Carie's Weight Loss Journey Week 38

I started this month off strong with two healthy living challenges! One personal challenge via The Biggest Loser's website, and one with friends for the Live Healthy Iowa challenge. I decided to post a photo of the scale each Monday morning to remain accountable to the other people in the group as well as myself. The photos so far have been these:

1/28/13 - 151.8 pounds

2/4/13 - 148.2 pounds

2/11/11 - 153 pounds

2/18/11 - 150 pounds

That gain SUCKED. I had such a hard time posting that photo. I even thought about putting the scale on an uneven floor or something to get the weight to show lower, but in the end, I couldn't do it. I had to be honest. Because in life, you're going to have your gain weeks and your loss weeks. I think what was so frustrating was that I had done everything right with my food and water, yet there was still a five pound gain. I'm positive it had to do with my time of the month. (Sorry fellas for the TMI!) Not to mention the fact that I was late on my period and stressing out. Not because another baby wouldn't be welcomed, but because I hate NOT knowing. I didn't want to buy a pregnancy test just so that it can tell me that I'm not pregnant. I know that that is what they are for, but we're tight on money, so I decided to wait it out. I started on Valentine's Day. Hubby wasn't too happy about that!

But all in all, I am proud of my gains and losses. It shows me how my body reacts to different things. The morning I had the 5 pound gain I decided to change up my calories each day to give my body something different each day. I lost 3 pounds by the next Monday! So for now, that is my plan! Changing up my calories each day and sticking to my normal workout routines.

I know that Lent is going on and I'm not Catholic. I debated back and forth about if I wanted to give something up for Lent as a way to help me break my addiction to sweets. I had a week or so to decide, but in the end, I decided to do it. What did I give up? I had to think about it! I have been ice-cream free and binge free for FOUR weeks. Which is HUGE for me! I have had to pass up ice-cream on more than one occasion! And it was HARD! And by changing up my calories each day, my urge to binge is gone. So I had to focus on the trigger foods in my cabinets and what I wanted to stay away from. I finally decided on these:

They are anywhere from 80 calories to 100 calories per pack, depending on how many smiles are in the package. We usually buy the huge box because our girls go through them so fast. But since we've decided to cut back on as much high fructose corn syrup as possible, these delicious, sugary treats were first on the chopping block! We still have some left from the last box we bought, and every time I go to the cabinet, I have to fight myself to leave them alone. I can easily eat 2 to 8 of those little pouches. Which is anywhere from 180 to 800 extra calories per day. And I need my calories to count! I am addicted to these fruit snacks. I was introduced to these in college and have loved them since. I am giving these up for Lent, and hopefully, for good.

I am 16 days away from starting my half-marathon training! Technically I'm training for the DAM to DAM and it's a 20K! I am going to be following Hal Higdon's Novice 2 Half Marathon Training plan. I am going to be running it with two friends, one who lives in the same town as me and one who lives in another town. I'm not sure exactly how our schedules line up, but hopefully we can all run a long run or two together! As soon as the DAM to DAM is over, the Monday afterwards I start marathon training! I will be following Hal Higdon's Novice 1 Marathon Training plan. This will be for my very first Marathon in September! That gives me 6 months of training before my first marathon! I am excited! I also want someone to buy me this shirt so that I can wear it while I train:

Available here!

I noticed a week or so ago that I had developed "runner's toe"! It's a bruise underneath a toenail. It can come from running too many hills, breaking in new shoes, and/or not having enough toe room in your shoes. I am positive mine came from breaking in my new running shoes while doing an inclined treadmill workout. My toe hurt the night after my workout, but I didn't think much on it! I was removing some old nail polish and couldn't get the color to come off of one of my toes. That's when I realized that I had runner's toe! I was so proud! I haven't had runner's toe since high school! The town I lived in had hills EVERYWHERE, so I constantly had runner's toe!

Pardon my ugly toes! 

Starting this coming Monday, I am going to be starting Jillian Michaels: Ripped in 30. I want to start toning my body all over, not necessarily be "ripped", but tighter! I still have my "problem areas" that my clothes cover, but one of my newer problem areas since having kids is my lower stomach/abs. I realize that I will probably never have abs... I'm not even sure I want them... but my posture is terrible and it makes me look "skinny fat". Which is frustrating. I find cute clothes that I can now fit in, but my leftover baby pooch makes me look like I'm newly expecting. Someone even thought I was pregnant a while back... But no. It's just my un-toned baby pooch. But I also want to do the Ripped in 30 to help my core strength before I start training!

I just want to say, though, that I am very proud of my body. I have lost my weight slowly. My body has had plenty of time to "bounce back" with me. This is the way I wanted to lose weight to begin with. Slowly. I am very happy with how I look, but sometimes, I am still overly critical. I am working on it. I am trying to love myself again. And I do love myself! But I still have my days and weeks where all I do is trash talk my body and self-sabotage. I am working on it. I am not just a number on the scale. I am worth it. I am enough.

I have been doing much of the same workouts that I have been doing. Zumba, Power Hour, Wave Power (water aerobics class), swimming, running, and Jillian's 30 Day Shred. I very much enjoy my workout schedule. I have been getting up early in the mornings to get in 20 to 30 minutes of cardio in each morning. It helps me to wake up and start my day off right. I am doing this so that I can start waking up early to run in the Spring!

Start to Week 1, Week 2, Week 4, Week 7, Week 13, Week 26, and Week 38 progression photo:

Start to Week 38:

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

Week 22 Weight: 161 lbs

Week 23 Weight: 160 lbs

Week 24 Weight: 157 lbs

Week 25 Weight: 159 lbs

Week 26 Weight: 155 lbs
Week 27 Weight: 151 lbs
Week 28 Weight: 156 lbs
Week 29 Weight: 155 lbs
Week 30 Weight: 154 lbs
Week 31 Weight: 154 lbs
Week 32 Weight: 153 lbs
Week 33 Weight: 152 lbs
Week 34 Weight: 151 lbs
Week 35 Weight: 148 lbs
Week 36 Weight: 153 lbs
Week 37 Weight: 150 lbs
Week 38 Weight: 146 lbs

Weight Lost Since Week 34: 5 lbs

Total Weight Lost: 56 lbs

Weight To Go: 11 lbs

Was anyone as tired of the 150's as me?! BLAH!! I cannot believe I have ELEVEN pounds until goal! I'm so, SO close! This week's weight loss came from either the stomach flu or from food poisoning. I'm not too sure since no one else in my house had any sort of sickness. I made sure to stay hydrated and eat all of my calories for each day. I know that the last few pounds are going to be hard to lose. I get asked, "Haven't you lost enough?" Maybe so! Maybe that's why my body was hanging out in the 150's for so long. But I want to make it to my goal weight. I know that I can. But I'm not going to kill or starve myself to get there! I know these things take time! And I am going to work as long as it takes!

I am proud of my progress. I am proud of my health.

I got a new Polar FT7 Sports Watch/Heart Rate Monitor and a Garmin Forerunner 110 Sports Watch. (they were running a deal when I bought them. I spent MUCH less than Amazon is selling them for right now.) I got the Polar to help me keep track of the calories I burn during Zumba, Power Hour, and other fitness classes. I got the Garmin to help me keep track of my time, distance, pace, and calories burned while running when I start half marathon and marathon training. I haven't had the chance to try them out just yet, but I am very excited to use them! (Come on warmer weather and Spring!)

I also want to start doing more exercises with my own body's weight. Like standard push ups, sit ups, etc. They sound easy, but I can't do very many at all. There was a time I couldn't even do one... but now I'm up to about 5 normal push ups and 15 sit ups without stopping. Small progress, but I am proud of myself! I really do not like push ups. I can do a lot of the modified version of push ups, but when it comes to having my legs straight, I struggle! I don't have a set number in mind, I just want to be able to do more than 5 without feeling like I am going to die!

I want to start pushing myself to do more during my workouts. Mainly for Power Hour and Wave Power. I can do jumping lunges for the first 30 seconds of a one minute circuit, but I have difficulty going any longer without stopping. I want to push myself little by little to be able to do them for the whole minute. There are lots of exercises for both classes that I have trouble doing for longer than 30 seconds. I want to push myself to know that I can! I am going to have to be mentally prepared to push my limits when I run my marathon later this year, I want to start breaking down those walls and barriers in other aspects of my life as well! I want to feel myself get stronger.

I want to push my limits.

My motto right now: