Jiggle Proofing My Life: August 2012

We had an amazing weekend at Gulf State Park! Well, that is until we had to rush our last day plans, and book it out of Gulf Shores to head home and prepare for a hurricane...which turned out to be totally unnecessary for us. I was so excited about getting in a run along some of the trails in the state park, so it was a major bummer when we had to leave early on Sunday.

Still, all things considered, it was a great time! My kids have a new love in their lives. Splash pad. I don't think I have ever seen them so excited! Meanwhile, the hubby and I took some time to swim a few laps in the pool next to the pad. Let me tell you, for a very inexperienced swimmer it was a massive workout. Four laps across the pool had me worn out! Now, to be fair, it was a fairly long pool. Needless to say, I think I may start swimming laps more often. I had no idea how great a workout it can be!

We also had a chance to take the kids on their first fishing trip, and I have to say they are naturals! They both caught two fish during the trip with toy fishing poles. Heck Ayden managed to hook one without even attaching bait. Not sure if that was luck, talent, or a really dumb fish. Perhaps a combo of the three?

Not going to lie, my diet was less than stellar on our vacation. Hooters wings and drinks on Friday night. Yummy, but the calories in my drinks alone probably were enough to last the weekend! I also had way too much access to my weakness; Famous Amos cookies. Alas, my love for the tiny cookies nearly did me in! And I indulged in a cholesterol fest at Waffle House on our way out of Gulf Shores. However, I was pleased to find that I was able to keep up with my smaller portions. Not too long ago, I could put away close to 20 wings, and almost a full bowl of fries at Hooters. I was only able to eat 8 wings, and maybe half the fries this time. I was very proud of myself! I also had a couple of chances to eat out in addition to the two times we went, but opted not to.

So to make up for what we did it, I made sure to get in a good run the next day, before the storm started to come in. I managed another 3 miles at Cottage Hill Park, but I am still having to stop for 20 second "breath breaks" more often than I would like. I am now consistently running 3 miles outside, and 4 miles on the indoor track at church, so now I just need to work on reducing the number and duration of the breaks I am taking during my runs.

Despite the wings and waffles, swimming in the pool and in the ocean and my run on Monday finally put me over the plateau I have been stuck on.

I BROKE THE 200 MARK!

Yep, as of Tuesday morning, I am officially 198 pounds. This means I have lost 62 pounds total. To give you an idea of how much that is, a jug of water weighs about 25 pounds. I've lost over two jugs of water. It is weird to actually see a physical representation of what I have lost. I have a good feeling my knees are thanking me. Well, actually they ARE thanking me, with less pain and stiffness.

I'll be signing up for my church 5k in November, and possibly the 5k at the battle ship as well. Now that I am running outside more often, it hit me that I am getting closer and closer to being ready to run the 5k! I'm pretty excited about it. It won't be too long before I will be running a full 10k. I am hoping I can get ready for it, by the time the Azalea Trail Run rolls around. At the rate I have been going, I am pretty confident that I'll be able to do it!

I'm off for now. Time to get dressed and ready for another run! It's funny, not too long ago you would literally have to drag me out the door kicking and screaming to go work out, and even then I would barely put a decent amount of effort in to it. But now, if I don't get at least one run in a week, I get so moody, I don't know what to do with myself! Running and exercise has gone from a chore, to a part of my day that I really look forward to. I think that is why I have been able to maintain my weight loss for the first time ever. I finally realized that I enjoyed exercise. Took me long enough!

I'll leave you with some progress pics, and a few from our trip this weekend!

Catching Fish with daddy!

My first fish!

Fun at the beach!

Playing with my new beach toys!

Loving my new swim suit by the way :-D

Think they're having fun?

198 pounds--my face is slimming down fast!

Well, needless to say, it has been a VERY long time since I last sat down to write something. Depressing as that is, it is for a very good reason. I've been too busy working out! You see, I finally started to have success with my weight loss. For the first time....EVER....I have set myself work out goals, routines, and new eating habits and actually stuck to them.
What, you ask, is my secret? Well, I finally gave in to my suspicions that I have long had and went through testing to see if I had ADHD. It was not much of a surprise when I had my long-term suspicions confirmed. So I began treatment, both with medication and coping skills my physician prescribed for me. I was fortunate to find that the first medication I was on was actually a good fit. We just had to tweak the dosage here and there, and luckily that was also a quick process.
I'm a completely different person now. I had no idea how much depression and anxiety was simply caused by the problems from my ADHD. I also had no idea that it was in fact the disorder that was causing my horrible eating habits. Ever since I can recall, I have had trouble with stopping myself from eating. Honestly, it was quite embarrassing, and left me feeling like a bit of a pig. It must have been a week or two in to treatment, when I found myself stopping midway through a plate of food at Hungry Owl. I felt full, and had no desire to polish off the second half of my crawfish bake dish. Strange as this may sound, I was thrilled to be able to just stop.
On top of that, I finally began to feel relief from the insomnia that has plagued me for so long. Again, it is something that I know goes back to early memories. My parents can tell you that, as a kid, they would often find me trying to read late in to the night, even if I was super tired. Naturally college, followed shortly by children, did not help my horrendous sleeping schedule. Exhaustion is not exactly good for weight loss. In fact, numerous studies have proven that very obvious fact (and let's face it, most studies really only serve to state the obvious). Sleep, good sleep, is as important to a healthy weight, or weight loss, as a healthy diet and exercise.
So, thanks to my treatment plan, I set out to make myself in to a new person. I discovered a focus and motivation that I had never experienced, and a sense of purpose that drove me to set for myself a path to a healthy body. I was 25 years old, and 260 pounds. We had recently moved in to a new apartment with stairs, and I was feeling it. Every day when I woke up, my knees would be incredibly stiff and sore. Each time I found myself at the top of the stairwell, I was out of breath. It was a rough place to be.
One month in to treatment, and 3 weeks in to my new workout routine and eating habits, I had dropped 12 pounds. From that point on, I began to lose a steady 10-12 pounds a month. Seeing the numbers drop like that on the scale just motivated me further every day. My waist line began to shrink, my legs began to tone, and I discovered a sport that I really loved.

Running.

Yes. I, the girl who got winded just going up a flight of stairs, love to run. It must have been a month in to the work out routine that I attempted to run a few laps at the church track. I had done it before, and enjoyed jogging, but I had never really pushed myself to do it regularly. That first attempt resulted in six laps around the indoor track, and that was with a break lap after every two.
To give you an idea of distance, 12 laps at the track is about a mile, so I was running (and I use the term VERY loosely) only half a mile. Still, I persisted. I pushed. I refused to give up. I remember reading somewhere that it takes 4 weeks for you to really notice a difference, 8 weeks for your friends to notice, and 12 weeks for everyone else. So when I got frustrated, and felt like the physical results did not match the number on the scale, I just had to remind myself that it took me years to reach the point I was at. I was not going to transform in a matter of weeks!
The months ticked on. I set for myself a strict routine. Jogging at least twice a week, elliptical two to three times a week, weight lifting every other night, and I would also squeeze in walks where I could. I also took small steps to increase my "background" cardio as I call it. Parking farther out, playing with the kids more, using my new found motivation to do more around the house...many things every day that really add up the amount of calories burned.
I also began to make sure that since I was consuming fewer calories, the calories I DID consume were more complete. More fruits and veggies, more protein, fewer refined carbs (although, I admit I still spoil myself with them every so often, in limited amounts) and absolutely NO soft drinks and artificial sweeteners. I can say that I have been almost soft drink free for six months. I can count on one hand the number of sprites I have had in that time period....3.
So, have I seen any results? Yes. AMAZING results! I can now run up to 4 miles at the indoor track, and 3 miles outside. I decided a few months ago to really train myself for a 5k in November, and I am quickly working my way there. I still have to take a few water breaks after the first mile, but I keep them to less than 20 seconds and use that time to stretch out muscles, so it is not wasted. I started off only able to do 2 miles and 30 minutes on the Elliptical trainer. Today, I can do 5 miles, in 47 minutes on level 13 resistance. My arms and legs now have some nice muscle tone showing up, and the rather embarrassing apron left by my pregnancy has improved a little. Although without my surgery, it will never fully go away.
Now, I saved the best for last.

Six months after I set out on this road, the results are this. I started out at 260 pounds, and size 22 or 24, depending on what I was wearing. Six months later....

200 pounds
Size 18, and just about in 16 because my size 18 jeans are getting loose
My BP last week was 117/78
That means I have lost 60 pounds in 6 months, a healthy 10 pounds a month rate, my blood pressure is in a normal range, and I am looking so much better. Feeling better too!

I still have a good ways to go. 200 pounds was only my first goal. My ultimate goal will be to reach 140 pounds, and hopefully be approved for an insurance-funded tummy tuck. I will probably NEVER wear a bikini again, but I can still rock some good looks as I continue my work to jiggle-proof myself. I am hoping to reach that next goal in six to eight months, continuing my 10 pound a month rate of loss.

That is it for now, but I will leave you with some of my progress pics to show how far I have come: