Update

So, I obviously haven't blogged in WAY too long. I have been so goal oriented lately that I need to set a goal to help me keep this going. I think I'll try right now for 2-3 times a week of checking in on here. It will probably make me feel better and keep the few followers I have up-to-date. Well, as of my last appointment, I had lost 99.2 pounds. I was SO hoping for 100 pounds. I was convinced I wouldn't hit it because I needed to lose 5 pounds in one week. I haven't had a 5 pound week for quite some time. So, when I got within 0.8 pounds of my goal, I was devistated. As soon as I weighed and got into the room to wait for the nurse, I started crying. Poor Jill. She didn't know what to think when she came in. She was excited I had lost 4.2 in a week, and she couldn't understand why I was crying. I felt deflated for coming so close yet not quite getting there. Needless to say, I've gained some perspective since last week. I Feel better about where I was, and I know I'm past that 100 pound mark now. I haven't weighed...I have no proof...but I have to be there. I'll find out for sure tomorrow. As for my fitness goals, I am zooming right along with my Couch to 5K. I am past week 9, so I run three-four times a week for at least 30 minutes. Yesterday, I decided to run 3 miles, regardless of how long it took me. I did it, and it took me about 40 minutes. I sure don't run fast, but I'm getting it done. Today I did 2.25 miles in my 30 minutes. I am currently registered for 3 races...a 2 mile on April 7th (Easter Sun Run), a 5K on May 12th (Girls on the Run), and a 5K on July 1st (Color Run). I'm excited for all of them even though I have no idea what to expect. I wish I could say the rest of my fitness goals have been going as well. I SUCK on getting out into the garage to do weights. I was doing really well, but I haven't been out there in a few weeks. I decided last week to do 15-20 minutes on our exercise bike each day. I have only done that twice. Why isn't the rest of it coming as easily as the running? So, I'm proud of how far I've come, but I do get overwhelmed when thinking of how far I still have to go. I'd like to be under 200 pounds by Memorial Day. I can't even believe I just typed that because my weight has never been something I would say out loud (or even think of actually). I know I can hit that mark. I have about 64 more pounds to lose to get to my goal weight. I have no idea if that will be my final total or not. I never weighed myself growing up, so I don't know what I weighed at different times in my life. Well, friends, keep following my progress. Your support means everything to me and gets me through my more difficult days. :)

Products I LOVE!!

Okay, so, my food intake is somewhat limited. Let's be real, it's REALLY limited! :) I can't have so many of the things I loved to have before. It hasn't always been easy, but I have found a few items that I wouldn't want to live without. I hope you try them and love them as much as I do!! **True Lime...This is amazing stuff! I pretty much don't drink water without it! This is calorie and sugar free. It's crystallized limes. I don't understand how they make it, and I'm not sure I care. It's good! You can sprinkle it on food (think Mexican), use it in recipes, or put it in drinks. You have to try this! They also have True Lemon, but I'm a lime lover. I found this product in Dillon's near all the sugar substitutes. My mom said she found it in Wal-Mart with the Kool-Aid and powerdered drinks.

**Fiber Gummies...So, fiber gummies don't sound like that exciting of a product, but they are! Imagine, I LOVE gummy anything, and I can't have sugar anymore. I also have to have 20 or more grams of fiber each day. So, when Jason found these fiber gummies in Target, I thought I was in Heaven. They are sugar free, and 2 gummies have 5 grams of fiber. I love these things! In Target, they are usually on an end-cap near the medicine. I've heard Dillon's has them near all the supplements.

**Low Carb Tortillas...I hadn't had a sandwich or anything like it in weeks. Then the people at Medi told me about these tortillas. They are low cal, low carb, and high fiber. What more can you ask for? They also taste good! They make good wraps, burritos, soft tacos, and quesadillas. I really, really like these! The only place I've been able to find them is Wal-Mart, and when I go, I usually buy 2 packages!!

There are a few other things I could have put on here, but these are the things I would NOT want to be without! :) If you try them, let me know what you think!!

Exercise is HARD!

I wish it was enough to just eat the right way and be healthy. It's not. :) I have enjoyed increasing my steps each day and walking. I sometimes enjoy the strength training I'm doing. I DO NOT enjoy the running I have to do for the Couch to 5K program I'm a part of. Thank goodness my sister and my mom are doing this with me. Misery loves company, right? Maybe this isn't a good morning for me to blog about this. I had a really hard time completing my program this morning. I thought I was going to die. The good news is, I didn't. I finished it without stopping and was able to get off the treadmill, walk to my car, and drive home. I survived to tell the tale. :) I have no idea what made me decide to try a 5K. A 5K is 3.1 miles, and by the end of the 9 week Couch to 5K program, I should be able to run continuously for 30 minutes. I can't imagine that's going to happen, but that's what they tell me. There are a lot of couch to 5K programs out there, and they are all very similar. If you have an iphone or ipod touch, you can get a Couch to 5K app on your device. I only have an ipod nano, so I downloaded a podcast that I put on my ipod. I'll share that link if you all are interested. I've heard of a 5K for women only on Mother's Day. That is what I'm shooting for. I want to run an entire 5K on Mother's Day as a present to myself. Today was my second day in week 3 of the program. I had a brisk 5 minute warm-up walk, 90 seconds of running, 90 seconds of walking, 3 minutes of running, 3 minutes of walking, and then I had to repeate the 90-90-3-3 cycle once more before doing my 5 minute cool-down walk. It was HARD!!!!! Running for 3 minutes is HARD!!!!! I'm sure to some of you, it's a walk in the park. To me, it might as well be a marathon...okay, maybe a half marathon! :) During my second 90 second run, I kept thinking how I was going to have to tell my hubby, my mom, my sister, and my friends how I couldn't do it today. I thought I would just walk more quickly during my last 3 minute run. Then I thought how disappointed I would be in myself, and I did this same thing on Sunday. If I could do it then, I could do it now. Mind you, I was not running fast...to anyone with longer legs, my "run" might have been just a power walk, but I was moving. I did it today, and I'll do it again Friday. I may not like it, but I can do it!

Maybe I AM Changing!

Here are pictures of me from July and a few weeks ago. I guess maybe I am changing! Kim, the ARNP from Medi, tells me that I should go to the grocery store and carry around two 35 pound bags of dog food to see how much I've lost...maybe I should! :)

Working On Me

I have begun a never-ending process of working on me.  I've always worked on things...school, teaching, scrapbooking, the girls, etc., but I've never really worked on me.  At least not the physical me.  I've always been so unhappy with the physical me that I think it never bothered me that I was sliding further and further away from what I should be.  I honestly thought I had gotten to the point of no return.  There wasn't anything I could do to get healthier because I was too far gone.

Last spring, I got an email from our school district about a weightloss management pilot program the district was doing.  The second I read it, I knew I had to apply.  I submitted my application at the beginning of June, and after several appointments and lots of waiting, I found out I was accepted in August.  I became a patient at Medi-Weightloss Clinic in Andover, and it has changed my life!!  Dr. Cobb and the nurses there are amazing.  They continuously  cheer me on, encourage me, help me, and keep me motivated to do my best.  To date I have lost 70.5 pounds.  Yay me!  I struggle to be proud and excited about where I've come because I get bogged down by how far I still need to go.  It's definitely a process.  One that won't end for the rest of my life.  I will forever be working on me.

Basically I take several daily supplements (calcium, omega 3, and a fat burner), and I receive vitamin injections at my weekly appointments.  I count protein, carb, and fiber grams in everything I put in my mouth, and I write all this down in a journal.  Right now, I have between 70-80 grams of protein, less than 20 grams of carbs, and more than 20 grams of fiber each day.  I don't have to count calories or fat, but I but I do try to eat healthier options (more chicken than red meat, more veggies, etc.).

Just recently I have begun really exercising.  I lost quite a bit of weight without doing much exercise.  I had a pedometer and kept trying to increase the number of steps I was taking, but I wasn't doing much else.  Now I am doing a couch to 5K program 3 days a week and working out with weights 3 days a week.  I'll talk more about those things in a later blog post.

You can expect me to share any tips and tricks I find along the way.  I'll share my successes with anyone who cares to hear about them, and I'll share my frustrations too.  I will share low carb recipes that I try...especially the good ones.  I hope a few people follow along my journey.  It's more fun to travel with friends!

Throughout all of this, you can be sure I'll continue to work on me.