It Is Time.

For the past week or two everyday when I am getting ready for work, I stand and look in my closet searching for something that will fit me. Let me start off by saying that I am aware that I could have far worse problems on my hands. I have been at the other end of that spectrum with everything being too small instead of too big. That being said, it is still a current frustration in my life. I am no where near done, so I don't want to go out and spend a bunch of money on clothes that won'f fit me in two months.  I did finally have to go out and buy some necessities like jeans, shorts, and work pants, but I was very frugal with what I bought. Anyway, Saturday I was looking in my closet for about five minutes and decided that it was silly that I was leaving so many things taking up room in my closet that I will never be able to wear again. I have clothes that I can make work even if they are baggy, but there are some that are just way too big to even try. So I went on a rampage, and started trying things on and bagging them up. I have to say it is just as emotional trying on and purging clothes that are too big as it is trying on and purging clothes that are too tight. The only difference was, instead of sighing, throwing clothes around and getting depressed about yet another pair of jeans that I couldn't even get past my thighs; I was smiling and laughing when my jeans were falling to the floor as soon as I pulled them up. I did have some difficulty with some items, but that was only because I had paid good money for them and only worn them a couple of times. I felt like I was throwing away money, but then I thought about all the money that I have not spent on fast food in the past five months. I assure that the amount of money that I have saved by cutting food like that out far outweighs the amount of money that I spent on those clothes. Now I can donate these clothes, and hopefully someone can get some good use out of them. With the money that I am saving by not eating fast food on my lunch everyday, I am going to be setting it aside for a new wardrobe when the time comes. That wardrobe will mean so much more to me knowing that I paid for it by cutting out a habit that was slowly killing me. I have sent countless bags of clothes that were too small for me to Goodwill, but I cannot explain the happiness I feel by donating this particular bag. It is like I am handing them all of the weight that I have lost and the burden that has been on my shoulders for far too long. I am getting rid of more than just a bag of clothes, I am getting rid of the old me.

Thanks for reading,
Sarah

Couch to 5K

Last week I added couch to 5K to my workout regimen, and it has been nice to be running again. It is an eight week program that is supposed to help train you to be able to run a 5K with no walking. I completed Day 1 of Week 2 today which consisted of a 5 minute brisk walk warm up, a minute and a half of running, followed by two minutes of walking alternated until reaching 25 minutes. After finishing that, the workout is completed with a 5 minute brisk walk cool down. I have been having some issues with my shins, but none at all with my knees which is great. I have been icing my shins every night, and I have ordered some compression sleeves to wear on them while running. I have heard great reviews, but I will let you know my opinion after running in them a few times. Saturday will mark the end of my first month of insanity, and next week will be my recovery week. It is a week of lighter exercise to get your body ready for the second month which is what they call Max Interval Training. All of the workouts are intensified in the second month, so I have my work cut out for me. Its hard to believe that I am already almost hallway done with the Insanity program. I have been very pleased, especially after seeing my measurements at my last weigh in. Today's post is a a short one, but that is pretty much all that is going on with the workouts at the moment. Tomorrow is casual Friday at work, so I am excited to bust out my new jeans (size 10!) and enjoy pants that fit for the first time in several weeks!

Thanks for reading,
Sarah

Weigh In Number 5

So it is that time again...weigh in time. These weigh ins seem to be coming faster and faster here lately. Right before my last weigh in I hit a bit of a plateau, so I wasn't thrilled about my results last time. This week has made up for that in weight and measurements. Three weeks ago I weighed in at 187.6, and today I weighed in at 180.0. I was really hoping to see the 170's this weigh in, but I am very pleased with a 7.6 lb weight loss for a three week period. Now onto the really good part, the measurements!


                                      Starting                            Last Weigh In                          Current

Thighs:                              28                                         23.75                                      23 (each)


Arms:                               14.5                                R- 13, L- 13.5                       R-12, L- 12.25


Neck:                                13.5                                          13                                       12.25


Belly:                                  40                                           36                                         35


Waist:                               35.5                                        31.5                                        29


Chest:                                43                                           39                                          38


Hips:                                  44                                          40.5                                        39


Butt:                                  47                                          42.5                                       40.5

                               
                      Inches This Weigh In: 12.5                    Total Inches: 45 

I am super pleased with my measurement results this week! I knew the inches were going down, but I did not realize how much. A friend of ours is getting married in a little less than a month, so I ordered my dress in a 10 thinking that I would be that size by the time the wedding rolled around. Well it came in, and it is already just a tad big! I had to order an 8! Um, I don't know if you read that correctly but I had to order an 8! I am sure that it will be a little tight when I first get it but I am thinking that it will fit just right by the time that the wedding rolls around. Anyway that is it for now! I hope you all have a great week!

Thanks for reading,
Sarah

I've missed running!

As you will know if you have been reading my blog since the beginning, my original goal in all of this besides the obvious weight loss was to be able to run a 5k in under 40 minutes. In the first couple of weeks I had some issues with my knees that limited me to the elliptical, so running got put on the back burner. I love doing insanity, but I have also missed being in the gym and as weird as it sounds, I have missed running. I feel such a rush of accomplishment after I run, and I love that feeling. My friends and I are doing the Color Run in October, so I figured that it is time for me to get serious about running again. I know that my knees have gotten stronger, and having the extra weight off has been helping too.  I know that because of my knees I am never going to be able to be an avid runner, but completing a 5k without walking at all is a bucket list item for me. I will be checking that off my bucket list on October 13 of this year. I decided to start it out slow since it has been a while since I last ran, so I downloaded the couch to 5k app on my phone and decided to start there. I knew that I had really built up my stamina from Insanity and working out in general, but I didn't realize how much. The first day of couch to 5k was a breeze for me. I was shocked at how easily I was able to get through that first run. You might think that I would be tempted to skip ahead a few weeks, so that I was really challenging myself, but I am going to stick to the program as is. I really want to do this right, and I think the best way to do that is to stick to the workouts as scheduled. I will still be doing insanity. The couch to 5k program is only 3 days a week, so I am fairly confident that I can double up workouts three days a week. If my body starts telling me otherwise, I will listen but I think I will be fine. It feels good to be running again, and I can't wait to reach my goal of running a 5k in October!

Time for new jeans again!

When I first started this weight loss journey on March 22, 2013 I was wearing a size 18 in jeans. Sometimes I could squeeze into 16's but, it was very uncomfortable. I am now in a size 12 jeans, but it looks like I am going to have to go shopping for some new jeans on payday because even my 12's are too big now! I have been trying to wear my clothes that are too big as long as possible because I don't want to have to buy tons of transitional clothes that I won't be able to wear for very long, but with jeans that is difficult. My 12's look are big even when I first get them out of the dryer, but they look decent at that point. After wearing them for a couple of hours though, I look like I have diaper butt. My husband is making me buy some new dress pants for work as well, he says the ones I wear right now look like clown pants. As much as I hate spending money on clothes that I will only be able to wear for a month or two, seeing that my clothes are too big on me makes me very happy. It is very tangible evidence that my weight really is coming off. So that is exciting!

In other news, I want to switch to a topic that is a little more sensitive. Stretch marks. They are often a nasty little thing that overweight people have to deal with. I never thought that my stretch marks were very bad, until I started losing weight. The smaller I get, the more evident my stretch marks become. I had a really bad day this week when I looked in the mirror and realized how the stretch marks on my stomach looked. I had pictured that when I got down to my goal weight that I would have a nice tight tummy and be able to wear a bikini. I had a real pity party and cried when I showed my husband. He told me that they weren't as evident as I was thinking, and told me that even if I had a flat tummy with a few stretch marks on them that I would still be beautiful. I decided that instead of just feeling sorry for myself that I should try to do what I could about it. I did some research online, and after reading LOTS of reviews I decided to purchase Mederma Stretch Marks Therapy. I am not going to lie, it is a little pricey at $40 for a 5.6oz bottle, but the reviews were too good to ignore. The color of my stretch marks is not what I am worried about. Mine are white, but since I am SUPER pale they blend in with my skin pretty well. As I have lost weight, the texture of my stretch marks have changed, and that is why they are more noticeable now. That is why I picked this particular treatment. It is supposed to be really good about making the stretch marks smoother. It is a twelve week process and I am only on my 4th day, but I have high hopes for it. I will definitely be updating you with the progress as I go. In the end, if I still have some unsightly stretch marks I know that I will not be alone. Tons of women (and men) have to deal with stretch marks. At least I will always have a physical reminder to never let myself become over weight again. I hope that everyone has a great week, start your Monday off right!

Thanks for reading,
Sarah

Fit Test Results

Yesterday was my second Fit Test for Insanity. If you are not familiar with the program, you do a Fit Test on day 1 and then again every two weeks after that. The point is to track your progress and improvement throughout the program. I had been working out heavily for 12 weeks before I started Insanity, so I was really surprised how out of shape I felt on day one. I honestly questioned if I would be able to complete the program. The workout still kicks my butt, and I will be perfectly honest with you, I still have to hit pause to break every now and again. I am going to do a chart similar to how I show my weigh ins to show you the improvements that I have made with insanity. So here are the results so far...


                                                       Day 1                                     Week 2

Switch Kicks                                   58                                             66 


Power Jacks                                   24                                             30


Power Knees                                  53                                             77


Power Jumps                                 9                                               13


Globe Jumps                                 4                                                 8


Suicide Jumps                              7                                                 9


Push Up Jacks                             3                                                 9


Plank Knee Raises                     24                                               35


So as you can see, I improved my numbers in every single category. I was thrilled with those results. I can tell that I have much more stamina during the workouts. In the beginning, I had to break in the warm up alone. Now I can get through the warm up and a significant chunk of each video before having to break. If you have thought about doing Insanity, I would highly recommend it. If you are doing Insanity stick with it! If you do have to break, pause the video instead of just letting it run. It is less than a 45 minute workout, so you don't want to lose that precious time. Just pause the video, catch your breath, massage your muscles and get right back into it! As Sean T would say, dig deeper!   

Over half-way there!

My fourth official weigh in was last Saturday, but because I had hit a bit of a plateau the week before I wanted to keep a closer eye between weigh ins. I decided to weigh yesterday so that I could see if I needed to make any changes to what I am doing. I am happy to report that I weighed in at 183, which means.....I AM OVER HALF-WAY TO MY GOAL!! I want to lose 70 lbs total, and being at 183 puts me at 36 lbs down meaning that I am one pound past the half-way mark! That also means that I am down 3 lbs for the week, so I think it is safe to say that Insanity is working. This first half of my weight loss journey has flown by. I am aware that the second half of this journey will be more difficult than the first, but I know that it is going to fly by as well. I am prepared to fight the obstacles ahead of me. I know that the last little bit of weight is the hardest to shed. I am aware that achieving a flat stomach is no easy task, but I am prepared for what lies ahead. I just have to stay focused and keep my eyes on the end result.

Tomorrow is the Fit Test day for Insanity. The first Fit Test was on day one, so you have to do another one when you hit the two week mark to see how you have improved. I am looking forward to see if I have improved on my results from day one. I definitely feel like I have more stamina than I did in the beginning, so we will see. I think that even on day 60 Insanity will still kick my butt! I hope that you all have a great week and as always, start your monday out on a positive note!

Happy Fourth of July!

Tonight's post is going to be a very quick one. I want to talk a little bit about staying on track with your diet and workouts even on holidays. Just because you are on a diet, does not mean that you cannot enjoy good food. Here is what I did today to make sure that I stayed on track. I ate a very sensible lunch since I knew that we would be grilling burgers tonight. I chose a low calorie bun, really lean meat, and mustard for a condiment instead of mayonnaise. Instead of french fries or potato chips, I cubed up some russett potatoes and drizzled them with a tiny amount of extra virgin olive oil, topped them with a little bit of salt and pepper and baked them in the oven. The taste is fairly similar to french fries but the calories are no where near as close. To top it all off we had some corn on the cob. My husband had some baked beans which I chose to stay away from, but all in all I was able to keep my calories for a nice 4th of July cookout to right at 500. Just making small changes like I made with our dinner tonight can cut your calories drastically. Also, since I am doing Insanity I was able to still get my workout in, even though the gym was closed. Don't let a holiday give you an excuse to throw everything you have worked for out the window!

Thanks for reading,
Sarah

I can't believe I am doing this...

I mentioned a couple of posts ago that I was contemplating posting a picture of me in my bathing suit once I found the one I wanted. I have to say, finding the right bathing suit proved to be more difficult than I had planned. The first one that I wanted was out of stock. I ordered the second one that I liked, but it was too big (which I have to admit made me very happy). I had been looking for tankinis because I have always thought that one piece bathing suits always looked so old. I decided to take a browse through some one pieces online and I found one that I fell in love with. So I ordered it, and I love it even more in person. Even when I was skinny, I don't ever remember trying on a bathing suit and liking the way it made my body look. It was such a big thing for me to try on a bathing suit and immediately have a smile instead of self loathing. I feel like the suit that I picked is flattering for my body shape and I love the color as well. I have fought back and forth with myself about posting this picture, because let's be honest...not many people want to post pictures of themselves in a bathing suit on the internet. I was initially worried about my cellulite, but it really has gone down a lot. My body is not 100% where I want it to be, but I am happy to show the changes that I have made so far. This is me being proud of my "during" body. So without further adieu, here is me in my bathing suit. Please be kind because this is stepping out on a limb for me. Talk to you soon.

Thanks for reading,
Sarah