Inching Along... Or Am I Rolling?

17 weeks ago I started this journey. It has certainly seemed slow going at times, but 4 months have gone by quite quickly when I think about it.

There have been easy days and days that proved quite challenging. But you know, I haven't had one single day when I seriously considered giving up. Not one. Eating right is just what I do. Exercising is just what I do. Not feeling sorry for myself or playing victim is just what I do (most of the time :-) and it feels fantastic! I'm coming to realize this is not something I'm going to quit. I don't live in fear that tomorrow I won't be able to do it. It's just what I do. I have a new way if life. And it rocks.

I stepped on the scale this morning to find myself 2 pounds closer to my short-term and long-term goals. I am now down 43 pounds!!! I have 7 more to go before meeting my first 50 pound goal and rewarding myself with a day trip to Biltmore Estate! 

Starting weight: 336 lb.

Goal weight: 150 lb.

Week 1: 328, -8 lb.

Week 2: 325, -3 lb./-11 lb. total

Week 3: 323, -2 lb./-13 lb. total

Week 4: 317, -6 lb./-19 lb. total

Week 5: 314, -3 lb./-22 lb. total

Week 6: 312, -2 lb./-24 lb. total

Week 7: 312, -0 lb./-24 lb. total

Week 8: 306, -6 lb./-30 lb. total

Week 9: 306, -0 lb./-30 lb. total

Week 10: 306, -0 lb./-30 lb. total

Week 11: 304, -2 lb./-32 lb. total

Week 12: 300, -4 lb./-36 lb. total

Week 13: 300, -0 lb./-36 lb. total

Week 14: 300, -0 lb./-36 lb. total

Week 15: 298, -2 lb./-38 lb. total

Week 16: 295, -3 lb./-41 lb. total

Week 17: 293, -2 lb./-43 lb. total

I Do So Love a New Stroller

I was super excited to find a great jogging stroller at a fairly low price on Craigslist! I picked it up Tuesday afternoon and I couldn't wait for my Wednesday run. 

Today is Wednesday. Today I learned something about jogging strollers. First, most jogging strollers have a fixed front wheel. In order to turn it, you must push down on the handlebar a tad. I knew this ahead of time and practiced a tad with it here in the driveway/yard. Not as hard as I had expected. Yay!

What I hadn't anticipated was that it takes FAR more energy to push a stroller while running than it does to run freely, arms swinging. The stroller itself rides so smoothly it feels like nothing to push. It's the controlling your arms, holding them in the same spot while running, when your arms naturally move, that got me. My energy was zapped before we were half done. The girls took him at that point and I ran the last half without the stroller, but it was too late. I ended up crying for most of the last 3 minutes, and for a solid 2 minutes afterwards during our cool down walk.

Lesson learned. I still love my new jogging stroller, but I'll be using it for walking until running becomes a bit easier for me. The girls can walk him in the meantime. 

Sweet Sixteen

Week 16... week 16!!! That's almost 4 months! I have been eating right and exercising for 16 weeks now. I have worked out Monday-Friday for 16 weeks. I changed my mind 16 weeks ago. More importantly, I changed my LIFE 16 weeks ago. 

Guess what I know now? I know that I am strong. Stronger than I ever thought possible. I know that I have  stamina, will power, and enough determination for 10 people. Oh! And I'm a runner! I'm not fast or good at it yet, but I AM a runner. 

Is my life easy? Heck no. There are more stressors in my life right now than there have been in quite awhile, but the exercise helps beyond measure with that. I may weigh just a tad under 300, and I may still look like a blob, but my insides don't match my outsides. My insides feel like I've lost 100 pounds already. :-)

Week 16 was run-of-the-mill. Nothing crazy good or crazy bad going on. Just life. But a small milestone was passed this morning when I stepped on the scale and saw a 3 pound loss because it put me over 40! I am officially down 41 pounds!!! Woohoo! 50, here I come. 

This has been a roller coaster ride, to say the least. Some weeks are great, some weeks I trudge through and can't wait to see the end of. Week 17 will find me buckled in and ready! And determined.

Starting weight: 336 lb.

Goal weight: 150 lb.

Week 1: 328, -8 lb.

Week 2: 325, -3 lb./-11 lb. total

Week 3: 323, -2 lb./-13 lb. total

Week 4: 317, -6 lb./-19 lb. total

Week 5: 314, -3 lb./-22 lb. total

Week 6: 312, -2 lb./-24 lb. total

Week 7: 312, -0 lb./-24 lb. total

Week 8: 306, -6 lb./-30 lb. total

Week 9: 306, -0 lb./-30 lb. total

Week 10: 306, -0 lb./-30 lb. total

Week 11: 304, -2 lb./-32 lb. total

Week 12: 300, -4 lb./-36 lb. total

Week 13: 300, -0 lb./-36 lb. total

Week 14: 300, -0 lb./-36 lb. total

Week 15: 298, -2 lb./-38 lb. total

Week 16: 295, -3 lb./-41 lb. total

So Excited... Big News!

I do have some big news, but first I want to say my heart is broken and goes out to all affected by the Boston Marathon bombings. They are in my thoughts and prayers.

I bought a T-shirt today from the More Than Just Me foundation. They are doing wonderful things, raising awareness and funds for Cystic Fibrosis. Right now they are selling shirts to benefit those in Boston hurting, grieving, recovering. The front of the shirt says "We Will Run" and the back says "Running for Boston 4/15/13". You should definitely check them out!

Okay, so my big news. I am registered for my first 5k! The Electric Run is at the end of July. It's a night run filled with great music and lightshows, and lots and lots of glow sticks. It's going to be super fun, crazy hard, and so worth it! I get ridiculously excited just thinking about it! :-)

Now, onto Saturday's weigh-in. I think this is going to be a good week.

Celebrate Good Times, Come On!

That's right, a celebration is in order! After 2 weeks of losing nothing, I lost 2 pounds this week. "That 's good, but why the celebration?", you ask? Because my weight no longer starts with a 3!!! I am finally under 300!!! I feel like throwing a party. :-)

It has been a hard week and a half, my husband lost his job. That felt incredibly scary at the beginning but I've stayed positive (after a few hours of balling my eyes out and wondering what in the world we are going to do), and 6 days later our only vehicle died. Found out it would cause a few thousand dollars to fix, which we didn't have (and were still making payments). It felt like the world was caving in around me, but I got up everyday and exercised and did my thing anyway. And it paid off, finally.

We are mobile again, and while still unsure where this unemployment journey will take us, I'm counting my blessings everyday and believing a blessing will come from this. I thank all who have been praying and ask for continued prayers for my family.

Starting weight: 336 lb.
Goal weight: 150 lb.

Week 1: 328, -8 lb.
Week 2: 325, -3 lb./-11 lb. total
Week 3: 323, -2 lb./-13 lb. total
Week 4: 317, -6 lb./-19 lb. total
Week 5: 314, -3 lb./-22 lb. total
Week 6: 312, -2 lb./-24 lb. total
Week 7: 312, -0 lb./-24 lb. total
Week 8: 306, -6 lb./-30 lb. total
Week 9: 306, -0 lb./-30 lb. total
Week 10: 306, -0 lb./-30 lb. total
Week 11: 304, -2 lb./-32 lb. total
Week 12: 300, -4 lb./-36 lb. total
Week 13: 300, -0 lb./-36 lb. total
Week 14: 300, -0 lb./-36 lb. total
Week 15: 298, -2 lb./-38 lb. total

Something's Gotta Give

Two weeks have passed since I last posted, and I have nothing to show for it, at least not scale-wise. I had a zero last week and faced another one today. I'm okay with it, this won't derail me. But I wish I could figure out what changes I need to make to get things moving. I've done Weight Watchers twice before and had lost 50 lb. by this point both times. I know this is now and I shouldn't compare, but something is holding me back.

On the running front, we've had to take a short break this week. I've missed it and am ready to get back to it. One of the last days we ran my sister got held up and I didn't have my phone. I waited half an hour  and thought about just walking, but Katelyn said I should do my run anyway. I really wasn't sure I could do it all on my own and was a bit afraid to try. She said "You can do hard things, Mom" so I decided to give it a go. It was hard, but not harder. I didn't cry or want to quit. I did it on my own, all by myself!

Moving on to week 15. Going to spend my weekend mulling over anything I could change to budge that scale.

Starting weight: 336 lb.
Goal weight: 150 lb.

Week 1: 328, -8 lb.
Week 2: 325, -3 lb./-11 lb. total
Week 3: 323, -2 lb./-13 lb. total
Week 4: 317, -6 lb./-19 lb. total
Week 5: 314, -3 lb./-22 lb. total
Week 6: 312, -2 lb./-24 lb. total
Week 7: 312, -0 lb./-24 lb. total
Week 8: 306, -6 lb./-30 lb. total
Week 9: 306, -0 lb./-30 lb. total
Week 10: 306, -0 lb./-30 lb. total
Week 11: 304, -2 lb./-32 lb. total
Week 12: 300, -4 lb./-36 lb. total
Week 13: 300, -0 lb./-36 lb. total
Week 14: 300, -0 lb./-36 lb. total