On Sunday, January 16th, I completed my first half marathon! I did the Rock N’ Roll Phoenix Half Marathon, and it was super fun. My time was 3:12:14, averaging 14:40 per mile (I walk, mostly, though I ran downhill a couple times and ran that last .1 miles to the finish line for good photo ops lol). Just, eeeee, I am so proud of myself! I did a 10K back in June (the Widmer Drop Top 10K that goes along with the Helvetia Half Marathon) and I remember that being super difficult, but this half really wasn’t bad at all, and up to the 10K point was a breeze compared to the Drop Top 10K. It just shows that I’ve really come a long way, I think, and that I’m making progress. :)
Next up is the Hippie Chick Half Marathon on May 8th!
Left: Before, 230lbs
Right: Current, 150lbs
From fitndhappie:
YOU ARE FABULOUS! I love this blog (: Congrats your hard work is paying off !!!
9 Miles!
That is how far I went today when I went out walking. :) I usually only go 5-7 miles, but I’m training for a half-marathon in January, so I need to get my ass into gear. It got super cold and windy during the last mile, but other than that, it was a pretty great walk and I’m proud of myself.
Question:
your blog has really inspired me how have you done it.
Asked by Anonymous
Answer:
First off, what works for me is not necessarily going to work for anybody else. Secondly, the short answer would currently be calorie counting, recording all my food, and exercising more, but nobody ever seems to like that answer. :P
So here’s the long version, which contains both things I’d recommend and things I wish I hadn’t done. :P
How I’ve “done it” has been a long journey full of a lot of experimentation. I’ve tried to lose weight before, but this is the first time I’ve lost more than 5-10 lbs without gaining it back shortly after. When I first started actively trying to lose weight back in February, “walk more” was my idea of exercise, and I gave up soda pop, potato chips, and fried foods for Lent. I have no idea how much I lost by the time Lent was over because after I got my starting weight and measurements, I didn’t weigh again until July or August. But I sure did feel better, just by making those small changes, and I didn’t really introduce those foods back into my diet as regulars like they had been before.
At a few points over the course of the next few months after that, I did the whole Special K thing. It worked for helping drop those pounds, but I really don’t think I was eating as many calories as I should have been at that time. 1,000-1,100 was typical, but then I’d have days where I’d eat 1,800-2,000 because I was starving and just couldn’t take it anymore haha. I also took energy/diet pills, and those just made me feel like my heart was bursting out of my chest constantly. Tried those green tea pills as well, and I passed out a couple of times after taking them on an empty stomach. So those are NOT something I’m advising anyone take. They do nothing at best, and can have awful side effects.
In August, I did a high-protein, low-carb, very low calorie diet, but I totally would not recommend it at all. Very low calorie diets (VLCD) are not advised, and quite frankly, I really didn’t lose much more than I could have on my own, plus I felt tired and cranky all the time! Plus, I am obnoxiously sick of fish at this point and never want to eat it again haha. I was a pescatarian (like a vegetarian, but eats fish), so when the diet called for meat, that’s all I would eat, but now if I never eat another seafood product for the next billion years, I’m down with that. So that was a total no go as well.
So back to that calorie counting and exercising! That’s the main gist of what I’ve been doing since about May, but the way I do it has been changing. I went from eating a lot of packaged, processed foods to cooking more of my own from fresh, whole ingredients. The actual amount of calories I eat has changed over the months too. I use caloriecount.about.com to figure out roughly how many calories I should be eating a day— which changes as my weight goes down. The calories that I needed to lose at 230lbs are much higher than what I need to lose at 159lbs, so I adjust my intake every 10-15lbs or so.
A recent addition to the calorie counting has been monitoring my sodium intake and my carb/protein/fat ratio. I stopped using shaker salt completely a few months ago, but loads of foods still contain it, or have it added. It’s really helped to keep down any water weight, so it’s been a good thing for me. Also, I’m not looking to go low-carb, low-fat, or high-protein, I’m mostly just making sure I’m within normal ranges for all of those macronutrients. My exact ratios change from day to day, but as long as I’m in the green, I’m good.
Two other things that are helpful are:
1. Planning out what I eat before I eat it. Sometimes I’ll get the whole day planned out the night before, or the morning of. That way when I’m hungry, I’m not digging through the cupboards, trying to figure out the counts of things. I already know what I’m going to make.
2. Recording my hunger level before and after a meal. This really makes me think about whether I’m hungry or not when I eat, and helps me to not overeat.
As for exercise, I still do a shitload of walking. I haven’t been doing as much during the week since school’s started, but I try to go 4-6 miles a day on weekends and days off. I’m going to do a half-marathon in January, so I’m gearing up to train for that. I occasionally do workout tapes from Jillian Michaels or Leslie Sansone as well, and I weight train a couple times a week.
So yeah, that’s a general idea of what I have done and what I’m currently doing. If you have any other, specific questions, you’re certainly free to ask. :)
159lbs.
Yes
Hahahaha oh my god I’m sorry but this is too amazing not to post and how I feel when I get that 20% off entire purchase coupon in the mail! Nothing like designer at a discount!
30 Day Shred
So last month (on the 22nd, I think) I started doing Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred, and fuuuuck has it been great. Out of thirteen days spent on Level 1, I worked out ten of those days, and I’m going to move on to Level 2 either tomorrow or Friday (because I haven’t gone to bed yet so it’s still today okay XD). I’m thinking Friday though because it is my fucking birthday and I totally intend to just play hookie and be awesome and beautiful all day.
Anyway, I’m really proud of the progress I’ve made with just doing Level 1 so far. The first few days of doing it, I was obnoxiously sore and by the end of the workout, I was nauseous and out of breath and totally wanted to die. Also, I’d do three push ups and then just kind of lay there until it was time to move on to the next move haha. But over the last few days, I’ve been able to do 10-15 sit ups in one sitting, and if I do them a little slower, that actually lasts the whole time I’m supposed to be doing them! I fucking hate push ups, so that’s a big deal for me. I’m sure the dying will start up again when I move to Level 2 because I’ve gotten so used to Level 1, but I’m totally up for it, and I’m excited to go through ten days of that and then ten days of Level 3 after that. I’ll let you all know how I’m doing!
Fuck, man
I just realised I haven’t been the size I am now since I was in middle school.
That is all.
The Happs
Third week back at school and I must say that I’m feeling pretty great! I haven’t been doing as much “official” exercise as I usually do (which is usually 3-5 times a week), but I get in a good 1-2.5 miles four times a week, walking from my car to the MAX station when the parking lot is full and back, and walking from the Pioneer Square MAX stop to PSU (even though I could just take the green line, if I’m not running late and it’s not pouring rain, I like to walk).
It wasn’t an accident or because I have no time that I stopped going on my usual 4-6 mile walks or doing a workout tape, I actually took a break from the “official” exercise in hopes of making my knee stop hurting, and it finally has! I went for a 4.9 mile walk the other night and it felt sooooo good, no knee locking up halfway through and making me trip haha. So I’ll be going on more of those walks again soon. :)
Had a bit of a craycray day on the 3rd. I ate like. An entire box of Cheez-Its and a bunch of ice cream and a shitton of other junk food. That was also the day I did the AIDS Walk, and that day started out really well with my usual breakfast and then some yummy fruit at the walk, but then I just kind of went insane lmao. It was a good learning experience, though, because there are times in the past where I’d eat like that everyday, and I always felt like such shit, but oh, I never knew why! I felt so sad and headachey and bloated that day, but I don’t feel guilty. Because now I’ve had that experience, I’ll really think twice about doing something like that again. It’s one thing to eat like that all the time and just become accustomed to it, but when you’ve been trying for healthier eating habits and just assault your body like that out of the blue, it doesn’t react well at all.
Anyway, like I said, feeling good right now! The size 10s fit a lot better (most days) right now, and I’ve still lost some weight despite not working out as much, so huzzah. :D
