Been A Long Time

Well, I never closed this blog and I'm glad I didn't. I never gave up over all of these years despite many trials and tribulations.

If you scroll through old posts, you will notice some photos are missing. It has to do with when I tried to delete my Google+ account. I wiped out most of my blog pics. :-( Boo.

Anyway, I am back!!! 

What have I been up to? Lots of walking, lots of running and now Crossfit Bootcamp. That's why I'm back here.

I have to write why I'm in bootcamp.

My entire life I felt I was overweight. I won't go into that story here, but when I look back on my high school pictures, I clearly was fine. However, during college I put on the Freshman 15 and then some and came out of college sixty pounds heavier. I used a commercial weight loss program where you go weigh in, buy their special foods and increase your activity until you reach your goal at which time you go on a year long maintenance program. I lost all sixty pounds on that program and kept it off until I had my thyroid irradiated almost twenty years ago. From that point on, it was an endless battle ending with me being almost 240 pounds (109 kg).

I couldn't afford to go back to the first program so I joined an online weight loss program where you count points to determine how much you should eat. That along with run/walking worked - losing about 30 pounds. I switched to Advocare and be came a distributor where I lost another ten pounds, but I still didn't feel fit (to no fault of Advocare). And I also had no sense of accountability. My running group of two years basically disbanded, my other half passed away, and I really felt I was spinning my wheels.

In October, my friend sent me an ad about a free introduction to a bootcamp at Crossfit Beyond Limits. I went not knowing what to expect and they kicked my booty. I couldn't walk for a week, but I went back the next week. Once again I felt crippled. Now they ask me why I come. What do I hope to accomplish?

1: I want to lose weight. Yes, it is about the numbers. But is also about being able to look cute in clothes off the rack without shopping in the plus size stores.

2: I want to feel better. I have never been able to squat next to my students. I could never really ever squat as a teen/young adult either even when I was thin. In 2010, I climbed most of a very big mountain in Norway but had to stop because the pain in my knee was excruciating. When I sit on the floor with my students it's quite a sight getting up off the floor.

Preikestolen - Before the Climb

3: I want to feel happy. You may or may not know that I lost the love of my life last year. He was my fitness partner. We planned our meals together. We encouraged each other in our fitness goals. My friends tried to step in but as often occurs, life happens and we all get busy and pretty soon, we are too busy because of work, family, and so on. Soon I found myself eating whatever I wanted, only walk/running on Saturdays, not gaining weight, but not losing either. I needed a change of pace.

4: I am a social person. I am at my best when I have people to workout with. Gym memberships are boring. I have no one to push me past my current abilities. I find a comfortable place and stay there. If it gets uncomfortable, I stop. Lungs hurt? Stop running. Arms hurt? Stop pushing.

Bootcamp is providing me with the change I need to keep moving forward.

Let's see if I take two years to come back and share my progress.

Almost A Year Later

Don't ask what happens to keep me from posting more regularly. All I can say is, Life Happens.

I will say that although I am not any lighter than I was a year ago, I am probably more fit.

A year ago I would never have considered running in a 5 K (5 kilometer) race. This year, it is on my bucket list to be completed this spring.

A year ago, my knee was killing me so badly that I would have gone under the knife if the doctor said it would help. (It won't by the way.) This year, my knee brace suits me just fine and it has gotten such a workout that I will probably need a new one soon.

A year ago, if you asked me to run a mile even, I would have laughed in your face. This year, I still am not running a full mile but I have progressed from completing just under a mile in 20 minutes to completing a mile in just over 16 minutes. I actually go farther than that, but a mile is my current gauge.

In January, I began running for 60 second intervals separated by 90 second walks. Today I can run up to 3 minutes at a time. Who would have thought?

The problem with most people when trying to get fit is they have an all or nothing mentality. I have finally decided that there are things I can do and things I cannot. I will probably never run a true marathon (26.2 miles.) But that is not important. Through the Couch to 5K program, I have seen that it definitely is a gradual process. I have good days, and I have bad. There are days that I forget my workout gear at home. When I get home I just find other things to do to burn calories. There are days when I decide to go out with my friends and paint the town red so to speak. I could wake up the next morning and see that I have put on three pounds and give up, or I can wake up the next morning, see that I have put on three pounds and start back to my routine. The all or nothing mentality won't get me anywhere.

I mentioned to my gym friend that I cover my backside with a jacket around my waist when I run because I am worried about what I look like from behind. She said, no one cares. In class this week, my students have been learning about human development. One of the things I taught about was egocentricity - the tendency for adolescents to believe that the world is focused on them. I guess I am still an adolescent in that sense. I then laughed at myself and said, "It's not all about you." That's hard to remember.

I am not going to promise that I will consistently update this blog. It may be another year before I come back here again. Who know? I will promise myself to keep moving forward, even if it is only with baby steps.

Moving Forward

If you start back from April, I have lost almost 30 pounds (13.6 kg.) Despite this, I was feeling fatter than before...until today.

When I realized I was way overweight, I was wearing Women's size 22US. I recently bought a pair of Plus Size 18 pants. I tried on a pair of 18 Misses (there's a difference for some reason) but couldn't get them around my bottom. It was a little depressing, but it at least showed me where I needed to get.

Today I went to a Ladies Clothing store (not a plus size store) and bought a pair of Misses 18 skinny jeans. I took a picture in the dressing room. It was with my camera phone and I forgot to focus on looking into the mirror, but you get the point.

Remember this Before:


And After:

Now, not all size 18s fit yet, but they will.

Putting it out there

I don't want to, but I have become satisfied with the status quo and an unhappy medium, so I am putting it out there -- a picture of me before my Wii workout on Saturday. Maybe this will give me the kick in the pants needed. (I had to run across the living room before the timer went off on the camera, thus the blurry image.)

No comment necessary. I just need some motivation to eat well and keep up with the Wii and add some walking into the mix.

I am noticing that I am about 2/3 the size of that piece of furniture. I am going for half. I don't think that is unreasonable.

5 Week Challenge

Well, this might seem like an odd time to start a healthy living challenge, but as Amanda was saying over at Kind Over Matter, "No day like today" to start.

This is something that has been on the middle burner for a while. It never made it the back burner, but it certainly wasn't on the front. I was doing really well for about a month and then I got bored and started making little excuses here and there not to track food, not pack lunches and so on. Starting tomorrow (today is pizza and cake for Gary's birthday) I will have a packed lunch and snack. I will have a healthy breakfast and dinner even on busy days.

I know I have been doing okay because my clothes are getting bigger, especially my pants, but I know I can do more. Probably the next thing to add to the formula is movement. I will have to figure out when I can fit that into my schedule...Lots more excuses on that one than on the food plan.

Anyway, I plan to write to myself at least once a week here. This challenge is on top of my 21 Challenge at Rhonna Farrer's blog where I am trying to become a neater housekeeper. So far so good even though Gary has come home and has put a little kink in the works. I suppose it is better to have him home with a less tidy house than a clean house all alone.

So here's to T minus 1 day until I start Amanda's 5 week Be Kind to Your Body challenge in the middle of day 5 of my 21 Challenge. It's better than waiting until New Year's Day to make a resolution. By New Year's I will be that much farther ahead.

Below is my current image:

Below this is what I would like to look like by January:
If only it were as easy as photoshop.

Not Too Shabby

I feel I am making good food choices even if I am not always reaching my daily recommended calorie intake. I just don't see how I could eat more food. Below are the graphics from my daily nutrition reports.
Wednesday

Thursday
Friday
SaturdayCan you see I like my carbs??

I really like the two plans I am using to manage my weight. They appeal to my obsessive personality, but allow me to not go overboard. We can talk about that another day.

Chocolate Cake

Well it had to happen. Just didn't think it would happen so soon. We had a birthday at work and one of the ladies bought a chocolate cake. Not just a measly homemade box cake. This was a full fledged monster cake. I ate it but only half a piece.

When I put everything I had up through lunch, I still had enough room for dinner.

I don't want to fall into the habit of thinking cake everyday is okay, but is nice that can still have a special treat and not blow my whole week.

Monday, I will use the scale at school. I will be back then to give you an update...if you are still out there. :-)