**Yup, STILL Day 151**

I have to do one more update for today!  My mom and I decided to take a run tonight, and guess what??  I ran a little over 1 mile without stopping!!  I am so happy!  I was so discouraged when I couldn't run a block without stopping a couple weeks ago, but tonight I started out with a whole new attitude, and I did great.  I feel so, so good!  I know I'm going to be able to do that 5K in July, and I can't wait!!!!

**Still Day 151**

I'm at my sister's house watching my nephew, but Brenna is keeping him occupied, so I have a few free minutes. I was looking at my new pics posted on my sister's computer - I think, she has a widescreen monitor - and the pics look really distorted, and weird.  When I crop my pics in Picasa collage to do my side-by-sides I have to pick a size for the pics - standard, widescreen, 8X10, etc., and I always click on standard, thinking it will be fine, but now that I see the pics on my sister's screen I'm wondering if I should be picking something else because I look off in the pics!  Do the pics look distorted on your screen?

Update on my May goals, which were:

*Lose 8 pounds - I lost 3.
*Drink 96 ounces of water daily - There were only a few days that I didn't get in the whole 96 ounces!
*Healthy Eating - I did pretty good here, too.  I wasn't perfect, but, for the most part, I did well.
*Walk/Run 4 miles per day Mon - Fri.  Walk 2 miles on Sat. -  Slacked off at the very end of the month, but I did do some kind of exercise almost every single day.
*30 Day Shred - The last week of the month, I started only doing it about every other day, so I need to start over with this, since it's suppose to be done every day for 30 days.

June Goals:

*Lose 10 pounds
*Drink 96 ounces of water daily
*Track every calorie I'm putting in my mouth!!
*Mon., Wed., Fri., - outdoor training for my July 5K
*Tues. & Thurs. - 30 min. on the treadmill
*30 Day Shred, every single day - June 1-10 Level 1
                                                    June 11-20 Level 2
                                                    June 21-30 Level 3

I didn't win the bet with my dad to get half my treadmill paid for, but I'm hoping he'll be willing to do another bet with me.  Of course, it's not really about the money - it's about achieving my goals, and my dad knows this.

I think, the biggest thing I need to work on is tracking my food.  I eat healthy foods now, but that doesn't mean I'm not eating too much of the good stuff, and, possibly, consuming too many calories.  I'm on and off with my tracking.  I'll do it for a couple days, and then not for a couple, and then start up again, and then stop, so it's my goal this month to track, track, track - every single day!!
                 

**Day 151**

I just posted new pics in the "Pictures & Pounds" section of my blog.  I see a bit of a difference in the pics - how about you?  I want to start seeing a difference in my legs, but it's not happening.  Dang!

I weighed in today at 222.  **SIGH**  I've lost .5 pounds since my last weigh-in.  So, that's only about 3 pounds lost in the whole month of May.  What am I doing wrong?  But here's the thing - I'm losing inches.  I did lose inches this month!

May 1st - Bust: 49.5", May 31st - Bust: 46"  (-3.5")
May 1st - Tire Tummy #1: 44.5", May 31st - Tire Tummy #1:  43" (-1.5")
May 1st - Waist: 42.25", May 31st - Waist: 42" (-.25")
May 1st - Tire Tummy #2: 52.5", May 31st - Tire Tummy #2: 50.5" (-2")
May 1st - Hips: 47.5", May 31st - Hips: 46.5" (-1")
May 1st - Calf: 18.5", May 31st - Calf: 18" (-.5")

So, I'm happy about the inches I lost in May!  (By the way, Tire Tummy #1 and Tire Tummy #2 are my rolls of belly fat above and below my waist!!)  And, you know what, I'm going to be okay w/ the 3 pounds I lost in May, too!

I have to run for now - we're heading out to watch my nephew, Frankie, for a few hours!


               

**Day 150**

Wow, was it hot today or what?!  And I couldn't even cool off with a swim because I started my period this morning - dang it!  It arrived right on time, but I had totally forgot it was due, so I was not too happy about it.  I haven't been able to use tampons for years - yea, I know, too much information, but there it is - so, nope, I didn't get a chance to swim today.  My girls and hubby said the pool and lake were both freezing, but they still had fun swimming, and I really did enjoy watching and taking pictures of them.  I had a great day, but I am exhausted, and very sunburned, so I'm heading to bed.  I'll be back in the morning w/ my final weigh-in for the month, and progress pics!

**Day 149**

I received a call from a close family member this afternoon who was upset about something going on at home, and then I got upset, too, but there was really nothing I could do to fix the problem, so when I got off the phone I was really down, and, of course, the first thing I wanted to do was some emotional eating, and the last thing I wanted to do was exercise (which I hadn't done yet).   When I get stressed, I eat....well, that's what I used to do.  I'll never forget the time we lost our dog for four days, and four nights.  I was a mess the whole time he was gone, but then we, finally, found him, and when we got back home I, immediately, went to the kitchen and scarfed down two Swiss Cake Rolls!  After the four days and four nights of being sick with worry, and then the sudden feeling of happiness and relief - I needed something to calm me, and those two Swiss Cake Rolls calmed me.  I knew then what an emotional eater I was, and how much I depended on food.  Do you know what I mean?

Anyway, I don't want to need food in that negative way anymore, so after I got off the phone with my family member I did NOT go to the kitchen to binge.  Instead, I exercised.  I did WATP 2 miles, and I did my new Firm workout DVD.  And when I was done working out I was still upset about the phone call, but the urge to fill up myself with nasty, junk food was gone.  I had a protein shake, and some fruit for dinner.  I'm proud of myself.

We don't have a scale here at the cabin, so I've been going a little nuts not being able to weigh myself, but maybe it's a good thing.  At home, I get on my scale, sometimes, more than once a day, but I need to stop obsessing over the numbers!  Much easier said than done!

It's suppose to be really hot here tomorrow - 93 degrees - and my girls want to go to the pool, which means  they're, probably, going to want me to get into a swimsuit.  Ugg!  I don't want to let them down.  My hubby always swims with them, but they like me to get into the pool, too, but I almost never do.  When we're on our boat out on the lake I always swim with them because we anchor the boat and it's just us swimming, so no biggie.  However, being at the pool or the beach, around a bunch of people, is much harder for me, but, again, I hate saying no to my girls when they want me to swim with them, so I'm going to try to force myself to just suck it up, and swim - no matter who sees me in my suit!!!

**Day 148**

My hubby and I took a 40 minute walk around our cabin tonight - it was nice to take a nice, long walk together.  We did a couple hills - this one was a tough one for me, and this pic is only halfway up!:

And here's me going the rest of the way up - not the most flattering picture of me!  I was, completely, winded by the time I got up to the top, but I made it!:

When we got back to the cabin I did the 30 Day Shred, and then I tried out a new workout DVD:

 There's two 20 minute workouts on this DVD - I did the Cardio Power Burst, and I have to say that it is almost as hard as the 30 Day Shred!  Tomorrow, I'm going to try out the other workout - Interval Blast.  Anyway, I did great w/ my exercising today - yay!

Hope you all had a great Saturday!

**Day 147**

My doctor was impressed with the progress I've made this year.  I told her that I was a little disappointed that I've only (there's that "only" word again) lost about 25 pounds in 5 months even though I exercise, very, regularly, and I have changed my eating habits, drastically.  She reminded me that the weight is going to come off slower because of my PCOS, and that I can't get discouraged.  That's really the only advice she had for me - she's says that I'm doing everything right, and I just need to keep at it.  My blood pressure was a little high.  Well, just the bottom number - it was 90, but she thinks it will go down as I continue to lose weight.

I'm, definitely, going to hold off on doing my final weigh-in until Tuesday.  I will, also, be posting new progress pics on that day, and there better be some noticeable progress!!!  I took my measurements at the beginning of this month, so I'm going to take them again, and see how many inches I lost, if any.

I haven't been consistent with the 30 Day Shred over the last week, so I'm still on Level 2.  I'll be doing Level 2 today, and I'm going to run on my treadmill, too, before we leave for the cabin.

Enjoy your weekend!

**Day 146**

 Have you ever felt invisible as a obese person?  I've lived life as a thin person, and I've lived life as an obese person - as an obese person, I, often, feel invisible.  It seems the larger I got, the less people noticed me.  Like, when I'm out to eat w/ my sister (who is thin) there have been quite a few times when the waiter or waitress will really only focus on my sister when talking about the specials or whatever.  Or when I need help in a department store - do you think a clerk is coming up to me to ask I need anything?  No way.  I have to, practically, jump in front of them to get them to see me.  I don't know - maybe it's me, and I'm just being overly-sensitive, but I don't think so.  I've noticed it in social settings.  I've noticed it with doctors.  I've noticed it in many areas of my life.  I was treated better as a thin person, but I really shouldn't be surprised by that, should I?  And I'm not - it just sucks, and it's not a great feeling when it happens.  Just another good reason to lose this weight, right?!

I'm thinking about holding off until the last day of this month (May 31) to do my final weigh-in for the month.  That's the deadline for the bet I have going with my dad - if I get to a certain weight by May 31st, he'll pay for half my treadmill.  The other reason I want to put off the final weigh-in is because we'll be spending the long weekend at our cabin, and when we're there I have a hard time sticking to my food plan.   So, I'm thinking if I know I have to weigh-in on Tuesday morning (the day after we'll return from our cabin) it will help me to make better food choices all weekend!  I know I should be able to do it anyway, but when we're at the cabin it always feels like a mini-vacation, and, well, I like to let loose, and eat whatever I want when I'm on vacation!!  I know, I know - I can't allow myself to do that anymore.  Colleen said it best in this post on her blog - "I plan to focus on the experience, not the food".  That's what I'm going to do this weekend, and, hopefully, I'll end the month of May w/ an awesome loss!

I have an appointment with my doctor tomorrow.  I'm going to talk to her about the weight I've lost this year (so far), my eating habits, my meds for my PCOS - I just want to touch base with her, and get her advice on what I'm doing.  

Does anyone else have any big plans for the weekend?  Are you worried about making poor food choices?

**Day 145**

I'm, finally, feeling back on my game!  My cravings were gone today - thank goodness!!  I don't know if I would have made it through another day like yesterday!  And I felt good during my workouts today, too.  I did WATP 2 miles and I sweat my butt off!  It was a great workout.  Also, I did a 20 min. outdoor walk/run with my sister.  I was able to run for 6 minutes straight without stopping - I was so happy!!  Then we walked for a bit and then ran again, and then walked, etc., but I'd say I ran for a total of 12 minutes, all together.  My breathing was much better when I ran today, but my calves were killing me, and that's why I couldn't go longer than 6 minutes.  I will stretch much better next time, so, hopefully, that will help, and I'll be able to run longer.  I've been slacking on the 30 Day Shred the last few days, but I'm getting ready to do it, right now!!  It feels good to have that fire in my belly again...now I just have to keep it lit!

**Day 144**

I felt better today, but not 100%.  I did force myself to exercise, and that felt good.  However, I battled cravings all day.....really bad cravings.  I wanted junk food so bad....my body and brain felt like it needed it!  I wanted a Big Mac, I wanted fries, I wanted Swiss Cake Rolls, I wanted a Snickers.  I really needed to go to the store today because we are low on food, but I didn't go.  I didn't trust myself  - I knew I would buy all that junk food, and then some.  I know it would be emotional eating because I'm just not feeling good emotionally and mentally.  I don't know what's going on with me.  My hubby is out of town - maybe that has something to do with it, but really I just don't know.  Anyway, it wasn't easy, but I made it through the day.  I know this mood will pass - I just need to fight through it, and fight I will!  Giving up, and giving in, is not an option!

**Day 143**

I'm in a very bad slump today.  I'm feeling off mentally, emotionally, and physically.  I haven't had a day like this in a long time.  I'm not even sure what's going on, but I feel like I'm hanging on by a thread.  I want this day to be over, so I'm heading to bed early to get a good night's sleep.  Tomorrow will be better, I know it.

Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

**Days 141 & 142**

I can't believe I forgot to post yesterday!  I had a really busy day - had to get up at 7am to head over to my sister's for a garage sale.  I spent most of the day there, and then I came home to get ready for a rare, adult night out.  We went on a Pub Crawl, and it was so much fun!  It felt good to go out and not be, totally, self-conscious about being out in public.  In the past, I was very hesitant to go out and socialize, but I'm more confident now, and it's great feel more comfortable in my own skin.  Anyway, we didn't get home until almost 3am, so I'm, totally wiped out today.  I'm going to need a nap before I can even think about working out!  Speaking of which - I didn't get any exercise in yesterday, and on Friday I only did 25 min. on my treadmill.  No more slacking!  I'm going to be sure to do the 30 Day Shred today, WATP 2 miles, and my C25K outdoor training!

I hope you all had a great weekend!!!

**Day 140**

222.5 - I lost half a pound.  Seriously?  But you know what?  Look at this:

I just bought this shirt in the pic above...it's a Large!  A regular size Large, and it fits!  Also:

The pants above are getting really baggy - they are a size 18.  I'm pretty sure I'm getting close to being a solid size 16!

So, no, the number on the scale isn't moving much, but I'm losing inches.  I can see it in my shirts and my pants, and I'm so happy about that!  Yes, it bums me out that I'm not seeing a much lower number on the scale.  Am I still eating too much?  Am I not eating enough?  Is my PCOS slowing me down again - do I need to up my meds?  Am I not drinking enough water?  Am I not working out enough?  I'm not sure what it is, BUT I know I AM making progress, and I need to focus on that!  The number will go down - I know this!  I just need to be patient, and keep doing what I'm doing because, again, I know my body is changing for the better, so I can't let the number on the scale discourage me.  I may not get to my goal as fast as I want to, but I WILL get there!

**Day 139**

Okay, I'm done whining about my outdoor run last night.  I decided to do the C25K over again - I'll be doing the training outside this time. So, my friend and I started it tonight:

Brisk 5 min. warmup walk
Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 min.

We did the whole thing - yay!  It was hard for me, but I'm determined to get through the whole nine weeks.  When I started the C25K training on the treadmill it was just as hard, but I can run 40 min. straight on the treadmill now, and I know I'll be able to do that outside soon, too.  Anyway, after we finished the C25K we walked for another 35 minutes.  And then after I got home I got on my treadmill and walked for another 30 min.!  So, I feel good about all the cardio I got in today!

**Day 138**

I cried again after my run tonight, but out of frustration - not joy!  I decided to try running outdoors for the first time - my goal was to run 1 mile straight.  Well, that didn't happen - not even close!  I can't run outside!!  Listen, I knew running outside would be harder than running on the treadmill, but I didn't know it would be this hard!  I, barely, made it a block before having to stop.  My breathing was all off, my knees hurt, my feet felt like lead weights - I sucked!  And now I'm, totally, discouraged, and thinking there's no way I'm going to be able to do that 5K on July 21st.  So, yea, I feel defeated, BUT I'm not giving up.  I'm going to keep at it until I can run that 1 mile, and when I can do it I'm going to go a mile and half, and then two miles.  I will do it!

Exercise today:
30 Day Shred, Level 2
1.5 mile walk/run....well, mostly, walking! :(

My calves are really, really sore from doing the elliptical yesterday at the gym, so I decided to skip the WATP 2 mile workout today.  It's okay to give my body a bit of a rest, right?

**Day 137**

What number am I on for my reasons to lose weight??  I have no idea either, so no more numbers!  Anyway, I've seen quite a few obese people (mid-50's, early 60's) using wheelchairs or walkers lately.  I'm not saying they are all in wheelchairs or using walkers because of their obesity, but I bet some of them are.  I mean, being obese for years and years will, definitely, take a toll on the knees and the back.  Heck, I'm only 39, and I can feel the effects on my body.  So, if I can prevent ruining my knees and my back by losing all this extra weight the time to do it is now because I'm not getting any younger!  Yea, avoiding having to use a wheelchair or walker someday is a great reason, and motivator, to lose weight!

Exercise today:
30 Day Shred, Level 2
Ellipitical - 30 minutes
Treadmill - 20 minutes

**Day 136**

Exercise today:
30 Day Shred, Level 2
WATP's 2 miles
40 straight minutes of running - 2.5 miles


And when I finished that 40 minute run I cried like a baby.  I don't know why, but as soon as I pushed that stop button on the treadmill I was overcome with emotion.  I think, it hit me that I'm really going to do this!  I'm really going to lose all this extra weight.  I'm not going to be obese forever.  I'm not going to die an early death (not from obesity anyway).  I'm turning into a runner.  No, I AM a runner - right now!!  I weigh 223 pounds, but I can run for 40 minutes without stopping, and you know what?  I could have kept going!

I know I still have a long way to go on this journey, and I know will continue to have struggles along the way, but I know I won't quit, and I know I will reach my end goal.  I have total faith in myself, and that feels really, really good.

**Day 135**

Busy, busy weekend - theater performance on Friday, dance rehearsals and dance pictures on Saturday, and dance recital on Sunday!  Dang, my kids are busy!  It was a great weekend, but I'm glad it's over - I'm so, so tired!

Tonight, I did the 30 Day Shred, and WATP's 2 miles.  I did pretty good at sticking w/ my workout plan last week.  I didn't make it to the gym to do the elliptical, but I did my WATP's dvd instead.  I, definitely, want to make it to the gym this week because I don't want to start getting bored with my workouts here at home, so I will, FOR SURE, get to the gym two times this week!

I hope you all had a great weekend!

**Day 134**

I did it - I ran 2 miles in less than 30 minutes!!!!



I had to run at 5.0 MPH the last 5 minutes to do it, and I almost puked, seriously, because it was so hard running that fast (that's really fast for me!), but I did it!!!!  It feels so great to accomplish these small goals when I set them!

I've noticed over the last week that my pants are getting really baggy - it's annoying, but I love it!  Today, I found capri pants in my closet - size 18 regular - that I totally forgot I had, so I put them on and they're baggy, too!  I wore them all day, but spent most of the day having to yank them up!  Great feeling!  I'm not going to buy new pants though - I'm going to wait until my pants, literally, won't stay up....I just don't want to spend the money on new clothes, right now.  However, I did buy a pair of running capris today - I bought an XL thinking they would be tight, but doable.  I put them on, as soon as I got home, and they weren't tight, at all!  In fact, they fit a little loose in the waist, so I should have bought the Large.  So, my bottom half is, definitely, shrinking!  Now, if only my boobs and stomach would follow suit!!

**Days 132 & 133**

Well, Blogger was down yesterday, so I couldn't do a post yesterday - stupid Blogger!!!  It makes me mad because I had been proud of the fact that I had kept up w/ my goal of posting every single day this year!

Yesterday, I did the 30 Day Shred, Level 2.  It was my first time doing Level 2 - OMG, it was hard, but I finished it.  I, also, did a WATP's 2 mile workout.

Today was weigh-in, and I lost 2.5 pounds since last week - YAY!  The scale reading was 223 - here's proof:

I'm so happy to, finally, see a good loss because I haven't been losing much lately.  I only have to lose 4 more pounds to be out of the 220's - I haven't been out of the 220's in many, many, many years!  It will feel so good to leave it behind forever!

I still have to do my workouts today.  I'll be doing the 30 Day Shred, Level 2, walking 2 miles, and running 2 miles - and I will run those 2 miles in less than 30 minutes!!!

Have a great weekend!!

**Day 131**

Another hot day!  I really, really don't like this humid and hot weather.  I probably wouldn't hate it so much if I didn't sweat so much.  I don't even have to be doing anything.  I was sitting outside in a chair and within minutes I had sweat dripping down my face, neck, and back......and other places, too.  This is too much information, but I sweat everywhere....in my private area (gross, gross, gross!!), under my boobs, my armpits - EVERYWHERE!!!  It's so embarrassing!!!!  I hope, hope, hope when I lose more weight I won't continue to have this problem because it really is humiliating.

My goal today was to run 2 miles in under 30 minutes, but it didn't happen:

I was close though!  I'll do it on Friday, for sure!!  After I ran, I walked another 1.5 miles.  Also, today I did 2 miles on the WATP's dvd, and I did the 30 Day Shred, Level 1.

With all the exercising I've been doing I've had no trouble getting all my water in every day!  And I've been eating good, so far, this week, too.  It helps that I planned my food out for the week - it makes it easier for me to stay on track!

I hope you all had a great day!

**Day 130**

I didn't get 4 miles in today, but I did do the 2 mile WATP's workout, and I did the 30 Day Shred - then I pooped out!  It was so hot today, and I had the worst headache, and I was just done!  It's not like I didn't exercise at all, so I'm okay with not doing the other 2 miles.

Tonight my girls performed in a musical/play - Romeo and Harriet.  They did a great job!  Here's a picture of them after the show:

                                          Aren't they cute?! :)

I haven't been working out w/ my girls lately.  We take walks, but I miss doing Wii w/ them, so I'm going to be sure to get some Wii fitness in w/ them tomorrow.  It's good exercise for all of us, and it's, also, a fun way for us to spend time together.

**Day 129**

Today:  30 Day Shred - Done!  WATP 2 mile walk - Done!  2 mile run on the treadmill - Done!


I ran for 35 minutes - 2.091 miles.  I had to really slow it down the last 10 minutes of the run because the top of my foot up to the front of my ankle was really hurting!  This has never happened before, but it felt better when I slowed down, so I don't know - maybe my body isn't ready to speed it up yet!  But I'm going to keep pushing it!

I've done 8 days of Level 1 of the 30 Day Shred, and I can, definitely, feel it getting easier.  I have 2 days left at Level 1, and then I'll move onto Level 2.  I haven't looked at Level 2 yet, but I'm sure it's going to quite a challenge for me, but I will get through it!

We have a busy day tomorrow, so I'm going to get my workouts done first thing in the morning.  My girls are performing in a musical play tomorrow night - Romeo and Harriet.  My youngest, Aubree, is in the chorus, and my oldest, Brenna, is the Nurse.  I can't wait to see them perform!

**Day 128**

I had a wonderful Mother's Day!  My hubby and girls made me a very nice breakfast.  After breakfast, we worked on cleaning up the front porch of our cabin - it was a mess after sitting all winter!  It took us almost 3 hours, but it looked great when we were done!  We spent the remainder of the day enjoying the beautiful weather - it was a great day!!

After we arrived back home, I did the 30 Day Shred, and I did the 2 mile workout on my new Walk Away the Pounds (WATP) dvd.  Below is my workout plan for this week:

Monday - 30 Day Shred (Level 1), Run 2 miles, WATP 2 miles
Tues. - 30 Day Shred (Level 1), Walk 2 miles, Elliptical 2 miles
Wed. - 30 Day Shred (Level 1), Run 2 miles, WATP 2 miles
Thurs. - 30 Day Shred (Level 2), Walk 2 miles, Elliptical 2 miles
Friday - 30 Day Shred (Level 2), Run 2 miles, WATP 2 miles
Saturday - 30 Day Shred (Level 2), Walk 2 miles
Sunday - 30 Day Shred (Level 2)

I've been doing a great job at sticking w/ my exercise goals, and I'm going to continue with it this week!  I have all my food planned out for the week, and I am going to stick to this plan like glue!  I am determined to have a great weigh-in on Friday.  I want to see a loss!!!

**Day 127**

Yesterday, I ran 2 miles without stopping!  It took me 30 minutes, but I did it!  I was so happy!  Today, I did the 30 Day Shred, but I didn't get my 2 mile walk in.  I was going to take a break from walking on Sunday (I'll do the 30 Day Shred though), but since I didn't walk today, I will do, at least, 2 miles on Sunday.

I'm starting to struggle with my food (on the weekends, mostly) - I'm getting into that "it's the weekend, so I can splurge a little" mentality.  I have to stop thinking this way!   I can't allow myself to start straying from eating the right foods.  I have the exercise down, I have the drinking plenty of water down, but, yea, I still struggle with the food issues, and, I guess, I always will to some extent, but I need to get it under control!  I don't want to have to start posting about gaining weight every week - I feel like such a failure when I do!

It's suppose to be an awesome day tomorrow - 72 degrees!  I can't wait to take a nice, long walk w/ my family!  Have a great Sunday everyone!

**Day 126**

225.5 - so, I gained 1.5 pounds.  Shame!  I have no one to blame, but myself - if I'm going to go out the night before my weigh-in to stuff my face with Mexican food....chips and salsa, chicken enchiladas, beans, and rice....ummm, yea, I'm going to have a gain the next morning!  Moving on.

After seeing my gain this morning I, immediately, went down and did the 30 Day Shred, AND took a 2 mile walk outside, so most of my workout is done already for today - yay!  I'll do 2 more miles on the treadmill later, which will include C25K training.  Today is the final day for my C25K training - I've completed the 9 week program!!  Well, as I mentioned, I can't run 3.1 miles in 30 minutes, so I need to keep working on speed, and I'm going to start adding 5 minutes to my running each week until I can run for 60 minutes straight without stopping. So, next week I will run for 35 minutes straight, and try to up my speed, too.

I'm looking forward to a nice, relaxing weekend at our cabin!  I hope you all enjoy your weekend!!

**Still Day 125**

After dinner, I wanted to go home and walk 2 miles outside, then do 2 more miles on my treadmill, and finish up with the 30 Day Shred, but when we walked out of the restaurant it was raining!  I really didn't want to walk 4 miles on the treadmill because the other speaker went out last night (stupid speakers), and walking 4 miles staring at the wall didn't sound fun, at all!  So, we went to Best Buy to buy a new Walk Away the Pounds DVD!  I picked this one:


I popped the dvd in as soon as I got home, and I did 3 miles - it was a good workout!  For those of you who aren't familiar with Walk Away the Pounds - you're not just standing in one place walking....there's other moves involved like kick backs, side steps, leg kicks, knee lifts, etc., so it's not just a little stroll your taking! I really sweat when I do these dvd's.  And this dvd came with the firm band, and I could, definitely, feel the burn in my biceps and triceps when I had to use it.  After finishing the WATP dvd, I did the 30 Day Shred dvd, and after that I walked on the treadmill for 20 min. walking a little over a mile, so I worked out for about 1 hour 45 minutes.  I felt much better during the workouts tonight, so, I think, my body is getting out of the funk it's been in.

I'll be weighing myself first thing in the morning - I'm pretty sure I'll be seeing a gain, especially after the Mexican meal I had tonight!  I did skip getting a Margarita.....even though I really, really, really wanted one!

**Day 125**

I tell ya, my monthly visitor (Flo) is kicking my ass this week.  I've been feeling so bloated, sluggish, and tired all week.  I can, barely, keep my eyes open right now.  And this is too much information, but, hey, this is my blog so I can share what I want to share - my period is SO heavy this month (disgustingly heavy), and I hate working out when it's like this!  Oh, and I got on the scale yesterday, and I was up 4 pounds since my weigh-in on Saturday....seriously?!  Whatever.  I'm not even going to worry about it because I know I'm working out like crazy, drinking my water, and doing, fairly, good with my eating...though we are going out for Mexican food tonight (Cinco de Mayo, baby!!).   So, I'm sure my number on the scale tomorrow is not going to be great, but I'm okay with it.

As I mentioned yesterday, I did the 30 Day Shred, and I took a 1 mile walk with my girls.  It took until late, late last night to get my butt down to my treadmill to do my last 3 miles, and my C25K training because I knew it was going to be a tough workout because of how I've been feeling all week, and I was right - the whole workout sucked!  My body is just not feeling it this week, but I got through the whole workout.  I did a total of 1 hour- 30 minutes running, and 30 minutes walking, so, yea, it took me 60 minutes to go 3.1 miles, and that was with running half of the time!  I just couldn't get a good pace going, but my legs were shaking when I was done!  My body is really in a funk, right now.  I hope it passes, quickly!


I still have to get my workouts in for today - 30 Day Shred, and 4 miles of walking!  It's already after 5pm - do you think I'm procrastinating a bit?  Yup, I am!  But I'll get it done!  I plan on doing it after we get home from going out to eat - I'm going to need to work off some of that Mexican food!

**Day 124**

I woke up with sore arms and abs from the 30 Day Shred, ouch!, but it's, also, a good feeling because I know my body is getting something out of the workout!  I'm hoping to see a difference in my arms at the end of this month because I'm not liking my flabby arms, at all!!  This is what I'm dealing with:

Yup, that's my flabby underarm!  If I flap hard enough I just might be able to fly!  It doesn't even look like an arm - more like a thigh!  I hate it, and I fear the flab (flap?) is there forever because it's just loose skin, and loose skin can't be tightened, right?  I, often, worry about the loose skin I'm going to have - my arms, my boobs, my inner thighs, and my stomach.  My stomach is going to be bad....really, really bad!  But I can't let the fear of loose skin stop me from losing this weight because the most important thing is my health - not my appearance, right?  Still, I have to admit that, sometimes, I get so mad at myself for letting this happen to my body - for ruining it.  I know I need to get past it though - it is what it is, and I have to move on.  I love this quote:


"Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except what you're going to do now and do it." ~ William Durant


I need to remember this when I get the urge to start beating myself up.


I did the 30 Day Shred (sore abs, arms, and all) first thing this morning, and I took a 1 mile walk outside with my girls.  I still need to do 3 miles on the treadmill which will include my C25K training - I will get that done in a couple hours, FOR SURE!  I will NOT skip my workouts - it's not an option!

**Day 123**

I've decided not to continue w/ Weight Watchers.  I know I only gave it a little over a month, but I, usually, know, pretty quick, when something is a good fit for me, and I'm just not feeling it - the points plus, the meetings - not for me.  I know it's a great program for many, many people, but I want to go back to doing my own thing, and counting my calories - I think, tracking my calories is much easier than trying to figure out the point values for each food, but that's just me.  So, my weigh-in days will go back to being on Fridays.

My period arrived this morning (two days early - what's that about?!), and my day just went downhill from there!  I swear, I was dragging ass, all day!  It took everything I had to get through my workouts, but I did get through them!  I did the 30 day Shred, and I walked 4 miles on my treadmill - it took me 1 hour 10 minutes to do the 4 miles:


I walked between 3.0 and 3.6 MPH, but I spent the majority of the time at 3.5 MPH, and it kicked my butt!  I almost stopped at 3 miles because I was ready to drop, but I forced myself to go one more mile, and I'm proud that I pushed myself to keep going!!

**Day 122**

Day 122 is almost over, but I did get all my workouts in today!  I walked 2 miles outside, then I did 2.1 miles on my treadmill, THEN I did the 30 day Shred dvd!  Whew - I'm tired, but I feel good!  I was on my treadmill for 40 minutes for my C25K training - walk 5 min., run 30 min., walk 5 min.  This is the final week for my C25K training, and I have no trouble running for 30 minutes straight, but I can't run 3.1 miles in that 30 min., so I will be working on improving my time over the next couple months.  The 5K I'm running isn't until July 21st, so I have plenty of time to train for it.  I can't wait to run that race!!

**Day 121**

I'm a little mad at myself for my pouty post yesterday because I don't have anything to pout about.  I mean, really, I'm losing weight every month, and I need to be proud of that!  I'm fitting into jeans that have been hanging in my closet for two years (by the way, they are a Old Navy size 16 PLUS - not regular).  I'm exercising almost every single day, and I can run for 28 minutes straight.  I'm eating better than I have in my entire life.  Physically, I feel better than I have in YEARS!  So, I'm done with pouting over not losing enough weight because 6 pounds in one month IS enough - it's great!  And I'm going to keep on losing!

May Goals:

*   Lose 8 pounds
*   Drink, at least, 96 ounces of water per day
*   Healthy eating
*   Walk/Run 4 miles per day Mon - Fri, Walk 2 miles every Sat.
*   Complete Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred:
             May 02 - May 11, Level 1
             May 12 - May 21, Level 2
             May 22 - May 31, Level 3