I stopped by the Y yesterday to clean out my locker and remove my name from Dad’s account - and couldn’t resist jumping on the scale one last time. It’s the same scale I was using to keep track of my weight loss. Sure I found one at Target and at the dr’s office, but I know it’s best to stick with one scale since every one can read slightly different.

I took this picture about a month ago - after friends saw it, they commented on how they could tell I lost weight - always a great thing!

And I’ve kept my 20 pounds off! I am wearing a very loose size 16! I am so excited because I have a closet full of size 16 stuff, 16 and 14. I tried on 14s just last night at Target and though they zip up and button fine, they are tight enough I didn’t buy any. But how awesome! I don’t remember being able to fit a size 14 since college which was 8 years ago.

I plan on keeping up watching what I’m eating and buying some kind of exercise machine once we get settled. Chris gave our elliptical away during the packing up of our house so I want to get a treadmill but we aren’t sure how big our house will be. Maybe a treadmill won’t fit with the rest of our stuff. I’m excited about losing a little more weight - I feel great and hey, who doesn’t love shopping!

We are leaving tomorrow to begin the trip to Texas, our next home. We’ll be there by the fourth of July and look forward to cooking out and blowing up fireworks with Chris.

We are at week 8!

photo credit: PPDIGITAL

I have lost 20 pounds! That was a couple of weeks ago when I was last able to jump on a scale (thanks Target for keeping your scales in a private area so I could check without other shoppers checking me out). I am still wearing my size smaller and the clothes are fitting me perfectly. I went shopping early last week to get a few things to wear when I went to see my husband. I discovered that when he was packing our things, he gave our elliptical machine to our neighbors. That did not make me happy but on the other hand it’s okay because I know they will put it to good use and now I can get a treadmill!

I just got back last night from Rhode Island where my husband was attending his school, graduation was last Friday. We did a lot of walking around and I tried to continue to eat well. We did do as much walking as I wish we did - it was mostly while we walked around town vs going for a walk once we got back to where we were staying.

I’m excited to keep this up! My next goal is to lose 15 pounds.

photo credit: bdunnette

I found out just a couple of hours ago that I have lost a pants size!

This has not totally sunk into my brain just yet. I ran to Target real quick with my brother and the kids (his and mine) with the intent of buying a couple of tv shows on dvd and looking for sandals for Alice. Of course they had nothing I went for and we walked out with flip flops, not sandals. I’m not that thrilled because we are around all boys - she and I are the only girls since my brother has all boys - and they are outside all the time. You can’t really play all day in flip flops. I’m sure they will be a wear when we go somewhere or when we are in the house kind of shoes.

Anyway, I grabbed a pair of pants to try on - a size smaller then I’ve been wearing - and tried them on real quick. And they fit. So thrilling!

I still haven’t been able to work out at the gym but I am going to start walking around more. My Dad has a large yard and I could go walking around that - the kids are still playing the walking game we came up with a few weeks ago and I’m sure they’d be happy to have a new one.

I’m not sure how much weight I’ve lost as I haven’t been on a scale in a couple of weeks. I finally remembered how much I weighed when we left the south and since we have left in the middle December I’ve lost 17 pounds, as of that couple of weeks ago. I’m sure I lost a few more pounds since then and I look forward to going to the gym in a few days to verify that!

Mommyfest has started! I’m excited about this event being put on by Marie Ynami. This is the fifth year for her event and she is running several contests. First up we have a five things about this mom meme!

* I will be 30 in a month (from today!).
* In the next two years I will move at least twice, maybe three times.
* I’ve lost almost 20 pounds in the past four months.
* I hate birth control pills because of the hormones.
* I love shopping - even though most of the time it is window shopping.

I am very happy to say I have lost six pounds!

I had lost four, then went off the diet plan, then went back on it and a week after being on it I’m down six. Six from the start, not six plus four. That’s okay though, I am happy to have lost at all. I have been doing great following the meal plan though I did get a spring cold and plan on eating a few oranges to get some vitamin C in me.

Still no Y workout but that’s where I weighed myself and I really can’t want until I get back there. I miss it and would love to be able to get back every day.

I feel great.

After being back on the south beach plan for the past week, I am doing so good. I had a plan and have stuck to it. Sure I may have given in here or there, but it’s like a half a bagel vs the entire thing so I forgive myself. Or I don’t hold it against myself, whichever.

I still haven’t made it to the Y but I’ve been active with the kids - I made up a fun run for them last week. We ran around a section of the yard and did funny things like pick up a big leaf and then drop it and watch it fall, or stopped at the gate and counted the bars on it, and when we ran by the truck we had to touch the mirror - my short three year old nephew couldn’t do it though so he was frustrated. But it was fun! The weather goes from cold one day to really nice the next so we are just taking advantage when we can.

I am going to the Y tomorrow and will have a scale check. It’s been a while for that! But my clothes are fitting awesome. Nothing is tight and a couple pairs of jeans are loose/baggy. It really annoys me to have baggy clothes, not that I want them super tight, but they need to fit right! I’m not going shopping for at least another week or so - I doubt I’ll lose a size or such by then, but I don’t want to continue losing weight and have whatever I wear to Chris’ graduation be too big or not look right.

So yay! I’m doing awesome - I feel great - I’m getting exercise even if it isn’t at the Y. I am interested in seeing the scale because I know the number has moved but really, I’m excited to go shopping later. I love trying on clothes after having lost weight.

How are you doing?

I am back on track. I took time last week to feel sorry for myself that I gained the weight back - but of course I was going to if I wasn’t exercising every day and also not eating that great. And I did give up trying to follow the diet plan I started.

Well today is a new week and I have a new plan. I am back on South Beach starting today. Even if I can’t get to the Y every day, I am going to exercise at home. I found a few exercises to do and I realize that if I don’t train to run, I won’t be able to do the graduation run. I meant to keep that a surprise for Chris but ended up telling him las week. He said if I run, cool, if not no biggie. I really wanted to run to surprise him so I know I should have not said anything.

Really my long term goal is not to become a runner. It is to lose weight. I know I eat healthy already so I am back to using my spark people page to keep track of calories - not to keep myself limited, but to ensure I am getting enough! I need to exercise to be able to lose weight and build muscle. It snowed yesterday and is supposed to until Wednesday so I don’t see us going for a walk - but maybe we will, the cold will give us incentive to move!

We don’t have a scale at home and I haven’t been to the Y since last week - I talked to my cousin who works at the Y and was told lots of kids are still being sent home sick, I really want to avoid that for my kids. I know I have not gained any more weight, but I haven’t lost anything either. I’m going to try to get to the Y so I can at least weigh myself and find out the number so that update will come later.

I have felt discouraged since last week. I have no idea why since I have lost a few pounds and I was doing great working out every day. But I ended up skipping the Y three of five days last week - effectively only working out twice. Well three times if you count walking a mile here at Dad’s place. I made great time on that one because I was upset so I walked as fast as I could without running and burned that energy rather then acting out.

I weighed in today to find I have gained three pounds. I was very disappointed - for a few minutes. My pants are still loose (if not looser then last Monday) and maybe it’s muscle I’m gaining and fat I’m losing. At least that’s what I’m telling myself.

I had to force myself to go to the Y today. I just did not want to go at all and did not have any interest in working out, getting sweaty, none of it. Once there I did twenty minutes on the treadmill - a good, slow warm up, and then running for six minutes (yay one more then last time I ran!) and a good cool down. Today was also a strength training day and I had a good workout on the machines. Even though I stretched afterward, I feel a little bit sore this evening. That may be because I did two reps rather then just one after a long time since last doing any or because I didn’t play basketball like I was. After I was done I just wanted to get out of there so I skipped the sauna/steam room though I wanted to sit in one of them today.

Starting tomorrow I am cutting out bread from my diet. I had a hard time following South Beach simply because I was restricted and for some reason when I am told no you can’t have that - all of a sudden that’s what I want! I know I will lose weight following the plan but making up meals or a menu plan was too much for me to handle while thinking about working out and running and taking care of kids.

At least I am going back to workout out every day. I’m going to reevaluate next Monday because I know I am not eating poorly.

After a week of doing what I thought would work with running on the treadmill, I finally realized maybe this isn’t the way to do it. Sometimes it’s trial and error right?

Well I did what anyone with a track coach for a college roommate would do - emailed her, then bugged her on IM until she said she’d call me. After catching up on the latest gossip in each others lives she gave me a workout routine to follow.

I was supposed to start yesterday, but I skipped the Y, so I started today instead. I figure I’ll make up for skipping over the weekend. I’m running on the treadmill and I figure I’ll work my way up to running on the indoor track they have, but the family run I am shooting for is outside.

So my routine is to warm up for a few minutes, three to four, and then run at whatever pace I can do for five minutes. I am just starting out so today I ran for five minutes at a 4 mph - which I think is a 15 minute mile. I did great the first 3 - 3:30 minutes - then I started thinking I am not giving up, I am doing five minutes because I will run that family run.

After the five minutes was up I did a four minute cool down then moved on to strength training. I’m not sure when I am going to up my minutes running or the mph but I’m set to email her tonight so I’ll keep you posted.

I do need a new pair of shoes - I’ve been running/working out with the shoes I wear every day and I know that’s not smart. I’m going looking this week for cross trainers - I’d like to be able to run/walk and play basketball and I don’t want a specific shoe for any of those activities.

I am still so happy over losing four pounds!

I also have been

doing cardio every day
strength training three times a week
drinking plenty of water
only having one portion at meals (no seconds)
only weighing myself once a week
more active with my kids
telling others what I am doing and having them motivate me

And I gave my college roommate a call to ask about how to train to make that mile and a half in fifteen minutes. She’s a track coach now and ran track since at least high school (if not before) through college. She had some great tips for me and I’m emailing her every day to let her know my progress, how I feel, etc. I will run that mile and a half!