**Day 120**

I'm trying not to get discouraged, but it's hard.  The weight is coming off so slow, and I'm not sure why.  I'm eating good- sticking to my points plus, almost always!  I'm exercising - ALWAYS!  And I'm drinking tons of water!!  But I'm just not seeing the numbers I want to see, and it sucks.  And I'm not seeing the changes in my body that I want to see either!  I posted new pics - take a look for yourself.  So, I'm frustrated, but I have to keep going because I know I'm making progress - even if it's not HUGE progress.

So, I only lost 6 pounds in April, yup, that's it!  I thought it would be more because my jeans have been getting really baggy over the last couple weeks.  I've been, constantly, pulling them up!  I've had size 16 Old Navy jeans in my closet for about two years - I bought them hoping I would be able to get into them one day.  I tried them on about a month and a half ago, and couldn't even come close to getting them zipped - let alone buttoned!  There was probably a 2 inch gap!  Well, yesterday, I decided to pull them out since my current jeans are loose now, and guess what?  They fit!!  Yes, they're tight, but I can get them zipped, AND buttoned!!  Look:

I couldn't believe it!  And it's bizarre to me that they fit because I didn't lose that much weight in April, and when I look at my most recent pics there isn't much change, but, obviously, something is happening because these jeans did not fit last month!!!  So, this makes me happy.  And it makes it easier to deal with the slow weight loss.

So, anyway, my number on the scale this morning is 224.  I used my scale because that's the scale I started with for the Chubby Bunny Challenge and I started at 230, so I've lost 6 pounds this month.  Now, that's not going to be enough to win the challenge, but that's okay.  I enjoyed participating, and I hope to do more challenges.  And I can't wait to see how the other people did in the challenge - I hope they did great!

**Still Day 119**

I did get my 5 miles in today!!  Yay!!  We woke up to a beautiful day (finally!!), so my girls and I took a 3 mile walk to enjoy the sunshine, and it was so nice!  And then later I did another 2 miles on my treadmill - I did my C25K training, and some extra walking.  So, I have now completed 8 weeks of the C25K training!  Next week will be the final week!  Wow!

**Day 119**

Thanks so much to Judy for giving me my first ever blog award!!



So exciting!  And it's so great to have the support of fellow bloggers - it means so much to me!

This award was created by Hyla

This is how it works:

Pass this onto your fellow bloggers who are working hard. Everyone deserves to be recognized for their hard work!
Rules:
Post the award and a link to the blogger you received it from.
Name 3 things you have found the hardest on your journey.
Name 5 things you have enjoyed about your journey.
Pass the award on!
Notify the bloggers you have given the award to!


Three things I have found the hardest on my journey:
1).  To be kind to myself - I'm too hard on myself! I need to learn to give myself more credit.
2.)  Food!  Okay, I eat MUCH better than I used to, but I still get that urge to binge sometimes, and I hate that feeling!
3.)  Going to bed at a decent hour.  I stay up way too late, and I know my body and mind does not get the rest it needs.


Five things I have enjoyed about my journey:
1.)  Realizing, after almost 14 years, that I can change my lifestyle, and lose weight!  I didn't think I had it in me.
2.)  Finding support from fellow bloggers.  I appreciate them so much, and they inspire me, too!
3.)  Getting my family involved in eating better and exercising.
4.)  Cooking healthy meals for my family.
5.)  Exercising!  I didn't think I would ever enjoy exercising, but I do.


I'm passing this award along to these wonderful bloggers who support and inspire me:


Chubby McGee
Mary
Colleen
Shannon B.

And thanks, again, to Judy for giving me this award!!!

**Day 118**

It's almost 9:45pm, and I'm trying to talk myself into getting on my treadmill, but I'm so tired (AGAIN!), and I just want to go to bed!  I did do 2.6 miles on my treadmill this morning, so it's not like I haven't done any exercising today, but I really wanted to get 5 miles in today....especially since I only did 3 miles yesterday, BUT,  like I said, I'm tired....so, so tired!  I don't know why I can't be okay with the 2.6 miles - I mean, it was a 50 minute workout (yea, I'm slow), and I was dripping with sweat when I was done, so I know I had a great workout.  I should be okay with that!

I need to start getting the 5 miles done all at once, but I get so bored on the treadmill - even with the music!  I know, I know - I'm just making excuses now.  I'll stop.  Here's the deal - I don't like getting on the treadmill two times per day, so I'm going to start getting the 5 miles over and done with, at one time.  Plus, I need to start getting up in the morning to do my workout.  Usually, I work out at night, but I really don't like it - it's hard to get myself to do it at the end of the day, so I'm going to start making a real effort to be on my treadmill by 8am, every morning.  I am so not a morning person, but I know it will feel so good to get my workouts done first thing.

Only two more days until weigh-in!!  I can't wait to see how everyone did in the challenge!!

**Day 117**

Well, there's been no sunshine, or blue skies, in my area for awhile (just rain, rain, and more rain), so I decided to bring the colors to my blog!!

It was a long day, and I didn't make it down to my treadmill to do my C25K training until 9:45pm, but I did my 28 minutes of running, and then walked for another 32 minutes.  I didn't make it to 5 miles, but I did do over 3 miles, so that's better than nothing!

I got nothing else for today - I'm exhausted, and heading to bed!

**Day 116**

I've decided to hold off on weighing in until Saturday morning because that's the last day of the Chubby Bunny Challenge I'm participating in, and it's, also, the final day for the bet I have going w/ my dad!  So, I'll weigh-in first thing Saturday morning to see what my final number is for the month of April!

Today, I walked 5 miles!!  I plan to walk/run 5 miles every day for the rest of the week.  I can't wait for this rain to stop!  It will be nice to start walking outside because it gets pretty boring on the treadmill - even with my iPod blaring!  My treadmill is iPod compatible, which is great!  So, I've been plugging in my iPod, and turning the music up the highest it would go, and yesterday I blew out one of the speakers on the treadmill!  Crap!  I'm hoping my hubby can fix it!  Anyway, I did great w/ my food again today, and I drank 96 ounces of water, so I'm on a roll!  I just need to keep it up for the rest of the week because I want to I have a great weigh-in on Saturday!  Wish me luck!

**Day 115**

Today, I started Week 8 of my C25K training, and this week (Mon., Wed., & Fri.) is:

Walk 5 min.
Run 28 min.
Walk 5 min.

I was still feeling sluggish and bloated from my bad eating yesterday, so I was really dragging on the run, but I got through it, and didn't stop!  In fact, when I was done with the C25K training I walked for another 27 minutes, so I got in a good 60 minute workout.

I made healthy food choices today, and I drank 96 ounces of water, so I feel good about today.

I can't believe the month of April is almost over already, and that it's almost time to post new pictures!  My jeans are, finally, starting to feel looser in my mid-section, so I'm hoping I will be able to see a difference in the tummy area.  It really motivates when I can SEE the changes from month to month!  I'm hoping to see a difference in my legs, too!  We'll see!

**Day 114**

Why do I always use a holiday as an excuse to eat like crap?  I've always done it, and today was no different.  I am so full, and I feel sick.  I didn't start the day with any kind of  plan, and that always leads to trouble for me.  I don't know why I keep making the same mistake over and over again - eating crappy foods, and not stopping after a few bites like I should when I do choose to eat crappy foods.  I feel like I've been there too many times this month!  I wouldn't be so upset with myself if I didn't overdue it.  Like this morning, we went to my sister's house for breakfast, and my mom ended up bringing fruit WITH fruit dip - you know, the, completely, yummy, but not good for you, cream cheese and marshmallow fluff fruit dip?!!  OMG - I love that stuff!!  Seriously, give me a spoon, and a corner to hide in, and I could eat a whole big bowl of it - without the fruit!!  Anyway, I started out with about a tablespoon of it with some grapes and strawberries, and I didn't need anymore than that, but, oh, I WANTED more, and I couldn't stay away from it!  It was calling my name - Here I am, Shannon.  I'm soooooo good.  Come have some more!!  And I listened, I went back two more times!  The whole day went this way - too much ham with pecan glaze, one too many buns, too much butter on my potato, etc.  So, it's all about poor planning, and poor choices for me.  I overdue it!  I need to remember - portion control!!

Once my stomach stops hurting, I'm going to walk, at least, 2 miles on my treadmill - maybe I can work off, at least, one of those buns that I ate! :)

I hope you all made better food choices than me today!

**Day 113**

Today, I was able to spend the WHOLE day outside helping my husband on the prep work for the new deck we are putting in.  Why is this a big deal?  Well, a few months ago, standing all day, and bending over all day, would have been, nearly, impossible for me.  And if I had done it - I wouldn't have been able to walk or move by the end of the day, but that didn't happen today.  I was out there for almost six hours helping him remove old wood, hammering in stakes, stringing the stakes, measuring, shoveling, using the post hole digger!  And I did alot of standing (standing for long periods used to really hurt my back!), too, watching my husband use the auger - really, I was making sure he didn't hurt himself!  That auger was murder on his back, and, actually, he's the one that can't move tonight because he is so sore from using that heavy machine - poor guy.  Anyway, it feels really good to be able to help my hubby a little with stuff like this!  It's amazing what losing just 22 pounds can do!  And I'm sure the fact that I work out regularly now helps, too.  I'm going to continue to help my hubby with the deck, and I'm looking forward to it!!  Tomorrow we have eleven holes to fill w/ concrete.  I'm sure it's going to be hard work, but I know I can do it!

I hope you are all having a great weekend!

**Day 112**

Yesterday was busy, and I didn't eat good, and I didn't exercise - I just didn't plan well.  My daughter's birthday sleepover was last night, so I got up yesterday got the house cleaned up, and then we ran to the store for some last minute stuff for the party, then my girls had homeschool art class, and when that was done my daughter's friends headed over to our house around 3pm.  I knew a couple of the moms were probably going to stick around for awhile, so I bought a couple appetizers - taco dip w/ chips, and spinach dip w/ Hawaiian bread, and I had some of both.  I didn't have alot, but I did have some.  Also, there was cake in the house for the party, and before the night was over I had two pieces.  For dinner, we baked up pizza for the girls, and I had one slice.  So, I ate like crap, and then I skipped working out on my treadmill, too!  The kids were in the basement most of the night playing or watching a movie, and, yes, I could have used my treadmill even though they were down there, but I didn't want to, so I didn't.

Today, was much better!  I got back on track w/ with my food, and I got my work out in!  I finished Week 7 of my C25K training - I ran for 25 minutes., and walked for 35 minutes.  After I got off the treadmill I headed to the floor for some stretching, and it led me to Reason #22 to lose weight.....

I want to be able to sit down on the floor with ease!!  And I want to be able to get up off the floor with ease, too!  As a big person, sitting on the floor is not easy - there's no comfortable way to sit.  I can't sit Indian style because my legs are too big.  Using my arms for support doesn't work because they start aching right away. And just sitting there with my legs straight out, and my back straight looks awkward, and it kills my back!   Oh, and me getting up from the floor is not a pretty sight.  I don't want something like sitting on the floor to have to be an issue for my anymore!  And it will be nice to be able to get up from the floor with a little gracefulness someday!

**Day 111**

One word - WOW!!!

http://triblocal.com/lombard/2011/04/21/lombard-grandma-takes-first-in-boston-marathon-again/

**Day 110**

I set my alarm for 7:15am, so I could get my C25K training done before my weigh-in at WW, and it felt so good to get it done first thing in the morning, and have it out of the way for the day!  I was so ready for my weigh-in, and I just knew it was going to be a good one.  So, I get there, and I step on the scale, and it reads - 226.4!  2.2 pounds lost!  I was very happy, but then I got to my seat to wait for the meeting to start, and I started looking at my weight record book that the lady had just marked, and she put my weight down at 227.0!!!  WTF?!  And the weird thing is - she first put the 6 down, and then went over it with a 7!!!  Look:

Do you see it??  See the 6 behind the darker 7?  Why would she do that??  I was going to talk to her right after the meeting, but by the end of the meeting I starting thinking - whatever!  I know what it really was, so I'm not going to make a big stink over .6 pounds.  But if she pulls that crap again I will say something!!  So, anyway, my real 2.2 pound loss is only a 1.6 loss on paper, so that's what I will use for this week's weigh-in, which is okay because next week will show an even bigger loss!!

There's only 11 days left for the Chubby Bunny Challenge, and I'm not even close to the 10 pound loss I was hoping to be at by the end of April, but I'm not giving up!  I'm going to work my butt off!!

**Day 109**

Tomorrow is my weigh-in day at WW, and I am hoping to see a good loss.  I've been getting all my workouts in, drinking lots of water, and sticking to my 31 points plus!  I want to see 2 lb loss!!!  We'll see.

I walked 5 miles on my treadmill today - 2 miles in the morning, and then I did 3 more miles tonight.  I really am getting addicted to that treadmill - I love it! :)

I'm going to do my C25K training first thing in the morning.  I'm going to continue to work on speed.  Right now, it would take me almost an hour to run a 5K!  I'm not sure what the average time is for a 5K, but, by July, I'm hoping to be able to finish in 35 minutes.  Does that sound reasonable?  Too ambitious?  Not ambitious enough?

**Day 108**

I didn't feel good all day, so I had decided, early in the day, to skip my C25K training, but around 10pm I started feeling better, so I headed down to my treadmill, and spent 60 minutes on it!!  I did my 25 minutes of running - it was tougher today than it was Friday, but I got through it - and then I walked the other 35 minutes.  I went about 3.3 miles, and I burned a little over 300 calories.  Sometimes, it's still hard for me to get motivated to workout, but, once I start, I, often, don't want to stop!  Like tonight, I walked for 5 min., and then did my 25 min. run - at that point, I was done w/ my 5K training, but I felt so good I wanted to keep working out, so I did for another 30 min., and I love that!  I love that I'm getting so into working out, and, quite frankly, I'm shocked by it because just 108 days I was a person who had pretty much spent the last 13+ years just sitting around on my ass, not doing much of anything!!  But now, I'm turning into a runner!  Me, a runner?!!  It's crazy, and awesome!  It's amazing what can happen in just a few short months, isn't it?!

**Day 107**

I helped my husband dismantle our old deck today (he's going to build a new one), and by the time we were done my already sore back was killing me, so the last thing I wanted to do was exercise, BUT I got on my treadmill anyway.  I walked a little over 2 miles, and I was walking fast - well, fast for me - at 3.8 mph, and I wanted to slow down so many times, but I kept thinking to myself......if Chubby can walk 8 miles in one day, and if Mary can run 5.25 miles in one day, then I can make myself go just 2 miles, at a good rate of speed!!!  And thinking of that helped me finish, so thank you Chubby and Mary for inspiring me!! :)

I'm looking forward to Week 7 of my C25k training this week - I have to run for 25 min. straight Mon., Wed., & Fri.  I, finally, put some music on my iPod, and used it while I worked out today.  For the last six weeks, I've just been staring at a wall while I was on the treadmill, so it has been pretty boring, and it was so, so much better working out with the iPod today!!

**Day 106**

I woke up w/ a very sore back today!  It's not hurting in the usual spot - it's more along the sides in my lower back area, so, I think, my muscles are just sore from the longer run and walk yesterday.  Anyway, I decided to give myself a rest day today, and skip exercising.  I'll get back to it tomorrow - my plan is to walk 4 miles.  It's suppose to be much nicer out tomorrow, so I'm going to walk 2 miles outside, and then do another 2 miles on my treadmill later in the day.

When I started on this weight loss journey I didn't think I would ever be able to give up sweets!!  I swear, it always felt like my body had to have chocolate!  I would crave it so, so much - all the time!  Surprisingly, it hasn't been that hard for me to give up the sweets.  I mean, in the beginning I did still crave it, but now I, almost, never do.  Actually, I've been craving salty stuff for the last couple months, which is strange because I've never craved salty foods, but now there are days when all I can think about is getting some salty fries from McDonalds!  Very weird!  I hope there comes a time when I don't crave any kinds of foods, on a regular basis. I just want to have a normal relationship w/ food, know what I mean?

**Day 105**

I had a great workout today!  I was on my treadmill for a total of 62 minutes - I walked for 5 min., ran for 25 minutes straight, and then went back to walking for another 32 minutes....I went a total of 3.260 miles.  Yea, I'm slow!  I don't run fast, at all.  I haven't been working on speed - my goal has been just to get through the runs.  I felt really good on the 25 minute run today - my calves didn't hurt, thank goodness.  I think, I'm ready to start working on speed now.  I have three days of training next week, and each day I have to run 25 minutes straight, so I will try to increase my speed each day.  Now, don't think I'm not getting a workout just because I'm not that fast!  I am dripping in sweat when I'm done, and my heart rate is up - trust me!!!   Anyway, I'm really enjoying the running!  I'm looking forward to the 5K in July - it will be here before I know it!

Not much else to say - except..... TGIF!!!!  I'm so glad the weekend is here!!  I'm looking forward to a nice, relaxing weekend w/ my family!  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, too!!

**Day 104**

I've had a few people tell me lately that they can tell I'm losing weight, and that I'm looking good - I have to admit that it feels great to hear it!  I know there isn't a huge difference in my appearance, but I like that people are noticing small changes because it's one of the things that motivates me to keep going.  When I look in the mirror I don't see much of a difference in my appearance, but when someone else can see it, well, it makes me want to push even harder.  And, sure, it's kind of a vanity thing to want people to notice that I'm slimming down, but, hey, I don't have a problem admitting that I like it!

Exercise for today was 4 miles of walking on my treadmill!  Tomorrow is my 25 minutes straight of running! I can do it, I can do it, I can do it!

**Day 103**

I did have a gain today at my WW weigh in - 1.4 pounds.  So, I'm back up to 228.6 - dang!  I'm glad I'm still below 230 though - I will never enter the 230's again!  I'm going to have a huge loss at weigh in next week because I'm going to work my butt off until then - eat right, drinks lots of water, and, of course, regular exercising!!

I don't think I'm going to make my May 1st goal weight which is 216.5!  Back on March 13th, my dad said if I could lose 15 pounds by May 1st he'd pay for half my treadmill.  I'd have to lose 12 pounds over the next 17 days to make make the goal - yikes!  The 15 pounds was my idea - I should have said 10 pounds!  Okay, so I probably won't meet that goal, but I'm still going to push myself like crazy over the next few weeks.

Exercise today was my C25K training:

• Walk 5min.
• Run 10 min.
• Walk 3 min.
• Run 10 min.
• Walk 5 min.

I had a much easier time today than I did on Monday - thank goodness!  I'm excited about Friday's run - 25 min. straight!!  And I'm dreading it, too - dreading it because I know it will be hard, but excited because I know I will finish it, and I'll be so happy and proud when I do!

**Day 102**

There's good news and bad news....very bad news.  I'll get the bad news over with - I blew it, big time, with my eating today.  I started out fine w/ Grape Nuts cereal, and an apple, but it went downhill from there.  We decided to go to Chili's for lunch, and I don't know why, but I ordered the Chicken Crispers w/ fries and corn.  Horrible, horrible, horrible!   That meal is just full of calories, fat, and sodium - there's nothing good about it, and I ordered it anyway.  I don't even really know what I was thinking!  I guess, I just had a I don't give a shit moment.  Well, the moment didn't last long, and I'm very upset with myself for doing it, and I have to weigh-in at WW tomorrow!!  Plus, I'm on my period!  Why did I do that?!?!  I feel like crap now - physically and mentally - but I know I need to move on, and get back my mind back in the right place.

The good news is - I did get a couple workouts in today!!  Jillian Michaels tried to kill me, but she didn't succeed!  I did Level 1 of her 30 Day Shred, and I made it through almost everything - the push ups were too much for me!  I did some of them, but not all of them.  I'm going to keep doing Level 1 until I can do it with ease, and then move up Level 2.  I, also, walked 2 miles on my treadmill today.

I'm nervous about my weigh-in tomorrow, but if I have a gain I'm going to accept total responsibility for it, and do better the rest of the week.  I've already planned my eating out for the rest of the week, so I know I will stay on track.  I stumbled today.  I'll do better tomorrow.

**Day 101**

It's hard, for me, to come up with something talk about every day.  Often, I don't have anything of interest to write about, but I still feel I have to post every day - I feel like it keeps my in check.  So, I know when you visit my blog you may find it pretty boring sometimes, but I do appreciate you for stopping by, and for commenting and supporting me!  The support I get is great - thank you!  And the inspiration I get from visiting other blogs is amazing!   There are quite I few blogs I visit daily, and these women have helped me so much over the last 101 days by sharing their stories every day, and I am so grateful to them!  The blogging community really is a wonderful thing.:)

My 5K training kicked my butt today!  I was feeling tired, and sluggish all day, and I knew I wasn't going to have an easy time exercising today, but it was tougher than I thought.  I had to do a 34 minute workout:

• Walk 5 min.
• Run 5 min.
• Walk 3 min.
• Run 8 min.
• Walk 3 min.
• Run 5 min.
• Walk 5 min.

So, it was easier than the straight 20 min. I had to run on Friday, right?  Well, yea, you would think, but, nope, I just couldn't get a good flow going, and I felt like crap through the whole thing, BUT I did it the whole thing - I finished it, and that's all that matters!

Tomorrow, I'm going to try Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD!  I'll be amazed if I get through the workout - we'll see!!

**Day 100**

100 days ago, I made the decision to improve my physical self, and I've followed through with that decision.  Oh, I still have a long way to go before I get to where I want to be physically, but I'm doing better, and I'm, slowly, reaching my goals.  And I feel like I'm improving mentally and emotionally, too, because really it's all related, right?  I feel more secure and confident.  I feel like I'm managing my emotions better, which makes it easier to cope with challenges and stresses.  I feel more content and balanced.  I'm still not sure why it took me so, so, so long to start making these changes in my life.  Perhaps, I, finally, realized that my self-loathing and self-punishments weren't working for me anymore, and I realized it was time, once and for all, to climb out of that pit.  For some reason, for many years, not liking myself did something for me - not a good something, of course, but something.  I know that must sound crazy - it's difficult to explain.   But, thankfully, from somewhere deep inside myself, it came time for a better something!  And I was, finally, was able to see that liking and loving myself is okay.  So, I'm learning to believe that I'm a good person, in spite of the bad choices I've made in my life.  Self-forgiveness is good.  Self-forgiveness is deserved.  Self-forgiveness is vital.  I know that now, and it's helping me to move forward - in so many ways.

**Day 99**

Wow, what a great day it was today - the weather was amazing!!  We spent the day celebrating my daughter's birthday - she turned eight years old yesterday.  How did my baby get to be eight years old already?!  Crazy!  Anyway, we had a really busy day, and it was almost 8pm before I realized I hadn't exercised yet, so I was going to jump on the treadmill, but instead I asked my hubby, my girls, and my nephew (he's spending the night w/ us) if they wanted to take a walk, and they all agreed!  We ended up walking two miles together, and we all had a great time.  It feels so good to be moving more w/ my family.  We spent so many years parked in front of the tv together, so it's a great change of pace to be up, and active!

**Day 98**

Okay, so the 20 min. run was today, and I set my alarm for early to get it over with, but when the beep-beep-beep woke me up at 7:30am I knew, immediately, that I wasn't go to do the run....right then, anyway.  I was too nervous.  I mean, so far in the training I had only run for 8 minutes straight, and I just couldn't wrap my brain around moving all the way up to 20 min.!!  I just didn't feel like I was going to get through it, so I told myself I would do it in the afternoon, but I didn't.  And as the day wore on, I started thinking - maybe I'll just wait until Saturday morning when I feel more ready.  But then that didn't sit well with me because that's, exactly, what the old Shannon would have done.  The old Shannon was a huge procrastinator.  Heck, I'll be honest, the old Shannon was a big quitter!  Yes, I was!  When something seemed too hard or overwhelming - I just didn't do it.  Well, I don't want to be that way anymore, so I told myself - Shan, get your ass down to that basement, and get on your new, beautiful treadmill, and run!!  So, I did.....

First, I walked for 5 minutes to warm up!  Then I restarted the timer, threw a kitchen towel over the console (because I knew I would not get through the 20 minutes if I had to stare at the time, slowly, ticking away) and started running!  I was feeling pretty good, and got the guts to remove the towel, and I was already at 9:15!!  I was so relieved to see that I had less than 11 minutes to go!  At 17 min. my left calf really starting burning, and I really felt like I wanted to stop (no, I mean, I really, really, really wanted to stop!!!), but I didn't - instead I bumped up my speed and kept going!!  And I finished it!  I ran for 20 minutes straight!!!  I'm so proud of myself!  Next Friday, I have to run 25 minutes......Bring It!

**Day 97**

I received my blood test results from the check up I had a couple weeks ago, and I'm pretty happy with the results.  My total cholesterol is 179 which is in the normal range.  My HDL(good) cholesterol is 68, and my LDL (bad) cholesterol is 87, both in normal range.  My triglycerides is 118 which is, also, in the normal range.  And my glucose is 88 - normal again!  The only place my numbers are off a little is with my red blood cells which indicates I might be anemic, so I'm going to start taking an iron supplement to see if that will help improve my numbers.  Last time, I had my cholesterol checked it was 193, and my triglycerides were 148, so my new, healthier lifestyle is, definitely, helping!:)  Oh, and my hubby's cholesterol a year ago was 243, but today it's 204!!  So, he's getting healthier, too!  Yay!

Exercise today:  30 minutes of walking on my treadmill. Tomorrow is my 20 straight minutes of running!  Wish me luck!

**Day 96**

It had been two weeks since I weighed in at WW, so I was excited to get there today to weigh-in.  Two weeks ago, I weighed 232.4....today I am 227.2!!!  So, 5.2 pounds lost over the last couple weeks!  Yay!!  So, that's an average of 2.6 lost per week over the last two weeks!  Since this is my first weigh-in for April I'm going to use that average, and say that I've lost 2.6 pounds so far this month - does that make sense?  Hope so.  My total weight loss, so far, is 21.3 pounds!  Oh, and I received my first 5LB sticker today at Weight Watchers for losing my first 5 pounds with them!  Now, I only need to get about 20 more of those stickers!!

Exercise today was 30 min. of my 5K training - ran for 8 min. straight, two times, and the rest was walking. I did great!  I did alot of stretching before and, I think, it really helped because my calves were not burning as bad as they have been.  I'm still nervous about the 20 minute run I have to do on Friday, but I know I will get through it!  

**Day 95**

I'm loving my new treadmill!!  It works so much better than the old one I was using!  Yesterday, for my 5K training I had to do a 30 minute workout - walk 5 min., run 5min., walk 3 min., run 5 min., walk 3 min., run 5 min., walk 4 min.  I was really worried that I was going to have a hard time doing it, but I didn't, so I was very relieved.  The only issue I'm having is that my calves get so tired - they burn!!  Ouch!  I'm sure that's normal, but I'm going to try to do some more stretching before and after to see if that helps.

Tomorrow, my 5k training is another 30 min. workout, but this time it will be - walk 5 min., run 8 min., walk 5 min., run 8 min., walk 4 min.  I'm not worried about it - I know I will do fine with it, but I am worried about Friday's training because I have to run for 20 min. straight!! Wow!  I haven't done that in, oh, probably 20 years!  I can do it, I can do it, I can do it!!

Also, tomorrow is my weigh-in at WW.  Two weeks ago when I weighed in with them I was 232.4, so I'm hoping to be 229 when I step on their scale tomorrow!

Today's workout was 30 minutes of walking.  And I drank another 128oz of water today, but I'm going to lower that tomorrow because I was in the bathroom every 15 min. for the last two days - really annoying!

**Day 94**

In July of 2006 I went to a Bon Jovi concert in Chicago with my sister, my mom, my two aunts and my uncle, and it should have been a great experience, but, unfortunately, it wasn't....because I was huge!  I was at my highest weight - 282 pounds.  Below is a pic of my sister and I on that day.

I knew that we'd be walking around downtown before the concert, but I wore some cute, not so comfortable sandals anyway.  Big mistake!  My feet started hurting, horribly, almost immediately, so I had to go into a Walgreens and buy some cheap, flat, ugly flip flops.

Once we got to the concert we had to take some stairs to our seats, and those stairs were a killer for me!  And once we got to the seats my big butt barely fit into the seats. :(  But the real trouble started once the concert was over...

We didn't drive to the concert, and when the concert ended all pedestrian traffic had to walk way outside the stadium to some Chicago city street.  It was probably a 20 min. walk, and it was so hard for me to try to keep up with everyone.  Before long, we lost my two aunts and my uncle.  My sister stayed w/ me, and my poor mom was trying to keep track of where my aunts and uncle were way up ahead, but she was trying to keep my sister and I in view, too.  Well, my mom ended up losing all of us, so she was all alone and lost w/ no phone!  Eventually, we all found each other again, but for awhile it was such a mess.....and all because I was too fat and too out of shape to walk at a normal pace with everyone else, but I just couldn't do it.  I remember the pain I had in my feet, ankles, and calves, and I was sweating and panting, as if I was running a marathon - it was so hard not to cry.

So, obviously, much of the day was a humiliating experience.  I was embarrassed, and vowed that I would do something about it, but I didn't.......until this year.  And, now, I know I will never have an experience like that again.  When we were in St. Louis last week we went to a sculpture park and there was alot of walking paths with some inclines, but I didn't have any trouble keeping up with everyone, and I wasn't even panting, at all!  It felt good to feel "normal", and to know that people didn't need to slow their pace for me.  I love knowing that I am getting healthier!

Today, I took a 1 mile walk w/ my girls.  We had planned on taking a 2 mile walk, but once we got outside it was alot colder and windier than we thought, so we just went the mile.  Also, today, I did my 5K training.

I stuck to my WW points plus - I'm allowed 32, and I used every one of them!  And I drank 128oz of water today!!

**Day 93**

My hubby is putting my new treadmill together as I type, and I can't wait to try it out when he's done!!  I plan on walking on it for 30 min., so that will be my workout for today, and then tomorrow morning I'll start Week 5 of my C25K training.   It's getting nicer outside, so I'm going to start trying to run outside a couple times a week.  I know it will probably be much harder running outside on the hard surface than it is on my treadmill, so I want to try to get used to it before I do the 5K race in July.

I did great on getting all my water in this weekend!  It has been such a struggle for me to drink lots of water, but I forced myself to do it this weekend, and it wasn't so bad.  I, also, did good staying within my WW points plus range.  It's not as easy as I thought it would be to figure out how many points each food is, but I know it will get easier with time.  I'm looking forward to my WW weigh-in on the Wednesday.  I will see a loss!!!

**Day 92**

Quick post.  I spent the morning cleaning the cabin.  It's been sitting all winter, so there was plenty to do - vacuum carpet and rugs, sweep and clean floors, scrub three toliets and two tubs, wash bed sheets, make beds, etc., so I've had a good workout already today!

Now, it's time to go outside, and enjoy the nice weather.  We're suppose to get up to 56 degress today - heat wave!  So, we're heading out to take a nice, long walk!  Last year I would have stayed home while my hubby and girls went out walking and hiking around the cabin, but those days are over.  I love that I'm more active now, and that I feel able to do more activities with my family.

Have a great Saturday everyone!

**Day 91**

April goals:

*Lose 10 pounds
*Exercise 6 days per week
*Drink, at least, 8 glasses of water each day
*Stay on track w/ my WW Points Plus

Also, I've joined a challenge started by a very inspiring blogger - she's lost almost 40 pounds this year!! The challenge is called - The Chubby Bunny Challenge!  The person who sheds the most pounds in the month of April will win the "Weight Watchers:  Simple and Classic Homecooking" cookbook!  I'm so glad she started this challenge because I need a little extra motivation right now, so I'm looking forward winning that cookbook (hey, I have to stay positive!!!) and achieving all my goals for the month! :)

We're spending the weekend at our cabin, but I plan getting in some exercise while we're here by taking a walk on Sat. and Sun.

Exercise today was my C25K training, which completes Week 4 of training!  On Monday, I'll start Week 5, and on Friday I will have to run for 20 minutes straight!  I'm pretty nervous about that....I mean, will I really be able to run for 20 min. straight after only 5 weeks of training?!  We'll see!