Carie's Weight Loss Journey - Week 21

Where to start? This month has gone by so fast! So many amazing things have happened, I've accomplished quite a few goals, ran my first 5K since high school, and more!

The Color Run was on October 6th in Des Monies! (That was also my baby's first birthday!) I rode there with my Zumba instructor, Jen, and her son. We got there in plenty of time and decided to stop by the Color Run Store. It's a good thing we did because it served to be a wonderful wind block! It was FREEZING cold! I used the sweatband I got in my race packet as my ear cover! By the time we started moving in the start line, there were so many people around us that the cold wasn't such a factor.

I jogged between the color stations and walked through the stations to make sure I got a LOT of color! The colors weren't as vibrant as I had hoped, but I had a fantastic time! I very much enjoyed the relaxed nature of the "Happiest 5K on the Planet"! We crossed the finish line at about 43 minutes or so. It wasn't timed, so we just guesstimated! We stuck around for a few color throws during the after party, but decided it was time to get going home!

We stopped at Applebee's and refueled from the run. We headed home shortly after and I made it back in time to have birthday cake with my baby! My girls were in awe of the color on my face and hair! The kept saying, "Mommy is colorful!" Yes I was!

The rest of this month has been my usual routine for working out. Zumba on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday each week with Power Hour on Tuesday and Thursday. I have been getting a long run in on Saturday mornings. Now that the pool is open at the Y, I am going to start getting in a morning swim when I can!

I mapped out a run for last Saturday and it was exactly a 10K distance. I decided to run it as if I was racing to see where I am at for my 5K and 10K times. I started off strong. When I hit the 2.5 mile point, I started getting discouraged that I wouldn't have a good time. I didn't want to look at my time just yet, but I went ahead and looked. I was actually moving pretty fast! When I hit the 3.1 mile point, I looked at my time and I had clocked in at 29:42! My goal was to make it under 30 minutes! I DID IT!! I turned around and started running home. It was mostly uphill at that point, and it was really hard to even see myself finishing the entire 6.2 miles, but I kept pushing. I got a side cramp around mile 5, but kept pushing through the pain. I finished strong and had a time of 1:03:17. Which is a 33:47 time for my returning 5K. I felt awesome! I wanted to finish it in under an hour, and I didn't quite make it, but I was very proud of myself for not stopping!

I am noticing that things are getting easier to do when I am working out. Moves in Zumba that I use to dread are now becoming moves that I like! I can feel myself bouncing less and less. Which is great! I can do things I didn't think were even possible, like doing a plank for 1 minute. Sounds easy, but it isn't after a full cardio workout! I did my first set of unassisted sit-ups a few days ago. I couldn't even do one on my own when I started Power Hour a few weeks ago. I can feel my body becoming stronger the more I am challenged. And it feel fantastic!

I have had no luck in weaning my baby from breastfeeding, but I have been trying everything I can think of to help her wean. Nothing is working so far, but I'm giving it some time. I am ready to stop, but my baby isn't. When the time comes for her to be ready, I will be ecstatic!

Start to Week 6, Week 17, and Week 21 progression photos:

Start to Week 21 photos:

I was turned a little too much in the Week 21 photo.

Week 17 and 21 photo:

Starting Weight: 202 lbs

Week 1 Weight: 193 lbs

Week 2 Weight: 190 lbs

Week 3 Weight: 190 lbs

Week 4 Weight: 189 lbs

Week 5 Weight: 188 lbs

Week 6 Weight: 184 lbs

Week 7 Weight: 182 lbs

Week 8 Weight: 179 lbs

Week 9 Weight: 177 lbs

Week 10 Weight: 175 lbs

Week 11 Weight: 174 lbs

Week 12 Weight: 173 lbs

Week 13 Weight: 171 lbs

Week 14 Weight: 172 lbs

Week 15 Weight: 173 lbs

Week 16 Weight: 169 lbs

Week 17 Weight: 168 lbs

Week 18 Weight: 167 lbs

Week 19 Weight: 166 lbs

Week 20 Weight: 164 lbs

Week 21 Weight: 162 lbs

Weight Lost Since Week 17: 6 lbs

Total Weight Lost: 40 lbs

Weight To Go: 27 lbs

I'VE LOST FORTY POUNDS! FORTY! That's A LOT! Holy wow! It is unreal to me! The only thing that keeps me from seeing the person that I was 40 pounds ago, are the photos above. I still see the old Carie from 21 weeks ago when I look into the mirror sometimes. But that's not me anymore! So many of my friends from high school have told me that I'm looking more like I did in high school. Which makes me feel great! I am the size that I was when I got married in 2007! I am wearing the clothes I wore in my engagement photos! It is seriously unreal! But another perk of hitting my 40 pound goal is that I get a ONE HOUR MASSAGE!

It is getting more and more difficult to actually lose weight at this point for me. I had a tough two weeks at the start of the month, but once I started getting back on track with my water intake, my weight started coming off again. I realize now just how important water consumption is when you're trying to lose weight! I have gotten my 8 - 10 glasses each day for the past two weeks! I can tell when I am hungry now! Before I was confusing hunger and thirst. Now I know what hungry feels like and what thirsty feels like!

I am going to be doing Jillian Michaels' 30 day shred and the #plankaday challenge. I will be doing the 30 day shred starting on November 1st. I am doing it to start toning my core muscles to make running easier and to help get rid of my baby pooch! I will be doing the #plankaday challenge Monday through Saturday each week to try to hold a plank for 10 minutes! Which is crazy, but I need an "impossible" goal so that when I reach it, I will have done the "impossible"! It is going to take me months, but it is a long-term goal for myself! Yeah... I know I'm crazy! I will post a before and after photo after this month!

Someone asked me the other day, "How much more weight do you want to lose? You look great already, if you lose anymore you'll be too skinny!" While I appreciated what the lady had said, I had to explain to her that I am not losing weight to be skinny. It is so much more than that! I want to not be afraid of the clothes in my closet, I want to run after my kids and not get tired right away, I want to be healthy, I want to live a long life, I want to be strong, etc. My motto right now: