I Work Out

I've been managing to find more time to work out, mostly because I really want to boost my weight loss and get into killer shape! I seem to be hitting a plateau still with the weight loss but what can you do? Well you can work out! I'm hoping it helps, but we'll see how the scale reflects it! I've been doing things like step class, hitting the gym and doing heavy incline treadmill workouts, recumbent bikes in the gym, and walking outside on my lunch hours. I even managed to wake up on my day off and hit the gym after a night out gallivanting with friends. Dedication or desperation? I can't quite decide at this point! LOL Soon the Dr Bernstein program says I have to move down to 2 portions of everything instead of 3! It's going to be an adjustment but also hopefully the boost I need to really be hitting my goals again! I want to be done this INSANE diet as soon as possible. I can't really harp on the program though because it's been working. I didn't hit my goal of losing 80 lbs yet but we'll see what tomorrow's weigh in brings. I just want to be back to living a "normal" life where food isn't such a huge thing all the time. Obviously I will not be going back to the way I was before, but it'll be nice to not always have to think so much and be so prepared! I recognize that this is a life change and that I will get out what I put in, so I most definitely will be leading a very different lifestyle, but I want some normalcy back! So many people feel the need to comment about what I'm eating or doing and it's completely counter-productive for me. Nobody gets what I'm going through unless they've done it. I challenge anyone to stick 100% to an insanely harsh diet for as long as I have! I think I might have lost my sanity without any little cheats here and there.

Ciao for now, it's time for my lunch then my walk!

Sweating To The Oldies

Well I got my butt to the gym last night, and made sure to drag my skinny friend with me for support! It was actually a wicked workout and both of us are definitely feeling the wrath today! LOL We decided to partake in our old fun of "step class". We used to go every Monday, when I was at my heaviest surprisingly. I did feel like it was a little easier without the extra 78 lbs I've lost, but there still was nothing EASY about this class. It was a different teacher that liked to mix it up way too much! Plus we couldn't hear the directions clearly over the system because of mic difficulties so we looked like a couple of idiots trying to follow along with this crazy lady. I think we'll try out Monday's again, hopefully it's the same teacher! Either way we got a great cardio workout in, followed by 10 minutes of free weight arm workouts, and 5 minutes of abs! I must say that I am pretty proud that I only stopped a couple times for water because I used to stop and stand there for a minute and then get going again. I also was able to do the jumping jacks a lot easier, before I simply refused! I also put in a serious effort to do pretty much ALL of the abs workout! Guess I'll have to keep going just to ensure my stamina keeps increasing! We then got SUPER ambitious and decided to do another 20 minutes of cardio on the treadmills. Including some running intervals! Needless to say I am sore today and somewhat enjoying feeling like I really put in some good time at the gym. I'm thinking to keep my body from seizing up I will go for my walk around the beautiful legislature grounds for my entire lunch hour. Can you tell I really want to hit my goals before the weekend?? I am 1.8 lbs away from hitting the 80 lb total loss mark and 0.6 of a lb away from meeting my personal mini goal number!! How exciting right?? I have been cutting out breads and increasing my fitness to hopefully hit those numbers tomorrow! Perhaps I'll make my way to the gym a couple times this weekend too! I really need to not only lose weight, but really get into the best shape of my life. And I do think exercising is becoming more fun the lighter I get. There is definitely nothing fun about a 300+ lb person trying to do jumping jacks (sorry if that's a mental image you didn't want, just trying to "get real" here)!!

Another positive note is all of the amazing feedback I've gotten when posting pictures and status' on my Facebook account! Everyone around me is seriously amazing and I couldn't feel more loved! I decided to put that "before and current" picture from yesterdays post onto FB and all I got was people telling me how I inspire them and how great I am doing! It definitely took a lot of nerve for me to put my horrid before picture up there for everyone to see, but I figure that now I am somewhat held accountable and that I will NEVER get back to that state. So having people see the embarrassment of what a whale (literally) that I was before, it will keep me from slipping and also help motivate me to make better choices here and there. Which is why I also keep posting my total weight lost!! I have gotten such a positive and supportive feed back from everything and all it does it keep me motivated! This year seems to be the year that everyone is getting into shape and I couldn't be happier because we are all feeding off each other's successes! A big thank you to everyone who's provided kind words and has sent positive vibes my way...words cannot express my gratitude <3

Much love!

Sincerely,

Me Getting Healthier : D

Getting Close

Life is good!! I've been getting better results with my dieting and am now SUPER close to my mini goal and close to the "halfway point" that they've set for me at the Bernstein clinic! I'm down a total of 78.2 lbs!!! I have been finding that I have more energy (outside of the fact that I am now working two jobs again) which is awesome! LOL I am counting down the few days of freedom I have as well, only three more weekends of fun in my own place! Then it's a year of exile at home to finally achieve my goal of owning my own place. Super exciting, but definitely going to test my patience and ability to adapt!! I will do whatever it takes to get what I want out of life, I've always been a super driven person who will make things happen. I work hard and will see everything I want to happen come true! Like people say, life is what you make of it. Without goals and challenging yourself you get nowhere. And like my dad always says, "what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger"!! I am making efforts to fit workouts into my hectic schedule whenever I can so I can improve my physical abilities, especially since I really want to get into running. It seems like such a great thing to do just to get off whatever stresses are going on in your life and the bonus is that is makes you feel better! It'll be great to be at my moms because then I can walk to poopers (her dogs) all the time too! It'll keep me motivated to keep getting out there and doing something for even 30 minutes a day instead of watching TV or just surfing the net. Little choices here and there will definitely improve my standard of living health wise! I want to enjoy being active and it's definitely a step towards a more fulfilling life!


This is healthy me, signing off for today :)


PS: The below image is me at the beginning of my journey November 15, 2011 and me on March 15, 2012 :)