Oh...my...word... That was a killer workout and it was only week 1 day 1!!!! But, then again I did workout longer than I was supposed to because I was trying to calibrate my new Nike+ shoes and tracker thingy. My time was horrible but at least I didn't quit. I'm already a winner because all I wanted to do after a long, stressful day at work was go eat and sleep! But I ate a small snack and got to working on my goals.
My endurance was ok, but the day 1 looked pretty easy since it was rotating between walking and jogging. My biggest struggle was pushing through when I got tired. It would have been nice to give up when I reached 15 mins and was exhausted. I felt the burn around 20 minutes. And I kept telling myself that I will never accomplish anything noteworthy if I quit. How amazing will it feel to complete a 5K after once weighing 240lbs! All in the same year!!! I get chills just thinking about it. I don't care about winning or placing in the race. I just want to be able to run in it... To be able to say, "I ran a 5K!"
All of that being said... Here's a pic of my results from my first 5K training day which is also my goal for the rest of the week... Beat my time!!!
I have decided to start training for my first 5K!!! I haven't ran in years but I am determined to start back. I found out my church is hosting a 5K in July for their youth group mission trip to Nicaragua. I thought it would be interesting to see how this goes since I've never participated in a 5K before. I'm not in it to place or anything... I just want to accomplish something great that I've never tried before. I just bought new running shoes since my old Under Armor ones are killing me and downloaded the Nike+ & C25K apps for my iPhone. I think it will be interesting to see how this goes. My first run will be this evening... 30 minutes! I'm nervous!
On to a different subject... I've held steady at 225 for almost 2 weeks now. :/ I'm not too happy but at least I'm not gaining it all back. I'm back on my eating schedule and working out again. I've got my Iodine lined out too. I need to find different ways to boost my weight loss so I can keep losing. I think training for the 5K will help boost it again. My biggest fear about this is hurting myself. I have a healed knee injury from high school that always seems to flair up at the most inopportune time.
Anyways... I just wanted to share my little bit of excitement. Happy Monday to all!
A bit of motivation:
Week 3 on Iodine... Still at 2 drops a day. I found out the hard way that if I do not eat a good breakfast, I will get sick. I'm talking headaches, stomach aches, body aches, flu-like symptoms, dizziness, faint, etc. I was volunteering at the Special Olympics today and almost passed out of the field because I didn't eat enough food for breakfast with my Iodine. I was also severely dehydrated.
That being said... I ate some food and drank a LOT of water. I also drank a celtic sea salt solution (1/2 tsp + 8oz water) called Salt Loading to help reduce detox side effects (mentioned above).
I haven't shown detox symptoms except one the two days that I didn't eat a good breakfast. Since I am cutting out wheat, artificial & processed foods, refined sugars, etc... that means I have very few options for a good and fast breakfast. My breakfast used to consist of greek yogurt but I cannot eat anything with calcium in it with the iodine (which is taken in the morning) so there goes the other half of all breakfast foods. I still eat the yogurt for an afternoon snack along with berries and nuts.
The one thing I need to focus on my eating habits again... I've been travelling a lot the past 3 weeks so I'm out of my eating schedule. (3 small meals, 2 snacks) That has helped so much in the past and I can tell the weight loss has slowed down too. I'm picking it back up this week along with my workouts. Now that I'm home, I can actually use my elliptical again as well as continue my body weight exercises. I'm thinking about adding Bowling and Wii games to the mix... If I can get some friends to go bowling with me. lol
It feels great to be back home and in a controlled environment... I hope it's a long time before I have to leave again! Now, my goal for this week is to get to 220. My weight has been up and down this past week (probably due to travel) so I want to get it back to where it should be.. On track!!! My motivation for this week: This top and those bottoms for my beach trip... I bought them in my correct size which is a little snug so my motivation is to fit better in 3 months.
Just to let you all know... these are super embarrassing for me to post. I am SO excited that I can see a little change in my body from looking at these pics. But, nevertheless, still embarrassing. I'm a very modest person and do not have a lot of self-confidence so this takes a lot of courage for me to post these. These pics were at various stages of my weight-loss journey. The first pic was taken around January 1st 2013 and at the beginning of the 30-day detox. The last pic was from February 23rd 2013. I listed the weight in each photo. I know the difference isn't very noticeable but it's a difference that I've worked hard for. So, below are the pics:
Weighed in today... 225!!! It feels great to get out of that rut! I'm home safe and sound and focusing on my food intake and workouts. I splurged on food this week (bad MaddyGrace) but I'm losing and back on track.
I increased my Iodine to two drops. No noticeable side effects but I did wake up with a killer headache this morning. Could be dehydration or sinuses though. I feel great and happy.
I did a quick workout this morning... 15 mins on the elliptical and 50 sit-ups. I'm dying to get back into a gym to do some real squats and assisted pull-ups. I know I won't be able to squat 200 for a while but I think I can squat around 100 pretty easily. Cardio and body weight exercises are great right now. I just miss feeling the strength at the end of my session. I'm sure I'm not the only one out there with that feeling.
I got some new clothes last night at Dicks Sporting Goods and Victorias Secret Pink. I can fit back into a large at VS! That made my night. Grant asked me to try on an old swimsuit to see how it fit and I had to loosen it but it wasn't as bad as I expected. It's definitely motivation for my trip because I don't want to buy a new one for a one time wear. I would post a pic but I'm really embarrassed right now. I'm holding it for transformation pics though. ;)
Something new I'm adding to my routine.... Walking. At work, we have a walking program to help employees monitor their weight and get them moving more instead of sitting all day, every day. I joined the program. My first check in is March 23? With 54 miles. So, on top of workouts and my healthy lifestyle, I will be counting my daily steps. Work itself is becoming stressful as I work my way up the knowledge chain, so I am also focusing on staying as stress free as possible. Going to Lafayette this week so prayers and encouragement are welcomed.
Goal for the next week... 223!!! A little laugh today for my motivation:
So... in my previous post, I mentioned the detox is over. I now wish it wasn't. I haven't budged a pound since! I haven't worked out either though. I do feel more bloated and heavy than I did when I was detoxing. I started the Iodine Protocol a week and a half ago. I felt a major difference in my energy and body the first 3 days. Then I made some adjustments because I had some mild detox symptoms and now... nothing. :( At all... No energy, no detox symptoms, nothing at all. I would rather have the energy and and overall great feeling and happiness plus the mild detox symptoms than nothing at all. By mild detox symptoms, I mean I had a metallic taste in my mouth, a mild headache, and I felt kind of hot like I had completed a mile run. Nothing major that caused me concern.
I just really want my energy back. When I started the Iodine, I was taking 1 drop of Iodoral + 1/2 tsp celtic sea salt (in 8 oz water) + supplements. I'm thinking that I need to up my dose to 2 drops of Iodoral in order to get the good feeling back. Once I reach 25 drops, I can start taking it in a pill form (which I heard gives you a bigger boost of energy because of the way it's metabolized). That gets me all excited!
Back to the weight loss... I haven't lost any weight since the detox ended. I haven't changed my habits much (I haven't been able to eat small meals 5x a day due to work) but I haven't added new habits either. I will admit that I ate some bad food recently (CHEESECAKE!) but I'm getting back on my wagon and chugging along. I am sitting in my hotel writing this and reminiscing on my sorry attempt for a workout this morning which consisted of 80 jumping jacks, 50 crunches, 10 pushups, and 30 squats. Very sad workout. I remember when that was a breeze, too! I miss being at home where I can prepare my own meals and know exactly where the food came from and what's in it. I miss the taste of fresh salad and cranberries. I miss my husband making me some grilled chicken and shrimp for my salads. I miss my bed... where I could get a full night's sleep.
My goal for the rest of this week... make the trip home safely, snuggle with my husband and four-legged baby, fix wonderful, fresh food, and WORK OUT! And more importantly, adjust my Iodine dosage. :) Here's a little motivation for this week:
It seems like forever since my last post. I've been super busy that's for sure. Between project management training and being sick, all of my time has been consumed! I'm loving my Sambuccus syrup... It's all natural and made from Elderberries. It helps cut your cold/flu time in half! And it tastes wonderful! Luckily, it's not the flu... It's just a sinus cold. I just have to stay on top of it so I do not get bronchitis.
On the bright side... the detox is officially over!!! I have lost a total of 14lbs while detoxing. I believe my new lifestyle is something I can continue with great ease. I find myself craving blueberry green tea, boiled eggs, salads, grilled chicken, and nuts/berries. I do have chocolate cravings (who doesn't?) but I have some wonderful dark chocolate covered almonds that are divine and a great snack without the guilt.
My goal for February is to lose 7lbs. That will put me under 220lbs. My adjustment to make this happen: Continuing to eat great and adding exercise. At least 30 mins a day of cardio plus some weight training. I no longer have a gym membership so I will use body weight exercises and kettlebells. Once those become easier, I will probably start working out at a gym again. I do miss squats, dead lifts, and bench presses. And rowing!!! But I'm really hoping to buy a house with a gym by then. I will continue to eat wholesome foods. I can tell that food makes a difference. And timing too. I noticed that eating smaller meals more often helps control the hunger and speed up my metabolism.
I also started the iodine therapy on Sunday. Talking about weird! I had a burst of energy that I haven't felt in a long time. Not jittery like an energy drink but happy energy, like a good run or chocolate. I also got very hot for about an hour after I took my first dose. Same thing happened today. I'm still energetic but I got really hot. Not like a hot flash. It wasn't miserable and I didn't feel like I was on fire from the inside out. I just felt really warm like a hot sunny day laying out by the pool. It made me sweat for a few minutes but it went away almost as quick as it came. Kind of like I was nervous and stressed? It's been almost 4 hours since I took the iodine and supplements and I still have energy but my hands are cold (nothing new!) and I'm starving! It's been forever since I've had a legit hunger for food. I can't wait to go home and fix up a ceasar cranberry salad.
I will admit, I've been naughty. I finished my detox and to celebrate, I took my husband and his family to a Tech basketball game. Grant and I were shopping before his family got to town and we passed a local bakery and I just had to stop. They had king cake cupcakes and brownies and EVERYTHING wonderful you can imagine. I asked Grant to split a king cake cupcake with me. It was delicious! I also had a very horrible loaded potato soup at Newk's this weekend (I was sick!!!). That's my favorite soup but it is LOADED with calories and fat that is not needed. But it was very delicious. Now, back on track for February 2013!!!
Motivation:
