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! 

I look Svelte?

So today I was told that "I looked Svelte."

If you are like me then you had no idea if it was a compliment or criticism.  They then told that it meant that I looked fit.  Oh how nice! So I googled it because now it's my favorite word!  

Svelte (according to Merriam-Webster)

  :thin in an attractive or graceful way

Wow, that IS a compliment!  I always have a hard time accepting or reacting to compliments so I brushed it off and said thank you and went on with my work.  As I kept thinking about this word, I love it more and more!  I appreciate this comment so much and it will definitely fuel me through my trip to Indy this weekend as I try to keep on track!  

So, I weighted myself this morning and remember one of my goals?  160s before Indy?  Yep, done.  169.8 When I get back the scale better still in the 160s!  After all I only have 10 days before my next weight-in for my 6 month Dietbet!  

In other news, Map my fitness sent me my August Workout Summary and guess what?  I ran/walked over 100 miles last month!  I don't really know how that compares to anything but I just thought it was cool.  Along with exercise, I went to 6 am row class again Tuesday and I am starting to like it!  Once you get past the whole actually having to get up it isn't so bad.  It also helps that all the people are regulars and are extremely welcoming!  I enjoy being a part of this early morning community!

Lately, there has been a lot of bad news in my family about health and it really makes you grateful for what you have.  It's a reminder to enjoy the time you have, don't take it for granted.  What you do today, decides how you do tomorrow!  Some health problems, you can't prevent or change and it's hard to accept.  But some you can!  This completely goes along with weight loss.  So many diseases and health problems are related to being over weight and these are preventable!  Before I started losing, I was so big that doctors would test me over and over again for diabetes.  They were sure with my height and weight that I was doomed for this disease.  This was a scary time.  Everyday I am thankful that my parents gave me pretty great genes and that I can make healthy changes that can reduced my health risks.  I am so grateful for fiance, my dog, my family, my friends, and especially my health.  

Well things got a little deep but I hope this helps someone.  Thank you for reading!

Unhappy with the scale and looking forward to some trees!

I am extremely unhappy with my scale right now.  I am back into the 180s.  I don't know why and it bothers me.  It could be because of my food choices but I have been burning more than I have been eating.  Though what I have been eating has not always been the best choice.  Maybe its my body building muscle...Maybe my body just needs a rest day.  I have also started to get a stitch on my right side every time I run and even when I just fast walk.  I am still doing the Runner's World Run Streak.  I have ran at least a mile for 13 days in a row now.  I am also still doing Rowing 3 days a week and yoga at least once a week.  I think a rest day is definitely in my future.

Whatever it is, I don't like what I see on the scale.  These are days that I wish I didn't look at the scale 2-3 times a day.  I need to get my scale addiction under control and just go to a weekly weigh in.  I am not going to weight myself till Saturday morning which is right before my trip.  My goal for the trip is to at the least try to maintain.  I don't want to lose all the progress that I have made, my weigh-in Saturday will be my point of reference when I come back.

Now I need something to cheer me up.  So I took some measurements and here they are!

(Inches)	Nov '13	June '14	Difference
Upper Arms	17.2	15.0	2.2
Chest	43.6	41.0	2.6
Waist	44.6	36.3	8.3
Hips	47.0	42.0	5.0
Thighs	49.4	43.2	6.2
		Total:	24.3''

I have lost 24.3 inches since November!  I can definitely see it in my clothes and it feels great!

Also here is my Dietbet update:

Now back to my trip!  Josh is finishing up training after 6 long weeks in Oklahoma!  Saturday, we are going to meet up in Dallas where we both have our connecting flight to Jacksonville, FL.  We won't be in Jacksonville for long because we are hoping on a cruise for the Bahamas right after landing!  We are cruising with some friends from college and I can't wait to see some old faces!  It will definitely be testing my will power with all the delicious food and treats on the ship but I am hoping that I can stay active and make some good choices!  There is a gym on the ship so there is no excuses!  I am hoping I will even have a workout buddy or two!  We'll see if I can pry them out of bed ;) We already have kayaking and snorkeling planned for one of the ports and maybe some sight seeing at another!  After the cruise, we hop off the ship and will fly nonstop to Chicago for one my very good friend's Wedding!  The wedding is at an Arboretum and I can't wait to see some trees!  Seriously, I miss trees.  I love the south Texas winters and beach, but man I miss the Midwest's trees!  In Chicago, we will meet up with some other old friends and I'm sure we will have a blast celebrating the wedding.  This all means that I won't be posting next week but I will definitely update about the trip and my battle with the scale when I get back!  Hopefully I can stay away from too many high calorie and high carb alcoholic drinks!  Wish me luck and Thanks for reading!

Tulsa!

This weekend I visited my fiancé in Tulsa, Oklahoma!  We stayed at the fabulous Kennedy Mansion Bed and Breakfast that was originally built in the 1920s.  This was right up my alley!  I love old houses with lots of character!  The people that ran the house were so nice and helpful!  We walked from the B&B to downtown Tulsa and walked through the Brady district.  Then we went to do one of our favorite things!  Movies!  The movie theater we went to had recliners as seat!  It was amazing!  Then we went to watch the Spurs and OKC game.  Go Spurs!  The rest of the weekend of full of hanging out with some of Josh's coworkers and baseball!  Monday, I flew back to Texas after and delicious breakfast of crepes and bacon at the Mansion.  This weekend was a wonderful get away and it was so nice to spend time with my fiancé since he has been in training for the last 3 weeks and still has another 3 weeks to go!


Now it is back to reality. (try to not start singing some Eminem after reading that. I couldn't :P)  I have not weighted myself after the weekend getaway and don't think I will for at least a week. I know the scale is not going to make me happy so why not just get back into my routine and see where I can go!  I have about 3 weeks before we are going to go on a cruise which is then followed by a wedding that I am in.  I don't have a specific goal weight yet but I do know its lower than 180.  I have been yo-yoing in the 180s for awhile now and its time to move on!


Off the scale though, I will say that I feel stronger.  I feel move powerful.  Last Friday before flying to Tulsa to visit my fiancé, I ran a 5k.  I really wasn't planning on running a 5k but it just happened.  I was getting tired of running my same old route so I went exploring and I found a route that was almost perfectly 3.1 miles.  It was a hot run so most of the time I was choosing my routes based on shady areas.  3.1 miles...it feels good that I can say I can do a 5k almost any day!  This makes me feel strong and ready to tackle a 10k!  Maybe this weekend or the next! 
Any streakers out there?  I joined the Runner's World Run Streak Challenge.  The goal was to have  run streak (at least 1 miles every day) for 40 days.  This is from Memorial day to July 4th.  I have not been able to keep my streak going.  My longest streak so far is only 3 days but I am ready to get started back!  I won't be doing any more traveling for the next two weeks so I am hoping to get a good streak going.  I would like to try to do my mile in the mornings on my Row days because after my row class I just don't have the energy to give myself the best run I can give.  I am not a morning runner but with the weather warming up we'll see if the cool mornings will get me going.  I know Rosalie is always ready to get up in the morning so maybe her motivation will rub off.  If you have any suggestions on how to get my butt up and motivated feel free to share!  I have tried the layout your workout clothes the night before and I just end up ignoring them...maybe I need to sleep in them? 
Here is my fitbit update.  I am ready to step it up this week and kick some butt! Now that I have my heart rate monitor its hard to fit everything on my wrist so this doesn't completely show all my moving.  I have goal for the next three weeks to keep my food log up to date even if I cheat!  I want to have a calorie deficit everyday.  No excuses.  If I decide to have the kolache in the morning that one of my coworkers bring in then I need to work a little harder to make sure that I work those extra bites off.  These next three weeks are prime for no distractions!  No fiancé tempting me with sushi everyday (sorry, Love you!), no airport temptations (Auntie Annie's!), No more excuses!  Lets see what I can do in 3 weeks! 



Thanks for reading!