After months of sweating and starvation... Challenge Complete

Well, I did it.  I committed the most I ever will to working out and eating healthy.  Here is what I learned...

1.  The only way I will ever have a six pack is in the beer form.
2.  I LOVE food.  It's true.  I LOVE it so much.  Both healthy and unhealthy, but that whole 500 calorie thing will be reserved to pre-wedding crash diets when I have to fit into a bridesmaid dress.
3.  You can't work out for a couple of weeks and then stop and think you are going to have the same body - it has to be a lifestyle.
4.  Because of #2 and #3 - the most important lesson in fitness, and really all of life is BALANCE.

I didn't reach my weight goal, but that is okay.  Apparently 128 is my personal best at this age unless I do something unhealthy like the Beyonce Maple Syrup diet.  But, I am stronger then I have ever been in my life, I look better now then I did when I was 20 and over all I just feel healthy.

Logan and I are committed to this new lifestyle.  I will continue to do some form of exercising 3-4 days a week.  (Come on, that is really all that is realistic.)  And when I am not 'exercising' I will be staying active from working on the house, cleaning, taking the dog on 30 minute walks, etc.  I will continue to cook more meals at home and make healthy snacks vs. eating out and getting convenient treats.  With that said, I will not feel bad about enjoying my cheat meals.  I just won't do it 5 days in a row like I used to.

The next blog, although will be a little late, will be my before and after photos side by side.  I don't have a Victoria Secret career in my future, but for the first time in my life I can honestly say that I am comfortable in my own skin.  I'm not ashamed of the figure I have been given and am happy with the way I look.  It took me 29 years to say that (wow that was the first time I've typed 29 - that felt weird.)

I saw this quote on my new obsession, Pinterest.  (If you haven't discovered Pinterest, good!  It will consume your free time!)  As I read it, I realized I was guilty of all the things it said NOT to do - now I am proud to say I LOVE all of these things about me now because they make me, me. This truth has made me a better wife, better friend and most importantly a happier version of me.  If you don't love yourself and all of your imperfections,  I highly suggest taking a good hard look at yourself in the mirror and don't stop staring until you see all the beauty looking back at you.  That is such a great freedom that no one can take away from us.

Run Forrest Run

One of my motivators to lose the weight and get in shape was I signed up for a 1/2 marathon back in January.  I found one that took place on my birthday which I thought was perfect.  That is until it got closer to my birthday and realized I was not nearly as prepared as I wanted to be and the weather forecast looked like this:

 

As each day passed leading up to the race the forecast got worse and worse.  Severe thunder storms warning, possibility for hail, 80% rain.  It wasn't looking good.  I canceled my hotel room in Clearwater that I booked for the night before the race and decided maybe it just wasn't meant to be.  A few of my runner friends heard that I might not participate because of the fear of weather and they talked me out of it.  They all said I should go anyways and make the decision that morning rather than assuming the worst.  

I didn't make my decision until the night before the race.  I was refreshing the weather report every 10 minutes to see if there was any news about the next day that was different than what I just saw.  Logan and I ordered a pizza and as I ate the first slice I had to make a decision.  Do I say forget the race and just indulge in half a pizza and some ice cold beer or do I just eat one slice, a salad and get my butt to bed early?  I chose to Run!  I got a good stretching session in thanks to my P90X video and was in bed by 9 to get a good night sleep.  Rain or Shine - I'm running tomorrow morning!

We got up at 5 a.m. to feed the dog, get ready and get out the door down to Clearwater beach.  Surprisingly there isn't a lot of traffic that early on a Sunday morning.  We found parking and got over to Coachmen park.  Their was a nice breeze keeping it a little cool and clear skies.  I can't believe I almost didn't come.  I would be kicking myself for weeks if I missed this.  Just before the race began they called out all the runners celebrating a birthday.  I got to hear hundreds of women sing happy birthday to me just before taking off which was a very cool experience.

And we're off.  I found a pace group that I ran with in the beginning to help keep my speed down.  I  have a tendency to run too fast in the beginning and I am dead half way through the run.  I was keeping a great pace and felt amazing.  I felt like I was ready for this race.  Already my time was better than the other half marathon I ran.  My confidence level was high.  That quickly changed after 6 miles in.  I was almost at the half way point when the moister that had been collecting in my shoes through out the run from the misty rain I had been experiencing had rubbed a blister on the bottom of my foot which was now open.  Man was that painful!  I had to slow down and try walking a little in an effort to not make it worse.  

I kept going and was able to keep my pace where I wanted it.  I still felt good about my time and how I felt, despite my foot.  Then I got to mile 11.  By the time I got to mile 11 I was feeling pretty worn out.  This was more than I have ran during my training and the brief rain showers I experienced up to now was getting to me a little bit.  This is when the course took me to a bridge.  Really?  At mile 11, now you want me to run over a bridge?  You have to be kidding me.  I make my way up and the skies opened and it just started down pouring.  This was a heavy rain and I couldn't see ahead of me.  The winds brought it in sideways on my face.  This was miserable.

The rain cleared up by the time I got to mile 12 and I was able to finish the race.  I felt fantastic.  It was the perfect way to end the 3 months of dedication I've had to working out and eating healthy.  I have decided though, that I am going to hang up my long distance sneakers and stick to shorter runs.  I will continue to run 5 k distances throughout the week all year to keep me in shape and I will make a 10 k the longest race I will participate in.  

Now for a quick shout out - Logan was a trooper.  He volunteered to run beside me during most of the race.  He did not know when he volunteered that this was an all woman's race.  Regardless, because he loves me and it was my birthday, I had my number 1 fan keeping me company during the majority of the run.  He pushed me and encouraged me the whole way and I wouldn't have enjoyed the experience without him.  This race has motivated him to train for a full marathon, and while I will not commit to running beside him the way he did for me, I will be there the whole way cheering him on at the sidelines!

I'm struggling!

So March was a hard month for me.  I would like to blame it on the fact that I was very busy, had lots of weekend commitments that made it hard to make healthy choices and work out, but the truth is, that is not an excuse.  I am not down as much as I would like to be but I have 22 days until my birthday and dang it, I will get to my goal.  Here are the stats:

March 1st:
Weight      131.6
Wrist            5.5
Waist          30.5 inches
Hips           36 inches
Forearm       7 inches
Thigh          19 inches
Bicep          10 inches
Chest         35 inches


April 1st:
Weight      128
Wrist           5.5 inches
Waist          30.5 inches
Hips           36 inches
Forearm       7 inches
Thigh          19 inches
Bicep          10 inches
Chest         34.5 inches 


Body Fat:  26.78
Percentage Lost:  12.45


So no real change in my body this month, but I was able to drop a few lbs.  I am down a total of 18lbs which is great but I am not there yet.


Goals for May 1st:  (Let's see if I can achieve it!)

Weight      125
Wrist           5.5 inches
Waist          28 inches
Hips            34 inches
Forearm       7 inches
Thigh          18 inches
Bicep          10 inches

Chest         34 inches 

1st month into P90X done... a long way to go!

I just completed my first month of P90X and am proud of how far I have already come, but am realizing how far I need to go.  The hardest challenge was figuring out a new eating style.  I went from 500 calories a day to regular eating and am needing to find a balance of increased calories without the increased fat.  I should have lost more weight then I did if I stuck to my diet better.  However, I am still down from where I was last month both in weight and in inches so I consider it to be a win.  Here are the stats:

February 1st:
Weight      132.6
Wrist            5.5
Waist          32 inches
Hips           37 inches
Forearm       7 inches
Thigh          19.75 inches
Bicep          10 inches
% Body Fat  27.14%
% Fat Loss     9.30%


March 1st:
Weight      131.6
Wrist            5.5
Waist          30.5 inches
Hips           36 inches
Forearm       7 inches
Thigh          19 inches
Bicep          10 inches

% Body Fat  26.78%
% Fat Loss     9.99%

Goals for March:
Be more consistent with sticking to the work out routine.  Actually get up in the morning rather then depending on doing it in the evenings.
Be more consistent with the diet.  One cheat day a week which includes alcohol and that is it.
Way less carbs and sugar
Keep a food log more consistently

If I keep those goals in March I know I can be where I want to be with weight loss and inches.  Less then 7 lbs to go!

Step 2: P90X and 1/2 Marathon Training

HGC is complete!  It has officially been a month of doing the HGC diet.  I was warned before I began that it wouldn't be easy, and they were not lying.  30 days of extreme dieting (500 calories per day,) no alcohol, and a daily shot are very trying.  However it was worth it.  I feel good about where I am with my weight as I start my hard core training over the next 3 months.  Here is how I ended up after month 1:

Starting Stats

Weight:  146.2

Waist:  37

Hips:  42

Forearm:  8

Thigh:  21

Bicep:  11

Chest:  37

Stats after 30 Days

Weight:  132.6  (Down 13.6)

Waist:  32 (Down 5 inches)

Hips:  37.5  (Down 4.5 inches)

Forearm:  7  (Down 1 inch)

Thigh:  19.75  (Down 1.25 inches)

Bicep:  10  (Down 1 inch)

Chest:  35  (Down 2 inches)

Most importantly though I went from a size 6 to a size 4!  Whoo Hoo!

I am nervous about my increase in calorie counts but hopefully I remember to maintain the portions I have over the past month.  It seems that portion control is the most important when it comes to meals.  My goal is to eat 5 small meals throughout the day and keep a balanced diet.  I will be allowing myself one cheat day a week for alcohol and bad foods otherwise I will not stick with this.

Here are the before pictures as I start P90X.  I can already see a small difference from where I was a month ago, but it is time to TONE.

136 lbs

Step 1: HGC

So there I was, facing reality.  My excuses of 'Italy, New Home, Busy at Work, Holidays' added up to an overweight out of shape woman.  I pulled out the measuring tape, grabbed a scale and took down my starting weight.  Here are the stats:

January 2, 2012:

Weight:  146.2

Waist:  37

Hips:  42

Forearm:  8

Thigh:  21

Bicep:  11

Chest:  37

Now the part I really hate.... the dreaded before picture.  I hate looking at this thing.  All I keep thinking is 'wait until you see the 90 day picture... it will all be worth it.'  I hope...

146.2 lbs.

New Year, New Body

As I get closer and closer to that dreaded 30, I have committed to achieving the goals I set out in my '30 before 30' challenge.  The biggest one (most time consuming) was to get in the best shape of my life.  It is no secret that the older you become, the harder it is to maintain a healthy weight and stay in shape.  Even more challenging once I start breeding the next generation of Bariles in the world.  So I bit the bullet and buckled down.

It shouldn't be that hard right?  Stop eating as much crap and go for a run every once and a while right?  Not for me.  My passion for food has lead me to where I needed to take extreme measures to see real results.  It was going to be a 3 part process.  Step one, HGC diet to shed the excess fat I gained during the holidays.  I'm not looking to get back to my normal weight here, I'm looking to see an extreme difference in my body and I didn't think I should start my challenge with the extra 10 lbs. I consistently gain every December.

Step 2, after dropping the extra weight, start training for a half marathon.  I signed up for the Iron Girl 1/2 Marathon in Clearwater which just so happens to fall on my birthday.  Even more motivation to push me through the next 4 months.

Step 3, P90X.  While training for the half marathon, I am going to be upping my strength training at the same time to hopefully give me the power to push further.

Now, the trick here is that I can't do this alone.  I need an army.  So I started recruiting.  I set up a 3 month weight loss challenge at my office to get all my co-workers on my healthy train.  This prevents extra goodies in our break room and less temptation with happy hours and long lunches.  I then recruited my husband.  Logan is one of those people you hate - he eats fast food 5 times a week and hasn't gained a lb since high school.  However, his lifestyle of crappy food, a lot of alcohol and inactivity has lead him to back pain and consistent heart burn.  He finally hit his breaking point where I could convince him to join me on my quest without much resistance.  This is probably the first time in the almost 10 years I have been around him that I am seeing him lift weights on a regular basis.

The beginning of any diet is pure torture.  Not the change in diet, that was honestly welcomed after my 3 month bender.  But rather, the reality check.  How much damage have I really done?  How bad of shape am I in?  So I took a big swallow, and stepped on my scale.  Eh, this is going to be a lonnnngggg process.