8 things that help me lose weight.

As of today, I am down 62 pounds. I've had many people ask me what I do, what diet am I on, etc., so I thought I would share it here

This is me at 190 and then at 150. I am currently at 144.
I post this picture a lot on my blog because it is my best before/after 

In 2013, I weighed my heaviest at 206 lbs (I count this as my "starting weight"). My weight probably did go above that, but I stayed away from scales. I only know 206 because when I got pregnant, that is what I weighed at the doctor's office. I lost 11 pounds my first trimester because I was so nauseous, but I quickly gained it back plus 20 extra pounds. I was 226 when I had Emersyn.

Breastfeeding helped take off the pounds. I was back to 206 within 2 weeks and I lost 10 pounds over the next 5 months without changing my eating habits. We did try to eat fast food less, but I really didn't do any dieting. So if you want to lose weight, try breastfeeding. It works. ;)

That November, I decided to join my aunt, Macie, and cousin, Alec, on their crazy endeavor to run a 5k a month for a year. I had not run in years, I had tried, and failed, couch to 5k at least 3 times. I really didn't think I would ever be able to run a 5k, but I had the desire, so I tried it.

I lost a little bit of weight running, but I realized I would also need to change my eating in order to actually lose the weight. This is what I did/do:

1) I set small goals. I try to lose 5 lbs a month. In the past, I have wanted to lose 2 lbs a week, every week, but after 1 or 2 weeks of failing, I would get discouraged and quit. 5 lbs a month leaves some wiggle room for me, and even though I saw that losing weight would take longer than I wanted, I never felt discouraged because I was always making progress (even if it was slow progress).

2) I log my food. I use my FitBit app (you can also use MyFitnessPal or anything similar). I log my food even when I don't really want to. It makes me more accountable and shows me that when I "plateaued", it was normally because I was overeating.

3) I don't set definite calorie "limits".  I try to keep my calories between 1300-1600, but if I go over a little, it isn't a big deal. Not having a set "limit" keeps me from thinking "Oh, well I screwed it up already, might as well keep eating...."   

4) I don't restrict anything! I eat cookies, cakes, chocolate, ice cream, gravy, etc. I eat anything I want! Really! I just limit it. Tonight I had 1 Oreo instead of 4. I also don't eat something that I don't really want. For example: I don't love Sonic's fries, but if they are there, I'm going to eat them. So when I go to Sonic, I just make sure only get the burger, and not the full combo. I don't miss the fries, but I know if I ordered them I would eat every. single. one. 

5) I run. I talk about my running and my team a lot in my other blog posts. You can go back and read race reports if you want! I won't go into great detail here. 

6) I forgive myself. If I gain weight, or I don't hit my goal for that month, or I go a week without running, or if I overeat a lot, it is still okay. It doesn't mean I need "to screw it all" or that I can't do it. It just means I am human, and I'll have to do better next time. This was key for me. I am a master at giving up and procrastinating (ex: I'm gonna start that diet next week)

7) I keep going. I think the biggest difference between now and every other time I tried to lose weight is that I have not quit. Because I am not restricting things and not giving myself set "rules", I don't feel like I am on a "diet". I do eat salads sometimes and I have been known to drink a slim fast for a quick lunch, but that isn't all the time. When I eat healthier, it's because with healthy foods you get to eat more!

8) I have support. As you can see from pictures, Chris has lost a lot of weight, too. It is a lot easier together. We have a playful competition. My family is constantly motivating me, complimenting my progress, and telling me they are proud. They don't complain too much when all I talk about is running. Team Tortoise is always a huge help in keeping me going. I can't go too long without running because Macie won't let me ;) It is much easier to lose weight when others are on board and supportive.

This is at my friend's wedding. I believe I was 185 here.
I was still gaining.

This is December 2013. I was 2 months pregnant and about 190

Me at 145. Look how good my husband looks too!

Team Tortoise!

DISCLAIMER: I am NOT a  healthy eater.You can ask anyone who knows me, I enjoy junk food...A LOT. I don't drink water as often as I should, and I drink way too many diet cokes. I am not an expert on health or fitness. I am just saying what works for me.

Catching Up

Because it has been so long since I blogged, I feel that I need to catch up on a few things in my weight and running.

First, Weight:

This is me at 190 (having lost 16 pounds already) and then me at 150.
Ignore my crazy eyes.

My weight is currently 145! I went through a few months, as you can see on my last post, of going back and forth from 150 to 155. I finally got re-motivated, starting logging my food again, and the weight came off again.

My weight goal has changed again. At first it was 150 (just so my BMI would be in the "normal" range). Then I changed it to 145 because I never thought I would get there, and now I've changed it to 135, because when I went to a weight loss doctor years ago, he told me 125-135 was my "ideal range."

After I lost 25 pounds, I listed some things on this blog that I looked forward to. I looked back on them today and I am happy to say I am experiencing all the things I looked forward to and a few more. I thought I would list some changes that I have had since I have lost 60 pounds.

1. I am not embarrassed to take family portraits. I look forward to them. I feel like a am part of a super cute little family.

2. I don't feel like I stand out within my siblings as the "fat one." We are all nice and healthy.

3. I can fit into regular sizes. I no longer have to hope that a boutique has a "plus size" section

4. I am no longer embarrassed to see someone from high school or college. I used to hide from people in my past. Now I am happy to catch up!

5. Sometimes when I get dressed, I actually feel cute/attractive. I used to never feel that way. 

6. I can wear "women's cut" shirts. I no longer have to get a men's large. I can pretty much order a medium, no matter what type of shirt it is, and be confident that it won't be too small.

7. Last week I ran 12 Miles!

8. I don't worry about climbing on playground equipment, trampolines, swings, slides, etc. with Emersyn. I used to always check the weight limit and if there wasn't a sign showing the limit, I would be scared that it would break if I got on. Even some lawn chairs scared me. But now I'm confident I won't break anything.

9. My joints don't hurt. I used to tell Chris that I thought I had some form of arthritis because my knees and shoulders would hurt, especially when it rainged. They would hurt so bad that I couldn't sleep until I took some pain reliever. A week or so ago, I noticed that my knees and shoulder never hurt anymore! Not even when it rains. I'm guessing taking off the weight took the pressure off my joints so they aren't as sensitive. Maybe that isn't why, but there is a correlation. 

Running:

After our 10 mile run!

Since January, Team Tortoise has been training for our first Half Marathon. I never thought I'd actually be able to run a half, but now, after months of training, I know I can do it. Even though I am still a slower than average runner, I'm much better than I EVER thought I would be. I am expecting to run about an 11 minute mile for the half marathon.

Every Saturday, Team Tortoise meets up for our long run, and every Saturday I am in disbelief about how many miles we actually run. I LOVE our long runs. I really look forward to them. I love the easy pace and listening to music (right now I listen to Hamilton. I. am. obsessed.). I especially love seeing the extra thousand calories that I can eat every Saturday.

Brooke has been super busy. She is a full time student and started her first job. She runs with me when she can, but, because of time, she has been doing our long runs less and less. I'm not sure if she will come to our half marathon because she is worried that she has lost her endurance.

Avery has been training on her own, of course, because she lives away. She actually ran her first half marathon last month and killed it!

Kelsey has been added to our group and that girl is a natural runner. Her longest run was only 6 miles, and last week she went from that to staying with me for 11 miles!!! WHAT?!?

Alec is my running buddy most of the time. She always stays beside me on our long runs, even though I know she could go wayyyyyy faster.

Macie is killing it. Every time I see her, she is shrinking. Her pace is steadily getting faster. Of all of us, she is the one that is the most consistent and persistent.

Our half marathon is scheduled for April 17th. Less than 2 weeks away!



I was disappointed in March that I didn't lose weight, but my birthday, Easter, and Spring Break was tough on my diet. By the end of April I am planning on being 140 and having my first half marathon under my belt!

RACE UPDATE

      I quit blogging for awhile. I quit because I didn't see the point in it. For the record, I have done the same thing with every journal/diary/whatever since I was a little girl. I start writing, go strong for a while, and then quit for some reason or another.  But today I went back to read some of my old posts and I realized that I really liked keeping a blog, and it was neat to read back from a year ago and see how much has changed. So I decided to start back up again!

So first of all, we need a RACE UPDATE!

The last time I wrote, I left off at my August 2015 race, so I will do a quick recap of my races since then.

SEPTEMBER 2015 
In September we did the Race for the Cure. This race was fun because it was one of my city's bigger races. They had cheerleaders at the start/finish line, booths with snacks and products, and A LOT of participants! The race was super flat and I PR'd at 34:29!

 I can't remember Alec or Macie's time, but I do know that Alec came in just a little bit behind me and ran herself so hard that she ended up throwing up right after the finish! 

I really enjoyed all the people and the cheerleaders, but I felt bad that I couldn't even smile back at anyone cheering me on because I was so spent.

September Ending Weight: 153

OCTOBER 2015

October was a disappointing month for racing. We signed up for a Costume 5k that was supposed to take place on Halloween morning. Macie, Alec, Brooke, and I all had cute costumes ready. We bought striped shirts and masks and were going as robbers. We got ready that morning, but then got a text an hour before the race saying that the event was cancelled because of rain. I ,honestly, have never heard of a race cancelled because of rain. This was NOT a thunderstorm, just rain. I was SO disappointed that we didn't get to run in our costumes and even more disappointed that this messed up my streak of doing one 5k per month.

We are giving sad faces because our race was cancelled

October Ending Weight: 151

NOVEMBER 2015

In November we did the Turkey Trot. This was not a 5k, but instead you could chose to do 2 miles or 4 miles. We, being both overconfident and undertrained, chose to do the 4 mile. I finished in 46:30. 

This race was done in a 2 mile loop. the people doing 2 miles did one loop, the people doing 4 did two loops. As I was finishing my first loop, I noticed my friend, a very very very fast runner, crossing the finish line, and I thought "man, he only did the 2 mile, I figured he would run the 4..." Then it dawned at me that he DID do the 4 mile, he just finished 4 miles before I could even finish 2!

November Ending Weight: 155

DECEMBER 2015

December brought the Jingle Bell 5k. This was such a good race. I had not run very much at all in December, so I did not have high hopes for this race, but it ended up being one of my favorite races. With the help of Avery's new runner watch, we were able to be pace conscious and accomplished for the first time (at least the first time for me) negative splits in a race! I PR'd with a time of 33:01! Because I had barely run this month, I knew that my PR strictly came from pacing well and not from training.

This was also an awesome race because they had free food, door prizes, and participation medals! Avery and Brooke even got first and second place in their age group!  Alec and I got 4th in our age groups. We didn't get an award for 4th, of course, but we knew that we were close.

I loved the medals!

December Ending Weight: 155

JANUARY 2016

The Jester Jog was our January race. This was our first race in our new Team Tortoise shirts! This was also our first race with our new member, Kelsey.  

The Jester Jog route was along the Mardi Gras parade route, so there were a lot of spectators, which made us all a little nervous. Also, the race started in the afternoon which made the anticipation unbearable and the race hot. Despite being a flat course, we all struggled. I remember thinking that this race would be my turn to throw up. Thankfully I didn't.  

Alec and I ended up PRing with a time of 30:38. This race gave medals to the top 20 male and top 20 female finishers. None of us got a medal, but Alec and I were the number 23 and 24 females. We were getting CLOSER!

Alec designed our Team Tortoise shirts. We got a lot of compliments on them!

January Ending Weight:150

FEBRUARY 2016

In February we ran the Run for the Roar 5k. This is a 5k to raise funds for one of our local high school baseball teams, the Ouachita Lions. There was a temperature drop the morning of the race and it was super windy. My headphones kept blowing out of my ears. Our noses were running. It was miserable. But we knew that this was our race. 

Alec and I  ran negative splits and even passed about 4 people able 50 feet from the finish line. Alec and I PR'd at 29:27.  We both WON FIRST PLACE in our age groups! This was our first win and we were so excited! We dubbed 2016 the Year of the Tortoise!

We were SO COLD at the starting line

February Ending Weight: 145

MARCH 2016

Last month we ran our first 10k. The race was one of our favorites from last year, the Run to the Cross. This race always has great food, door prizes, and participation medals (as you can see, we just like stuff). The course itself is nothing but rolling hills, so it was very tough. 

Alec and I finished in 1:05:44. Our time wasn't bad for our first 10k, especially since there were so many hills, but I would like to get my time under and hour soon. Macie finished in 1:31:45. We were happy with our times and medals. 

Alec won 1st place in her age group (and would have won first place in the next 2 age groups too). I won 3rd in my age group (there were only 3 people in my age group, but I'm not complaining!) Kelsey ran the 5k, but was in such a hurry to leave that she didn't turn in her result card. If she would have, she would have won 1st in her age group. We are excited that we are finally getting competitive times!

We loved our medals with the glittery ribbon!

March Ending Weight: 145

Back To School

 
In June we had the My Feet Your Dream Color Run. This was NOT my favorite race.

1. It was very hilly and it was obviously the first time this group had put on a color run because the color throwers would throw the colors right in your face/mouth. One racer even threw up because he inhaled some of the color. Eww.

2. My other complaint is that the race was not timed. We had number and everything, but there was no timer at all....not even a stopwatch. I understand that not every race is competitive, but I feel that the people putting on the race should have a disclaimer stating that the race is not timed when you sign up.

My time was around 37ish and Chris PR'd with at 34ish minutes.

They were not playing around with that color :)

In July we did the Watermelon 5k. 

I had stopped running in July because we moved and I threw Emersyn her first birthday get-together. July was super stressful, so I slacked off more than I should have. At the end of the month, we did the Watermelon 5k which has a hill rightly dubbed "Everest". The first mile and a half is slightly downhill and I was feeling awesome. I finished my first mile in 10:15 (which is really fast for me). Then I realized that mile 2 and 3 were all uphill, and it was STEEP uphill.

I finished in 40 min, which was disheartening, but we did have a heat advisory and I hadn't run in a month, so I deemed just finishing acceptable.

We are looking like real runners!

We have already done our August 5k.

It was the Run Wild 5k. We ran through and around the zoo. It was a nice, flat course, and I finished in about 37 minutes. Because it was a novelty run, they didn't do accurate timing; they just used a stopwatch. It was neat to run beside the animals, but it was super hot (another heat advisory).

I have now been working at getting faster and ran a 10 minute mile yesterday. That is the fastest I have run this year. I'm just getting back into the swing of school and running, so hopefully I'll be doing some big things this year.

I am wearing a sleeveless shirt! First time I've done that in YEARS!

I am now down 50 pounds (156)! Only 11 more to go!

Chick-fil-a 5K!

So I'll be updating a little less frequently now since I am on summer break, and during the summer I mostly use my phone to access the Internet.....and trying to type a blog on a phone is not very easy.


 On May 30th we had the Chick-fil-a 5K, and if you were wondering, yes they did have chicken biscuits at the finish line :)

This has been one of the only flat course we have had since we started to run, and  it was soooooooooo nice. For the second time Chris was able to come race with me! Having him always makes it more fun. Also, Brooke had just had surgery on her foot, so she was MIA, but my cousin, Avery, replaced her.

We all had a really good race. Avery was so fast that she would pass me, then stop and walk  until I passed her, then run passed me again. She ended up finishing in a little over 33 minutes and took 1st place in her age group.

I had been running mostly quick short runs to prepare for this and it definitely paid off! I PR'd at 35:05. That is a 7 minute difference from last month!

Chris and Macie also improved their times. 37+ for Chris and 45+ for Macie. Alec, sadly didn't improve (42), but I think she is having problems with the mental race.

This is my finish line picture. I got a new phone, so I lost all my group pics from that day.

Lastly, since my graduation week post , my weight had plateaued at 165. I have found that if I want to lose the rest of my weight, I am going to have to put in some more effort. The most effective way I have found is by logging my food. On my Fitbit app, there is a food log (much like myfitnesspal). I have been logging my food and becoming more aware of my snacking and have lost 3 pounds this week!
I couldn't be more excited! I am almost in the 150's. I really never thought I'd be at this weight again!


I have lost 45 pounds (161)! Only 16 to go!

Graduation Week

This week is busy! My sisters graduate from high school on Thursday, and Chris graduates with his Associates on Friday. I was excited to buy a new dress for the occasions and even more excited when I could fit into the regular size clothes at the boutique. Of course, some of the larges don't fit me well (my chest is much bigger since I have had Emersyn), but what made me most excited was that I fit into "one size fits all" leggings.

Side Note:
 I HATE "one size fits all" clothing. They DO NOT fit all. When I was pregnant, I found a cute shirt that was "one size". I told the clerk that there was no way it fit anyone, but she assured me that the shirt "does a lot of stretching, and looks cute on everyone". WRONG! I tried it on and felt like crap. So imagine my devastation when I was looking for leggings to put under my dress and the only ones the store had are "one size". I asked the clerk what size they really went up to and the clerk said "oh, you should be fine! just go try them on"...I was skeptical, but they FIT!


Running:
Last week I didn't get to run much. I ran two miles on Monday, and that was it. I am still working on my speed, though. This week, my plan is to run Monday-Wednesday since we have graduations at the end of the week.

Monday went well- I ran a mile in 11:18, which is the fastest I've run a mile since I started this endeavor. If I kept that pace up for 3.1 miles (which is doubtful) then I could run my 5k in less than 35 minutes!

Today I plan to run 5k. I'm hoping to keep my pace below 13 min/m. I am still really hoping to run our next race in less than 40 min.



I am 42 pounds down (164)! 19 pounds to go!

(if my "to go" pounds don't seem consistent, it's because they're not! My original goal was just to not be considered "overweight," now I think I could be more of my ideal weight)

Runners build up Runners

I have really been slacking off on blogging and running. Ever since the Valentine's 5K, I haven't been running regularly like I should be. I've been watching what I eat more and losing weight, but I definitely lost some of my running mojo.

In March, we did the Run to the Cross 5k; it was hilly and horrible since I hadn't run in a month. I finished in 42:17.

Last weekend, we did the Hope for Autism 5k. That one was hilly, humid, and even harder since I hadn't run in 2 months! I finished in 42:03.

I did have more fun at Hope of Autism because my husband decided to run with me. He is a lot faster than me, but lacks the endurance. Running with him has really motivated me to get back to it.

Yesterday, I ran 1 mile. I tried to do a little speedwork by running faster on the straights and slower on the curves. It resulted in a 12:15 minute mile!

Plus, a guy (who was obviously a regular runner) said I was doing great, and if I kept it up, I would definitely improve my 5k time. That was a super confidence boost! I love that runners build up other runners!

Just to update:

 I am officially down 40 pounds!

This is me after loosing  16 pounds, then after losing 35 pounds.

I don't know why I'm giving crazy eyes in both of these pictures

This picture is of me at 190, then again at 170. I'm now 166! I still have a ways to go, but I'm feeling a lot better about myself. I may actually have to start registering for medium race day shirts! EXCITING!!!