photo update

  Well here is my first photo update.   I cropped these pictures to get a close up of my face.  I can see a difference.  I am surprised.  I do not see these changes when looking in the mirror, but these photos show a true difference.   It is a slow and steady journey, but here is a little something for a boost to my confidence.  Now if only I could see it in my gut!!!  :)

August 2011 in NC

Jan 1, 2012

January 1, 2012

Happy New Year!!!!
2011 was a great year.  I took several wonderful vacations Ireland twice, Iceland, a trip to Texas, Philly, and my family reunion in North and South Carolina.   We had a few weddings, theater dates,  times with good friends and a new healthy lifestyle. I won the biggest looser challenge with Tiger, started using myfitnesspal.com, and started a new 30 day health challenge.  I turned 40 and lost 40 pounds in 2011.   I am sure this is not a complete summery of the year, but a good chunk of it. All in All I would call 2011 to be a good year!

Cliffs of Moher, Ireland 2/2011

Tiger, John and I Ireland 2/2011

Sheep on the Ring of Kerry 2/2011

See how small the roads are in Ireland. 

San Antonio Texas March 2011

Giants Causeway, Ireland April 2011

Lynn at The Giants Causeway 4/2011

First Guinness with Lynn 4/2011

Adam Family Reunion Charleston, SC July 2011

Biltmore August 2011 This is what started my Journey

Grounds of the Biltmore 8/2011

Apple Picking October 2011

Kim and Doug get hitched

Carrie Ann and Gary Pike

Iceland 11/2011

Iceland 

The Northern Lights Iceland, 2011

Holy Crap I am 40!

 What is in store for 2012?

I will continue with my new lifestyle.   I did not start the new year out right.  We were at a party and boy did I eat and drink.   I am sure we will get a walk in because the sun is shining.  Not something we see often in the winter months in Upstate NY.   I really did not make any resolutions. I am on this Journey and it is slow and steady.  I am working on deciding my next mini goal.  

Plans for 2012- I want to go to Alaska.  I want to have continued success on this Journey.  I want o be healthy, happy and enjoy my life with family and friends.  Without them life is not complete.  So check back and see what I am up to for 2012.   Happy New Year everyone!

January 1, 2012

January 1, 2012

January 1, 2012

December is here

Well it is December 3rd.  It has been a while since I have posted. Where has this year gone????

Tiger and I are still doing the biggest looser challenge we will wrap it up when she returns from her trip home.   A while back she and I signed up for Myfitnesspal.com it is a site you can put in your goals lose X pounds a week and what you activity level is and it will set you up with calories and such.  It is an okay tool. I have heard it is similar to the WW site, but this one is free.   I have noticed that when you exercise it allows you more calories to eat.  I am still trying to figure it all out.  I am happy to report since doing it I have lost 7 pounds.

I am up to level 6 on my sprint 8 program,. but it is very hard! I have to slow down the walking from 3.5 to 3.2 and work up to the 3.5.  John suggested I jog the whole thing. Tried it and I will say I have to work up to that too.

After taking a vacation to Iceland for 5 days and the treadmill not having power for a few days I will get back on track and drop down to level 4 and work my way back up.  I will be back on 6 in no time.

Iceland at the divide of the North Atlantic and North European tectonic plate

I am on track for my new years goal and I am feeling very proud of myself.   I have noticed my clothes are a little looser. I am also waiting for the moment when someone else asks "have you lost weight?"  I guess I was larger than my own world view.

Before our vacation I went to get some new jeans to take with me.  I tried on 1 size down and they were comfortable. I tried 2 sizes down and they were a little tight.  I figure 5 pounds more and I am there.  I decided not to buy the jeans.

Iceland was awesome.  It was cold and we walked a lot.  I ate okay.  after returning home I got on the scale (after eating breakfast) and I was down 2 pounds.  I can take a vacation and not sabotage my weight loss goals.

Snowy Landscape

Northern Lights

I have started thinking about goals for the end of 2011 and 2012.
It is always good to have short and long term goals.

My goals
Be in the 240's by new years.
Use my fitness pal to track food and exercise daily
walk 10,000+ steps a day

Get my own pedometer and return the one I have been borrowing from Ellen

Get back on the treadmill sprint 8 program.  3-5 days a week (vacation made me stop)

Start a weight training program 2 days a week
walk a 5K 1 time a week.
In February I am going to start the couch to 5K program to train for the lilac 5K
Start the 30 day shred DVD on Monday Dec 5

58 days till Christmas

I set a New Years goal a few weeks back October 3 to be correct.  I wanted to drop 20 pounds.   I am getting there I have about 16 pounds to go to make it to that goal.   I have started to wear a pedometer daily.  I am doing good.  I have been over 6,000 steps since I started.  I have actually made 10,000 steps 5 of the last 7 days.  It all helps to get there.
I know weight loss is a slow process. I did not gain it all over night.  Still no changes in my clothes, and no one has said I look like I have lost weight.  I see my mom and sisters in 2 weeks and maybe one of them will notice.   Only time will tell.  I am really waiting for the day that my clothes start to feel to big.  I am not there yet.   I will be one day.
  I think my girlfriends are all starting to not have any interest in this new life style.  One as I have said really never started, the other was doing great for a while, but has admitted many bad food choices and is starting to make excuses.  I am sure she will come around.  The last one is struggling with her own 3 pound plateau.  I can not make them do this, but I hope they stick to it, because they are keeping me motivated.  

Tracy

Natalie, Ellen, Heather, Stacey

  Natalie is not loosing weight with us.
 
 I am just about down 10% of my fat debt and I am thrilled.

My biggest looser challenge is going well too.  Tiger and I were both down this last weigh in.  We were going to measure too, but I could not find the measuring tape.   We will do it next weekend.  We also talked about what would we do with the pounds pot.  Originally the one who lost the most would get it, but I have really been thinking about it and I think we should donate it. A food cupboard or toys for tots.  I talked with her about this and she agrees.  $9 will not go far, but if we each decide to match what is in the pot for charity that would be a good thing.  especially with the holidays coming. With Thanksgiving around the corner as well as all the other food holidays the pot may increase.  fingers crossed NO, but only time will tell.

Sprint 8

I have never been a fan of the treadmill.  We have had one in our home for as long as I can remember.   I do not like to use it, but it is great for cold days and rainy days.   After the fire in 2007 we replaced our treadmill with one that is much more sophisticated than the one we lost.  This one has a great program called sprint 8.  It is an interval program.  It changes speed and incline.   It is actually a great program.  I still prefer to walk outside, but it will do as winter is coming.  
   I was thinking about doing the couch to 5K program that many folks are doing these days, but again with bad weather coming I figured I would not be successful on that program.  Maybe I will give it a go this spring.   I remembered the sprint 8 program and made the decision to do it.   I started on Wednesday September 21 and did level 1.   I have been doing the sprint 8 program nearly everyday since I started.  On Sunday 10/16 I began level 5 and it was freaking hard.   I am thrilled to post that I did finish it and I was so proud of myself.   I had to slow the speed on my cool down, but today my third day at level 5 I did it all without feeling like I need to slow down.   I am so excited about this.   It is a huge accomplishment. I am sure I will be at level 5 for a while, it is still hard, but I will know when I am ready for 6.  
   The biggest looser challenge with Tiger is going ok.   Week one I was down Yeah!  Week 2 up 4 pounds.  Not sure why?   I did not like not knowing so  I  started a food journal.   Week 3 I was back down all I had gained and a little more.  We have $9 in the pot now with 5 weeks to go in this challenge.
   I have lost about 20 pounds since this journey began.   I had a long plateau, but I pushed through and did not let it get me down.   I worry about my friends who stated this with me back in August.  One  really has not been involved, one had major "slips" this past weekend, and the last is going strong, but is battling her own plateau.   John is working crazy hours and is doing what he can.  I think the long days and weeks are getting to him.   I do not like cooking for one!   I am ready for his work to go back to 9-5.
   I am doing great.  I feel good, I am happy and very proud of myself.  

Biggest Looser Challenge

I am doing a Biggest Looser challenge with a good friend Tiger.  I was down 5.4 at the end of the first week.  Yeah me, but this weekend I think I put it all back on. I ate far to many applesauce chocolate chip cookies!

I am again fearing the scale I have eaten so much bread this weekend I thought my body was going to go in to shock because of it all.I do not keep much bread in the house anymore so I do not have to try and avoid it. I will hop on the scale later tonight to calm my nerves and get an idea of how much I have to make up.

Saturday I did ok.  I ran and cleaned the house.  I line danced for a good 30 minutes so a good work out.  I think I ate an egg with spinach.  Lunch whole wheat pasta salad with spinach, chicken and veggies
dinner super late because Michelle as in the ED.  I had some steak, green beans and onion rings.

Sunday ( Apple Picking with family)
Breakfast scrambled eggs with herb pepper and 1 turkey bacon and 1 pancake leftover from earlier in the week.  it was yummier the first day.
Lunch and Dinner you can see Ihad a huge FAIL!
lunch potato chips, salad, meatball sub on a white roll  1/2 a loaf of garlic bread (white)
snack 4 apples while traipsing through the orchard
Dinner white Italian bread with brie cheese.

Today My folks and I took a nice stroll around the neighborhood this morning my guess was about 1.5- 1.75 miles.  it was a slow pace.  but better than nothing with the day I am about to have.

breakfast was a yummy apple french toast.  White Calla bread, apples eggs cinnamon.  I ate a piece that was 2 X 2  not huge, but not small still yummy
Lunch that whole wheat pasta salad ice tea
Dinner????

Both yesterday and today I am super low on my water. So far today I have finished just 32 oz.

My folks are still here till tomorrow.  I am working today 130 - 4, class 5-7, work 730 - 830  and 930 - 10ish
I got my morning work covered tomorrow so I do not have to work till 1 in the afternoon.  I gave up 6 hours, so now I need to try and replace the time.

I will get back on track today and tomorrow with my healthy new lifestyle.  I guess sometimes you have to shake things up a bit to drop weight.
I am happy to break my plateau.  I have set a goal by Christmas/ New Years drop  25 pounds  in 84 days. I think it is do able.

frustration is rising

 I feel like I am on this plateau.  I am back to having my fear of the numbers on the scale.  Nothing in my body do I feel has changed.  

I love that I am waking up with more energy.  I am ready to face the day.

Today I started a new treadmill program.  it is called sprint 8.  It is about a 20 minute interval program in both pace and amplitude. I picked level 1 today.  At the fastest pace it is 3.7 and you are at the fast for 30 seconds and then 90 seconds at a slower pace 1.5.  I bumped it up in pace between 1.7 and 2.  I was thinking about doing the couch to 5K, but with the cold setting in I am not as likely to get out there and walk/ run.  This program will have to do.

Once we get things moved around in the basement work out area I hope john will help me set up a program.  We have kettle bells, a 10 pound medicine ball, the treadmill, weights, and several DVDs.  I guess I need to get a TV and DVD player down there.  I have the 30 day shred with Jillian.  takes about 20 minutes.

Maybe I could do the 30 day shred every other day with the sprint 8.  The 30 day shred says you are supposed to do it very day.  I should see what the library has too.

I am not going to get off this plateau till I get moving.

I promise I will get on the scale on Friday, but not a day before.

meals....  i don't think I am eating right.  some days it is to much, or too little or bad choices. I start the day great, but it goes downhill from there.  I feel like Mother Hubbard.. I open the fridge and it feels so bare.  I was so sick of left overs, but now we have none.

Breakfast was an orange before my "work out" then eggs one white, 1 whole and 2 bacon.   It is time to switch to turkey bacon.  I prefer the pork, but if I am eating bacon everyday I need to switch.

Lunch???

Dinner chicken breast BBQ grilled corn and grilled zucchini.

I also had my 1 month pictures taken.  I have yet to compare them to see if I can see changes.  at First glance- none.