Day 213 (day 3 / week 31)

Today I started my C25K (Couch to 5K) training. I modified it a little bit, because I am not coming straight from the couch, and I have been pre-training for some time for this (I guess I could say that lol) ;). Today I walked/race walked/jogged 4.8 miles in 80 minutes and burned roughly around 1500 calories (my HRM has been very bad and is in time out for a while). I would be in the middle of a jogging spurt, and my HRM would drop to 67 and crawl back up to 116 and stay there. I probably spent more time struggling with my HRM than "training." I started to think today if starting a C25K program is smart, with having to work and all and I feel that if it's meant for me to do, God will make it happen.

So I get home and I am venting to my hubby about my HRM and
are you ready for this....

God must have provision for me to exercise while I am working, because he has just provided me with a...

.
.



treadmill!!!!

*happy dance* *running man* *cabbage patch*

I am SO excited I cried when I sat down to think about the blessing I had just been given! God really DOES approve (not that I had any doubt--confirmation is always nice though :) :))!

Last night we went to a buffet again with my in-laws. I did the same thing as last week when we went, so I didn't break the bank again :) (see, it's not a fluke!). Anyway we were talking about the Monkey Boy and what time I would have to leave our house to get him to his Papa's in the morning, so I could be at work before 7am. We decided that we are just going to have to get a bed over to their house and have the Monkey Boy spend the night on the days that I have to work because when the winter comes, it's going to be too much to bring him out there at 5:45am. We haven't made any set plans yet as we are still feeling it out. We will know more when I start work.

So anyway this morning after I exercised, my MIL called and talked to my hubby for a while, then he said she wanted to talk to me. She said that since they are going to be putting a bed in the Monkey Boy's room at their house, they need to do something with their treadmill and asked me if I had room in my exercise room and if I wanted to use it! The first thing I thought of was that I can't take her treadmill because she uses it everyday (she doesn't need mental tricks to exercise like me, she just does it). She said that the weather is changing and she will be able to get outside to walk soon, so it's not a problem. Wow.

I really didn't know how I was going to get outside before or after work to exercise, becuase it will be dark during both times. I was kind of preparing myself mentally to walk in the dark, but I really didn't want to. I figured I would end up doing a video or something (which I'm getting bored with) so this is just a HUGE blessing. How awesome is that!! I will be able to do my C25K training, in my own home!!! Yaay! AND my MIL's neighbor is getting rid of a new weight bench (no weights) and asked her to ask me if I wanted it! Yaay! He reigns and it pours!

Ok onto the juicy stuff.

My measurements:

Measurements: (day 213 / 182 / day 10) (- "/# lost in current month)

Wt: 192.0 / 195.2 / 215 (-3.20) (total lost 23#)
Chest: 37.5" / 37.75" / 43.75"(-0.25") (total lost -6.25")
Waist: 32.5" / 33" / 41.5" (-0.50") (total lost -9")
Hips: 42" / 42.5" / 47.75" (-0.50") (total lost -5.75")
Neck: 12.75" / 13" / 14.25" (-0.25") (total lost -1.55")
Under bust: 32" / 33" / 36.75" (-1") (total lost -4.75")
1" below belly button: 38.5" / 40.5" / 47.5" (-2") (total lost -9")
Above my thigh: 37.75" / 39.5" / 44" (-1.75") (total lost -6.25")
R Thigh: 18.75" / 19" / 27" (-0.25") (total lost -8.25")
L Thigh: 19" / 19.5" / 27.5" (-0.50") (total lost -8.50")
R Calf: 14" / 14.25" / 14.5" (-0.25") (total lost -0.50")
L Calf: 14.25" / 14.5" / 14" (-0.25") (total lost -.25")
R upper Arm: 10.5" / 11" / 14" (-0.50") (total lost -3.5")
L upper Arm: 10.75" / 11.5" / 13.5" (-0.75") (total lost -2.75")
R wrist: 5.75" / 5.75" / 6.25" (-0") (total lost -0.5")
L wrist: 5.75" / 5.75" / 6.25" (-0") (total lost -0.5")

Jan 2009

Feb 2009

March 2009

April 1, 2009

May 1, 2009

June 1, 2009

July 1, 2009August 1, 2009

In July 2009 I lost 3.2 lbs and 8.75 inches! Yaay! *happy dance* It's not as much as I was losing to start off with, but it's more than last month!

I really feel great and I think that is the best measure of success. I can do so many things that I couldn't before, and I feel stronger and I AM stronger. I am still "obese" but that is temporary and not permanent! I can't believe I am almost into the 180s!!

I don't know if I mentioned this before, but my original start weight is 240 from 2007. Once I hit 190 it will mean that I have lost a total of 50 lbs. Yaay!

Ok well I am off to have fun! Have a great weekend and make it count! If I can do this, so can you! We just gotta take one day at a time :). I am living proof!

I can do this. I am a star.

Day 212 (day 2 / week 31)

If you haven't already noticed, I changed my background again. I like this one, and think that it represents my blog the best. I said I was going to play with others, but it took me almost all day yesterday playing with other backgrounds and such and I finally got the HTML the way I like it with this one, getting rid of a bright orange at the top and getting my widgets back up--so it's a keeper. What do you think?

This was my favorite choice out of all of them anyway. I like it because I think it represents my blog better. It's peaceful looking--the way I feel when I am in my zone exercising, and there is a trail--my journey, and a reflection in the water of the mountain that I am climbing (my blog reflects who I am), which is perfect and what I wanted! When my hubby first saw it, he said that it was gloomy looking, because I guess it looks like it's going to rain. Maybe that represents my blog too--come rain or shine, I am out there exercising!

I am kind of excited. I took a big leap outside of my comfort zone yesterday and am going to start a "couch to 5K" program. There isn't any 5Ks scheduled for my area that I could sign up for, but one of my walking routes is exactly 3 miles, so that works perfectly. I can just use my timer on my HRM to do that route when the time comes.

There was a thing on sparkpeople that was from couch to 5K but I can't find it! I'm so bummed about that, but I will keep searching. I know it's around there somewhere lol. I ended up joining a sparkgroup called Couch to 5K, for the support there too. That's where I found that link to the cool running program (still bugs me that I can't find the thing I originally found in sparkpeople though).

It suggests that I train 3 times a week, for 20 minutes a day (for the first week, then 25 minutes week 2--etc), no consecutive days. I do consecutive days now and have been, and I do a lot more than 20 minutes a day--sometimes up to 90 minutes a day, so I am confused...am I supposed to go backwards? I am already doing some jogging, and was doing 1 min jogging 1 min walking...I don't know. these are the thoughts that stream through my head. I will probably just follow what it says and do videos at home. That being said...

Today I did Turbo Jam's Cardio Sculpt (45 minutes) and Ab Jam (20 minutes). Before I started getting outside, I didn't mind the videos so much. Now I just feel cooked up in the house. *shrugs* We do what we gotta do to reach goals, even if we aren't too fond of it. What's 60 minutes exercising in the house? I can get over that (I hope) lol.

Well off to take a shower. Tomorrow I am going to start the Couch to 5K thing...although I really want to go for a long walk. Maybe I will try to incorporate the 2 somehow so I can still walk everyday....like only "train" every other day, and just walk, to walk the other day--lowering the intensity of my walk or something. Something for me to ponder over.

Have a good weekend! Make it count!

I can do this. I am a star.