Finally

Has it really been 2 weeks since my last post! Craziness! As you can tell, I have no time. Between commute time, work, working out, eating, and getting enough sleep, there is NO time left.

Anyway, I got on the scale this morning. I lost 5 pounds! I have been working with Ariel for 12 weeks and working on getting healthy for 15 weeks. My mom said that it takes 12 weeks for the body to regulate and stop freaking out about the changes and that I should start seeing increased differences. Well, today I got some serious results!!!! WAHOO!

So, in 15 weeks I have lost 12 pounds, over 10 inches, and about a percent of body fat! It pays off to keep going even when you don't want to continue.

Other Stuff

My brother went to Alaska on Sept. 8. He arrived safely and we miss him like crazy! We love you, David.

I just finished my third week of teaching first grade. I LOVE it! There are moments that I wish did not happen, but overall, it is amazing. I just got this new kid who did not attend kindergarten, though! This student cannot even hold a pencil! It has been frustrating.

Fitness progress - I am thrilled! I weighed, measured, and tested body fat % last Saturday. I had previously done all of this 6 weeks ago. Well, I did not loose ANY weight! UG! But, then I measured....I took 6 measurements. Chest, waist, hips, left bicep, left thigh, and left calf. Total inches lost from those 6 places is 10 1/4 inches!!!!! WAHOO!!! If I end up with a 28 inch waist, but don't loose weight, I'll still be happy. Fitness isn't only about weight. I also lost 0.4% body fat! Yes! Yes! Yes! Pretty soon, my body will realize that it doesn't need to hold onto that weight any more and it will start to come off so fast (so they say). Anyway, super excited and revved up for the next set of training sessions.

Weight Change

I have worked my butt off and have nothing to show for it. That's right: nothing, nil, nix, nada, zip, zilch, and a big fat goose egg! Exactly 0.0 pounds of change. I know; I know, at least I did not gain weight and I am building muscle and all that jazz. My brain knows all of that. Somehow, it still does not make it better. It is very frustrating! I just have to try to make myself believe that next week I will see the results on the scale. This getting healthy thing is HARD!

Optimism is Good

Wow! Thank you for all of your support and guesses. I am not, however, on the Biggest Loser. I am very HAPPY to report that I lost three pounds! That puts my total for four weeks to 5 lbs.! I am happy with those numbers and know that I am going in the right direction.

As requested, here is some information for you.

• What to eat before a workout: something light, but nutritious. Include a good carbohydrate and protein (fruit and a piece of bread with Peanut Butter).

• What to eat after a workout: protein, and complex carbohydrate (whole grain starches and a good source of protein). Vegetables are always good and "free" to eat.

• What counts as cardio: any activity that makes you breath out 20-30 times per minute. So count your exhales for 30 seconds and double that number. I am trying to do 45-60 minutes of cardio every day. It does not have to be all in one session if you are unable to sustain it. You can break it into smaller segments.

Hope this gave you some information. Good luck and wish me some! I meet with Ariel again today.

How Much Weight...

Did I lose this week?

ZERO

I am so disappointed; when I weighed this morning I was exactly (to the tenth) the same weight as I was last Sunday! WHY? I ate well and exercised. UG! Just keep trying, right?

Speaking of exercise, I LOVE my Wii Fit! I played for an hour yesterday and got in some good cardio! Too bad I don't have that with me up at the apartment. Anyway, good luck to all of you who are trying to regain your health. Keep it up; we can do this together. The important thing is the changes we are making to live longer and with higher quality; in the end it will pay off!

I pledged to loose 25 pounds for the pound for pound Challenge. Please sign up and use your efforts to help others as well. Just click on the logo to the left.

Stairs, Stairs, and more Stairs

On Tuesday, Cameron and I climbed up and down our apartment stairway for a total of 10 minutes. No, these are not our stairs, but I thought a picture would be nice to look at!


Would it be great if these were the stairs we climbed!?


Or how about these?



The slide would have made coming down so much more fun! And the double staircase would have helped me not get dizzy as I turned around for the 100th time to climb the stairs again.

Enough about my stairway dreams! HEHE! I am so SORE! I am excited that I could do 10 minutes because it was not as hard as I had imagined. Did I mention that I am sore? I just want to slide down our stairs on my bum like I used to as a kid, instead of walking down them because...OWWWWWW! Feel the burn! It's good, right?

On the weight loss venue, wasn't The Biggest Loser episode 2 so sad?!? I can't believe Joelle is still there! UG! I can't stand her!