28 Weeks. Picture Day!

If pictures could say a thousand words, than my before pictures are screaming and begging for help. It actually saddens me to see how I truly let myself go. I thought that taking the updated pictures would not show that much of a difference. I mean, I still feel vulnerable taking them, I still am self-conscious about my weight, but good Lord am I in such a different place mentally and physically taking them. If my pictures today could speak, they would let out one huge hell of a sigh of relief. My bones are thanking me, my joints are squeaky clean, and my skin is trying to do me a favor and tighten up as much as possible. This week, although I did weigh myself, I am going to let the pictures speak for me about my weigh in. I think about the rough month on October, when I felt nothing was really changing. And then I look to the huge month I had in November, where my body finally caught up to the weight loss in a good way. I still feel a little awkward about people asking me about my progress, like a microscope is being put on various parts of my body, but then I realized, these people are asking ME for ADVICE on how to do it! WOW. I am now recommending to them to read my blog. :) The 1st question is always 'what's your diet' and my response is 'living a healthy lifestyle without dieting.' 

Anyways, there's my little tidbit...now onto the main event for the week...PICTURES (not w/ santa haha). And, as promised, sans makeup and sans sucking in!

Before:

6 months later (front):

Well, the front shots are definitely a slimmer version of me. I couldn't decide which picture showed best, so you get both.

Side shot before:

 6 months later (side):

Ok, in my opinion, this side shot shows the most progress. I actually want to cry when I look at the before shot, but truth hurts. And look how far I've come with that truth. Now my truth is so much better.

Back shot before: 

Back shot 6 months later:

Look at my arms-mucho bettero. And a few rolls are missing. I won't be missing those!

Overall, I am happy and pleased going into Christmas. I'll be snowboarding, hiking, and sledding over the holidays in the Rockies so I'm hoping to not gain anything over the break and at least stay where I'm currently at. Sound good? Yep!

Have a very Merry Christmas everyone. And please stay fit & stay healthy over the holidays. It's not worth the guilt afterwards!

Love w/ ALLLLL of my bum,

CH

p.s. weigh-in: what do you think of my 6 month pictures compared to my 1st day? What do you notice that I might not?

Week 27-Holidays are almost here

With the holidays just around the corner, I thought I'd use this post to talk about ways to trick yourself into not eating EVERY option placed before you at holiday parties. With all the smells and bells, it's probably the most difficult time of the year to not snack. On average, Americans gain 1-2 pounds over the holidays. The problem is that many people never work it off but simply add to their weight. Let's work on preventing that.

Alcohol: Limit yourself. Try drinking a glass of water before you consume any beverage and have another glass of water afterwards. This will make your stomach feel full faster as well as balance out the dehydration properties of alcohol. Also, try grabbing a glass of wine and enjoying the flavor by nursing it for awhile instead of taking shots or drinking fruity cocktails that taste so good, it's like drinking flavored water. 

Working out: Try to get in a workout a few hours before the party. That way, health is already on your mind and you will be less likely to blow the popsicle stand when you just spent all this effort trying to shed calories. Also, make a plan for your workout the next day in the morning. This will help aid in you not going to sleep too late and staying out later to drink.

Nibbles: You know I advocate bringing your own snacks and having that while others gorge on cheeseballs, fried finger foods, fudge, etc. I also advocate bringing a healthy option hor d'ouerve. With so many healthier options out there, make one less temptation for yourself and others by bringing something guilt-free. Trust me, people will honestly appreciate having a healthy choice. 

The meal: If your meal is buffet style, start 1st with veggies & salads. Make it almost uncomfortably tight for your mac & cheese to sneak it's way all over your tray. Limit yourself to one plate and allow yourself 2nds only in the healthy options. Try to sit far away form the buffet line and also try to sit with people you know are either picky eaters or working on a healthier lifestyle too. It helps when you aren't sitting next to people that go back for 3rds. If there is a kid's size plate-try that 1st. Planning on having dessert too? Eat slower and cut that pie slice at least in half. Trust me, you'll thank me later. Don't forget that just with the alcohol, drink as much water as possible in between food types and you'll feel fuller faster and will eat less. Served dinners are usually easy to monitor, so just take your time and you should be fine.

So onto the weigh-in this week:

Weight Day One: 207.8

Percent of Body Fat: 44.3%

BMI: 34.2

Water Weight: 40.6%

Weeks to Meet Goal: 73

Weight Today: 167.8

Percent of Body Fat: 35.6%

BMI: 27.6

Water Weight: 47%

Weeks to Meet Goal: 33

I gained a pound this week but I am actually ok with that. I busted my bum in the gym right after weighing in this morning and I felt like I pushed it extra hard so as to start this next week out better. As the holidays near, I am also going to try to get in as much extra gym time as possible so that I won't guilt myself on days that too many functions prevent me from getting in a run or gym.

And, as promised, a few shots of my facial weight loss progress!

June 2011

December 2011

Holy Crapola! Do you see how HUGE and PLUMPY my face was?! WHOA WHOA WHOA. It's crazy to see them next to each other. Well, there is progress if I ever saw it :) And look, I have chin curves as in, you can see my chin and it's bone structure. I seriously cannot believe I was such a jiggly-puff. It's one thing when you avoid mirrors and you get this 'vision' of how you think you look (it's all in perspective) but seeing the change point blank is eye opening. I'm so proud of how far I've come but I am also embarrassed that I let myself get like that to begin with. Ahh, how nice it is to say goodbye to that person I no longer recognize or identify with.


Feel free to post some before/after shots in the comments-or email them to me-I would LOVE to highlight you and your successes!!

Have a wonderful & healthy week!

Love w/ all my bum,
CH

1/2 a year later, the glass is half full. 6 months

Can you believe that it's been SIX whole months already?! Amazing. In six months I feel like I have endured and accomplished so much. I never would've guessed in June that by December I'd be running a 15K, will have gained warrior status and be 40ish pounds lighter. Incredible.

This week, I had to face the music that not everyone would be happy for me. I never thought that this transformation would affect anyone else in a negative way, but I guess they don't call it drama for no reason. Some of you may already know that my beloved running buddy and I (my neighbor of whom I have spoken about on here) have called it quits on one another. I finally had to break ties and depend on myself to accomplish my goals. I think this is for the best because now no one can pass my victories off as their own personal accomplishments. Aside from that, I no longer have to hear horrible, hurtful comments throughout this process from her.

For example:
1. "I can't run your pace anymore because it's too slow that it hurts my knees"
2. "Running with you always feels like an accomplishment to me because I know that you are struggling and I could do circles around you in the same run"
3. "You do not acknowledge the fact that I took time and effort out of my day to make you run harder, faster and longer. You wouldn't have been able to do it without me"

If you EVER EVER run across someone who will put doubt in your head about yourself while you are working towards something healthy and positive---RUN away as fast as you can. Although I am deeply hurt by these comments, they also give me fuel. This horrible experience has given me a great lesson about setting goals and doing them solo as well as helping me recognize that it's not just the "shoulder's" that can guilt you about being healthy. There will always be someone who will talk negatively about your progress-especially if they are not accomplishing anything on their end. This situation will be an overall healing process but I think any decent person will end up on the right side of things eventually. Overall, I am ready to come up for air with the clean break.

So onto the Hot Chocolate 15K. What an experience. I had the greatest support system yet at this run and I was pretty emotional while running the second half of the run.

My supporters decorated my home and car "Run like you stole something!" haha

I just couldn't believe I got up at 5 am and was running 9.3 miles. Cold weather, long waits, narrow path, etc. just didn't seem to matter as I ran because the bigger picture was that I had signed up for something I didn't personally believe I could do 2 months ago, trained for it and yet, there I was running it with ease.

Half way point

I think the best part was that I didn't feel tired while running and I barely felt sore. It was as if I was MEANT to be running it.

My bum running!

 I may not have been the fastest person there...but I laced up, showed up, and finished strong.

Emotional Finish!

The best part was finishing, the second best part was pacing an 11 minute mile the entire time. In my long distance runs while training, I never did better than a 12 min mile and some change. And yet, race day comes and I run a minute per mile faster?!

Heck yea, I did it!

And then we had some chocolate fondue!

Who wouldn't be excited about chocolate fondue afterwards?! But for the record, it's much better to run for beer!

WOW! Another cool thing was that I already feel ready to look to the next step: a whopping half marathon. That's some serious business. 13.1 miles my friends. I'm thinking late Spring, early Summer with a few smaller races in between to keep me focused.

And now for the main event. Drum roll please: Week 26 breakdown!

Weight 6 months ago
Weight Day One: 207.8

Percent of Body Fat: 44.3%

BMI: 34.2

Water Weight: 40.6%

Weeks to Meet Goal: 73

Weight Week 26: 166.8 (down 41 lbs)

Percent of Body Fat: 36.5% (down 7.8%)

BMI: 27.4 (down 6.8 pts)

Water Weight: 46.3% (up 1.3%)

Weeks to Meet Goal: 36

I've surpassed the big 4-0! This feels great! I am so happy for this next mini goal being reached. And for November's goal to lose 10 lbs. I was so very close to making it...but missed the mark by a pound. Pooey. Close enough for grenades in my book.

As I look to the next six months, it would be great to accomplish the half-marathon, be almost bikini ready, and feeling more full of energy and positivity than I have the first 6 months. Also I very much want my BMI in NORMAL range (under 25 points). As I look back on the past six months, it has been a rollercoaster of getting used to the newness in my life. I hope that my hubby will now climb on board the healthy lifestyle train along with me as that will make eating around the house that much easier. I also intend to cook more homemade meals and eat more veggies. 

On the road to success

Next week, I'll post some updated bikini pictures (woof) so you can see the difference over the past 3 months. I'll also show you a picture of me and my starting out pair of jeans. Speaking of jeans-I now fit in a size 10 (started at a tight 16) and I even have a pair of size 8 jeans that I can zip! Oh yea!

 

I sympathize with the hippo but cannot wait to NOT be a hippo anymore!

I cannot thank you all enough for offering me real support, being real friends, and being genuinely proud of my accomplishments. 

Here's to the next 6 months bum followers!

Love w/ all my bum

CH

Goodbye November and 25 @ 25 weeks

As 25 closed to an end, so did my age of 25. This week I not only celebrated Thanksgiving, but also celebrated my birthday. I was actually pretty decent in my eating habits over the events and felt great to not be amongst the average American who consumes 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving Day. It's difficult to imagine stuffing all that food down my throat and even more horrific to think that the average American DOES. Wow...this, my friends, is the society we live in. Fact.

Let's hop right into the weigh-in:

Weight Day One: 207.8

Percent of Body Fat: 44.3%

BMI: 34.2

Water Weight: 40.6%

Weeks to Meet Goal: 73

Weight Week 25: 170.6 (down 37.2 lbs)

Percent of Body Fat: 36.8% (down 7.5%)

BMI: 28 (down 6.2 pts)

Water Weight: 46.1% (up 1.1%)

Weeks to Meet Goal: 36

My overall analysis for a little bit of weight gain this week is taking a break from strength training for a week as well as having 4 days off from cardio. But, I will say that I am pumped in the sense that I did not eat terribly and have affirmation in that what I do to get fit works. 

Looking forward to my 26th year, it would be great to be in a place that has me fit in all aspects of my life. And there really is no better time than the present. After I complete the Hot Chocolate 15K this weekend, I'm likely going to start looking for a half-marathon to register for the late-spring/early summer. For those non-runners, a half-marathon is 13.1 miles while a full-marathon is 26.2 miles and pretty much everything else aside from Iron mans, triathlons, etc. is always a numbered K (for kilometers ran) like 5K, 8K, 10K, and 15K. It would be cool to do a destination run (maybe somewhere by the beach) but doing something around the DC monuments would also be a great experience. I think it's funny that I am already looking for the next distance goal-we'll see how I feel after this 15K! And I would be proud to say I ran a half...not everyone does that and it seems like there is a large step between 15K and 13.1 miles, even though it's 4ish miles more. I running circles and chat, I have felt like a non-runner because "anyone can train and do a 5K in a month" and "it only takes a little training to do a 15K." To the non-runner, that totally sounds like crap but for some reason, in a runner's world, a 9 miler is clearly a warm up. This is not to discount my achievement when I finish on Saturday, but it does give a glimpse of what it means to be a 'runner' and in most cases I have found the group to be somewhat snobby. "Oh yes, I did that half awhile ago and it was a decent run" -they say. Haha. If any sport could be pompous, I'd never say running would be my 1st pick, but it is slowly changing! I cannot help but feel there is always this looming judgement placed on you by your pace, tempo, overall time, and personal record (PR). Well, I'll tell you what-THAT part of running is not for me. But I do respect this hidden sense of competition between everyone. Say I ran 5 miles today, a runner would tell me they did a 6 miler on Tuesday. It's the land of one-uppers and it's a combination of frustration and amusement to 'get it.' And then I realized that dedicated runners do it solo. No one makes you pound the pavement across the finish line  at the end of the day except for yourself. You can run with groups, etc. to help motivate you but all in all-running is about the personal experience. This is such a foreign concept for me because I have always played team sports. In team sports, everything I did was to benefit the whole. My personal accomplishments were for everyone. Hit a grand slam and 4 people get home and your entire team gets points. Slam dunk-a great shot by me and 2 points on the board for my teammates. PR on a race and I feel great-no one else. This sport is a completely different mindset and learning it's jargon, etc. is interesting. This sport is also challenging in that it's truly the first sport I've ever had to work at to be good at. I thrived inn team sports back in the day and this new challenge is really motivating me to master it. The best part is is that over the course of the next year, I will get better and better...but eventually everyone in running hits their peak. For example, as time goes on, you don't take minutes off your run to where you started at 10 minute mile and over 10 years eventually get to a 1 minute mile. There is a ceiling for everyone and knowing that makes me feel less overwhelmed by this new community of 'snobby' runners. I can see a runner and know that no matter how hard they try, it's natural ability and talent that makes someone a star athlete. And that's where my most profound respect comes for runners: to know that after a certain point, you cannot do any better and yet they still go at it, still try, still run. That is incredible. 

Anyways, I cannot wait for my run this weekend as you can tell from my entire dialogue previously about the sport! I am blessed that this time around I will have some of the greatest support I have ever had from a group of people. 

As for next week-I'll let you all know how the race went (even though I could care less about my time but more about me doing the run without walking at all!). I'm also do for some picture updates so I'll either get those to you next week or the following. 

Love w/ all my bum,

CH