snack on the go

I've found if I pre portion things I'm more apt to stick to my plan. Therefore, I portion celery, peanut butter, granola, snacks, etc. Super easy and tasty treat to throw together and I made it even easier by purchasing Craisins already in 100 calorie packs. Craisins, one serving of low sodium almonds, and voila...snack on the go! Energizing, filling and a better option than a sugary granola bar or chips!

benefit of living on an island...fresh shrimp

My wonderful husband cooked shrimp and pasta! Generally I'd pass on the pasta plate (certainly this wasn't the case a few months ago - I could have eaten pasta for breakfast, lunch and dinner) needless to say, it was delish!

My day:
5:15am
Personal training (TRX)
24oz water

7:00am
EAS protein shake

8:00am
One egg two egg whites
Mushrooms
Onions
6oz crystal light

9:30am
Coffee
Fat free half and half
Splenda

11:45am
Yogurt

1:30pm
Morning star "chicken patty"
Mixed green salad
24oz water

4:00pm
(should have had a snack - celery and peanut butter)

4:30pm
Yoga strength

5:30pm
12oz water

6:30pm
Leisure bike ride

8:00pm
One serving pasta
Sautéed shrimp
Steamed broccoli, cauliflower, carrots
12oz water

Who knows, I may squeeze in a miniature dove dark chocolate, tonight.

Remember,

Running is a pain in the ass...but it'll give you a nice one ;)

target heart rate

Let me give this little guy a shout out - Garmin, I love you!  In all seriousness, best $80 spent...ever. Okay, maybe not ever but for the time being, certainly! This thing is honestly a lifesaver, and when I say lifesaver I mean it because had it not been for this I would never know my distance, heart rate, calories, pace, time, not to mention my first run time vs. what I'm at now! Speaking of, let me take you back to February when I could not walk up the stairs at home without feeling the effects of it in my breath.  I could not run to the end of the driveway, and I am not kidding.  My first run with Raquel was 1.3 miles, and I shouldn't even really call it a run, it was more of a walk with a little run on the side.  At that time Garmin hadn't joined me yet, so I was counting on her for all the data, which...as you know the better shape your in the faster your heart rate comes back down, so my breaks were few and far between.  When she would notice our heart rate going up we'd walk, and when it was back down to our target heart rate we'd begin to run until, yep you guessed it... it went up and over where we should have been.  I've figured that my heart rate should be 137-168 bpm.  You can find yours here - of course I am not in any way associated with the Mayo clinic and I'm sure there are other target heart rate calculators out there, but I like this one because it gives a detailed explanation, and I'd go out on a limb to say it's fairly accurate ;) Anyway, needless to say, it was a lot of walking... but I felt good after and continued to work at it.  This coming from someone who struggled with the mile run in high school, it gets better, I promise.  In fact, I looked at Raquel a few weeks ago and said, do you remember my first 'run'? And she said, yes I do, you were scared to death.  Now, I know there are pros and cons to running, working out, etc. and there are certainly things that you can do for exercise that are lower impact and less of a risk to your body, then again there are things you can do that are lower impact and more a risk, such as sitting on the couch not doing anything which is what I did for the last 2 years of my life, and look where it got me.  I'd highly suggest getting a heart rate monitor, trusty Garmin does just fine.  Do your research there are tons of different kids out there, for myself this one is perfect. Anyway, up early tomorrow for training and then a run to kick off my weekend. 

Remember, 

Running is a pain in the ass... but it'll give you a nice one ;) 

And - a shout out to my Stay Fit friends, good luck on the 7 mile bridge run this weekend, maybe I'll be there next year! 

health

Just a quick post- I was talking with some co-workers today, and it came to me. I got to a point in my life where it wasn't just that I couldn't fit into my jeans, or my tops looked too tight, or even the fact that I had literally put on 40+ pounds in a year for no good reason. It was the fact that I was unhealthy, besides not feeling good about the way I looked I didn't feel good about the way I felt inside either. I would eat until I was so full I was uncomfortable. Snack here, snack there...oh another snack. It also really hit me when I realized and fully accepted that I weighted more than my husband who is 6'2. Talk about another reality check, I'm 5'4. I enjoy the feeling of energy that my work outs give me and even though there are days that I feel completely exhausted I would take that feeling over kicking myself for not working out. I truly enjoy the classes, training and yes...now running too. I am in now way in a position to give medical advice but all charts pointed to poor health for me, I want to change that.

Remember,
Running is a pain in the ass...but it'll give you a nice one ;)

the nitty gritty

So, as promised pictures as well as numbers will accompany this blog.  Let me first set out a disclaimer...this conclusion that I came to of including this information in my blog was not an easy one.  But, I know that it's important and if I can inspire and or encourage just one person by putting myself out there, it'll all be worth it. This can be done and it can be done in a healthy way, it's a commitment to a lifestyle change. 

I've been pleasantly plum, big boned, large and in charge, carrying a little extra weight, athletic, and or stocky my whole life.  No matter what anyone calls it or how people try to (no pun intended), sugar coat it... I've always been bigger than I would have liked.  I'll admit it, I LOVE food, I love everything about it, grocery shopping, prep work, cooking books, the fun kitchen accessories that aid you in cooking, the wonderful smells, presentation, creativity, and filling not only myself up but others too.  Some would say the love of cooking and the D word mix like oil and water, however I've surprisingly found it to be helpful.  I'm now more conscious of what I'm making, and have been able to use creativity to squeeze in some extra nutrients in oldie but goodie recipes.   I began my journey in late January at a staggering 234.6 lbs.  I was comfortably wearing a size 16, and uncomfortably squeezing into a 14.  

December/January 234.6 lbs

I joined weight watchers online and learned about food and the importance of making good food choices.  I was given 34 points a day with an extra 45 points per week. Those of you who have tried WW understand how these points work.  There would be days that I had a lot of points left and days when I felt like I could have eaten double the points allowed.  WW really helped me to get in the mindset of recording my food and making choices that helped to keep me full longer.  However, the days that I had points left, I would allow myself ice cream, cookies, snacks, whatever I could to use up the points.  I had figured at that point if I had points left over that must have meant that I could use them for whatever I wanted. 

February, Size 14/12

March 225 lbs 

I joined Stay Fit Studio and attended morning classes.  I recruited my husband to help me get used to getting up early and encouraging me to get on my bike and get to the gym for 6:15am classes.  

Monday - Spin 

Tuesday - Strength 

Wednesday - Run and Pedal/Pump

Thursday - Spin 

Friday - Run/Personal Training and Pedal/Pump

Saturday - Spin or Run 

Sunday - Run and Strength 

(I am taking a day off during the week, although it isn't consistent - it varies depending on my weekend schedule) 

I started seeing a trainer with a group which has been helpful.  I set goals and discussed with her what I've tried and where my challenges and barriers are.  And so, we began to run... 

April 214.5 lbs 

...and accomplish goals! I ran my first complete 5K this past weekend.  Raquel and I had ran the route once before and I had consistently been running at least 3 miles for one week before the race.  I'm so grateful for a Danielle who was able to join me on my first race, encouraging me even when my final time (38.56, approx. 12 minute mile) was 10 minutes longer than her usual time!  A 5K is 3.2 miles, I ran 3.75 miles in one hour the previous week, so I'd say I shaved 'some' time off!!

I'd also have to say I'm lucky to have a husband who totally supports what I'm doing! Although he didn't run (even though he runs nearly every day) he was at the finish line with balloons and water :) He encourages me when I need that extra push! I am beginning to notice small things, I feel my upper body, face/neck/shoulders are more defined, I can see muscles forming in my arms/shoulders/back and my legs too.  The runs are slowly getting easier, my heart rate recovers faster, and I have more energy. I've come to terms that I have big calf muscles, if that's what the big Man gave me, I'll embrace it.  

Also, I received Fit Member of the Month at the gym! :)

My Food Log : 

6:00am 

Banana 

6:15am 

Strength Training 

24 oz water 

8:00am 

One egg, two egg whites scrambled with fresh salsa 

8 oz crystal light 

9:00am 

Coffee

Fat free half and half 

Splenda 

11:30am 

Greek yogurt and granola 

1:30pm 

Garlic and pesto wrap 

Tuna and two hard boiled egg whites with two tablespoons of cracked pepper olive oil mayo 

12 oz water 

16 oz no carb energy drink 

4:00pm 

Chocolate protein shake (EAS) 

6:45pm 

I made homemade sloppy joes for my parenting class (3 lbs beef, ketchup, a little brown sugar, a squirt of mustard and two cans of low sodium chicken gumbo soup) 

1/2 sloppy joe mixture, without the bun 

Two servings of fresh green beans 

12 oz sugar free green tea 

5 baked lays 

8:00pm 

24 oz water 

Remember, 

Running is a pain in the ass...but it'll give you a nice one ;) 

have to start somewhere

Let me start out by writing, this blog is simply designed for me express my triumphs, and trials along the way of getting back into shape, and no... I'm not considering round a shape.  I'll post pictures, update eating logs, work out routines and yes... numbers, that's weight and size, I figure if I'm going to do this, I'm going to do this right.  Plus, part of being successful at setting goals is making publicizing! Now, first things first... I was active in high school, partially active in college and lets be honest, not active at all after.  I told myself I was! I bought work out clothes, DVD's, new shoes, hell... I even told my doctor I was! Needless to say, she's not stupid but she humored me when I asked to have my thyroid checked at one of my appointments because I had gained so much weight, of course (and thank God) everything checked out okay.  Talk about a reality check, I had since gone up a several sizes and was feeling everything but confident.  Eric and I moved to Key West where wearing nothing but a swim suit is acceptable and most of the time considered too much clothing.  I live in shorts and t-shirts yet every store front window I walked by I was reminded of my ever growing size.   I would often watch TV and see the before and after pictures of people on diets/weight  loss plans and say to myself, well at least I'm not "that" big.  I feel like I've tried it all, no carbs, meal replacements, energy bars, weight loss pills, metabolism boosters, blaming my thyroid, you name it! I should also explain that I'm an instant gratification kind of person, I want results, and I want to seem them now.  When it comes to weight loss, who isn't? Once I overcame my lack of patients, and lost what I'll refer to as the 'D word' (diet) from my vocabulary I was at last on the right track.  It's not a quick fix, it's not over night and it's not a 'D word'...it's a lifestyle change, and I'm willing to make it.

Until next time, (pictures I promise) remember,

Running is a pain in the ass but... it'll give you a nice one ;)