Current weight results!

OK, so I've not been as consistent with my weekly weigh-in results. At this point, my weight loss has slowed down and I'm getting closer to my goal, so I'm thinking I might do a monthly or twice-monthly weigh-in at this point. Some weeks I'm staying the same or losing about .5 pound.

As of today, I'm at 145 pounds! That's a total weight loss of 17 pounds, and a total body loss of 10%! I'm super excited to be moving closer and closer to those 130's. I'm now less than what I weighed just prior to my last pregnancy. I've really done something here! I'm also less than 10 pounds to my goal of 136, which will be a weight loss of 26 pounds.

My next mini-goal will be to reach 140 pounds. It's been a good 3+ years since I was at that weight. I'm at the point in my weight loss journey now where I'm completely convinced I will reach my goal. It's not an "if," it's a "when," and that feels amazing.

Later today, I'll have my husband take some updated pictures of how I look. I can't wait to see the progress I've made since early December.

Weigh in Monday: week ten (the late version!)

I'm feeling the best I have on this journey! My size 8 khakis - which were completely unwearable even a month ago - not only fit, they fit perfectly!! That horrid belly bloat is melting, folks. MELTING.

As of this AM, it looks like I weigh about 147.5 pounds. I don't have a digital scale, so it's hard to gage the exact weight, but it looks like that ticker is directly between 145 and 150 pounds! And so my descent down that scale continues! Yeah!

As a reminder, I started this journey in early December at an all-time high of 162 pounds. I've since lost nearly 15 pounds...can you believe it? My goal is to reach 136 pounds - a total weight loss of 26 pounds.

I'm really excited about tomorrow's workout...it's something I've had in the works for awhile now. I'm calling it the 30-Day Shred Challenge workout, and here's how it's going to go down in case anyone is interested in killing themselves with me:

Do 30-Day Shred, Level 1
5-minute water break
Do 30-Day Shred, Level 2
5-minute water break
Do 30-Day Shred, Level 3
Collapse in heap on floor

I'll be sure to let you know how it goes!

1st weight goal met!

I am 149 pounds! That was my first goal and to-date I've lost a half-marathon of weight (13 pounds). This is a total body weight loss of 9%!

Let me tell you, there was something very empowering about seeing that line drop below 150. I haven't been below 150 in three years and it feels really, really good.

So I'm officially half way to my goal weight of 136. My next mini-goal will be 147 pounds, my weight at the start of my second pregnancy.

Weigh in Tuesday: week nine

Maybe...maybe....maybe?

As I stood standing on the scale this morning, it felt strangely like the time I thought I was looking at a faint - very faint - positive pregnancy test about three years ago. Was that a second line? Maybe.... If I held it to the light? I remember actually opening up the darn thing and taking the paper out, scanning it into my computer and trying to jimmy with the lighting. I went to bed that night still not certain if I was pregnant or not. Sure enough, a couple days later I tested and that second line popped right up. And that second line meant my daughter would soon be joining our family.

So today I'm craning my neck to see if the scale's line is on or below that 150 mark. I'm pretty sure it was a nudge below, but it's SO close! Like the pregnancy test that turned out to be positive, I'm hoping when I re-weigh myself in a couple days that it will be clear I've met my first milestone of 149 pounds. Here's hoping!

Weigh in Monday: week eight

Today I weigh...150 pounds! Finally, the scale is continuing its descent! That's down 2 pounds from last week's 152 and a total weight loss of 12 pounds. I am now only ONE pound away from reaching my first goal of 149 pounds. I am hoping to crush that this week.

I realize it's time for an updated picture, so I'll see if I can get my hubby to take one of me in my SIZE 8 JEANS later today!

By the way, I had the BEST run yesterday. I mean, it was a really, REALLY good run. One of those runs you remember for a long time. My husband encouraged me to run out near this golf course in University Place (Washington) and man, was it ever beautiful! Water, nice trails, golf course...very scenic, and VERY challenging. I bet this one hill I had to run up was a good .4 - .5 mile. And after running that huge hill, I ran a pretty hard mile. I ran a total of 40 minutes and I felt very strong and fast.

The goal this week - keep up a couple gym workouts. I think the cardio is really important in dropping this weight. I want one of these to incorporate running - I'll choose Wednesday.

Monday: 45 minutes cardio, 20 minutes weights
Tuesday: Shred, Level 3
Wednesday: 40 minutes cardio (make some of this running), 20 minutes weights
Thursday: Shred, Level 3
Friday: Shred, Level 2
Saturday: OFF
Sunday: 3 miles

Here we go!

Finding a healthy weight is a confusing matter

As you probably know, my personal goal weight is 136 pounds. This is what I weighed prior to my two pregnancies. Once I hit 147 pounds (5 pounds away), I will weigh what I did at the start of my second pregnancy. I believe the mid-130's to be a good range for me.

However, out of curiosity, I decided to see what other websites recommended as a healthy weight (or range) for someone my size. I'm 5'6", medium frame. The results were varied, and interesting.

Weight Watchers: 124-155
Health Check Systems: 130-144
Changing Shape: 130 (ideal weight)
Halls: 118-155
Halls: 135 (ideal weight)
Met Life Tables: 133-147

Well, good night talk about confusing!! The total range here is 118-155, a range of 37 pounds. I understand they're accounting for various frames, but you can see why it's a tricky business to sort through.

Any way you slice it, I'm at the upper range of the recommendations or beyond them. I think my goal is a good one based on these numbers overall and based on my past experience being at my ideal weight. Interesting though, huh?

Weigh in Monday: week seven....REALLY?!

I am *trying* to be a patient gal and keep motivation high, but today guess what? I am STILL at 152 pounds. That's two weeks running and not a pound dropped. REALLY?!

I did a pretty good job keeping up with my workout schedule last week - Shred, cardio sessions, and my run. I'm wondering if I need to step up my nutrition efforts (I try to avoid the word "diet" on this blog.) I'll make the following two modifications and see if they do anything:

- no cereal for breakfast; only protein-based meal (I really need to grab some protein powder)

- no late night snacking whatsoever

Overall, I think I'm doing a good job of making healthier choices, water intake, and all. Hmmm. I just REALLY want to get under 150 pounds already.

As far as my workout plan, I'm sticking with last week's.

Weigh in Monday: week five

I am so excited! This morning I weigh 153 pounds! That's another 2 pounds down, and brings my total weight loss to 9 pounds (5.5% of total body weight lost)!

This means I'm only 4 pounds away from my first goal of 149. I was hoping to get there by my birthday (January 13th), but with only 9 days to go, I'm beginning to think that might be unrealistic. However, I'm pretty sure I'll be hitting my first goal sometime in January and I couldn't be more excited.

Incidentally, my "before" pictures were taken on December 7th. In order to be consistent, I'll do some updated photos on January 7th. I am curious to see if there's a noticeable difference yet...hoping so!

9 down...17 more to go!

Photo credit Gastin Thuavin

Weigh in Monday:week four

To clarify, week four is the week I'm starting - I've completed three weeks of working out.

Today I weighed in at 155 pounds! That's down 2 pounds from last week AND over Christmas week! That is exactly what I was hoping for. So far, I'm down 7 pounds (a total reduction of 4%). That means I have 19 to go to reach my goal of 136.

Why 136? That was my weight at my first prenatal appointment with my son. My starting point essentially.

Next week, I hope to have lost another 1-2 pounds - I'll be happy with anything below that 155 mark. If I can do that, I will end 2009 lighter than when I started it.

If you've been joining me on this quest to fitness, I'd love to hear how you're doing!

Photo credit Gastin Thuavin

Weigh in Monday: week three

Today I hopped on the scale to find I'd dropped one more pound. While I was hoping for 2, I'll take it!

That brings my current weight to 157, and my total pounds lost to 5. Not bad considering this is for about 2 weeks' of weight loss. (That's a 3% body loss.) In order to reach my first goal of 149 pounds, I'll need to lose 8 more pounds. I'm hoping to do this in time for my birthday (January 13th) - we'll see. It will for sure mean some hard work.

I would LOVE to be at 155 next week. While I've been at 155 since my daughter's birth, I sure haven't been there in a few months.

Unfortunately I woke up with a sore ankle today. I sure hope I didn't do anything to it. I'm going to play my cardio session by ear today. This morning, I'm going to try to put it up for awhile and then we'll see how I'm doing this evening. If nothing else, I might try the stationary bike or an exercise that doesn't put a lot of stress on it.

Photo credit Gastin Thuavin

Weigh in Monday: week two

Each Monday morning first thing I'll hop on the scale to chart my progress.

Today I am at 158 pounds! Hooray! That is 4 pounds down from my high of 162 a week and a half ago. I'm sure glad to be below that 160-line.

My first weight loss goal will be to get to 149 pounds. Why 149 and not 150? Because I haven't gotten below 150 since the birth of my daughter a year and a half ago. So partly psychological I guess. At 149 I should also start fitting into some of my old clothes again. 149 will also be 13 pounds down and halfway to my goal of losing 26 pounds.

I'm not too worried about dropping it all quickly - in fact I'd rather I lose it at a rate of 1-2 pounds per week in order to keep it off for good. So to reach my first goal, I should be there anytime in the next 4.5 - 9 weeks. I hope maybe somewhere near the 6-week mark.

If you started this challenge with me, I'd love to have you "weigh in" on how you're doing!

Photo credit Gastin Thuavin

A blog about marathoning, weight loss, and seeing your goals through

In high school, I hated when we had to run even a mile. I wasn't fat by any stretch, just not very fit and certainly not convinced in my athletic abilities.

It wasn't until college I discovered that if I put my mind to it, I could run a few miles. Stepping out of my comfort zone, I entered my first 5K in 2000 - the St. Patty's Day Dash in Seattle. I instantly fell in love with the spirit of racing and the rush of the finish line.

Over the next few years I completed about a dozen 10Ks, a sprint-distance triathlon, three half marathons, and eventually went on to complete three full marathons. While I'm not a fast runner, I'm a determined runner. So I'm proud to say I've finished every race I've signed up for.

My last race was the Disney World marathon in 2007. While I finished, it was by far my most difficult race. I had had my first baby just 9 months prior via C-Section, was tired, and unaccustomed to the heat and humidity of running in Florida (I'm a Western Washington native). I was exhausted and decided to take a break from racing.

In 2008, I had my second baby, and once again, put on more weight than I intended to. I also found it has been more difficult to lose weight the second time around. Life as a stay-at-home mom of two has taken it's toll. In addition, I work from home as a freelance copywriter and blogger, so I'm frequently tired and short on time.

However, I can't stay where I'm at physically. I often feel sluggish. I miss getting the 'high" from a good, long run. I miss the excitement of gearing up for a race and the pride I feel after successfully completing a training cycle and race. And let's face it, I miss being able to wear some of my favorite pre-baby clothes!

So what am I proposing to do, exactly? Jump start my New Year's resolutions: lose the weight once and for all by training for, and completing my fourth marathon. I intend to lose 26 pounds - one for each mile of a marathon. I will be doing some shorter races leading up to the big one. I'm currently deciding on the marathon I will run, but it will most likely be late fall 2010.

I'm currently in the worst physical shape of my life, so this will mean having to attain a base level fitness before launching into marathon training. So I'm pretty well starting from scratch.

Would you like to join me in my adventures? I hope you will consider. Whether you've completed marathons before, or can't currently run a mile to save your life, we can do it together. If you have a few pounds to lose or just want to get fit, running is an excellent way to do it.

I'm going to share with you my very best ideas for training and racing, and I hope to inspire you with my own story along the way. While I'm generally pretty private about my weight - especially now - I'm willing to be open about how I'm doing and feeling in order to help you along the way.

Over the next few days, I'll share some pictures with you and my thoughts about forming a training schedule for the year ahead. In the meantime, I hope you'll consider joining me...1 pound at a time, 1 mile at a time.