It's On Like Donkey Kong

I'm not quite sure where the phrase "It's on like Donkey Kong" originated but I couldn't think of anything more appropriate to use here. I just realized that I have 10 weeks left until I hit the big 3-0! I've seriously been slacking on my weight loss too. I haven't been to the gym in 2 weeks and my cheat days have turned into cheat weekends. Taking a long hard look at my calendar has rejuvenated my flabby fanny! I suppose I got lazy because I got into the mind set of "any loss is loss" and that's cool. You know what wouldn't be cool? Setting a goal for yourself and putting it out there to your friends, family, and blog creepers only to be extremely disappointed when you have to tell the world that you didn't reach your goal because Mexican cheese dip is oh so yummy. 

Sadly this update will be short and a little sweet. Hopefully I'll be able to keep you all posted weekly until the big date hits! Last weekend I did accomplish something that I never dreamed could happen. I completed my first 5K! Along with my sister, Jenny, and a few of my amazing coworkers we completed the 3.1 mile color blasting trek (Color Me Rad) in the pouring down rain. I knew that running the whole course was out of the question but I was determined to start off running and finish running. Not only did that happen but I also managed to run through each color bomb area along the way.  It was such an amazing rush to cross the finish line with people that I love so much and to see my dad's smiling face waiting for us at the end! Here are a few pictures from the event:

Before

After

I'm looking forward to doing many more of these events and perhaps one day I'll complete a half marathon! So where do I stand on the scale today? I weigh 221 lbs. That is a 2 lb loss since my last post and puts me down a grand total of 47 lbs. I can't wait to hit the 50 lb mark! I still need to lose 22 lbs over the next 10 weeks in order to reach my goal of 199lbs. That's approximately 2 lbs a week which is still totally (and healthily) doable! Like I said, it's on like Donkey Kong! Thank you all so much much for your unwavering support, love, and motivation. See you next week!

I Am The Tortoise

I am not the eggman. I am not the walrus. I am the tortoise. For those of you born after 1990, those first two references were an homage to The Beatles. If you don't know them, do yourself a favor and get to know them! Now, what makes me the tortoise? First of all, it's been a whole month since my last blog post! Now that I have a fairly regular routine it's a little more difficult for me to come up with things to entertain you! Time has seriously flown by and I can't believe that I've been working on the "new" me for 6 months. 

Over the last few weeks I've been looking to add some better scenery to my work outs. Don't get me wrong, I still love going to the gym, and I totally love counting all of the tribal armband tattoos that I see in one hour. A couple of weeks ago my best friend of 20 years (Whaaaat?!), Jamie, asked me to go walking at the Greenway with her. It was quite chilly but we had a blast catching up and 30 minutes into our walk we were able to feel our extremities again.

Obligatory bestie selfie

The following weekend I was headed out to my car to drive to the gym. I took a moment to glance up at the sky and it was absolutely beautiful. I live all of about two minutes from downtown Chattanooga so I skipped the gym and went to Coolidge Park instead. I walked my way up to the Walnut Street Bridge and saw an amazing, yet creepy, sight. I had the entire bridge to myself! 

I walked across the bridge and made my way down to the Market Street bridge. Please tell me that I'm not the only Chattanoogan that finds the Market Street bridge slightly terrifying! It's narrow and it makes some crazy noises as you're driving across it. They do have wide, pedestrian friendly sidewalks so I decided to conquer one of my fears and walk my butt across it. 

The bridge of terror

It was a Saturday morning so car traffic was light but at the time it seemed hectic! I got about halfway across before I began to consider hitch hiking or jumping off just to get off of one of the scariest bridges in my hometown. I eventually made it across and even turned around and walked across again. I made my way back up to the Walnut Street bridge and ventured into Coolidge Park. Again, I found myself alone and a little creeped out. 

It was so nice to get out and remind myself of what a gorgeous city I live in! The very next day my sister, Jenny, and my niece, Brianna, and I made a visit to the Chickamauga Battlefield.

Jenny took me on an adventurous, brisk walk and I even managed to get sunburned in February. 

Brianna did her best to keep up! Who am I kidding? She led the way!

I've still been going to the gym regularly but it was great to work in some sight seeing as well! At the end of this month my coworkers, Jenny, and I will be participating in the Color Me Rad 5K and we are so excited! I'm sure I'll be walking for a good bit of the event but I'm determined to get some running in too. I am the tortoise, remember? 

And now for the numbers...As of this morning I weigh 223 lbs! That puts me down 5 lbs since my last post and down 45 lbs total. I still need to lose 24 lbs by June 18th to reach my goal weight of 199 lbs. This tortoise has been moving slow and steady since day 1 and she will win the race! 

I had every intention of posting updates over the past month and even though I didn't get around to it, I took selfies! Better late than never, right? 

3 weeks ago/2 weeks ago

Today

Thank you all so much for keeping up with me and for all of your love, support, and encouragement! I wouldn't have made it this far without you! 

Hello, Plateau!

According to Merriam-Webster, a plateau is a usually extensive land area having a relatively level surface raised sharply above adjacent land on a least one side. According to me and millions of other lifestyle movers and shakers, a plateau is a period of time filled with frustration, rage, and disappointment. I'm sure a few of you reading this have been there before. You stick to your healthy eating and hit the gym on a regular basis only to get on the scale and see the same number over and over and over and over again. I knew that eventually in this journey that my body would become adjusted to the changes that I've made and that losing the last 20-30 lbs would be more difficult than losing the first 30 lbs. I was so excited to report in my last post that I had continued to drop weight throughout the holiday season. The week after my last post I didn't lose any weight. The week after that, you guessed it, I didn't lose any weight. Hello, plateau! I was beyond aggravated because at that point I had been going to the gym at least 5 times a week. I'm not a doctor nor a personal trainer so I consulted the always true and always faithful Internet (HA!) for more insight. Most everything I read told me I needed to mix up my workouts and EAT MORE. Whaaaat??? Mix up my workouts? Sure! I've been to the gym 2 times in the last 3 weeks. EAT MORE?! The week before last I cheated on days that end in "y". Guess what? I've crossed the plateau and returned to the hills! I'm fully aware that the path I chose is not what the Internet gods had intended but I figured what the heck, it was worth a shot. It seems that slacking off and then jumping back on board rejuvenated my metabolism and put me back on track to reach my ultimate goal!

As of my last post I weighed 232 lbs. Today, I weigh 228 lbs! That's 4 lbs down since my last post, 40 lbs all together, and 29 lbs away from weighing 199 lbs by my 30th birthday, June 18th. Can y'all believe that it's only 4 months away? It seems like only yesterday that I sat down and bared all in my first entry, hoping that maybe one person would read it. I was just talking to my sister, Jenny, earlier. She has just started Weight Watchers and I'm so proud of her! She was talking about how she likes that the meetings and weigh-ins help keep her accountable. I told her that this blog is what holds me accountable. But you know what? It's not the blog. It's you. This blog is useless if nobody reads it! I must once again apologize for the lack of updates. I've been working 50+ hours a week for the past few weeks and odds are that if I'm not packing Little Debbies, I'm sleeping! Thank you all so much, from the bottom of my heart, for helping me be the best me that I can be. I didn't take a selfie this week but I wanted to share a victorious moment that I had not long ago in the Old Navy dressing room...

Yes, those pants are entirely too long but they are buttoned and zipped! I needed new pants for work so I hesitantly tried on a pair of khakis at Old Navy. I was hesitant because I haven't been able to wear their bottoms for years. When I started my new routine I was wearing a size 24. Old Navy carries up to a size 20 in store and I CAN WEAR THEM!!! I was so excited that I had to take this ridiculous photo and I'll admit that I shed a few tears of joy. 

A few of you have told me that you love it when I do the "side by side" comparison pics so here's one for you since I'm without a selfie. The picture on the left is from Easter 2012 and the one on the right is from 2 weeks ago...

I hope you've all enjoyed this experience as much as I have, there is much more to come!

Shame On Me

I'm not as cute as that little bunny rabbit but he's expressing how I feel! Shame on me for slacking off on this blog for so long! The time during the holidays flew by and here were are a month since I last updated you guys and gals! I'm planning on doing a much lengthier update this weekend but I wanted to give you all a mid week mini update. In my last post I said that I was determined to lose weight during the Christmas feasts. I wasn't near as disciplined I should have been thanks to the amazing cooking skills of my family. I wasn't in the gym often either. So how did I do over the last month? As of this past Saturday I'm down to 232 lbs! That's a grand total of 36 lbs lost and 4 lbs lost during the holidays. I still have 33 lbs to lose by my 30th birthday in June. As many of you saw on Facebook, I made the mistake of saying that I have a "big announcement" to make. I should have said that I have "exciting news" because holy cow, did the baby comments start rolling in! I'm trying to lose weight here peeps, and pregnancy isn't known to help with that mission. So, no, absolutely no baby! The exciting news is that I am over the halfway mark to my goal! I really wasn't sure when I started this journey that I would make it this far! I also wanted to add that my healthy cooking is paying off for Mr. Matt too. Together we have lost over 50 lbs! What what! 

Like I said, I will post a more thorough update this weekend so I apologize profusely for my recent absence. Thank you all so much for keeping me motivated and making me feel guilty when needed, haha! I love you guys! I felt so guilty that I felt like I owed you guys a selfie...in my pajamas...Yes, my pants are houndstooth and no, they do not reflect my loyalty to any SEC football team. Enjoy!

'Tis The Season

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the White house! No, Mom, that isn't an announcement from Obama...Can you believe I have actually have gifts wrapped under the tree?! Working in retail for many years meant that I dreaded Christmas shopping and would wait until Christmas Eve to tackle the wrapping. I'm so fortunate to now be in a job that doesn't bombard me with the commercialism of Christmas so I can actually look forward to the season! 'Tis the season to be jolly, am I right? When I think of the word jolly, I think of Saint Nick and his jelly belly. This is not jelly belly season, y'all! I like the sound of "'tis the season to be vivacious" ! Don't sing it, it doesn't sound right, trust me, I tried...Many people think that one might be crazy for trying to live a healthy lifestyle during the holidays. Think about it. Christmas is one day. A lot of you, like me, will have multiple family gatherings and parties to attend. Let's say you have 7 events on your calendar. There are 31 days in December. Am I going to turn down all of the delicious goodies that are presented to me at said events? NO! Christmas rolls around once a year! However, that leaves 24 days that I can make all of the right food choices and get my tail into the gym. I'm stating right here and now that I will prove some of the naysayers wrong and lose weight throughout the entire month of December!

We're already halfway through December and I am continuing to see results when I climb onto the scale on Saturday mornings. This week I weighed in at 236 lbs! That's down 3 lbs from last week, down 32 lbs total, and 37 lbs away from reaching my goal of weighing 199 lbs by June 18th. I'm almost halfway there! I can honestly say that I wouldn't have made it this far without your support. Without each one of you following my blog and giving me encouragement it would have been so easy to throw in the towel weeks ago. I cannot thank you all enough! 

And now, my weekly selfie, followed by a precious picture of my niece, Brianna, from her Christmas photo shoot!

Photo of Pootie Bug by Heidi Burks Photography

Rock Steady

No, your eyes do not deceive you (HA!), that's not me. That's Lzzy Hale, no "i", the lead singer of Halestorm. This. Chick. Rocks. HARD. When I listen to her music while pounding the elliptical machine or the treadmill I feel like she is my sister from another mister because we are both rocking steady! 

I feared for the worst this week. Let's see, there were 2 Thanksgiving dinners, Mexican food, and a big fat steak from Outback last week. Ah, yes, there was also the delicious Christmas brunch that we had at work this week. I tried making up for it at the gym, but there is only so much I can squeeze into one day. In fact, I was only able to make it to the gym 3 days this week. I did mix up my workout a little by cutting my time on the elliptical down from 30 minutes to 20 minutes and I hopped on the treadmill for 25 minutes before hitting the weights. I'm sure you all get tired of me saying "I didn't think I would have good results this time" every week, so I'll try not to say that in every post! Seriously though, considering all of the junk that I ate over the last 10 days, I really thought that I would gain weight or sit at 241 lbs. With one eye open, I peered at the scale this morning...

239 lbs. Um, WHAT?! Yes, 239 lbs! That's down 2 lbs from last week, down a total of 29 lbs, and 40 lbs away from my goal of weighing 199 lbs by June 18th! I honestly had to get on the scale 3 or 4 times and put my glasses on before my eyes would believe what they were seeing! I'm almost halfway there you guys! I did the math and in order for me to achieve my goal I need to lose 1.6 lbs each week until my birthday. That is totally doable and I've never felt more motivated! 

Hopefully I will continue to rock steady, just like my girl, Lzzy. Thank you all for you unfailing love and support! Enjoy my awkward selfie below!

Bad Girl

I'm baaaaaaack! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Man, have I been bad! For starters, I didn't post an update last week. I'm sorry for that. On Thanksgiving a few of my family members expressed how saddened they were by my lack of bloggage. Yes, I just said bloggage. Seeing the disappointment on their faces is forever burned into my brain, therefore I will never miss an update again! (Hi Kelly & Janice!) While they may have been bummed about the lack of bloggage (there it is again!), my family was quick to shower me with compliments in regards to my appearance and determination. Those that know me well know that I'm not the best at receiving compliments but it took a lot for me not to burst into happy tears while I was being hugged and tugged. My family means the world to me and their support and motivation is what will help me cross my finish line! They are the best cheerleaders I could ever ask for. 

Why the photo of the fat cat? Look closer...that's actually a photo of me after oinking out on Thanksgiving day. Not really, but that is how I felt. Turkey, ham, dressing, sweet taters, casseroles, bread, pies, oh my! This day rolls around once a year so there were absolutely no rules and no limits. Luckily, most of my pants are a little loosey-goosey so sweatpants weren't a requirement this holiday. After partaking in some of my Aunt Kim's amazing apple cobbler, Dad and I went for a quick walk through the neighborhood. I probably burned enough calories to make up for licking my spoon, but hey, it's something! I can't move on to the next topic without mentioning that my Great-Uncle Roger said that the broccoli casserole that I made was THE BEST recipe he has EVER had. This is quite a feat. I'm sorry, Mom, but I believe that torch has been passed. If you are feeling indulgent, you can find the recipe here: http://www.food.com/recipe/cheez-it-broccoli-casserole-443079. I prefer to use chopped broccoli and minced onions. Enjoy, in moderation!

Black Friday. For many, those two words bring excitement and joy. For me, for 8 years, they meant hell on earth. This year, thanks to my job at McKee, they meant sleeping in! Or so I thought. I've been off since Wednesday morning and I've been trying to sleep like a human instead of a vampire. The morning of Black Friday I was up at 6:30. So, what was I to do? Go shopping? No. Catch up on Netflix? No. Go to the gym? YOU BETCHA! That's right, I took my gluttonous fanny to the gym. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to make it a full 30 minutes on the elliptical but thanks to Saved by the Bell reruns playing on the TV in front of me, I made it! I also managed to hit all of the weight machines as well. I probably should have headed home after working out but Best Buy had too many good deals to pass up. I'm happy to say that I am finished with shopping for Matt! Once I got home I did a little bit of cleaning and got our Christmas decorations up. Don't you just love our initial ornaments?

So I was a bad girl for not posting last week's update, I pigged out on Thanksgiving, and then last night Matt and I chowed down on some Amigos. I thought surely, even with my steady workout regimen, that I would gain weight. Last week I had lost 3 lbs. I dropped from 245 lbs to 242 lbs. Dang, last week could have had a great update! I hopped on the scale this morning to see that I weigh 241 lbs! Somehow, in all of the Thanksgiving madness, I lost 1 lb! That's 4 lbs since the last entry, 27 lbs since I began my journey, and 42 lbs away from my goal of 199 lbs by June 18th. Finally, I'm bad because I don't have a selfie to post yet. Tomorrow I'm heading to Knoxville for Thanksgiving 2.0 with Dad's family and I'm planning on cleaning up for it so I guarantee that I will add a selfie to this post at some point on Sunday. Notice how I just slipped in that I've got another Thanksgiving dinner coming up? Oh my...I'll leave you with this precious pic of Brianna grubbing out on her first Thanksgiving! Again, I hope you all had an excellent Thanksgiving and know that I am so thankful for each and every one of you!

- So I was a day late, but here is the awkward selfie, as promised...