No gimmicks, tricks, or surgery needed!

Well today I was reflecting back on the year of 2012 today, & I decided it had been a pretty good year! Also I most certainly determined 2013, will be even better! A few accomplishments I made in 2012 are; did my 1st 8k, my 1st 10k (cooper river bridge), did the color run (soo much fun), started back to school to finally get my RN, started trying to run, & signed up for my 1st 1/2 marathon which is in Feb of 2013! These are just a few of my milestones for the year, oh & I reached loosing over 100 plus lbs in total!!! So I say to 2013, bring it on....I am ready! In 2013 I will for the 1st time in my life have held a gym membership for 2 straight years (this will be true in just a few days), I will complete my 1st 1/2 marathon (I'm terrified but in a good way..I think), I will be getting closer to finishing my ADN, I will be working full time as an LPN & trying to remain some balance in the rest of my life. It will be a bit of a challenge to manage school, work, & working out but I'm up to the challenge. Not to mention I found out about a week ago I am moving to Baylor (just working 2 12 hr shifts on the weekends), so I'll have no weekends but I will have 5 days a week! I'm excited about this because I'll have more time for school, my husband, & the gym (might even work out twice a day..who knows)! I am still a constant work in progress, but I am solid proof you do not need gimmicks, tricks, or surgery to loose weight! You honestly need a driving goal, determination, healthy eating (most of the time), & willpower to get off your ass & do something about your weight if it makes you unhappy! My weight loss goals keep evolving. At 1st I started eating right & working out because I didn't want to look "fat" in my wedding pictures & regret them the rest of my life. Now my goal has evolved to try & be the best & fittest & healthiest me, I can be! When I finally finish school, I want to have children & by no means do I wish to teach them my old bad habits! I have accomplished so many different types of things now days, that my old over 300 lbs self never would have thought possible! I can honestly say now at 28 years old, I am in better health than I was in high school & maybe about the same weight. Lol. So if your unhappy with something in your life, join me in 2013 & try your best to improve that something & make your self happier! I used to think I was living & enjoying life @ 300 plus lbs, but I was only short changing myself on what life could be like! I honestly enjoy working out now days, it sort of gives you an euphoric high when your done! Now I can't say I've reached the point of enjoying running yet, because I still dread that but hope to reach that point 1 day too!!

Well it's gone

Well my little toenail finally came all the way off. I'm still a bit freaked out about it, but I have decided to face the nail salon with pride tomorrow. And when one of those people ask me "what happened to my toe", I will reply back with pride "I am a new runner"! My sweet husband has embraced my new past time as well. Tonight he gave me my early Christmas gift, & it was a Nike Fit GPS watch! So excited to start using it! Does anyone have this watch? Just wondering!

Welcome to the Running Club

So about 6 months or so ago, I really started trying to work on my running. Because up until that point, I could only really do short distance sprinting. The sacrifices I knew I would be making to get into running was logging miles on the treadmill, race entry fees, some sore muscles, & my dreaded runs....because I still have not reached that point where I find running enjoyable! I have reached the point where I am able to tolerate running. The only problem is between school, work, & life was sometimes I would be slack, & then I would have to build up my endurance all over again. Well about 2 months or so ago, I signed up for my 1st half marathon, which is in the end of Feb. in FL. So I have really been trying to keep reminding myself of this up coming race lately & trying to cut out being slack. Little did I know when I started running was that I could injure my toes & possibly loose a toenail or two. Omg, does that not sound awful...loosing your toenail. Well the other night after work, I am sitting in the bed getting ready to go to sleep, & I barley touch the side of my toenail (2nd toe) on my left foot. The entire nail just lifts up! Here I am sitting in bed completely horrified at what had just happen!! So the very corner was still attached on one side so I just lay it back down, & put on a sock & attempt to go to sleep. The next day I continue to worry about my toenail, & all the other 9 toenails that appear to be ok still. So I call the doctor, do a google research, & consult with friends. The conclusion is apparently this is a very common running problem. Also I'm told since I have lost my 1st toenail now, that I am officially a runner now. Woohoo, I think. I mean as bad as I want to achieve being a runner, & getting to a point where I even like to run. At what price? Not sure how ok I am about loosing my toenail(s). I mean I have cute little toenail, & now I'm down to 9 healthy nails now. :(. If I had it all to do over again, I'm not sure I would have signed up for a 1/2 marathon, but since I have made it this far I plan on seeing it through. Now, not to completely freak you out here, not ever runner looses toenails & I have been reassured they will grow back. The doctor recommended I wear thicker socks when I run, so I'm trying that now, & just waiting for my nail to completely fall off (as I tried to assist it & it hurt, so I left it alone). However this all being said, I have continued to workout & run since this happened, & luckily my toe doesn't hurt too much!

Go Big, or Go Home

Well I have been really slack on my blog lately....sorry for that guys. To catch you up to speed on me, I am back @ school taking Psychiatric nursing (1st test on Wednesday; prayers appreciated), I have been doing the couch to 5k program through the iPhone app, I am running a 5k in Nov (color run), getting a new tattoo in the near future, & last but not least...I have signed up for a half marathon with my friend Whitney for the end of Feb in 2013. I know what your thinking "a half marathon". Well it's the Disney Princess run, & we have talked about maybe doing it for months. However, we finally decided to "go big, or go home" per say. The 1st two nights after registering us, I was running in my dreams.....therefore to say I am a complete big bag of nerves & excitement all at once is an understatement!!! In case your wondering, I am gonna dress up as Cinderella. Well that's all for now.....as I continue to ponder my quickly approaching 28th birthday!!! I'll keep you posted on my 1/2 marathon training (gosh that sounds scary & invigorating..all at once)!

Inspiration

So I have been very slack this week with my gym routine, & not too good at eating healthy either. However, it's amazing how you can find inspiration in the most interesting things! It was a girls only weekend in Charleston, we went to the beach where we all got burnt, & then decided to dress up a bit Saturday night & hit the town to get our drink on a little bit! Went to wet willies, where we didn't get carded to get in the door (bummer to feeling young self esteem), then finally got drinks, & picked a booth out. We were sitting there enjoying our drinks, & lots of people watching. Out of the blue 2 random guys show up at our booth, where one slides into the booth beside me. Well 2 out of 3 of us girls are married ( and the other in a serious relationship), but I must say a hot guy & his friend paying us a little attention caught us off guard. I mean this kind of stuff does not happen to us on a regular basis! I have been with my husband for 10 years next month, we started dating right as I graduated hs. So he is the only guy to hit on me in like the last 10 years. So I was incredibly flattered by this guy, who is deff a few years younger & very hot hitting on me!!! Gave me the motivation to get my ass back in gear with my healthy eating, & the gym this week! I want to be married & hot, and for other guys to think I'm "hit on" worthy!! Lol :D

Stress Eating

So I am determined to get back on my weight loss band wagon, & yesterday I had a little jog outside( running outside is harder for me than the treadmill for some reason), & I had a light lunch; part of a protein shake & some sun chips, had Greek yogurt & banana for breakfast. Anyways I went to work with my protein shake (sipping on it, was a little sicking sweet). Got report on my residents, & realized my night was going to hell in a hand basket really quickly. Gave up on the protein shake , & got to work. Didn't have time to take a real meal break, finally ate part of it @ 10:30pm. Was at work till 3 AM, this morning. From 11pm-4am all I wanted to do was stress eat, & eat lots of junk!!!!! I did indulge on a little stress eating, mostly because I never really had dinner. However I mange to resist most of the junk, I had a protein bar @ 11:30pm, resisted stopping @ Wendy's for the fries & kid frosty I wanted on my way home. When I got home I ate some puffed rice (pirates booty) & an edys natural popscile, & some organic chocolate milk. Was still too much food to be consuming so late, however I decided to be thankful I resisted the bad junk food, & at least at small amount of the healthier stuff. Sometimes I do great at resisting the crap food for months at a time, but once I break the cycle my body gets used to craving the sweets & stuff, so it's once again hard to kick the habit. I have done an extreme clean diet the last 6 months on & off, where your have no bread, milk products, beans (unless green beans), or alcohol. I decided that even though you really drop the lbs that way, that it is too much of an extreme diet for me to live with every day. Which is my ultimate goal, to maintain healthy eating everyday!!!! Still striving, & kicking my junk food rut to the curb 1 step at a time!!!

Junk food rut.....

So ever since I came home from my vacation, I have been in a junk food rut. I will think "your gonna be good today Melissa, & before I can reach the end of the day I have ate some type of junk food crap. It's really starting to disgust me that, I can't seem to shake this habit the last 2 weeks. I want to loose more weight, not maintain or gain for goodness sakes. Ugh...can someone lend me so willpower because apparently mine has left the building. Work has also been, very stressful the last 2 weeks so I don't know if that is playing into my issue or not. I really need to just get my act together, where is my determined Melissa....I need her to come bak ASAP! Lol. Does anyone else have this problem?

Thank you

Well after my 1st post yesterday, I received lots of nice comments encouraging me to keep blogging, so I am gonna try.  One fried suggested I should come up with a meal plan & work out plan, so I guess I will see what I can come up with there.  This is an odd time for me to start a blog, as I just started back to school to finish my RN (busy bee).  Today I had planned on taking 2 classes at the gym, had my alarm all set to get up for the 9:30 Body Combat class, however I did as usual and talked my sleepy self out of the class.  This happens almost every Tuesday morning when I plan on going to take body combat, now I do have a Pilates Reformer class as well on Tuesday mornings at 10:45, which I have only missed once due to sleeping in.  I don't feel that I can skimp out of reformer class because its a class of generally 4-5 people and the instructor would notice if I wasn't there, however for combat class that is 30 or so people and the instructor will never notice if I don't come to it.  I need to find some motivation to hold myself accountable and get my lazy ass out of the bed & to combat on Tuesday mornings!  Does anyone have any recommendations on what motivates you?  I used to have work out partners, which always helped! However now days due to my work schedule and school schedule nobody else can work out with me on a regular basis......so I need to look down deep and find my own accountable & motivation! Till next time my friends.........

Background

I have always had a battle with my weight. I have started this blog to give some insite how I have been able to go from my heaviest weight of 315 lbs in 2008,to the 190's now in 2012. I will not lie, & say it's been an easy process, but it has been worth every struggle to be where I am now! I have been married for almost 1 year now; my husbands name is Justin, & we have 3 dogs. I generally try to eat healthy now days, & work out at least 3 days a week. By loosing weight I have been able to try all new kinds of experiences, some which I have come to love! I signed up for my 1st 5k race in march of 2011, with one of my best friends. We didn't really train for the race, we just had a goal of finishing it, knowing we would be walking the entire way. I have done 3 5k's now, 1 8k, & 1 10k. I no longer just walk the races, but alternate walking & sprinting. I have signed up for a 5k in November, which I have a goal of being able to run the entire race!!! I have lost roughly 123lbs since my heaviest weight, & would like to loose another 50-60lbs. When I really started focusing on loosing weight it was Christmas of 2010, because I had just gotten engaged & all I could think is "wedding pictures are forever, & I don't want to look back at fat weddi g pictures!" so Jan of 2011, I joined a gym & weight watchers. At first I followed WW to a T,but eventually I droped WW because being a nurse I had known all a long what I should & should not eat, it was just a matter of getting into that pratice! At the time I got engaged I probably weighed about 280 lbs or so, at my wedding day I believe I was down to about 225 lbs or so. I was very pleased with the weight I had lost, & how I ha started to tone up my body from sheer diet & working out. I enjoyed doing cardio classes, however weight training & running were not enjoyable. When I first started at the gym, I had a personal trainer, which helped teach me what to do with weights & the various machines at the gym. Now days I still love cardio classes, Body Jam is my fave, but I'm really trying to get to a point where I enjoy running too! I also started taking Pilates reformer about 6 months ago, which I also really enjoy! The reason I decided to start blogging is because I get asked on a regular basis "what is your secret", to my weight loss. I usually say no, secret just hard work & determination! Which is in fact the struggle, I still continue to struggle with my "inner" fat girl mentally; I still crave the unhealthy & fried foods, & I still have a serious struggle with my body image! I almost think I struggle more with my body image now, than I did before I lost weight. I hope this blog inspires someone else to get started working on their fitness, we are a society in an epidemic of obesity! I finally decided I wante to work at living & enjoying life, instead of slowly killing myself enjoying a lazy lifestyle & fattening foods!