GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Okay, have you ever watched the Spanish channel during a soccer game? Well, you should, and then you would get the title.

No, I haven't reached my final goal weight, but I did make it to the mini-goal I set which was to get to 150 by spring break. My weight this morning was 149.6. WOOHOO!!!

Yesterday, my parents took me shopping for new clothes. I don't think it really hit me until I was in the fitting room, zipping up a size 4 dress, that I am actually losing weight. I know, I know, I see the numbers, I know that the weight is coming off, but it's hard to see a big difference when you see yourself day in and day out.

My next goal is 141 by the end of the month. I need to come up with a reward for the end of April.

(PS - the size 4 dress fits at the waist and flairs out, so it isn't the size I am everywhere. I'm in a size 8 pants still.)

5K, me, what?

On Saturday, I ran my first 5K. For my friends that knew me toward the end of college, this probably doesn't seem like that big of a deal because I ran between 4-6 miles nearly every day. However, while I still love to run, I have not been running on a regular basis for YEARS. In fact, the last time I was running regularly was January 2009, just that month, and never over 3 miles.

A fellow teacher friend asked me a few weeks back to do the 5K with her, so I said, why not, what do I have lose? I ran the first weekend of March for the first time in over a year, and I got through two miles without dying, so I thought, that's a good start. I didn't run at all after that. Saturday came, and I was so nervous. I don't know why, there were probably at least 100-150 people if not more getting ready to run, and it's not like anyone even paid attention to me, but I was still nervous.

My friend and I ran about the first mile and a quarter together, and she decided to slow down and walk with her daughter, but told me to keep running. In my head, I thought, I may make it to mile 2, and kept jogging (did I mention there was a hill...a steep one...that took up most of the 2nd mile????). I got to the top of the hill, rounded a corner (which was still slightly inclined), and started heading back to the finish. I was about halfway through when I knew I just had to walk, but I wasn't walking for long when a lady who must have been in her 60's passed me, still jogging, so I started running again. All together I probably walked a 1/2 a mile of the 3.2 miles of the 5K, I think I ended up the 8th female to finish overall, and I was 2nd in my age bracket (I have no idea how many of us there were; there could have just been the 3 of us, but still!). I ended up winning a gift card!

It was so much fun, and I think it has made me want to start running again. I got up this morning and did a lap around our neighborhood (which according to the car is .6 miles, but my pedometer says it is closer to .9), but it was a little chilly this morning, and my ears were burning because they were so cold. I'll make sure to wear my hat tomorrow morning.

It's funny how addicting running can be. I have a lot of friends who say, I'm just not a runner, but I think if anyone would just start, they would love it. It's a great time to think, pray, clear your mind, listen to music, listen to a book, or focus. I love the feeling I get when I finish a run; it's like I have accomplished something.

So, I'll be getting up at 5 to take another lap around the neighborhood, who's going with me?

Victory!

26.1 pounds. That's my total weight loss as of this morning. I'm less than 20 pounds from my goal weight. At the beginning of this diet, I thought that I would 1.) only lose a little and then quit, 2.) not lose anything, or 3.) try to cheat like I have on every other diet. I admit that I had about three pieces of peppermint bark during Christmastime, but other than that, I have been strictly by the plan.

When I started the diet in December, I was squeezing into a couple pairs of size 12 jeans. On jean day (Friday) I put on my Express size twelves straight from the dryer (you know how jeans shrink in the dryer, then stretch out through the day), when I got them on, I had about a two inch gap between my waist and the pants. Luckily (ha!) I have some wide hips, so they wouldn't completely fall off. However, they looked awful. On Saturday, I went to a birthday part. As I was getting ready, I looked at all three pairs of size twelves, and I thought, I really can't keep wearing these pants.

Back in college, I wore a size 7/8 pant and a small top, and since graduation, as I have steadily gained weight, I have gotten rid of my small clothes. However, I kept one pair of American Eagle jeans (size 8). I have always told myself I would wear those jeans again. About a month ago, I tried them on. I was able to get them zipped, but it resulted in the largest muffin top known to man. So, as I stood in my closet contemplating what to wear to the party, I spotted the AE jeans draped over a hanger. Should I even try? Pictures of muffins flashed through my head. I yanked the pants off the hanger and stepped in. I was surprised at how easily they slid on; I was even more surprised with how easily they buttoned, and I didn't even have to lie on the bed! I was so excited. They fit! My goal pants fit! Now, they are tight, but no muffin top! I finished getting dressed and looked in the mirror. I sighed, they jeans fit, my shirt looked good, but something wasn't right. Did you know jean styles have changed since 2003? Well, they have, and although my precious goal jeans were AMERICAN EAGLE, they are not currently in style. Oh well, they fit, and I was going to wear them.

At the birthday party, I saw a good friend that I had not seen since before I started my diet. She was blown away by how different I looked. I won't lie, her reaction made my day. I (obviously) see myself every day, and the problem areas that I see are still problem areas. I still look in the mirror and see fat. It's hard to notice a difference on a day to day basis. It was good for me to see her and know that all this hard work is making a difference.

The best reward for a dieter, though, is going to a store and buying a smaller size. I was able to do that on Sunday. Matt and I went to Old Navy and hunted through the mass of jeans to find a size 10 (I wasn't going to push my luck with a size 8 just yet). When I tried on the 10, I noticed they were a little roomy, so the search for a size 8 began. After about five minutes of searching, we found one, and they fit!!! I am in a size 8 for the first time in nearly 7 years, and I still have over 15 pounds before I reach my goal...will I see a size 6 for the first time in my life???

The purpose of this post? An encouragement. It is NOT easy to lose weight. AS much as we would like to simply take a pill and get skinny, it doesn't work that way. You have to make sacrifices, you have to change your eating habits, and you have to stick with it. You won't lose 20 pounds in a week, and you probably won't lose 5 pounds in a week. Some weeks you may only lose half a pound. Some weeks you stay the same, and there will even be times when you gain (especially if you are working out because the muscle you start to build weighs more). On average, I have lost 2 pounds a week. I did have one week when I had a four pound gain, and I have had two weeks were I stayed exactly the same. The secret to weight loss is simple: JUST KEEP GOING!!!

I can't believe I'm posting my least favorite part of my body on the internet. Oh well, time to see if this Shake Weight actually works. I did the 6 minute work out this afternoon. At the end of the 6 minutes, I could definitely feel my triceps throbbing, so it apparently is working something!

It says you will see DRAMATIC results in just 6 minutes a day. No where does it say how long, but I figured I will do it for a month and see if there is any change.

(The first picture is my arm flexed; the second is my arm just relaxed.)

My new adventure

I am a sucker for infomercials, especially weight loss 'gimmicks.' Recently I saw one for the ShakeWeight, and while some people (Ellen) have made fun of the product on their talk shows for looking a little...risqué...I decided I wanted to try it. Supposedly you simply shake the weight up and down, and the vibrations help work one of the biggest problem area for most women - the arms.

After school today, I went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and purchased my very own Shake Weight for $19.95 (No shipping!). In the next few weeks, I will do the exercises and let you all know how wonderful or not-so-wonderful it is.

PS - If you have any other products you'd like me to try, within a reasonable price, let me know. I love being the guinea pig. AND if you'd like to contribute to my guinea pig desires, you can purchase the products and give them to me :) (totally kidding, unless of course someone wants to do that.)

What I've learned so far...

I'm almost three months in to my "diet" or as some would call it, my "life change." These are a few nuggets of wisdom that I have learned in the past 81 days.

1. You (and yes, that is all of you mystery readers out there) can survive without chocolate. I'm not saying it is always easy. I'm not saying when the box of Thin Mints passed in front of my face yesterday that I didn't want to stuff a couple in my face. What I'm saying is I don't NEED chocolate, neither does anyone else. I know people will argue with me, especially women during their special time of the month, but it's true. Yesterday, I ate, well, put in my mouth and chewed a chocolate candy. I chewed it for about 20 seconds and had to spit it out. The sweetness was too much for me. (I started my diet on December 16, 2009, right before Christmas, and it has been about that long since I have had any sort of candy bar or piece of candy.)
2. Fruit has enough sugar in it to cure any sweettooth. Until this diet I didn't each much fruit, occasionally I would eat some grapes or an apple, but now, I LOVE fruit. At this point, oranges are my favorite, but I love pineapple, bananas, pears, oh, and grapefruit! I'm looking forward to watermelon and strawberries soon.
3. Vegetables are not all evil. I still think green beans are of the devil, but I have learned to really enjoy veggies. I have, however, decided that I much prefer to eat raw veggies instead of cooked ones. I also prefer to get my vegetables in a nice big salad instead of two full cups of a single produce.
4. Which brings me to the fourth thing, you don't need salad dressing. If you get some fresh red and yellow peppers, some cucumbers, tomatoes, and good lettuce (the greener the better and more nutritous), the flavors are amazing. Now if you were just eating a serving of carrots or broccoli, some fat free ranch or Italian can always add a little more flavor. (Okay, this sounds crazy, but try some carrots with a little peanut butter for a snack. It's so good.)
5. Soda, even diet soda, is bad for you. Water, milk, no sugar added fruit, and low sodium vegetable juice are all I really trust anymore. I decided right around two months in to my diet that I could have soda again. I had been pretty consistent with staying on only water. That week, I allowed myself a couple 20 ounces, a couple cans, but that were all diet, so I thought, no big deal. WaWrong! That week I gained 4 1/2 pounds. That is the only thing I did differently. I'm not a scientist, but I am guessing the sodium in the soda made me retain water. I don't know, it sounds good though, right? (I have since lost those 4 1/2 pounds + 5 more, bring my total weight loss from starting this diet to 24 pounds.)
6. Diet bread -ugh - for a bread lover like myself those words are hard to swallow (and sometimes so is the bread). This has probably been the hardest transition for me. I have tried three different kinds of diet bread so far, and I am most disappointed in the Sara Lee 45 calorie Whole Wheat. I know, I was shocked too. I mean, it's Sara Lee for Pete's sake. Maybe I just got a bad loaf, but the slices were extra thin (even thinner than the 35 calorie bread I tried) and each slice had a huge gaping whole in it. How is one to put mustard on a sandwich with a huge hole? Let me just say, my lunch baggie was yellow many days that week.

These are the first of my lessons learned; hopefully I will have many more to share.

Starting Weight in December: 179.6 Current Weight: 155.4 Total Loss to Date: -24.2