I gained the weight back

A little over 2 years ago I was at my lowest weight(160lbs).  I had pushed and fought to get to that weight with the set date of my wedding. After my wedding I celebrated a little too much.  Now here I am 15lbs away from my highest weight(220).  I am extremely dissappointed in myself.  I fought and worked so hard to lose the weight and slowlly let it all come back on.  Today, I am recommiting. No more "I deserve this" or "I'm too tired to workout"  No more excuses.  This is my life and I am unhappy with how I feel right now.  Who can change that?  Me and only Me.  So here I am! I am committed and I will see 160s again!  I will get back to being proud of what my body can do and happy with myself again!  

To accomplish my goals I will be setting weekly goals.  Please keep my accountable and honest!

Goal 1: Track all food intake

Goal 2: Run 8 miles (total for the week)

17 Goals for 2017

Goals are a good thing to have right?!?! I have lots of goals but I know not all of them can happen at once so I am going to make 17 goals that range from fitness to learning and everything in between.  Here is to making 2017 great and keeping me accountable to my goals!

1. Read 4 books ( That is only 1 book every 3 months, completely do able!) Jurassic Park, Gone Girl, Deception Point, Andromeda Strain

2. Run a 9:00 mile (I have been so focused on distance for so long that I am almost run out...I still get urges to go for a run but long distances make me cringe anymore.  So lets go back to the basics.  1 mile but with some speed!)   No longer a goal right now.  Preparing for a half marathon in January so need to build up miles again.  

3. Get back to the 150's.  ( More on this in a future post but I have fallen way off the wagon and now I am chasing after it trying to get back on it!) See Confession Post...

4. Do a Hand Stand!  (Still a goal) Need to get to work on this!

5. Pass the Professional Engineering Exam (Big Test with big responsibility) Done!

6. Stick to a Budget for at least 3 months (This includes making a budget and watching my spending more often)  Done!

7. Go camping with my Husband and Puppy!  Done!

8. Write to my Grandma more often  Need to get to work on this!

9. Start Recycling (You know save the planet and all that jazz)  Done!

10. Blog at least once a month Nope...

11. Stop Biting My Nails! (I really need to kick this bad habit!) Still working on it...

12. Go to Body Pump at least 3 times a month  Moved and quit the gym but working out at home again

13. Visit a New Museum Visited the Health Museum with my Mom in Houston

14. Crochet or Knit a blanket Made a baby blanket for friends!  

15. See or Visit Family Saw family in August!

16. Visit a New State Park Visited, camped and hiked in Stephen F. Austin State Park

17. Another train ride!  (I have a voucher for a train ride with Amtrak after the last mishap...) Probably not going to happen...voucher expired

Whole 30 (1/3 done!)

Happy New Year!

I hope you 2015 is going great!  I am kicking off 2015 with my first goal!  Completing the whole30!

I am on day 10 right now!  I have added a page with a list of all my meals for the past 10 days along with how I have been feeling.

Quitting sugar is hard!  No only do I have to say no to things but also grocery shopping to find no sugar added products is hard!  Why is there sugar in almost all the bacon!?!  Also in sausage and canned tomatoes!  Avoiding sugar has been the hardest part and with withdraw symptoms of headaches and nausea are not fun.  I really don't like knowing that I am pretty much a sugar addict.  I didn't think I was until I started cutting the late night ice cream and morning sugary cereal bowl!

At first I thought no dairy would be the next hardest part.  I am not so much addicted to dairy but it is a comfort food and I am learning to live without.  It really is just extra stuff that I don't really need to make my meals delicious.  This is nice to learn but still can't wait to make a cheesy veggie omelete when this is over.

All the other restrictions haven't been too bad.  I have previously tried going low carb so I have found ways around bread and other grains.  No legumes isn't so bad because my fiance doesn't like beans so I don't cook with them too often.  No alcohol hasn't been bad but haven't had the real temptations quite yet.   No carrageenan, msg, and sulfites is also difficult if you buy anything no fresh...No baked goods, junk food or treats isn't too hard either.  I eat plenty of fruit and cinnamon sweet potatoes to satiate that.

So have you ever tried Ghee?  Ghee is clarified butter that originated in India.  It doesn't have to be refrigerated and has a funky texture but I love cooking with this new butter!  I actually made my own ghee by using unsalted organic butter and an always reliable Alton Brown recipe.  You can buy this in stores but you may find it in the international food aisle and not by the butter since it is mostly used in middle eastern cooking and doesn't require refrigeration.

I am learning that I have been doing a version of the whole30 since I started this journey to get fit.  Many of my recipes still fit within the restriction of the diet with a possible few tweaks.  One of my favorite food is spaghetti as I have mentioned before so my zoodle "spaghetti" is favorite healthy twist on this meal.  I make zucchini noodle with my Vegetti and saute them to heat them up.  I take a couple of cans of diced tomatoes and blend them smooth as my sauce while adding Italian seasoning if not already added. Then I heat up the sauce in a skillet with my added veggies.  I am always mixing it up with mushrooms, peppers, onions, and spinach.  Once the sauce is hot and starting to boil, I add the sauteed zucchini noodles, mix and serve!  So easy!  So delicious!  And so easy to personalize to your taste or mix up if you get bored!

Check out my whole30 page for other recipes that I have been making these last 10 days!

Results so far?  The whole30 program suggests not weighting yourself but I have the end of my 6 month dietbet to weigh in for on the 15th!  So I have ignored that rule and I am happy to say that I am 3.2 lbs down!  How awesome is that!  I have been tracking my food as well so I can report back and it is so easy to stay within your calories when you are eating whole foods!  I try to keep track of my macros with myfitnesspal to make sure I am getting my protein and fats in while keeping my sugar carbs in check.

Looks like I am going to make my final weighin for my 6 month weight in!  That means I have lost 10% in 6 month!  I started at 180 and I have lost 18 lbs!  One step closer to my ultimate goal!

Thanks for reading!

2015 New Year Resolutions

Who is ready for 2015!?

Are you ready with you New Years Resolutions for 2015?  I did a lot of thinking and I decided to make some difference resolutions.  These resolutions are really all my goals for 2015.

Here are my 15 goals for 2015!

1. Run Another Half Marathon

-I have really been slacking on keeping my mileage up. I would like to do another half marathon to make sure I keep my mileage up and I enjoyed the thought of working towards a specific event

2. Whole 30

-More on this below

3. Go Kayaking or paddleboarding

- I live by the water and why haven't I done this yet?

4. Watch a Sunrise at the beach

-See above

5. Plan a Budget/make the most of our money

-I would like to really make a budget and see if we can spend money wiser in areas.

6. Newbie Triathlon

-I would really like to try a triathlon event!

7. Painting Class

-I've always wanted to take one of those wine and canvas classes!

8. Star gazing at the beach

-The national seashore near us has a star gazing area that I would love to check out

9. Get Married

-Ek! This is the year! We are currently less than 4 months away!

10. Visit a Texas Brewery or Winery

-I want to explore more of Texas really and this seams like a good way to do that

11. Try 2 new Vegetables

-You know how you get to food ruts? I would like to expand my vegatables

12. Visit 2 new state parks

-Rosalie loves going new places and what better way to explore more of texas with my furchild

13. Run at least 5 5ks

-I really think 5ks are a great distance and I love getting out there and running with a group of strangers while feeling like one of the team.

14. Read 4 books

- I have a long list of books to read!

15. Bike to Watergardens and back

-I would love to bike to our downtown area from my apartment and back. It is about 8 miles to get there and I think it is completely do able but may have to work on my bike mileage first before I try the there AND back.

Okay guys I want you to keep me accountable and I will keep you up to date as I work on these goals!

Whole 30:

Okay so i read "It starts with food" after it was recommended to me. I found the book really interesting and started thinking about trying this nutrition reset. After dieting for a while and really learning more about my body I know that sugar really has a strong affect on me. I have thought about trying a no sugar added diet before. I encourage you to read the book and check out the Whole30 website. The diet is very restrictive, I am not going to lie. But I think it will be a good challenge as I am only months away from the big day and am still very far from my goal. So here is what I will be cutting out.

"Do not consume added sugar of any kind, real or artificial. No maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, coconut sugar, Splenda, Equal, Nutrasweet, xylitol, stevia, etc. Read your labels, because companies sneak sugar into products in ways you might not recognize. 

Do not consume alcohol in any form, not even for cooking. (And it should go without saying, but no tobacco products of any sort, either.) 

Do not eat grains. This includes (but is not limited to) wheat, rye, barley, oats, corn, rice, millet, bulgur, sorghum, amaranth, buckwheat, sprouted grains and all of those gluten-free pseudo-grains like quinoa. This also includes all the ways we add wheat, corn and rice into our foods in the form of bran, germ, starch and so on. Again, read your labels. 

Do not eat legumes. This includes beans of all kinds (black, red, pinto, navy, white, kidney, lima, fava, etc.), peas, chickpeas, lentils, and peanuts. No peanut butter, either. This also includes all forms of soy – soy sauce, miso, tofu, tempeh, edamame, and all the ways we sneak soy into foods (like lecithin). 

Do not eat dairy. This includes cow, goat or sheep’s milk products such as cream, cheese (hard or soft), kefir, yogurt (even Greek), and sour cream… with the exception of clarified butter or ghee. 

Do not consume carrageenan, MSG or sulfites. If these ingredients appear in any form on the label of your processed food or beverage, it’s out for the Whole30. 

Do not try to re-create baked goods,  junk foods, or treats* with “approved” ingredients. Continuing to eat your old, unhealthy foods made with Whole30 ingredients is totally missing the point, and will tank your results faster than you can say “Paleo Pop-Tarts.” Remember, these are the same foods that got you into health-trouble in the first place—and a pancake is still a pancake, regardless of the ingredients. "

So now you may be saying "Gretchen, you are nuts! there is no way you will be able to do that. What will you eat?" Veggies, fruits, protein, and fats. That's not so bad and it is only for 30 days! I plan on starting Janruary 1st as a great kickstart to 2015. I'm not saying it will be easy but i think it will be a good change of pace and hopefully I learn something new. I hope to track my food and impressions daily and will report at least once a week on how the Whole30 is going. Christmas had it's ups and downs and I haven't checked where I am at weight wise yet. I will document my weight and inches. Anyone else interested in a reset to begin 2015?

Thank you for reading!

San Antonio Getaway Weekend

This is going to be more of a travel post than anything else, just FYI.

So Josh got a weekend off so we decided to have a little getaway weekend to San Antonio!  We love to visit the town and really enjoy walking the riverwalk.  This is where Josh proposed and it will forever hold a special place in our hearts.

Friday, we drove up to San Antonio and went to pick up our race packets for the Santa Boogie 5k that I had signed us up for.  Josh was not ecstatic about this run to say the least but when he commits to something he does it all the way!  Then we did a little shopping and lunch then headed to the hotel.  After the hotel we signed up for a walking ghost tour and walked the riverwalk until it started.  So San Antonio is one of the oldest cities in Texas and the united states for that matter.  This makes for a very deep history which if you know me, I love!  I had no idea all the ghost stories just the small downtown area of San Antonio had!  The ghost tour was about an hour long and we visited about 5-6 places.  We visited the Alamo, of course, and many of the older hotels downtown.  If you are looking for a haunting in south Texas I know some places for you!  I'm not a big believer in ghost but I don't like to take my chances either.  One of the coolest facts that I found was that one of the bars that Teddy Roosevelt himself used to liquor up some boys to convince them to join the army was still standing today and the bullet hole from him is still three too!  SO COOL!  Also we got to see a beautiful light show on the San Fernando Cathedral.  The show was called San Antonio: The Saga.  It was a beautiful light show and I am so glad that we stumbled upon it! 

Saturday, we ran the Santa Boogie 5k!

I had so much fun running with my soon to be husband!  I was not going to run in the full Santa outfit but he was committed!  He ran almost the whole thing with that beard on!  Also with him next to me I was able to run one of my fastest mile times!  I had no idea that I had it in me but having him next to me really kept me going even when I wanted to slow down.  This wasn't a huge even but we think we placed probably in the top 10!  When we walked back to our hotel it was so refreshing how nice everyone was!  Everyone greeted us with "Good Morning" or "Merry Christmas."  Makes you want to wear Christmas gear all year long!

We then took a river boat tour around the river walk and explored some more!  For the afternoon we did one our favorite things and rested our legs at the movie theater with Big Hero 6.  Very cute movie but let me tell you this, I was crying before the movie started.  The short before was almost better than the movie.  I was sobbing by the end of it.  If you get a chance, watch the disney short called "Feast" and you may want some tissues near by.  Or not, I'm a sucker for dogs and love stories so yeah.  The rest of Saturday wasn't so great because I started to get really sick with a sore throat, sneezing, coughing, headache, and stuffiness.  But all in all it was an amazing weekend of just us.  And I loved it!  I'm so lucky to have a guy like him!  Happy Birthday!  Lets make your 26th year one of your favorites! ;)

Next post will be about my New Years Resolutions!  Are you making any?  I challenge you to make some but make them S.M.A.R.T.!

Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant
Time Bound

There were too many years that I made mine to "lose weight." What does that mean?  Lets try something else.  Maybe you wanna complete a specific race.  Maybe you wanna try something new.  Give yourself something to work towards.  Don't focus on the scale.

Thank you for reading!

1 Year ago Today

My last two posts were very specific about my first duathlon and half marathon but what else is happening?

Well today is my 1 year anniversary of deciding to really change my life.  The start of my journey I was 221 lbs and decided to try a diet plan that my best friend had been very success full with.  Also I wanted to be able to run a mile non-stop.  I was 23 years old and couldn't run a mile.  I was in a size 18 jeans.  I wasn't happy with my body even though I had "accepted" it.

Today, I am 57 lbs down.  I have earned $227.52 through dietbets.  I have completed a duathlon and a half marathon.  Most importantly, I have learned so much about food, health, and fitness.  I still have a lot to learn but here are some things that I think have really changed helped me on my journey to fit and fab.

• Vegetables!  Eat your vegetables.  I know I don't always do this but I try to fit them or even sneak them in whenever I can.  This is something I learned quickly when starting out on Medifast.  Trying to get all my greens in was hard.  But get creative or look up some great recipes or mix things up!    

• These is always a healthier version of your favorite dish it just takes some effort.  I have found healthier alternatives for cheesy breadsticks, pizza, spaghetti, chick-fil-a, and so much more!  The internet is full of great information and recipes!

• The outdoors is the best gym there is.  I enjoy running, biking, walking and all these things can be done with out a gym membership!  I will say that I am lucky to live in warm and sunny south Texas which helps a lot.  :D

• Get out of your comfort zone!  This is an easy one...not.  Step out, try something new.  I don't mean the newest diet crazy.  I mean try a new recipe, a new fruit, vegetable, a new sport or activity.  Check Groupon.  Is there a deal for a fitness class near you?  Try it out!  That's how I found out about rowing and they were a very welcoming community!

• Motivation.  This can be very difficult.  There are times where I keep stepping on the scale and I don't see what I wanna see.  This can bring my whole mood down.  I try to stay motivated with blogs and podcasts regularly.  My favorite podcasts are Tips of the Scale and Half Size Me.  They have inspirational stories of people that have faced great challenges to reach their goals. They also have professionals on to talk about fitness, nutrition, and lots of other information.  Are you you into something specific like running, triathlons, Paleo, or crossfit?  There are podcast that are specific to all sorts of stuff!  I like the Everyday Runners podcast.  This podcast makes me say if they can do it why can't I?  Also I have started listening to Tri Swim Coach as I start thinking about training for my first Triathlon.  There are so many podcasts out there!  Not all of them are specific to you but there is always something to learn!

That is just a few of the things that I've learned and have really helped me throughout this year.  If you have any questions feel free to email me at Gretchen.ward14@gmail.com!  

Here is to another year of firsts and personal records and new adventures!  Oh and a wedding dress! ;)

57 lbs down, Duathlon and Half Marathon Finisher

Thank you for reading and following me on my journey to get fit and fab! 

Harbor Half Marathon

I completed my first half marathon!  13.1 miles!

I ran over this bridge twice!

I had a great time running this!  But lets go back to the night before.  I was more anxious about this race than I was for the duathlon and I trained for this for over 14 weeks!  What?!?  My stomach was turning, I was worried about what I ate, I was worried i'd poop my pants running, I was worried I wouldn't make it!  All kind of silly but still had me freaked out.  I have only done 10 miles so far not the full 13.1 but knew I could do it if I set my mind to it.  So again I got out of my comfort zone and woke my butt up and got ready for my first 13.1 miles just like any other Saturday morning long runs.  I packed my backpack with liquids, towel (always bring a towel, if you don't think that's funny you need to do some reading), heart rate monitor, race belt, race bib, running bottle, and visor.  I walked the dog, had a bagel thin with cream cheese (my usual for morning runs), and went to the bathroom one more time before the drive.  

I got there and parked far away from the start because I knew I should stretch before getting into the car driving back and if I knew myself I knew I would just wanna hop in the car and sit.  This was a very good idea but still the pain in my legs disagreed.  I put gatorade in my running bottle (my last long run I just used water in my bottle and found out I was struggling for energy by the end so I was hoping gatorade would give me a little extra to get me through).  I put my bib on my race belt (if you are thinking about buying a race belt and plan on doing a lot of races then I highly suggest them!  no safety pins in your best workout clothes and less hassle!).  Heart rate monitor on, shoes tight.  I was ready!  I stopped at the port-a-potty one more time before they got super busy and then headed to the coral to start getting my game face on.  Phone sleeve on, head phones in, jams going.  

Ready, Set, Go!  "Don't go too fast, Don't go too fast",  This is something that I read over and over again when reading about first half marathon mistakes.  I tried to stick to the pace of my music that I had practiced with.  This meant falling behind a little but I felt strong and knew there was a long way to go still.  I found my groove and had a smile on my face!  

This was my view going up the bridge the first time

2 Miles down! Happy I had my visor!

The views were great!  Going up the bridge was tough but not so bad!  Going down the bridge was a whole different story.  I had trained a little for the going up part with hill training on the treadmill but how do you train for going down?  My muscles were very confused and had a difficult time slowing me down.  I made it down the bridge and kept keepin on.  Now it was on past North beach and onto the causeway!  We got off at Indian Point.  I had always driven by this park but never stopped but I plan to take Rosalie out there sometime because the views were great!  

View from Indian Point

This picture was right after the halfway point turnaround.  It felt good to cheer on people just as people had right before I reached the turn around.  At this point I was feeling it.  My energy was dwindling especially looking at how far I had to go to get back.  But then I was like "look at this view!  Look at how far I've gone!"  Again I ask myself how many people can say this is 20 min from their apartment?  I am extremely lucky to get this opportunity!  So I kept going, playing leap frog with some runners.  Then it was back up the bridge!  

Going up again!

Still smiles!

 Going up the second time wasn't so bad.  A lot of people were walking it but I was determined to run as much of these 13.1 miles as I could.  I ran up the bridge albeit pretty slowly and started the final climb down.  This is were it got bad!  My legs were really tensing up and fighting me down.  I had to take it in intervals of walking and running.  At the end of the bridge my legs had a hard time getting back into running even on somewhat level ground.  I had to walk for a little bit to see if I could stretch them out and then I started running again trying to fight my quads.  I knew I had less than 2 miles left.  What is 2 miles? psh no problem!

Last mile, not so much smiles

Okay this was tough but I think adrenaline kicked in for the last mile when a volunteer told me how close I was!  I wanted to get to that finish line running as fast as I could.  And I did!  Official Race photos to come soon!  but my time was 2:47:03. That is under and average of 13 minute miles!  I would be able to tell you my first half and second half times if I wasn't such a newbie.  I put my timer on race belt because i wasn't sure what to do with it.  I learned that you were supposed to twisty tie it to your shoe.  I feel like I knew that at one point but I am going to blame it on race brain.  Well I wasn't last AND I finished!  I got a beer, water, and banana after and started the trek to my car. This is when I really felt my legs.  They were tight and every step was difficult.  I just ran 13.1 miles and I can't walk to my car!?  This was only a half marathon!  I can't imagine how I would feel after a full!  I never wanna do a half marathon again.  Well two days later and I am thinking about my next half or maybe I'll start training for a full.  Or maybe I should just work on my speed for a little bit.  I know crazy right?  It's interesting the swing in emotions! :P  

Again I am so thankful for my supportive family and friends!  Their "likes" and words of support helped me stick to this goal and make it through!  Even more amazing to think about is a year ago today I decided to seriously make a change.  I wanted to be able to run a mile, a 5k. I wanted to be able to shop at non-plus size stores again.  I wanted to be physically able to take on any adventure that is thrown my way.  And a year later I have completed a duathlon, half marathon, and lost 57 lbs.  

Thank you for reading!