Happy Halloween

I woke up late this morning. So late that I was even about 20 minutes late for work. Good thing I packed my lunch last night instead of this morning.

There are never many ghosts and goblins that stop by my apartment for Halloween candy, so I didn't buy any this year. (I bought candy last year and hardly any of it was given away.) I'm off to the gym to see how the next phase in my running plan will go. Hopefully awesome.

I hit my knee on my desk at work today and it was one of those pains that really hurt and made me laugh really loud.

Cycling Class

Yesterday was my first cycling class ever in life and it kicked my butt. I went a little early to get my bike fitted correctly and what not. Then the class started and that was fine. The first sprint was fine. Then there was climbing - that was really hard. I sat down for part of it, but kept pedaling. Then there were hovering and climbing intervals and I did the climbing, but not much of the hovering, just kept pedaling through the hovering parts. Then there was more climbing and the climbing got harder and harder, so I would sit down and keep pedaling. Then went back to sprinting and did fine with the sprinting.

Today: Core muscles still sore from medicine ball push-ups at Wednesday's training session, and various exercises at today's training session. Quads sore from cycling class, and various exercises at today's training session.

All classes, training sessions, exercise sessions: totally worth the time and effort.

A Goal and a Weigh In

My weigh in this week was not great. I gained 1.6 pounds. There were a variety of not great food choices and for one of them, the timing was just bad. Who eats something with an unknown calorie count the night before a weigh in? Apparently, I do. I'll put that in my bad idea file.

Earlier in the week, I wrote down a goal for today to try the cycling class at the gym today. I've been giving myself a pep talk for the last few minutes. The cycling classes have always been a little daunting to me, but I'm gonna give it a try.

Quote

“A NASCAR track in North Carolina is selling a funnel cake that's covered with both bacon and chocolate. NASCAR fans are like, “That's just ridiculous. No ice cream?”
-- Jimmy Fallon

Tofu and Coconut Milk

So I tried cooking with 2 new ingredients last night: Tofu and Coconut Milk. I liked the tofu, but I used the wrong kind of coconut milk, so it didn't turn out right.

Better luck next time. I'll use tofu in something else.

Monday, Monday

Stepping it up for the next two weeks means that I am going to the gym in the morning and the evening. Monday mornings don't typically work for me and today was no exception, but I made it to the gym. There was only one problem: I was just starting out on the elliptical, and after about 45 seconds, I was thinking, "Why am I so hungry?" Then I realized that I totally forgot to eat anything before I left my apartment. Oops. Not the most successful workout ever.

But I made up for it this evening. I completed my running workout, and only forgot to bring my water bottle with me when I left the apartment. Lesson learned: A bottle of Dasani water costs movie theater prices at the gym. Remember to bring water bottle.

1999...

...was the year that I bought this dress. It was also the last year that I was able to wear it.


Until now...



The dress totally fits again. Wahoo! It's one of my favorite dresses that I've ever owned in life. I think of this dress as the baseline standard of what should fit me.

A Competition and a Weigh In

I'm in a competition against my trainer to see who can lose more body fat in one month. The next body fat test will be the day before Thanksgiving. Pretty much that means I will stay hydrated, eat as healthy as possible, not miss a workout, and step up my workouts. And take the stairs at work, walk during my lunch break...

Thursdays are my weigh in day. My weigh in this week was good since I lost .8 when I had anticipated a gain. I thought the gain was possible because I went to family reunion out of town for the weekend (both of the lasagnas that were on the table contained 8 pounds of cheese between them - true story from the chef) and went out to eat for my birthday. My workouts this week have been awesome, especially my running program. The running had been kicking my butt lately, and now I'm feeling strong again and getting through the whole thing.

24.2 pounds away from goal!

Green Salad

It's a rare day that I choose to eat green salad. People ask me how much salad I
eat frequently. I don't like lettuce very much, but I do eat spinach salads, and other types of salads. When it comes to fruits and vegetables, I just try to eat things that are different colors.

Eat from the rainbow.

"Before" and "After"

Before





And After

I guess there will be an update to the "after" in the upcoming months.

December 18, 2010 to October 13, 2011

I lost 55 pounds between December 18, 2010, and October 13, 2011. It has been an awesome journey so far, and the changes I have made will last a lifetime. I've entered an interesting part of my journey: I'm 25 pounds away from my ultimate weight loss goal. Then comes the even trickier part of maintaining my weight loss. I've been watching the numbers go down for several months and it will be strange for them to stay in one general location on the scale.

People frequently ask me how I've lost my weight. Here's my secret - counting calories, learning better ways to eat foods I enjoy, and working out at the gym 5-6 days a week, 2-3 of those days each week with a personal trainer. I am committed to this healthier lifestyle and don't plan on going back to my unhealthy habits ever.

55 pounds gone, 25 to go. Wahoo!