An update- finally!

I need to do quite a bit of updating on here including a full race recap of the Athens Half Marathon. In the meantime, I want to use this post to go over what I've accomplished this year, what I'm doing now, and what I hope to accomplish next year.

This year has been huge, HUGE for me! I have changed my life completely. I like to think back to last year at this time, to what I was eating, the challenges I faced with knee pain/inactivity, and my lack of exercise. I actually really like to dig through my old receipts to see what I was buying at the grocery store before I changed everything. I can tell you one common theme that follows through all my old lists and receipts- junk. Tons and tons of junk food and soda. I'm actually amazed that I didn't weight more than I did when I started this journey.

So, here's what I did this year:
- started exercising in January regularly
- changed my diet completely and started counting calories on Daily Plate
- started running regularly in March
- ran three 5ks with a PR of 29:45
- ran a half marathon
- started The New Rules of Lifting for Women

Last year at this time I would never have believed that I could accomplish all those things inside of a year. I am so proud of myself!

On to what I'm doing right now. It's been a long hard road of recovery since my half. I've run a grand total of 5 miles since then. I fell on my kitchen floor a few weeks before the half and injured my IT band. I did absolutely no exercise for the first three weeks after the half. It was pure torture! I am finally feeling like I'm healed now.

I am almost at the end of stage one of The New Rules of Lifting for Women. I have never followed a lifting program before, and I now regret that. I have had amazing results with this program! I started out squatting and deadlifting just an olympic bar. I can now squat 85 pounds, and I can deadlift 105 pounds! I am almost maxed out on the seated row machine at the gym. I'm at 100 pounds now, and the max is 120. I can also do 12 prone jackknifes without flinching, which is a huge accomplishment. You can google that one if you aren't familiar with it. I'll just say that it looks intimidating and is very awkward in the beginning.

I made my first major fitness related purchase last night. I bought a NordicTrack Treadmill! I'm super excited to have access to my own TM! I can now run whenever the mood strikes. Hopefully this will make running in 2011 even easier.

Speaking of 2011, here are my goals for the new year:
1- Break 25 minutes on a 5k. This one will be tough to do but very rewarding.
2- Finish 3 more half marathons.
3- Break 2:10 for a half marathon.
4- Complete my first full marathon.
5- Finish NROL4W.

That's all for now. I'll try to get my write-up of the half posted soon. Until then, happy running!

I did it! Half marathon complete!

I ran my half this morning. I'll do a longer recap later, but for now I'll post the quick details. My knee started hurting before I even got one mile in. I was bound and determined to finish, so I ran through the pain. It helped to run towards the middle of the road, which is where I tried to stay for most of the race.

I finished in the 2:28- 2:29 range. I won't know for sure until chip times are posted. I started my watch as I ran across the start, but I totally forgot to check it at the finish. I looked at it when I hit the 13 mile mark and I had 2.5 minutes left to beat my goal of under 2:30. I sprinted at the end, so I know I made it in in time.

I found my friend Ashley at mile 10, and we ran the last 3 miles together. It was awesome to have someone to run with! We talked each other through pain and soreness to the end.

That's all for now. Guess it's time to set a new running goal!

12 days and counting!

The half is coming up fast! I have been so busy lately that my training has taken a little bit of a back seat to child rearing and studying. I did manage a nine mile run on Saturday. It was great! It was slower than I would like, but I suppose that's what race day adrenaline is for. My knees felt stiff afterward, and they were sore on Sunday. I woke up feeling great yesterday and did a four mile run. Huge mistake! My left knee locked up after I stopped running. It didn't hurt at all during the run, though. I think I'm dealing with runner's knee. I'm going to take it easy from now until the half. I would rather go in fresh with recovered knees. I may do a few short runs between now and the, but if I can do nine miles, I can do thirteen. Right?

I'm also trying to plan my post-half workouts. I bought "The New Rules of Lifting for Women" a month or so ago. I'm actually super excited to get started on it. I was considering running a full in the spring, but my past knee problems coupled with runner's knee and IT band issues are making me think that would be a mistake. For now I'm going to focus on dropping more weight and speeding up my 5k times. I'm going to run a 5k in November (maybe one in October after the half), and then take a break with 5ks until maybe February. I'm hoping to be down another 15-20 pounds by then. Is it weird that I want to drop the weight to run faster? This is so not something my old heavier self would have done.

Update

I was told to update my blog, so here goes. I've been training and training and recovering from shin splints and then training some more. I ended up getting shin splints from my Labor Day 5k. I think it's because I sprinted on the downhill parts and lost my form altogether. I need to focus on not running on my toes when I get to downhill sections. In light of this I have decided not to run another race until after the half marathon. I am at my limit on my training plan. I started with 2 extra weeks built in, and I've had to use those 2 weeks to recover from 2 bouts of shin splints and illness. I have got to stay healthy now!

I ordered new shoes today as my old ones are giving out. My knees, calves and lower back are starting to hurt during my runs, so now is the time to trade up. I wear Asics Gel Cumulus for my underpronation. I absolutely love them! It feels like running on little pillows, which is what a properly fitted shoe should feel like. I spent an hour online today trying to find the Cumulus 11, which is now an old model since the 12s just came out. My shopping paid off when I came across this store. They still have 11s in stock, and I got a pair for $59! That's an amazing price for a shoe that retails at around $100. I also purchased a wicking lightweight jacket that has removable sleeves. I plan on wearing it on my long run on Saturday as a vest since it has plenty of pockets for my Gu and water. I came very close to buying a fuel belt today, but the running store wasn't open yet when I went by, so I managed to talk myself out of buying one. I'm just going to wing it for the time being with my vest and see how it works out.

I did it! 5k in under 30 minutes!

My goal for the last month or so was to complete a 5k in under 30 minutes. My last 5k was so tough, and I kind of gave up on my goal of breaking 30. I was so not expecting to do well at today's 5k. My legs were still pretty sore from my 6 mile run on Saturday. I also had chafing to contend with and a lack of sleep. My oldest daughter was allowed to stay up late last night, which turned out to be a huge mistake. She ended up with night terrors until about 4am. I got almost no sleep last night. When my alarm went off this morning I was tempted to sleep in and skip the race. I dragged myself out of bed anyway and tried to clear out all my congestion. I learned from the last 5k to just run the race and try not to obsess over time.

I got to the first mile marker at just under 10 minutes. I was so excited! I realized at that point that I had a chance of breaking 30. I hit mile 2 at 19 minutes even. I got super excited then, even though I knew there was still quite a bit of uphill work to do. I got half a mile from the finish and spotted my awesome friends Mary and Dane and their two beautiful daughters- Alexis and Isabelle! They were cheering their butts off for me, and that's all I needed to finish strong. I rounded the last bend and Dane yelled to me that I could finish in under 30. There was no one else around me, so I took off as fast as my legs would carry me. Once everyone saw me sprinting people around the finish started screaming for me to run! It was an amazing feeling! I finished in 29:45! I crossed the line and broke down into tears. It felt so good to have my friends and all these strangers cheering me on. People were patting me on the back as I passed by and congratulating me on an awesome finish! I was totally overwhelmed by the support.

I am now totally excited about my half marathon in October. I know I can do this!

Happy Labor Day!

Half marathon progress and second 5k!

I've been battling upper respiratory funk for a few weeks now. I was completely out of training for 1.5 weeks before my 5k last Saturday. I finally got back on schedule this week (thank goodness I had 2 extra weeks built into my half training plan). I started over on Monday and did 4 miles Monday, 2 miles Tuesday, and 4 miles yesterday. Unfortunately, I am starting to feel this illness coming back. That's what I get for not finishing my antibiotics. I started back up last night as soon as my throat started to hurt. I have today and tomorrow to recover before my long run on Saturday, which is 6 miles. I'm really excited about it because the temperature is going down into the 50s! I'll be able to get up Saturday and have a very enjoyable and cool run.

Monday is my next 5k! It's a street run, so it should be much easier than my last 5k. I started getting self conscious about my time, but I read a few course reviews online after the race, and people were complaining quite a bit about the course. I know a cross country course is automatically going to be more difficult, but it made me feel better to see even the experienced runners talk about how hard this course was. This race is in its 28th year, but they changed the course quite a bit this year. Evidently a few people were injured because of the rough terrain and the steepness of the hills. I'm now very proud of my 35:59 finish time. I expect to blow that out of the water on Monday, though.

I'm looking forward to rest and college football over the weekend! The great thing about living in a college town is getting to experience the atmosphere on game day. The entire offensive line of our team is coming to my daughter's preschool tomorrow for a tailgate party! She is super excited to meet them all, and so am I! Go Dawgs!
Happy Labor Day!

First 5k!

I did it! I finished my first 5k this morning. It was a cross country/trail run, and boy was it hard! I honestly did not expect the amount of incredibly steep hills that were involved. Add that to the fact that most of it was on a narrow trail, and my time suffered, but I am still proud of myself! I set out aiming for under 30 minutes since my PR 5k time during practice is 31:15. I ended up finishing in 35:59, which put me at 5th in my age group. I was happy with that because the 4th place finisher was 5 minutes ahead of me, so there was no chance I would have caught her. I totally almost puked going over the finish line! I laid down on the track and swore that I would never run again. I'm feeling better now, though, and am looking forward to my next 5k on Labor Day.

Illness and a break.

I had my first run today in a week. It was rough. My shin splints have healed, but I ended up catching an upper respiratory funk last week from my 4-year-old. I just can't seem to shake it despite copious amounts of medication. I think I'm going to head to urgent care tonight after I take my daughter to gymnastics. I need antibiotics to clear this since I've been fighting it unsuccessfully for over a week.

It's been so hard to take a break from exercise, but I think the sickness actually helped me heal the shin splints. I probably would have attempted to run much earlier had I not been laid out with the sore throat, stuffy nose, etc.

I do have big news, though! My first 5k is this Saturday! I'm so excited and nervous. I'm aiming to finish in under 30 minutes, but I'm afraid that that may be setting myself up for failure, especially considering how rough the last week has been on me physically and mentally. I have to get over this hurdle before Saturday! I have a definite perfectionist side to my personality, and it has now transitioned into my running. Up until now, I have mainly obsessed over perfect grades, but now I feel like I need to hit certain times in my upcoming races to not feel like a failure. I'm definitely working on getting past this with help from my wonderful husband.

Before and after pictures

I have to thank my friend Mary for actually taking pictures of me- something that I frequently fail to do. I don't have real full-body before and after shots. I've taken before shots many times in the past, but I never followed through with my weight loss. I didn't take before shots this time because I felt like I was setting myself up to fail by doing so. I had to steal these pics from Mary's blog. I chose related pics so maybe the difference is more evident. My weight loss has been so slow and steady that it sometimes feels like I'm still my old self. I have to look at the scale and my clothes to know for sure that there is a difference. I'm down 28 pounds now since January, and I've gone from a size 10 to a 4/6, although I'm mostly in size 4 as of late. I hope you can all see the difference even if it is subtle. In the before pics, I am sitting on the stool wearing black drinking a beer and eating cake in the second pic. I'm in the middle in the after pic, and I also included a pic Mary took of me with my crayfish from dinner. Mary has a strange tradition of photographing me with food, as you can see.

In other news, I am injured again. My run on Saturday gave me a bad case of shin splints. I attempted a four mile run yesterday, but I had to quit after mile one because of the pain. I am hoping to get back to running by Saturday, but all I can do for the moment is rest and apply lots of ice. I've become so accustomed to working out and running that I had a slight freak out yesterday over having to rest. I called my husband in tears because the thought of not being able to exercise was so overwhelming.

IT issues and pacing

I skipped one run and one workout this past week. I felt awful about it. My IT band has been really tight lately, and it was starting to ache after my 2-mile sprint training on Tuesday. I moved my rest day to Wednesday to give it a day to heal. I intended to do my 3.5 mile run on Thursday, but my leg was still hurting and my schedule was packed. My friend called and asked to meet for coffee on Friday morning. I skipped my Friday workout. By the time Friday night rolled around, I was in a bad mood. My faith in my running abilities had bottomed out. I was convinced that I should quit my half marathon training. Isn't that crazy? I skip a couple of workouts and am instantly convinced that I suck.

I had my alarm set for 6am to get in a 5 mile run this morning. It didn't happen, at least not at 6am. We had an awful night last night. If one kid wasn't unhappy and screaming and crying, then the other one was. I didn't get to sleep until after 2am, and that was with me sleeping at the foot of my bed with my 4-year old crammed against me. It was really bad. I instantly turned my alarm off at 6 and went back to sleep. I finally got up at 9am, but I didn't feel like going to the track. All of my outdoor runs have been at the outdoor track at my local Y. It's convenient and helps me pace myself. It also helps that I can put the girls in the childcare area if they are with me. I decided against the track this morning and mapped out a 5 mile run in my neighborhood and the neighborhood next door to mine. I was so nervous! I figured that my time wouldn't be so good since I hadn't done any hill training. The two neighborhoods I ran in are very hilly. I had to walk a few hills, and it took a lot of concentration on the way back down not to fall.

I started out and ran my first mile on the most straight and flat stretch of road. I had a really hard time pacing myself, which was obvious when I finished my first mile in 9 minutes! I have yet to break 9:15 on my fastest mile, so I guess I set a new PR! I knew I was in trouble because I had to slow down or I would burn out, but seeing my time at that first mile renewed my energy. I finished my second mile in 11 minutes, and miles 3 and 4 in about 12 minutes each. I sped up my last mile and managed to do it in around 11 minutes. My total pace ended up at 11:11 per mile, which is 17 seconds faster than last week's 5-miler! I was psyched when I saw my pace time. I feel like maybe I haven't been pushing myself hard enough at the track.

I feel so much better now about the half marathon. I no longer want to drop out of training. My determination is totally renewed!

Pita!

Pita pockets have been such a great help since I changed my diet. I found a whole wheat brand that tastes wonderful, and the best part is that my girls love them. I stockpiled Toufayan Whole Wheat Pitas last month. I have six or so packs in the pantry right now. That's how much I love these things! We use them for tons of things, but I think the most cost effective use is to replace pita chips when we have homemade hummus for a snack. Amy's seems to be one of the only companies making pita chips, and the prices they charge for their chips are flat out absurd! It's so much cheaper to buy pita, cut it up and toast it yourself. It takes all of five minutes.

I've done a ton of pita pockets for lunches and the occasional dinner lately. Here's a few of the combos I've come up with:

Bean combo: drained pinto beans, avacado, cucumber, tomato, monterey jack cheese
Tex-mex combo: chicken cooked with cumin and a little chili powder, black beans, avacado, tomato, cheddar cheese
Greek combo: chicken cooked with greek seasoning, black olives, tomato, cucumber, spinach, feta, hummus
Italian combo: chicken cooked with basil and green onions, roasted red bell peppers, tomato, spinach, mozzarella cheese

I had a five mile run yesterday, and it was rough! It took me two miles to find my groove, and even then I felt off. I finished in just over 57 minutes. I was kind of disappointed because I didn't get that high I usually get after finishing a long run. I came home, showered, had coffee and yogurt, and moped around. It took me a good two hours to get around to entering my run on dailymile.com. I was shocked to see my results. I ran at an 11:28 per mile pace. That's about 10 seconds faster per mile than my last long run, which was only 4 miles. So, I ran 1 mile further, and did it 10 seconds faster per mile. I guess I am making progress!

I did decide to eat, or rather drink, something before my run. I usually get 2-3 miles in and get hungry when I skip breakfast before my long runs. It's not as big of a deal on a 4-miler, but I was afraid I would run out of energy before 5 miles. I drank a Gatorade Prime 15 minutes before my run. I guess it helped since I beat my old time and lasted the entire 5 miles. I also bought these Power-Ade energy gels. Bad idea! I shoved a few into my pocket before my run with the intention of eating one at every mile or so. Running and trying to chew the gel at the same time was not good. It took me 1/4 of a mile to fully finish the first one. I didn't eat another one after that. It totally screwed up my rhythm. Next time I'm going to try out Gu.

Overnight oats

I have never been an oatmeal lover. I've tried to make it a million different ways, and I have never been able to stomach it. That all changed a few weeks ago. I fell in love with overnight oats! I purchased a bag of steel-cut oats at Earthfare back in January, and they just sat in the pantry waiting patiently. I finally got around to trying them after reading about overnight oats. It's so incredibly easy to make, and the texture is out of this world! The recipe I found calls for equal parts steel-cut oats, yogurt and milk. I use Fage 0% for the yogurt and skim milk. I also mash up a ripe banana for sweetness. Mix it all together and let it sit overnight in the fridge. I eat mine cold the next morning with an assortment of berries, peaches, bananas and a little drizzle of honey. The oats stay chewy and are so delicious.

My running is progressing nicely. I'm on week three of Hal's novice half marathon training plan. I managed to get 3.5 miles in today, the first 5k of the 3.5 miles was over in 31:15. I'm really hoping to break 30 minute mark at my 5k on August 28.

My baby has another appointment with the orthopedist today. It's really hard to tell the she fractured her arm. She only favoring it a little now. We'll see what they say today after another round of x-rays.

A hiccup in our days.

,

Yesterday did not go as planned. The girls and I met our friends at the park for a playdate on Thursday morning. I had a 3 mile run before playgroup, so by the end of play time, I was exhausted. My friend, Mary, suggested that we take our girls and head to Jason's Deli for lunch. I was all for not cooking at that point. Long story short, Nora fell out of the high chair at the restaurant and landed on all fours on the floor. She cried off and on, but I just thought she was tired since it was past nap time. We headed home, and I put her to bed.

She woke up an hour later still in pain. I could not figure out where she was hurt at. I felt all up down her arms and legs and pressed on her abdomen. I finally gave up and let her play for a while. A few hours later, she was still weepy, so I called my mom for advice. She asked if I could move her arms over her head. Ding, ding, ding! She jerked back and yelled when I tried that, so we high tailed it over to urgent care. They took x-rays and said that it was probably a contusion. The doctor showed me the films and the place that he called an inconsistency. He said they would send it to a radiologist just to be sure, but he didn't think it was broken.

We were sent home with orders to use Motrin as needed and let her rest. She woke up yesterday feeling better. I fully expected the doctor to call and say that she was fine. Instead, I got a call right after I put her down for her nap telling me that her arm is fractured and we needed to go to the orthopedist ASAP. After another round of x-rays, it was determined that her humerus is fractured on the proximal end almost in the head of the humerus. The doctor said that it should heal quickly since it's so close to her growth plate. She is now in a sling. I'm putting in pics because it's sad, but also a little adorable to see her in her little sling. People actually gasped when she walked back into the waiting room. I heard a lady say, "oh, that is the cutest thing I have ever seen."

With all that has gone on, I have had major issues getting to the grocery store. I've been meaning to go since Thursday morning, and I will hopefully get there today. No need to update my diet as it has consisted of overnight oats and take out salads for the past few days.

If I could go back in time....

Yesterday I did two amazing things:

1- I wore shorts in public for the first time in eight years! I can't believe that it's been that long, but I am sad to say that my vanity got the best of me for a while.

2- I purchased a bikini. A real bikini. The last time I bought a bathing suit was 5+ years ago, and that bathing suit was a tankini with a skirt bottom.

I was a size 4 when I stopped wearing shorts. Isn't that crazy? I spotted a tiny bit of cellulite on my thigh one day and decided that that was the beginning of the end. I didn't want to be one of those ladies walking around with cellulite showing- I, unfortunately, judged those women in my thinner days. What was I thinking? Like there aren't more important things to worry about in this world. Looking back, I could kick myself, literally. If I could go back in time I would actually fight myself and kick my own butt, hopefully with my present self beating my old self since I think I'm in better shape now. I think having children has permanently changed my perception of myself and the world. I no longer judge people for wearing shorts! I no longer look at myself with the overly critical eye that I did in my younger days. I actually hated my body when I was thin because I had no appreciation for what I had. These days I'm learning to love my body, and it feels so much better than harboring hate.

Today's menu:
Breakfast- overnight oats with berries and honey and a cup of coffee with half-and-half and honey
Lunch- Sandwich at Jason's Deli
Dinner- ???? Today has been stressful, and I have yet to make it to the grocery store. I'm actually typing this post with a grumpy, weepy two-year-old in my lap.

How I got here- part two.

Part two of my wake-up call came a few days after the swim and dive meet. I was on day three or four of working out, and I was feeling a little stronger. I felt fully dedicated to making this change a permanent part of my life.

One of my daily weaknesses is watching Oprah. I actually scan Oprah's schedule every Monday and pick out which shows I am interested in for the week. I sat down to watch a few days after the meet, and little did I know that this episode would change my life. The show was about the documentary Food, Inc. Oprah didn't go into great detail on this show about the contents of the documentary, but I was intrigued enough to find it on Netflix and bookmark it to watch that night after the kids were in bed.

Richard (my husband) and I watched Food, Inc. in a state of shock and disbelief that night. Neither one of us were prepared for the horror that we saw on the screen. Richard owns an ad agency, and one of his biggest clients is an agriculture firm. He's seen the feed lots and dairy farms in Kansas, but even those visits didn't make it any easier on him. I guess he never realized when driving through the feed lots what was really going on there. Admittedly, he didn't drive through them with his eyes peeled either, but I guarantee that he will next time. We both felt so betrayed and cheated after we finished the film. I didn't feel like I could trust anyone to prepare my food again after that. I found myself questioning every piece of food that I put in my mouth. We were in for big changes.

We woke up the next morning and started making a new grocery list. We agreed that we would no longer buy any meat or dairy that was not certified organic. We also decided that we would buy as much produce as possible locally. I googled the dirty dozen to figure out which fruits and veggies should be organic to reduce pesticide intake.

With a made-over grocery list in hand, I hit up Earth Fare later that day. It felt so good to be in a store with so many great options, and I felt awakened, as if I was eating consciously for the first time in my life. I left feeling uplifted and optimistic about my journey towards a healthy life.

If you haven't watched Food, Inc., I highly recommend it. I think the term eye-opening doesn't even begin to describe this documentary. I will admit that many parts of it are hard to watch, but I also feel like we all need to know what we're putting in our mouths and how our food gets from the farm to the store. The hardest part was not the realization that I was putting horrible things into my body all these years, but the fact that I was feeding these things to my children! The guilt was almost unbearable.

I'm still trying to decide what tomorrow's post will be about, but I'm thinking that I may write about my first run on the treadmill and how I started my running addiction.

I'm also going to try to put my daily menu in my posts. I'm hoping to provide a good example and to create a diary of sorts to look back on. If you are wondering, and I know some of your are, I do track my calories on thedailyplate.com. If you are looking to get in shape and track your workouts and calories, this is a great site to get your started. I must throw out a plug to all the great girls over on the The Nest for helping me find that site and for all the wonderful inspiration they have given me.


TODAY'S MENU:
Breakfast- overnight oats with mashed banana, blueberries, blackberries and a drizzle of honey with a cup of coffee with half and half and a little honey for sweetness
Lunch- whole wheat pita stuffed with pinto beans, avacado, tomato, low-fat mozzarella, brown rice and a small side salad with balsamic vinegar
Dinner- Cooking Light's Turkey Bean Soup with a side of broccoli
Snacks- Fage 0% with fruit on top and cucumber slices with homemade hummus

How I got here.

I spent my childhood, and a good portion of my adult life for that matter, in good health and good shape without having to work too hard at it. Having babies changed everything, though. I went from a size six pre-children, to a size ten after number two was born. I was upset for a while, then I just accepted it and moved on. I would work out off and on, but I never stuck with any routine. I was a total Coca-cola addict. My diet was terrible. I would eat fast food several times a week in addition to take out for dinners a few times a week. I'm actually surprised that I hadn't gained more weight than I did.

My wake-up call came in two phases. Phase one occurred on January 23, 2010. I took my older daughter (four years old) to a diving competition at my alma mater- UGA. For some reason she is obsessed with platform diving. She says that she will be a diver some day, but she also wants to have a career at Pet Supplies Plus, so only time will tell. I sat in the stands at the swim and dive meet and watched in awe as these talented athletes showed off their amazing work. I had a wonderful time, but there was a nagging feeling that I couldn't shake after the meet. Watching all the girls walk around so confident in their swimsuits in front of thousands of people made me jealous. I realized that I would rather stab knives in my ears than appear anywhere in public in a swimsuit. I decided that I had to do something, but I didn't just want to half-ass it like I had done countless times before.

I looked up my local YMCA where I had canceled my membership 1.5 years before. I felt like it was meant to be! They where running a special through the end of January where they would waive the initiation fee, which was one of the things preventing me from re-joining. I didn't want to put money into something if I wasn't going to follow through with it. I joined and worked out that same day. I managed 30 minutes on the elliptical, after which I felt like I would puke. I know that I must have been seriously out of shape then because I was using zero resistance, and I almost didn't make it. I got up the next morning and went again, and again, and again. I made myself do it. It was so hard! I really wanted to stay in bed every morning, but I felt too guilty to not go.

I slowly worked my way up to 40 minutes on the elliptical, then at the one month mark, I hit 50 minutes with a little resistance added here and there. The pounds started coming off slowly but surely. I started out in January at 179 pounds, 35 inches in my waist and 39 inches around my hips. As of today, I weigh 153 pounds, 27 inches in my waist, and 35 inches in my hips. The transformation has been amazing, but I have a ways to go still.

Tomorrow I will post phase two of my wake-up call.