Blog away the weight!

It's no big secret on this blog that I've been on a major weight loss and exercise kick, so imagine my excitement when I found the Blog The Weight Away competition over at 4BabyAndMom!

Even more exciting, I was picked to join the black team which is being thrown into the competition which has already started, as a FUN twist! woo hoo!

Lets start off by saying that I've already lost 41 pounds! I started this whole process back in July when I began running using the Couch to 5k program which I absolutely adored and highly recommend! As the summer progressed I ran in a few 5k races and then started training for a 10k race in November. Unfortunately I injured my foot a few weeks prior to the race but I did get to the point where I was running 6 miles a day for a few weeks and it felt amazing!

I should preface this intro by saying that when I met my hubs I was a svelte 135 pounds, I ran 6 miles a day like it was nothing. So getting back to a point where I could run that far again was a huge accomplishment for me. HUGE!!

I started gaining weight right around the time I married the hubs. I had endometriosis so in order to protect my fertility the doc suggested I use birth control until I wanted to conceive but skip the sugar pills... basically I was hormoned up for 2 years... and boy oh boy did it wreak havoc on my body. Add to that, a new desk job where I sat all day complete with a corporate career too demanding to allow time for the gym and then a baby girl, and bam! I ballooned up! And when I say ballooned I mean up to.. egads, am I gonna say it? Yup.... Up to 252 pounds!

I wish I could say this was an all time high for me.. but its not. In 2000, I weighed in at 270 pounds! and I started a diet then and began exercising (and later running) losing a total of 135 pounds... (shortly after that I met the hubs).

ps do the math, if you do, you'll notice I lost myself in weight 270-135=135

I think that's the most frustrating part for me. I lost all that damn weight and then gained it all back! Urgh!!! Oh the work it took, and it went right down the tubes!

But here I am, back on the wagon so to speak. And I've learned a lot along the way. For starters, I eat way less when I exercise. I'm sure it has something to do with all those wonderful endorphins your body releases during workouts... and it replaces all those wonderful endorphins you get out of a brownie or a cupcake.

Second, I LOVE LOVE LOVE to run.. addicted almost... unfortunately I'm not running now. I am an outdoor runner and running in Northern NH in January just isn't feasible. I do however own a fabulous elliptical machine. I use it 4-5 days a week on the high resistance programs for an hour. I burn 1000 calories doing so which is pretty darn good. My overall goal with running however, is to start again this spring with training and run a half marathon by this fall, and by next fall to run a full marathon... I like lofty goals. :)

Third, its hella harder to lose weight when your in your 30's, the rumors are true! I lost those 135 lbs in my 20's in 10 months. 10 MONTHS! This time around its been just about 6 and I've only lost 40. I have not however been dieting. I eat what I want, including cookies or whatever, and I've still lost that weight. So my new game plan includes calorie counting.. I hate to do it but I do think the weight will come off faster... and eventually once my stomach shrinks, I won't want to eat my foot off (kidding, sorta).

So there is my intro... every week on Wednesday I'll be here to give you my weigh in during which I'll disclose my weight and measurements (no matter how painful) and then I'll hop on over to my teammates pages to give them encouragement and congrats!

Here's to happy weight loss success!

Today's Stats:
Weight: 211.8 lbs
Measurements: 43/39/47
Total Lost from Start: 41 lbs
Total Lost during competition: Just starting!


On to the pictures!

Here is today at 40lbs lost.

And this is last night... I had this bridesmaid dress in my closet and it fit again so I couldnt' resist trying it on :)



This summer before I started


The Goal!