243.

It's officially time to get back into the swing of things. 

After my post the other day, I weighed myself & I'm using that as my new starting point.  Can't say I'm proud to put this out there, seeing as I was under 200 just about 2 years ago.  But I need to face the fact that I undid 47 pounds of progress.

Having an unhealthy relationship with food isn't a behavior I can easily change, if at all.  It's something I have to deal with.

EVERY.
SINGLE.
DAY.

I'm still down 43 pounds from where I was 3 years ago when I started this journey & by no means am I ready to quit.  So, let's do this.

xoxo

Back in the saddle . . .

So . . . things have changed a bit since I first started this blog.  My work schedule is nearly the polar opposite (& apparently I'm trying to work myself to death).  Tuesdays are no longer weigh-in days.  Tuesdays are wake up early because you have to go count all the money in the store at 8 in the morning days.  Thursdays are my steady off day now, so by default they now become weigh-in day.  They are now my only weekday off to get things done, so we'll see how tricky that becomes shortly . . .

But today is Thursday.  And since I'm back in the blogging game now, I guess that means I should update.

I'm going to be honest, I haven't been super productive since last week.  I also haven't had a day off & worked both jobs on 2 of those days.  I'm busy, give me a break.  I did fit in a few Zumba workouts in my apartment & tried to sync up my schedule to get to the gym with my workout buddy Terra.  That didn't turn out so well, though.  However, we're going to make a legit schedule because we want to get in a routine again.  It's coming.

I did eat really well the past week, though.  I owe most of that to my handy dandy Happy Herbivore cookbook.  Her black bean burgers have been my go to lunch for work for the past few weeks now & I am in LOVE with the Tofu Scramble.

It's to DIE FOR.  Especially with a little BBQ sauce on top.  Mmmmmmmm.

Anyway . . . When I started this here blog last year I was tipping the scales at 286 lbs.  Ridiculous, right?  I saw some old pictures of me last night that Terra found on her camera & its crazy how different I look (also, who let me wear such hideous clothes?  Really?).  I was squeezing into XL mens t-shirts & size 26/28 pants.  Last night I bought a size Large dress at Target.  In the Juniors section.

I almost screamed.

Alright, let's get onto it.
Previous weight : 220    (as of last official weigh-in)
Current weight  : 207.5
Total lost 78.5 lbs.

8 more lbs & I'm under 200 for the first time in my ADULT LIFE.  That's one milestone I'm pretty stoked about.  Just saying.  Just 21.5 away from hitting 100 lost.  Dang.  Its game time.

Oh & in 67 days I'm doing a half-marathon (more on that later).  I'm insane.

xoxo

Content.

Today's entry comes to you from the seats of The Muny, theco nations oldest & largest outdoor theater.  I got here early to nab some free seats & have 20 minutes until curtain, so why not write a blog?

Today was weigh-in day.  I didn't expect anything major after last week's 4.5 lb drop, but I was super active this week & stayed well within my calorie goals for the week (Yes, even with that whole bag of Gardettos I devoured in 4 days.  Lesson learned). 

This last week was the start of the Shrinking Jeans Burst Into Summer Challenge.  Part of the challenge is a 6 week bootcamp.  As I mentioned last week, I started a few days late due to work taking over my life, but I caught up!  I did the Week 1 workout on Wednesday, Friday & Sunday & did Week 2, Day 1 yesterday (ouch).  I would be lying if I said it was easy.  As someone still nearly 100 lbs from my "ideal body weight" some of the exercises were a lot to take on.  But I did it!  The first day was not a breeze, but when I finally finished & collapsed in my living room floor in a pool of sweat I was SO PROUD of myself & totally exhilarated!  Sprints for sure kicked my butt, but I can already tell that they're going to help me become a better runner.  The squats have made my legs ache for days, but I can feel the strength I've gained already.  The side plank dips . . . well they just plain sucked.  Let's not lie.

After working my butt off all week I was hoping for a great number this week.  So imagine my disappointment when I saw this . . .

Previous weight : 231.5 lbs
Current weight  : 234.5 lbs

Gain of 3 lbs.

What the heck.  Yes, the Gardettos were a fail & so was a drunken diner meal on Sunday night, but I still ate well the rest of the week.  I compensated well & tracked my food, so that can't really be the issue.  I do feel like I'm retaining water somewhat & maybe I gained a little muscle?  Who knows. 

But honestly, I'm not that bent out of shape about it.  I KNOW I worked hard this week, despite literally working EVERY DAY for the last week & being home just to sleep.  I had many a chance to blow it & to break my no fast food streak (almost 5 months now!), but I didn't.  I could've easily blown off my bootcamp workout, but I didn't.  I'm up 3 lbs, but I don't care. :)

xoxo
Karissa

Follow through.

The past month or so, I haven't been very on top of my game.  Gym visits have been fewer & far between & I haven't been tracking accurately at all (I have definitely been calorie conscious).  That resulted in not much progress. 

After my race (recap soon, I swear!) I feel rejuvenated, but I'm still lacking in my follow through.  thus my dry erase board weekly calendar is born!  I'm a procrastinator at heart.  I can always finish the dishes later or put my laundry away tomorrow.  Its really easy for me to let workouts go to the wayside if I run out of time.  My solution is to schedule my time better.  Working random different hours throws me off most of the time, so if I plot out what I need to do in advance I'll be more likely to do it.  I need to stop fitting exercise into my schedule only when my friends go to the gym.

This last week I am back on my game.  I've made a couple late night gym visits, swam & had a few impromptu home workouts as well (which is hard to make myself do without a dvd player!)  My enthusiasm is a little surprising, honestly, but I'm pretty excited about the progress I made this week.

Previous weight : 236.0 lbs
Current weight. : 231.5 lbs
Loss of 4.5 lbs!!

I literally stepped on the scale this morning & said "You've got to be shitting me."  I was definitely a bit shocked, but very happy with that number.  I guess that's what happens when you step up your workouts, track your food & eat well, eh?  Another exciting milestone is that at this weight my BMI is officially under 40!  I started with a BMI of 49.1 & now it is 39.7.  Wow.

This week also marks the start of the Shrinking Jeans Burst Into Summer challenge, which I spur of the moment signed up for last week!  Its an 11-week long team challenge with a 6 week bootcamp.  I missed the first workout yesterday due to getting called into work, but I'm going to catch up tonight or get up early & do it tomorrow.  I needed something different to mix up my workouts & I think this will definitely spice things up a bit.

I'm continually shocked by the progress I've made in the last (near) 6 months.  Everytime I get a compliment from someone I'm still flabbergasted & don't know quite how to react.  I can't remember the last time I had this much drive to finish something without being so scared that I was going to fail.  Don't get me wrong, I'm still scared.  Slightly terrified, even.  The difference is I KNOW I can do this.  Its all in my hands.  Everyday I feel more comfortable in my skin & its the best feeling.

xoxo
Karissa

5 & 50.

So its been a few weeks.  The last month has kind of threw me through a loop.  My last post was about the devastation in Joplin.  Anything I had to say here I felt paled in comparison, to be honest.  After my visit there recently,  I just didn't know what to say.  Its much worse than the pictures show.  Much worse than the news describes.  Much worse than you can imagine.  Driving through the affected area, it felt like I was in a third world country.  Buildings in shambles, debris everywhere, people driving around in cars with no windshields or windows.  What little we were able to bring I hope makes even a little bit of difference, but its miniscule in the big picture.  While most natural disasters take 1-2 years to clean up, its going to take Joplin 3-5 years.  Mother Nature is not someone I want to mess with.

Now time to catch up since my last real post.  If we're friends on Facebook or you follow me on Twitter, then you're hip to the news that I signed up for & this past weekend did my first 5K!  I meant to do a big write up before it, but time & life got the best of me, so suprise!  I'm not going to elaborate a ton on the race, because I'm going to do a separate post about it in the next day or so. :)

I feel like I've done pretty well in the past few weeks.  A little too much eating out & too little food in my cabinets didn't make for the best choices I could have made, but all in all my moderation was in check.  One great development is that the pool is finally open!!  My friend Mackenzie has a pool in her complex, so basically I can swim whenever I want, so that rules.  I couldn't make it the first few days it was open because I was out of town & working a ton when I got back, but I quickly made up for that & swam 4 or 5 days straight.  I just need to plan meals around swimming better since I'm DYING afterwards.

So now onto the numbers.

Previous weight : 239.5
Current weight. : 236.0

Do you know what that means?

I'VE LOST 50 POUNDS!!!  Its weigh-in official today.  I've been hanging out, above & below 236 for the last couple weeks, but the last Tuesday or 2 I've been about 237.5.  Not today, though. :)

5 months ago I would have thought dropping 50 pounds was impossible.  5 months ago I wouldn't have even entertained the idea of doing a 5k, for fear of being the last one to finish. 

5 months ago I was miserable.

Today I am not.

xoxo
Karissa

I have a love affair . . .

With broccoli, its true.

Pictured is my dinner from tonight.  Its a random thrown together stir fry that turned out deeeeelish! 

Here's what's in it:

Upton's Naturals Traditional Seitan
Trader Joe's Organic Broccoli Slaw
Archer Farms Asian Ginger dressing <-- this stuff is amaaazing
Celery
Broccoli (more because we're getting married)
White Onion
Chia Seeds
Garlic
Water Chestnuts
Soy Sauce
Crushed Red Pepper
Ground Ginger
Brown Jasmine Rice

All I have to say is OMNOMNOMNOMNOM.

I'm going to (try to) keep today's entry short & sweet because I feel like when I write these huuuuuuge long entries I'm less likely to post updates.  I feel like if I post too much I'm being annoying.

The last week has been much improved.  I went to the gym a couple nights last week, which felt good since they haven't seen much of me lately.  I've been itching to sign up for a 5k & with this weekend off I had a perfect opportunity.  Except that there's not a surplus of money in my wallet, so I didn't. 

Instead I created my own.  I deemed it the Shaw Neighborhood 5k since I pretty much circled my neighborhood & I finished in 50:22.  Not too shabby since I hadn't run very much lately & was still on Week 4 of C25K.

Had a crazy weekend so I recovered the rest of the weekend & then hit the gym up last night solo.  I got in a great workout in a short period of time since I wasn't distracted & slayed Day 1 of C25K Week 5 with no problem.  For the first time I can honestly say I feel like I'm becoming a runner. :)

Onto the weigh-in.  I held steady last week so I had high hopes for this week.  My scale was acting reaaaaally crazy this afternoon & kept giving me readings all over a 5 lb range.  It was reaaaaally annoying & after I toggled a unit switch on the back it finally gave me a consistent reading, so I'm trusting its right!

Previous weight : 242.5
Current weight  : 239.5

Goodbye 240's!  I hope I don't see you ever again, no offense.
So that puts me at 46.5 pounds lost overall.  50 is SO CLOSE, I can't believe it.  I might have to have a party to celebrate when I get there. :)

Alrighty, time to sign off.  I have friends coming in super early before work to crash at my place before their show tomorrow night so I need to get to cleaning & get some sleep.

xoxo

I'm on the right track, baby . . .

Sorry.  I can't get that GaGa song out of my head.

But I DO feel like I'm on the right track today.  I woke up refreshed from a full night of sleep after I made the elliptical cry last night at the gym.  I've been active every day since Thursday & I don't even know when my next rest day will be.  I tried to talk myself into one the other day, but then asked myself, "Why??"  I don't feel worn out, I feel energetic so what's the harm!

This last week has been a blast.  Tuesday night was Ke$ha (my total pop guilty pleasure) with my buddy Kristen who came from Joplin to see her with me.  The show was downright ridiculous, we danced & it was soooo good to see Kristen (we haven't really spent time together since her wedding in June).  We ate out since she was in town & I was pretty apprehensive, to say the least.  I did indulge a bit, but I tracked everything & still managed to stay within my calories for the day.  I ate macaroni & cheese (my favoritest thing in the world) and mozzarella sticks and managed to not overdo it?  Say whaaaaaat?  SO proud of myself.

Wednesday was also fabulous.  I took it easy during the day, gearing up to go see one of my absolute favorite bands, Eisley.  (Side note : GO CHECK OUT THEIR NEW ALBUM!  Its only $5 on amazon.com & they have the voices of angels.  Gorgeous scorned girl music at its best.)  Had to go it alone, but ended up loving it regardless & took home their new album on beautiful transparent red vinyl.  After that it was out to meet up with friends for our weekly outing to Dollar Bin (aka $1 PBR night, the only night I indulge myself & have a beer or 2).  I got so many compliments from friends I don't see as much & it warmed my heart to know they've taken notice.

The rest of the week honestly flew by with work & working out.  Hit up the gym a few times, took an awesome 3.4 mile walk through the park I live next to (I only meant to do 2!), then rode my bike for the first time this year through the park & around my awesome neighborhood.

I honestly don't know how its Tuesday already, but that means its weigh-in time!

Previous weight : 262.5
Current weight.  : 258.5
Loss of 4 lbs!

Total of 27.5 lbs lost. :)

Freaking A!  I stepped on & off the scale like 6 times to make sure this was right.  4 lbs the week I started off not working out for 2 days, ate mac & cheese & mozzarella sticks?  I guess that says something for moderation & being active every day!  I've tracked really well this week & make good use of my allotted calories, so I earned it.  I just sort of can't believe it!

I've been in a terrible mood the last few days (its my inner Oi Oi punk coming out) & wanted to yell at everyone/smash things.  Took it out on the elliptical last night, so I feel better (still need to have a talk with someone avoiding me).  Then the scale had to go & be all sweet.  Today is a good day!  Time to repeat my walk in the park now, cause its BEAUTIFUL outside & 53°!  Viva la Spring!

xoxo

Weigh-In #3 & Potluck!

(pictured : the Quinoa Black Bean Salad I made for work this weekend.  More on that later.)

I have failed at blogging since my weigh-in last week, but to be fair I've been crazy busy & havent had a day off work since!

Being more active, I have already noticed a huge difference in my everyday life.  I have more energy, stamina & I feel like I can go non-stop some days.  Before, I would go to work lethargic, come home tired & plop down in the recliner.  Usually after that the rest of my day would slip away watching TV or going out until super late & drinking.  The difference is ridiculous & I'm left wondering how I functioned before, in all honesty.

My groceries are already waning & without much extra $$ to spend for now, I've been worried I would stop & grab fast food or make something easy.  But guess what, I haven't!  Not to say I havent had the chance, but my resolve has been strong.  I got offered a piece of Domino's pizza by a co-worker & turned it down.  That.  Is.  Weird.

Speaking of work, we had a potluck over the weekend to celebrate the end of the fiscal year.  I decided to bring something different than the usual fare, that was vegan & healthy.  After some googling I decided on a Quinoa Black Bean Salad recipe I found HERE.  It turned out AWESOME!  It was spicy & limey (I am a lime juice junkie) & delicious.  I also made a fresh batch of Whole Wheat Pita Bread that was super yummy.  Judging by the empty container when I went home Sunday, my co-workers liked it too.

Alrighty, on to the weigh-in.  I've ate really well this past week & worked out every day but yesterday I think & I definitely saw the results!

Previous weight : 272 lbs

Current weight : 267.5 lbs

Loss of :  4.5 lbs

Total lost : 18.5 lbs.

I didnt quite believe the scale when I saw it & had a fit shortly thereafter.  I've definitely noticed small changes this week, as well.  The pants I wear for my work uniform are SO loose & I had to use a safety pin to keep the zipper up.  My roommate even told me last night that my jawline looks more defined.  Non-scale victories, FTW!!

Alrighty, I'm done with the novel for today.  I am going to try to make the best of my snow day(s) the Snowpocalyse of 2011 has gifted me.  It's time to stop cuddling with my cat, Marzipan.  Time to get up, get some semblance of a home work-out & clean up this pigsty I haven't had time to deal with for the last week.

Since I dont have any home workout DVD's to go along with, anyone have any tips of what to do?

xoxo

Better late than never . . .

Today has been crazy busy, so I'm just now getting to write up my blog for today!  I've been running around the city promoting all day, went to work out for awhile with my friend Terra & now I find myself at Applebee's for a special party thing celebrating local St Louis-ian Murphy Lee's launch of his wine, Freaky Muscato (which is pretty freaking awesome).

Today is Tuesday, so that means its weigh-in day!

Going in to this week I knew it would'nt be as triumphant as my first weigh in post, but I had high hopes because I've been kicking my ass at the gym this week.  But I'm happy with the result, because hey a loss is a loss!!

Previous weight  

274

Current weight   

272

Total loss of 2 lbs!

(Also i noticed that my scale only reads in 1/2 lb increments so that gives either number a bit of wiggle room.)

This isn't a super long post, so I apologize but I should stop ignoring my friends at the table. :)