinkers.
3. You are in charge of getting a team mate. Your partner can be anyone, and no, neither one of you has to blog to participate. Ask you neighbor, your significant other, your mother, or your son, or even your online BFF. Anything goes.
4. You’ll need a kick-ass name for your team, so start thinking now!
5. The challenge starts on June 1st, which is a Friday, but we’ll check-in every Wednesday after that, as usual. So the first Weigh-in will be recorded on June 1st, and the next will be Wednesday, June 6th, with the challenge ending on Sunday, June 30th.
6. You will check in as a team – with your combined weight (a+b=check-in weight) – each Wednesday (did I mention Wednesdays? Yeah, we have a check-in post each Wednesday!). That means there will be only one person filling out the check-in form for your team.

If it’s Tuesday, it’s time to start tooting some horns. I know of several people who did some amazingly tootworthy things this past week. Were you one of them?

My most tootworthy fete this week was participating in a two and a half hour zumbathon. It was so much fun. I got hot and sweaty, but had a blast. My ankles were a little sore by the time we got done, but felt fine in the morning. I even won a club t shirt and a gift certificate for a one hour massage. The thought of a total body massage by a total stranger kind of creeps me out, so I’ll be choosing a chair massage. With all the knots and kinks in my neck, shoulders and back, they’ll have no problem spending an hour there.

I’ve also been doing a weekly link-up with Jamee at a New Kind of Normal called Sharing our Spoons. I am really enjoying this. Each week, you have goals to set in different areas of your life with a bonus challenge for stepping out of your box. Here’s my post from last week. You’ll get the idea from that. You should really come try it with me. It will give you something to definitely toot about.

What about you? What do you want to brag and toot about this week? I can’t wait to hear. Please come toot your horn and leave your accomplishments or blog link in the comment section.

p.s. I can’t wait till next Tuesday when we are all tooting about Run the ‘Hood 2012 Virtual 5K/10K Race to Remember!

The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself. ~Anna Quindlen

Here we are! It’s time to start off the year long series Becoming Me. I got the idea for the name from the Anna Quindlen quote I put at that top. I’m excited to start this process of digging a little deeper and getting to the heart of some of my esteem, body, and food issues.

If you haven’t had a chance, please go back and read this post from Christie Inge and this post giving a little (long) history of me.

This month’s question…

Do you trust yourself and your body? No? What do you think would happen if you did?

The honest answer is no. I don’t trust myself OR my body.

I’m not sure at what point I got this skewed sense that my WANT was more important than my NEED.

When I sit down to a meal, I very often eat way past the point of comfort. My stomach is beyond capacity, my mind is telling me to stop eating, and I look at the plate and think “It’s a waste to leave food there.” If I’m eating at a restaurant (which is much more often than I care to admit), I get the additional “I paid for the food, I should eat the food.”

Then, when dessert rolls around, my stomach is beyond capacity, my mind is telling me to stop eating, but all I want is sugar. How could it be wrong to want something sweet to end my day? I’ve had a great/exciting/awesome/bad/busy/crazy/emotional/stressful day, why shouldn’t I reward/soothe with something sweet.

I end up sitting on the couch at the end of the night, telling my husband “Don’t ever let me do that again.”

Because at some point it became HIS responsibility to get me to stop eating.

Now, that’s just the food side. When it comes to exercise, I’m just as bad. My mind is telling me to get off the couch. My body is telling me to move and stretch and lift. But I think I know better. There’s too much on my to-do list, I don’t need to work out right now. I could get hurt, I definitely shouldn’t push myself beyond my comfort zone. It won’t matter anyway if I did push myself because I am a slow runner and I will always be slow and why try to change it?

I don’t trust my body because it scares me that if I did, I might have to change the status quo.

I am comfortably entrenched in status quo, friends.

I think if I did learn to trust my body, I would very simply eat less and move more.

It seems oversimplified, but that’s what it really comes down to.

If I learned to trust my body, I would listen to its signals telling me to stop eating when I’m full. If I learned to trust my body, I would know the difference between real hunger and emotional hunger. If I learned to trust my body, I would know that answer to my problem du jour  is not at the bottom of a peanut butter jar.

If I learned to trust my body, I would not take walk breaks during runs, knowing that the need for one is all in my mind. If I learned to trust my body I would know that exercising is more important than making the kids macaroni & cheese for lunch 2 days ahead. If I learned to trust my body I would push myself a little bit further out of my comfort zone.

If I learned to trust my body, fear of failure (or honestly, success) would not be an issue.

Beyond that, the sky’s the limit.

All questions for the Becoming Me series come from Christie Inge.

Christie Inge, HHC is an intuitive eating and body image coach and is the creator of The Body Love Alchemy Community. After years on the diet and binge roller coaster, she realized that the answers she was looking for had nothing to do with the size of her blue jeans or the food on her plate. She set out onto a quest to make peace with food, her body and her weight once and for all. She began sharing her experiences on her popular, heartfelt blog. Overtime, she found that her greatest gift was helping women, just like her, overcome their struggles, too.

She has taken what she learned in the school of hard knocks and coupled that with what she has learned in her professional trainings to create a system that has helped thousands of women to make peace with food and to stop hating their bodies. She offers support, insight, and real world tools for creating a body and life you love. You can stay in touch with by subscribing to her inspirational weekly eLetter or join the conversation facebook and twitter.

Coffee. I love coffee. I drink mine black, but when I stop at a coffee shop, it’s easy to get lured into ordering something a bit more adventurous, which often means more calories, sugar, and fat. Did you know that if you drink a Grande Double Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino, you will be consuming 500 calories, 9 grams of fat, and 98 grams of carbs? And that’s WITHOUT the whipped cream. Oh my.

I’ve done some investigating and have come up with ten drinks that you can enjoy without feeling the guilt. Enjoy!

A ten pound gaindoesn’t sound like a lot, but it is! When you lose 10 pounds, it can mean a whole new clothing size, or a lot less jiggle, or finally having the confidence to wear sleeveless shirts! It’s a confidence booster and an excellent motivator. It means that shopping is fun! It means that you automatically make better choices because you are taking care of a smaller body. Ten pounds is HUGE…..when it’s gone.

But, it’s also HUGE when it comes back. It means squeezing into clothes that aren’t comfortable anymore. It means digging for or even purchasing larger clothes. It means feeling uncomfortable and self-conscious. It means things jiggle a lot more than they used to. It means you really don’t like what you see in the mirror anymore. It means wondering how the hell it happened and what you’re going to do to stop the land slide. It means kicking yourself when you’re down and just feeling like do whatever because it really doesn’t matter right now because I’ve gained 10 pounds and next week I’m going on vacation (to Disney World where every meal includes dessert, even lunch).

That’s where I am. Actually I’m up 12 pounds, but I’m 10 pounds over my comfortable, I’m-happy-with-the-way-I-look-and-feel-weight.

When you gain weight, it’s really hard to reel yourself back in. I know, because I’m there right now. It’s easy to see why so many people who lose large amounts of weight end up gaining it all back. Once you start that ascent on the scale, you lose your motivation, you feel bad about yourself, and you really don’t feel like doing much of anything. It easy to say screw it and have dessert or that extra large whatever.

It’s easy to just give up and give in.

I’ve said it before, but I’m serious right now…I’m putting it out there for everyone to really see. I’m done with the ascent on the scale, and I’m ready to get back to the business of being healthy and fit. I want to eat only what my body needs. I want to move enough to make my heart beat fast. I want to work my muscles until they’re sore.

I will.

Seven years ago I lost 60 pounds, and I’ve managed to keep it off (almost!). Two years ago I trained for a half marathon with Team in Training and I ran 13.1 miles for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  Three and a half years ago I started this site to motivate and support and encourage you.

One hour ago I went on a soul searching walk. I realized that I need to stop the madness and start focusing on being the best me I can be, because there will always be an excuse to be made, an obstacle in the way, a reason to say ‘screw it’. I need to dig deep and get back to the basics. No more excuses.

What about you? Are you struggling right now? Have you gained weight? Are you injured and unable to exercise? What’s your story?

Did you know that it was National Women’s Health Week? Me either. I wish I had found this out for last weeks post. That’s okay though. It’s not too late to find out what it’s all about.

The government website gives this definition of National Women’s Health Week…..
National Women’s Health Week is a weeklong health observance coordinated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health. It brings together communities, businesses, government, health organizations, and other groups in an effort to promote women’s health. The theme for 2012 is “It’s Your Time.” National Women’s Health Week empowers women to make their health a top priority. It also encourages women to take steps to improve their physical and mental health and lower their risks of certain diseases.

1. Visit a health care professional to receive regular checkups and preventive screenings.This one is pretty self explanatory. We all know that we should be getting yearly check ups and screenings appropriate for our age. How many of us actually do it though? I am guilty of being not very good with this.
2. Get active.
We all know that an active lifestyle is a must for a fit and healthy life. There are so many ways to get active. Running, walking, biking, cardio workouts, strength training, zumba and yoga are just a sampling of the hundreds of things out there. The list goes on forever. Find which activites work best for you and do them.
3. Eat healthy.
This is something that I have really been trying hard to get right. Healthy eating is one of the most important things we can do for our bodies. Eating the right kinds of foods makes a huge difference in the way we feel. If you put in the right fuel, your body runs at it’s peak performance. Kind of like putting quality gas in your car. The website has a great section on healthy eating.
4. Pay attention to mental health.
Good mental health is an important part of a woman’s overall health. I admit that I never even considered a lot of the things they talk about on the website as being part of my mental health. A couple of the things they talk about are getting enough sleep and managing stress. I am the worst at getting enough sleep.
5. Avoid unhealthy behaviors.
How about smoking and not wearing a seatbelt or bicycle helmet. I can tell you from experience that quitting smoking is so hard, but so beneficial. I felt better within days and four years later, I can’t believe the difference in how I feel. If you are still smoking, they have a great section on how to quit.

Last, but certainly not least, you can join the 2012 WOMAN Challenge! The 2012 WOMAN Challenge has partnered with the President’s Challenge. Remember when I wrote about joining the President’s Challenge last month. I just started Week 5 and I am really enjoying tracking my workouts and watching my points add up. I am on track for a medal from the President in another few weeks.

It has taken me a long time to get to this point in my life. I am finally seriously working on my fitness and eating. I am enjoying finding things like this to help me keep my efforts fresh and not boring. Check out the website and see all the information they have to offer. I think you’ll be impressed and you just might learn a few new things.

Hey!

Guess what!!

It’s Wednesday, guys! Time to weigh in. You didn’t think we were going to leave you hanging did you?

Just because we are between challenges doesn’t mean it’s time to rest on your laurels! We’ve got three weigh ins before the next official challenge starts so let’s get to work!

You’s got to have goals, people!

So, what’s it going to be? How are you going to spend the next three weeks?

Are you going to flounder away because there is no official challenge?

Or are you going to set yourself a mini goal and continue toward your bigger goal of HEALTH?

So. First things first. If you’re a weigher, go get on that scale.

Secondly, set some goals. Three weeks is plenty of time to get something D-O-N-E, done!

Thirdly, blog about it. Let us know how it went this week. Let us know what your goals are. Let us know what you had for lunch yesterday. Let us know if you have a pet!

O.K. You get the point. Talk to us! We love hearing from you!!

This past weekend, an opportunity landed in my lap to try out a type a race that I have never done before- a mud race.

What is a mud race?  It’s usually a fun run that includes obstacles of some sort.  The length of the run can vary.  The number of obstacles can vary, but there is ALWAYS mud involved at some point.

You can read my race report here, if you like.

No mind you, I had not trained for this race.  I mean, I still have my running background but I was not prepared for hoisting myself over any kind of obstacle.  My only plan was to have fun and not lose my shorts in the mud pit- mission accomplished!  I did, however, get very very very muddy.

 This was my first time to do a race of this kind, and I LOVED it.  It kind of makes me wish that I had done it sooner.  I vividly remember thinking at one point in the race- this is so much better than straight running, I get to break up the monotony of running with obstacles- yippee!!!!  It was harder in some respects, since I was using different muscles for the obstacles and then a different set for the running/hiking.

Now, I want to do more, especially given my hate disdain dislike of HOT RUNNING.

Since I am no longer a Mud Run virgin, I am anxious to find another run to do in my area and soon.  ’Tis the season for mud!

I did a quick google search on Mud Races and was surprised on the number of options out there.

• Muddy Buddy
• Spartan Race
• Tough Mudder
• The Original Mud Run
• Diva Dash
• Survivor Mud Run
• Warrior Dash

This is by no means the entire list- just a beginning. Also, I’ve heard of Zombie Runs, Urban Adventure Races, Foam Fest 5K’s.

So go ahead. Try it, you just might like it.  I did!

Tell me – what fun races have you done?!