Hooray for 75 lbs!

Just this month I hit a new milestone in my weight loss journey. Two actually that are very important to me. The first is one I do not remember doing but I am no longer classified as 'obese'. That is right, the BMI scale does not lie. I am not a fan of that way of telling how healthy someone is but it is nice to finally say that I am no longer another number in the obese population. I am now an overweight person and I want to shout it from the roof tops! This is something I have been working towards like crazy and NEVER thought I would get there. When I started, it felt like I would need a miracle to get there. 




The second milestone is pretty fabulous too. I have finally hit a 75 lb loss from my starting weight of 258 lbs. That is right, I am now 183 lbs. I received this nifty badge from LoseIt! and decided to go a little farther with the image from my profile. I took the image and printed it larger with the help of Microsoft Word. Then I cut it out and pasted it onto purple paper. Cut that and then laminated it. As of right now it is taped on the back of my bedroom door. I call it my 'door of motivation'. I also am cutting up the 10, 25, and 50 lb badge to laminate and put up there. Also, I am preparing myself for my next goal...... 100 lbs!! I am currently 3/4 of the way to my goal.

I am certainly looking forward to continuing my journey to be healthy and fit. It has not been easy but the rewards have been better than anticipated. My favorite reward right now is being able to sing my heart out (while being on key!) I have had a deep passion for singing and was always told I sang off key. With the weight loss, I have worked on my voice and have been complimented by a number of people. The pay off has given me so many opportunities and I am grateful!


Here is a picture of my starting picture to my current 75 lb picture. I was feeling photogenic this weekend and my brain is wrapping itself around the differences in my body. It is tough some times because at times I do see the old me and there is a technical term called 'body dysmorphic disorder'. So I am working to retrain my brain to see what I look like now and today I realized I look pretty fabulous!

Thanks to everyone who continues to follow my blog. I hope that I can continue to motivate and inspire you to do the unexpected!

5k Runs

The past two Saturdays, I have participated in 2 separate 5k runs. That makes my 4th and 5th run under my belt. I am thinking of a few more 

My 4th 5k run was the Color Run in Allentown, PA. I went out the night before to pick up my packet and they did not have my registration so I had to run out to my car, get my phone and find my confirmation code. I was not looking forward to running at all especially since there was no one I knew running. I sucked it up though and ran it, there were a lot of people and TONS of hills that I had to run up but I finished in a little under 36 minutes. Tried not to get too much color on me since I knew I would get it in my car. Afterwards, I did NOT regret the run at all. Totally worth it all, especially the awesome music. I found out afterwards that they cut the run short because too many people were getting dehydrated and having to be rushed to the hospital. So glad I finished before all of that. 

The 5th 5k I ran was for the towns boro. There were 200 people signed up for the 5k and I was certainly looking forward to this run. One of my teacher friends inspired me to send my stuff in to run it and I am glad I did. I got there a bit early, and it was chilly out but I got my number and walked a bit to warm up. A high school classmate happened to be running as well so I chatted with her and promised to wait for her at the finish line. I came in at 33:24 which means I cut off 3 minutes from my run in April.

I decided to stick around for the results and see if maybe I placed because they did the top 3 for each age group and male/female. When they got to the 20-29 year old females, I was holding my breath. They called the first person up for first place and then......... second place went to me!! I was beyond thrilled and rocked my FIRST EVER medal! My high school friend Kelcie, won third place. I am still sitting on cloud 9, a day after my run. I feel like I am on top of the world and I can do anything. 

At this rate, I am going to need to find some way to show off all my racing bibs and my first medal. Some type of holder. Stay tuned also because winning 2nd has motivated me to continue to run 5k's in the hops of cutting my time first, but also possibly placing.

The Magical Cure to Weight Loss

There are "miracle" weight loss pills out on the shelves and new ones are being developed and tested every day. They are all temporary things to help make it easier to lose weight while not changing any aspect of your eating lifestyle. However, people are shocked when they get off the pill and start piling the weight back on. They did nothing about their lifestyle, only added a temporary fix to their problem.

Years ago I tried the weight loss pills and they got me to a certain point and I gained all of the weight I had lost back. That was 40 lbs in all. This time around, I have been on my weight loss journey for 15 months and lost a total of 72 pounds thus far. As of late, I have had people ask me about my weight loss to try and adapt some of my habits into their own lifestyle. They want to take the weight off for good but need that extra kick start, motivation. So as I pondered I came up with a list of things that are important to know. They are not in any specific order.

Top 10 Ways to be Successful

1. Understand BMR- Basil Metabolic Rate is the amount of calories your body needs to function throughout the day. This includes walking, sleeping, breathing, eating ect. This is the base amount of calories that are needed but it is suggested to eat 200-300 calories about this number. There are a bunch of calculators out there on the internet that can be used. This is just an estimate and the amount of calories is different for everyone. But it is easy to find and use as your starting point in losing weight.
2. Logging- Do you realize what you put in your mouth at any given point of the day? We do a lot of mindless eating throughout the day and are not always aware of the choices we make when it comes to food. Logging everything that passes your lips holds you accountable and you are more likely to be aware of what and how much you eat each day.
3. Meal planning- The question that I hear the most often in my house is "What is for dinner?" People who do not plan often hear this repetitively from those they live with. By taking an extra hour or two a week, sit down and plan out all the meals during the week. Factor in those nights you are eating out with friends or that work party. Want pizza one night? Throw that into the menu, but plan ahead and you are less likely to eat whatever is in the house and blow your calories.
4. Food Ratios- It took me a long time to realize how important it is to make sure the ratio of fats, proteins and carbs is decent. In fact, it was not until I started losing my hair that I realized I needed to focus on these and see what was going on. I upped my protein and started watching my carbs and I feel like a totally new person.
5. Cheating- Who has not ever been tempted to cheat? I cheat with my food once a week, generally it is on weigh in days. By cheating I do not mean getting wild and crazy but I eat up to what Loseit! considers my 'maintenance' calories and that is enough to get all the junk food I do not normally eat during the week into my day and satisfy me for another week.
6. Exercise- 20% of losing weight is from exercise. Get in that 30 minute walk or run and your body will thank you for it. No matter how much exercise you do, it helps not only your mood but your heart will love you and the weight may even come off a little quicker. 
7. Experimentation- I have found a love in the kitchen that I never anticipated. Trying new recipes and adding new foods into my diet. Tonight I just made snickerdoodle blondie cookies and chick peas was the main ingredient. It smells delicious in the house! Find what works and what does not work, this includes exercise and food combinations throughout the day.
8. Motivation- The only person who can motivate you is you. I cannot wave a magic wand and give you my motivation or find some from you within your mind. Motivation comes from within yourself, if you do not have it, you are most likely to fail what you begin. My motivation started with the death of my friend and has become something more. I want to know what it feels like to be thin and healthy. What other kind of motivation could I want?
9. Rewards- One of my favorite things about losing weight is rewarding myself for the weight I have lost. Now, I am not talking rewards as in food but other things to celebrate an important accomplishment in my journey. I have given myself a reward for 10 lbs, 25 lbs, 50 lbs, and most recently for getting out of the obese classification. My latest reward was a Schwinn bicycle, and it is an awesome ride. I love going out on it and getting farther than I could when I would walk or run.
10. Support- Trying to do something by yourself is a challenge. Having people walking by your side to help you when you are feeling low makes a world of difference. My support group continues to grow daily from my friends in real life to those I have met online. I am constantly challenging myself because I know that if I trip and fall, someone is always there to pick me back up and help me along.

Making the time for yourself is another issue that many people have. The excuse that they cannot do it because of this reason or that reason. It may seem hard at first but this journey is a constant work in progress. I know I have my good days and bad days but I do not discouraged and keep on trucking along. My success is dependent on the continual growth with the basic ten list above.

Hello October!

Another month has come to a close and it was an absolutely unforgettable month! Just to recap some awesome things that happened in my life...

My new bicycle!

• College started up again, and what awesome classes I have!
• I am in beast mode on the Eye of the Tiger Challenge
• Worked a lot this month subbing!
• Rocked an interview yesterday
• Visited friends who I missed terribly (after not seeing them for 5 months) and did not realize how much I miss them until I left.
• Lost a crap ton of inches.
• Am no longer classified as obese!! You read it right, my BMI is now in the overweight range and I am loving every minute of it. 
• Cooked and baked at least 1 new recipe a week!
• Won two diet bets with money still being figured out how the pot is being split

And then I totally forgot about my goals for the month but looking back I pretty much hit all of them... Here were September goals..

1. Start and continue Turbo Fire during the month Done that and still doing it. The results are amazing!
2. Focus on ratio of fats/proteins/carbs. The program states to have a 20/40/40 ratio to get the best results.  I need to get as close to that number as possible. A work in progress. I went from 19% protein in my diet at the end of August to 34% this morning. A huge success! Carbs and fats are also down. ☺
3. Eat more veggies! Did not happen as I wanted. There are a lot of carbs in veggies so still trying to find a balance.
4. Do 9 minute missions every morning. Lasted all of one week and that was it. Good intentions but I am not motivated.

October is here and while the weather may not feel like it, the leaves are starting to change and the tractors will be out soon to gather up the corn in my backyard. I am excited and anxious to hit my goals this month!

1. Continue Turbo Fire throughout the month
2. Run 2 5k's - Color Run 10/5 and Borough Run 10/12
3. Continue focus on ratio of fats/proteins/carbs
4. Plank every day and record time
5. Hit beast mode on all EOT challenges on LoseIt!
6. Start a squat challenge for the month
7. Continue preparing meals on Sundays
8. Dedicate a weekend to just myself, taking care of my needs.
9. Drop 5 lbs
10. Go for a bike ride on Wednesday's

A lot of great goals for the month, just have to be laser focused and go for it. I think of this quote as I start hitting my goals for the month.

If you don't do what's best for your body, you're the one who comes up on the short end.   -Julius Erving

What do plan to do for this upcoming month. What goals do you think you can accomplish and have a positive impact on your life?