I've been meaning to post these awful photos. They're from June/July 2010.
Here is the one I made when I hit 50 pounds lost in May.
Here is my most current from August 2011. This was about 60 pounds lost.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Y Fitness Challenge Week 5
I knew I shouldn't have complained about the Y Fitness class last week. I think they tried to kill us last night. I am seriously sore this morning. We did an 'easy 30 minute routine' that took at least 45 minutes. It was cardio intervals (jumping jacks and jump rope) interspersed with strength (sit-ups, push-ups, lunges and all sorts of ab work). Whew! I feel it in my abs every time I move and just lifting my coffee cup this morning is an effort. I love it!
There was a photographer there from Carroll Magazine. There is going to be an article about the challenge soon. Class attendance was definitely down last night. I'm not sure if people are dropping out or if it was because everyone knew the photographer would be there. Guess we'll see if folks return next week. Our team is still going strong. There was one person that was added to our team in week 2 that hasn't shown up since, but the other 7 of us are committed.
On another note, I had a very, very good run on Monday. 50 minutes of running with 0 walking. Yeah me! I think my success is weather related. It's getting much cooler and the temp Monday evening was about 65. There was also a beautiful sunset to watch. I felt like I could have gone on even longer except I was losing the light. I'm so sad that it's getting dark earlier. I'm not ready to go inside for the next few months. When daylight savings time ends in a few weeks, it'll be dark by the time I leave work.
There was a photographer there from Carroll Magazine. There is going to be an article about the challenge soon. Class attendance was definitely down last night. I'm not sure if people are dropping out or if it was because everyone knew the photographer would be there. Guess we'll see if folks return next week. Our team is still going strong. There was one person that was added to our team in week 2 that hasn't shown up since, but the other 7 of us are committed.
On another note, I had a very, very good run on Monday. 50 minutes of running with 0 walking. Yeah me! I think my success is weather related. It's getting much cooler and the temp Monday evening was about 65. There was also a beautiful sunset to watch. I felt like I could have gone on even longer except I was losing the light. I'm so sad that it's getting dark earlier. I'm not ready to go inside for the next few months. When daylight savings time ends in a few weeks, it'll be dark by the time I leave work.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Progress!
So, it's now week four of the Y Fitness Challenge and it's doing just what I had hoped -- motivating me. I've been in the gym or out on the trail four or five days a week and pretty much staying in my calorie range (give or take a little). So weight loss has returned! Yay!!
I'm now comfortably in the 180's and that magic number 185 will happen soon. What's magic about 185? Well, at 5'6", that is a BMI of under 30, which is the line between overweight and obese. I know BMI is not really so important, but no longer being obese has been my next goal for a long, long time. My first goal was losing 10%. Then it was no more plus size clothing. Then it was getting under 200 pounds. Now it's under 30 BMI. I haven't decided what my next goal will be. I guess I'll have to start thinking about it.
The Y Fitness Challenge is interesting. I'm on a team of seven and everyone is very nice. We've had one member not show up for two weeks now, so we may actually be just a team of six. The workouts are a bit disorganized and might even be a little too easy for me. On Tuesday, we warmed up on the bikes for about 10 minutes, then we ran laps around the gym for five minutes, then we did six stations of circuits for two minutes each. Yes, I still hate sit-ups and push-ups and they continue to be very challenging for me.
Maybe I should focus on those push-ups and sit-ups instead of the running for a while, but it's so hard to put aside what's working or to find even more time to exercise. I'm feeling stretched enough for time as it is. Every few months, I get an email from a Y trainer congratulating me on all my cardio work, but encouraging me to do more (well, actually, any!) weights. I still haven't taken the training for the new machines.
Each week of class, we have a 'challenge'. So far, they've been simple -- eat a fruit and vegetable every day, exercise some more type of stuff. This week is to complete sets of sit-ups and push-ups, 2 sets of 20 each on 3 separate occasions. Ugh.
I'm now comfortably in the 180's and that magic number 185 will happen soon. What's magic about 185? Well, at 5'6", that is a BMI of under 30, which is the line between overweight and obese. I know BMI is not really so important, but no longer being obese has been my next goal for a long, long time. My first goal was losing 10%. Then it was no more plus size clothing. Then it was getting under 200 pounds. Now it's under 30 BMI. I haven't decided what my next goal will be. I guess I'll have to start thinking about it.
The Y Fitness Challenge is interesting. I'm on a team of seven and everyone is very nice. We've had one member not show up for two weeks now, so we may actually be just a team of six. The workouts are a bit disorganized and might even be a little too easy for me. On Tuesday, we warmed up on the bikes for about 10 minutes, then we ran laps around the gym for five minutes, then we did six stations of circuits for two minutes each. Yes, I still hate sit-ups and push-ups and they continue to be very challenging for me.
Maybe I should focus on those push-ups and sit-ups instead of the running for a while, but it's so hard to put aside what's working or to find even more time to exercise. I'm feeling stretched enough for time as it is. Every few months, I get an email from a Y trainer congratulating me on all my cardio work, but encouraging me to do more (well, actually, any!) weights. I still haven't taken the training for the new machines.
Each week of class, we have a 'challenge'. So far, they've been simple -- eat a fruit and vegetable every day, exercise some more type of stuff. This week is to complete sets of sit-ups and push-ups, 2 sets of 20 each on 3 separate occasions. Ugh.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Y Fitness Challenge Week 1
While I'm still plodding along and still sticking to my plan, my motivation and progress was starting to wane. I'd find myself drinking an appletini and/or having a couple of cookies as a snack. Neither of those is a no-no, but their frequency was increasing to nearly nightly, which is a no-no. Besides, I've been stuck in the 190's since June and it's now September! I've dropped to a size 14 pants and size L top (down from a 22/2x last year) so the running is definitely helping, but the scale is another matter.
So, I signed up for the Fitness Challenge at the Y. The first meeting was Tuesday. I'm committed to going back to tracking and bumping up the exercise for the next ten weeks at least.
Now that I no longer have access to Weight Watchers tracking because not enough people signed up to start a session at work, I started using another iPod app, Lose It! to track. So far, so good. I like it and aside from a few strange glitches, it's simple to use. I also like that it computes carb/protein/fat percentages. I can see that I have some work to do in trying to get my carbs down.
Tip: You can copy and paste the above tables directly into Excel.
Sent from my iPod
So, I signed up for the Fitness Challenge at the Y. The first meeting was Tuesday. I'm committed to going back to tracking and bumping up the exercise for the next ten weeks at least.
Now that I no longer have access to Weight Watchers tracking because not enough people signed up to start a session at work, I started using another iPod app, Lose It! to track. So far, so good. I like it and aside from a few strange glitches, it's simple to use. I also like that it computes carb/protein/fat percentages. I can see that I have some work to do in trying to get my carbs down.
 |
Daily Report for September 14, 2011
| Daily Log | ||
| Breakfast | 225 | |
| Cereal, hot, oatmeal, apple cinnamon, inst pkt | 1 Package | 130 |
| Applesauce, Unswtnd, Cnd, w/ Vit C | ½ Cup | 51 |
| Coffee, w/ Cream, No Sug | 16 Fluid ounces | 44 |
| Lunch | 445 | |
| Activia, Strawberry, 4 Oz, Lowfat | 4 Ounces | 110 |
| Lettuce, Romaine, Fresh, Shred | 1 Cup | 8 |
| Soup, Tomato Vegetable, Italiano, Classic | 2 Cups | 180 |
| Watermelon, Diced, Fresh | 2 Cups | 91 |
| Carrots, Fresh, Baby, Med | 6 Each | 21 |
| Dressing, Sesame Ginger, Low Fat, Lighten Up | 2 Tablespoons | 35 |
| Dinner | 452 | |
| Salad, Field Greens | 1 Cup | 22 |
| Salad Dressing, Parmesan & Peppercorn, Olive Oil | 2 Tablespoons | 60 |
| Sandwich, Grilled Chicken | 1 Each | 370 |
| Snacks | 225 | |
| Cheese Sticks, Nat, Rducd Fat | 1 Each | 70 |
| Apples, Fresh, Sml, 2 3/4" | 1 Each | 77 |
| Raisins, Seedless | 50 Each | 78 |
| Exercise | 481 | |
| Walking | 60 min | 481 |
| Nutrients | ||
| Fat | 32g | 21% |
| Cholesterol | 126mg | |
| Carbohydrates | 208g | 59% |
| Fiber | 24g | |
| Protein | 69g | 20% |
| Summary | |
| Food Calories | 1,348 |
| Exercise Calories | 481 |
| Net Calories | 867 |
| +/- Calories | -609 |
This report was generated with Lose It!
Sent from my iPod
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
More running
I've been plodding steadily along in Couch to 5K. On Sunday, it was the dreaded W5D3 -- the 20 minute run. I wasn't convinced I could do it. Sunday morning, I kept finding things to do to put off the inevitable. Finally, around 3:00, I headed out. I decided to go to Sandymount Park instead of the Y. I wanted new scenery to look at. I think this was my mistake.
I got to the park and noticed all the hills. Nothing major, but not nearly flat like the YMCA path. I made it about 12 minutes in when I hit a hill and just had to walk it for a few minutes. Then, I finished up the run, ending up with my longest distance and best time yet. I was happy with that, but being the perfectionist that I am, couldn't count W5D3 as complete since I didn't run for 20 minutes straight.
So yesterday, I headed back to the Y. Since I hadn't rested a day, I told myself I wasn't going to retry it. My plan was just to see if I could run 2 laps (1 mile) without walking. Well, I ran 4 laps without any walking!!! This took about 22 minutes, so I did it! I finished week 5! The key this time was thinking about the distance and not checking the time. I did it without the podcast, just listening to my new playlist.
Yesterday on Facebook, there was a post from the Carroll County Times looking for people training for a 5k, a 10k, a half-marathon or a marathon. I responded with an email and was interviewed on the phone. I don't know when the article will appear, but I'm looking forward to it.
Another weigh-in tonight. Based on my daily weigh-ins at home, I expect a slight gain this week. Disappointing to be sure, but I've been concentrating on the running. I've still been eating healthily and not overboard, but not as on track as I might have been. It's like I can't do both at the same time.
I got to the park and noticed all the hills. Nothing major, but not nearly flat like the YMCA path. I made it about 12 minutes in when I hit a hill and just had to walk it for a few minutes. Then, I finished up the run, ending up with my longest distance and best time yet. I was happy with that, but being the perfectionist that I am, couldn't count W5D3 as complete since I didn't run for 20 minutes straight.
So yesterday, I headed back to the Y. Since I hadn't rested a day, I told myself I wasn't going to retry it. My plan was just to see if I could run 2 laps (1 mile) without walking. Well, I ran 4 laps without any walking!!! This took about 22 minutes, so I did it! I finished week 5! The key this time was thinking about the distance and not checking the time. I did it without the podcast, just listening to my new playlist.
Yesterday on Facebook, there was a post from the Carroll County Times looking for people training for a 5k, a 10k, a half-marathon or a marathon. I responded with an email and was interviewed on the phone. I don't know when the article will appear, but I'm looking forward to it.
Another weigh-in tonight. Based on my daily weigh-ins at home, I expect a slight gain this week. Disappointing to be sure, but I've been concentrating on the running. I've still been eating healthily and not overboard, but not as on track as I might have been. It's like I can't do both at the same time.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Another week
Tonight, I completed Week 5 Day 1 of Couch to 5k, which means I ran 3 sets of 5 minutes each, with a three minute walk between. And for the first time, I wasn't struggling making it to finish each interval.
At weigh-in tonight, I lost 1.2 pounds last week, bringing my total to 34.6 pounds. I have 63 left to go.
At weigh-in tonight, I lost 1.2 pounds last week, bringing my total to 34.6 pounds. I have 63 left to go.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Still here
Ok, so the weight loss blog wasn't such a great idea. But never fear, I haven't given up on the weight loss, just on writing about it. It's rather boring and tedious. I'm now down 33.4 pounds total since September. Slow, slow, slow.
Last month, in an effort to speed things up a bit, I finally got back to the gym. I've been there four or five times per week for nearly a month now. On 3/17, I started the Couch to 5k program. I've just finished Week 3 and will be heading into Week 4 tomorrow.
It's been such a shock to discover that I *can* run. Not fast; not for long; but I can do it. Sunday, I completed treadmill 5k in 46 minutes. Yesterday, I did 2 miles outside on the YMCA path in 24 minutes. Sports sponsorships aren't going to start rolling in any minute, but I am thrilled with my progress! I'm a over 200 pound 46 year old woman, and I am a runner. Who the hell would have ever thought that? Not me!
Tonight is another Weight Watchers weigh-in night. I doubt there's going to be a sizable loss. I've been averaging less than a pound a week. I've found that with the exercise, the weight is not falling off like I'd hoped, but things are definitely changing. The size 18 pants I bought in February are loose. I hate wearing loose clothes, but I don't want to keep buying new ones.
Last month, in an effort to speed things up a bit, I finally got back to the gym. I've been there four or five times per week for nearly a month now. On 3/17, I started the Couch to 5k program. I've just finished Week 3 and will be heading into Week 4 tomorrow.
It's been such a shock to discover that I *can* run. Not fast; not for long; but I can do it. Sunday, I completed treadmill 5k in 46 minutes. Yesterday, I did 2 miles outside on the YMCA path in 24 minutes. Sports sponsorships aren't going to start rolling in any minute, but I am thrilled with my progress! I'm a over 200 pound 46 year old woman, and I am a runner. Who the hell would have ever thought that? Not me!
Tonight is another Weight Watchers weigh-in night. I doubt there's going to be a sizable loss. I've been averaging less than a pound a week. I've found that with the exercise, the weight is not falling off like I'd hoped, but things are definitely changing. The size 18 pants I bought in February are loose. I hate wearing loose clothes, but I don't want to keep buying new ones.
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