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!  

Du it again Duathlon!

I have a lot to catch you up on so this will be a series of 3 posts all in one day!  (duathlon, half marathon, and Everything else)  So stay tuned!

I was going to name this post just "Duathlon." but then I was like but I am going to do more than just one duathlon!

This tells you how much I loved my first duathlon!  I know last post I was still wavering on whether or not to do it.  Well I just sucked it up and went and signed up.  When I found myself making excuses like but family will be in town or I didn't really train for this specific event, I knew this was a moment where I needed to push my myself and get out of my comfort zone.  Staying in your comfort zone means doing the same things you have always done which got me to 90 lbs overweight, unhappy, and depressed.  This has been a less that I have learned from listening and reading other people's stories and it really rings true.

One of my excuses was true.  I didn't really train for this.  I've been riding my bike to work as much as I can.  I can easily run 2 miles since with my half marathon training I am up to 10 miles.  So I felt pretty confident that I could run 2 miles, bike 10 miles and run 2 miles again (get it Du it again).  My biggest worry was transition.  I read up on this as much as possible and watched a bunch of you tube videos.  You will just never feel confident with it until you do it and even then I don't feel completely confident I just know I can do it.  I did read up about brick workouts where you practice doing two of the sports in a row.  I biked home and would run a couple miles just see how much energy I still had and how my legs would react.  I thinks these really helped build my confidence even though I only did it twice before the race.

The night before I got all my things ready.  I packed some towels, water, heartrate monitor, visor, and race belt.  I laid out my clothes and my fiance loaded up my bike.  I was ready.

I woke up early to I could get there when the transition area opened because I had no idea what I was doing.  The race was on the island and boy was the wind blowing!  This made for a very brisk morning!  I waited for a couple of other people to rack their bikes so I could copy how they did.  I racked my bike by hanging it by the seat so I could quickly lift and lower and get rolling.  Then I waited for the start.  This was a very small event with about 40 people participating.  Most were a part of some of the clubs in town so I felt inexperience but read to face the challenge.  They told us about the route and transition start and stop area, then we were off.

2 mile Beach Run:  So in multisport races you can't have headphones.  This was a new experience for me because I always ran with my music.  Even though I didn't have my music though I had the sound of the waves!  I tried to stick with the group of older ladies that seemed to know each other.  I soon fell behind but kept going at a pace that I knew I could sustain.  The beach run really scared me since I didn't practice by running on the beach at all but the sand was very packed and easy going.

10 mile Bike:  I ran to transition, put on my helmet, took a swig of water, and grabbed my bike.  I was off but I really should have adjusted my helmet before that moment.  It was really tight and I had to play with it until felt comfortable while still trying to keep up with everyone.  This is where I learned how fast road bikes are.  I was pedaling away and people were passing me with ease!  That's okay though I just kept going on my hybrid Giant.  I had two goals, to finish under 2 hours and not to be last!  I felt good until I reached the 5 mile mark and had to turn to head back.  Holy Wind Batman!  I really like the first 5 miles that was with the wind and now I really had to push to get anywhere.  Later I realized I was going against almost 18mph winds!  I tried to change gears to ease the pedaling and then my chain fell off.  Ugh!  This is when I was saying to myself "what were you thinking signing up for this!?"  I put my chain back on and started pedaling again.  I had really fallen behind at this point and was last and with no one in sight!  I found some sort of second wind and started really pushing.  My legs were burning but I knew I had to catch up.  I am strong.  Mind of over matter.  Then I heard birds chirping and looked around.  I am doing a duathlon on an island that is 20 min from my apartment.  How lucky am I?!  How many people can say they have done a duathlon?  On an island? in their city?  Suck it up Gretchen.  Next thing I knew I could see someone up ahead and I was gaining!  I caught up and said "On your left" and mentioned how the wind was horrible and chuckled with her.  That felt so cool!  Felt like a real athlete!  I passed her on her road bike and kept going.  Then my fiance and his family that was in town drove by and waved as they were going to meet me at the finish line!  That was just what I needed to push through the last mile of the bike and get pumped about the 2 mile run.

2 mile Beach Run Again:  This time the sand was a little rougher after people were driving over it.  It made for an interesting game of where can I run so that I still get the most traction and don't waste energy.  At this point I knew I wasn't last so was pushing to stay ahead.  I have been running longer than I have been biking and so I felt very confident about this part.  I pushed myself and tried to enjoy the scenery while I was at it.  Before I knew it I was making the turn back toward the finish line!  I did it!  I ran to the finish line as my soon to be in-laws and fiance cheered me on!  What a great feeling!  1:36:51, I wasn't last and I finished under 2 hours!

I am so grateful that I have family that supports my crazy ambitions.  All my life my goal has been to experience everything or at least as much as I can.  I wanna say "I've done that."  Now I can say that I've completed a duathlon.  Next year I hope to be able to say that I improved my duathlon time.

In the words of Queen- "Don't Stop Me Now"

Follow me on Instagram for photos!  GRETCHEN_516

Halloween Candy and Duathlon? Maybe

I ate this years first Halloween candy last night.  I have been avoiding all the candy and when I pass it have a debate with myself over the temptation.  I decided not to have candy at my desk this year because it was something that was just going to tempt me all day every day.  who wants that? I bought candy corn yesterday for some cupcakes that I'm going to make this week.  I should not of even opened the package but I had the extra calories and decided to splurge on some.  I counted out the 24 candy serving and enjoyed my sugar.  I feel good that I was in control and made the decision consciously.

Okay now into what has been going on.  Last post I mentioned my family was coming to town and I spent the week with them and enjoyed their company.  I did gain a little which is probably partly due to the cake and ice cream, we had that is a big splurge from daily life.  Currently I am back down to my before weight and a little more.

Next up is my fiance's family.  I have been trying to kick but while I have this time between and I am feeling good.  Its getting down to crunch time though and I have lots of stuff I wanna get done plus the usual working out and working overtime so I can take time off.  Eek, stress is building.  I am taking it one day at a time though and planning ahead.

With all lack of strictly sticking to plan I am not going to be making some of my challenges.  I won't meet my meltdown challenge and I didn't win my last dietbet round.  I am working though to meet the next round.  I have until mid November so I still have some time but don't wanna push it off either.  I have been trying to stay motivated with podcasts and tracking my food intake.

So this weekend is a duathlon (2 mile run with a 10 mile bike and another 2 mile bike).  I am still not completely sure if I'm going to do it but I really would like to.  The scary unknown is what is holding me back also the fact that this is kind of last minute.  I have been biking approximately 6.5 miles to and 6.5 miles from work 2-3 days a week.  With my half marathon training I feel good about the 2 mile run.  I even practiced with a brick work out where I rode home and then immediately ran 2 miles to see what the transition is like.  It took a little for my lets to adjust but it wasn't too bad!  I even raced my friend that is states away and we compared times and I was only a few seconds behind! (more on this later)  After this I feel confident that I can do it but I'm scared I'll be the last one.  I'll update you on my decision next post.

As I said I have been biking to work and I love it!  It's a great work out and I can feel that I am working different muscles.  The hardest part is biking home because most of the time we are getting a good wind from the coast and I have to push through that.  So far have not had any really close calls with people.  I ride with the thought that every one is out to get me so I am always in a bike lane or sidewalk and the biggest issue is when people pulling out of driveways stop in my path.  Please be conscious of bikers and stop and look before you cross the path of the side walk and stay in your lane.  The bike lane is not extra part of your lane.

With biking to work means people at work notice you more.  I am sure people are saying "she is crazy."  That's okay.  I enjoy it.  One moment that did make me mad this week was when I was eating my premade salad from home and a gentleman walked up and said "you enjoying your peppers and veggies?"  I said yes.  The tone is what got to me as he giggled and walked past with his fast food.  I am not judging him by his decision and you shouldn't judge someone else for their decision to make a healthy choice.  Since when is eating healthy uncool?  I don't know maybe I'm reading far too into it.  I feel good about my decision and that is all that matters.

Half Marathon Training
2 weeks away from the Harbor Half!  I completed 10 miles this weekend.  I wasn't happy with not being able to run the whole time but I am proud of the distance.  Can't believe in 2 weeks that i'm going to be doing a 10 miles plus 3.1 more miles!  I'm looking forward to it but I'm also scared.  Hoping to see about doing the bridge walk this weekend to check out part of the course but we'll see with having family in town.

Racing buddies!

Last week I raced my friend that lives states away.  He is the one that really got me started on this journey by seeing his success.  Well we can be very competitive and one day he said he was going to run a 5k after work and I said I would race him.  We ran separately and compared our times once we were both finished.  I won by 0.02 seconds which is pretty much like we tied!  We completely agreed that this little competition really push us during our run.  So I am hoping we make it a weekly thing!  We raced 2 miles last night and he beat me!  I am totally going to use the excuse that I was tired from my bike home.  I don't know if I would have actually ran the 2 miles though if he didn't challenge me.

Also today at work a girl stopped me to ask about my biking and running and asked if I would be interested in doing a triathlon with her in San Antonio in a few months.  This was awesome!  I've been reading up about triathlons because that is my next goal after the half marathon in 2 weeks!  I am so excited to learn from her and have a workout buddy!

Non-Scale Victory
I can fit into size 10 pants and shorts now!  What?!?!

That's all for now but hopefully there will be some race posts coming up soon!  Thanks for reading!

I see scale movement!

So I haven't posted in awhile because I didn't think I had any good news since the scale wasn't really moving.  It wasn't going up or down.  I've been slacking on controlling my portion sizes and making good food decisions.  On the bright side I haven't gained...I am hoping this mean that maintaining when I reach my goal will mean being comfortable and not worrying all the time that I'm gaining.  That is still 40 lbs away though and I want to enjoy my journey there.

I have another confession.  I skipped a long training run. :\ I was supposed to do 9 miles last weekend but decided not to do it.  My fiance was home all weekend which is rare occurrence with his schedule and I decided to enjoy the whole weekend with him.  Good news is I was already a week ahead on my training schedule so as long as I don't skip any more I will be ready to go for my half next month!
Next confession,  I lost a dietbet.  I'm not happy with myself for not trying harder but I just wasn't into it like I have been lately.  4% in a month is starting to get harder and harder to achieve.  I am still doing my 6 month transformation dietbet and am hoping to reach the goal of weighting 165.6 which is 8% from where I started this dietbet.  I have lost 13.2lbs since July 15th.  That is about 4.5 lbs a month which isn't bad!  I have been feeling bad about not losing weight fast enough but when I stand back and look at the long term I am impressed with myself.  I'm still on the journey.

Meltdown Challenge is still going as well!  I almost forgot that it was a weightloss challenge with all the great information that it has be sharing.  I have to lose 6% in 6 weeks.  Right now there is only 20 days left and I still have 5.12 lbs to lose. eek!  I believe that I am making the changes and decision to reach that goal though but the next couples weeks will REALLY test me.

Today I weighted in at 166.8.  I have 6 days to shed the last 1.2 lbs so I am kicking it into gear!  I am back to doing more medifast meals to keep my calorie count low but still full with plenty of protein and low carb.  I found that my portions were starting to get out of control again and needed to remind myself what I really need to sustain myself.  This is a battle that I think I'll be fighting for the rest of my life but I am happy I am aware of it.

So some positive things!  My fiance and I bought bikes!  I love it!  We have biked to dinner and biked to the movies!  I have even started biking to work!  Today is my third day!  I am not biking everyday because by the time I bike home I don't feel like working out and I still have a half marathon that I'm training for!  I'm trying to do three days a week and I am enjoying burning the extra 500 calories a day just commuting!  I will say that riding home is harder since it is usually warmer and I am riding into the wind!

Yesterday I didn't bike to work so I decided to go for a long run since I slacked enjoyed this weekend.  I decided to try a way different route and ran towards the bay and found out its only 3 miles from my apartment!  How amazing is that?  I am so thankful and lucky to live in a place like this!  I definitely believe that the weather is what helps me keep moving!  I love sunny south Texas!  Here is a selfie I took when I reached as far as I could go north with out swimming!  This definitely wasn't one of my strongest runs and I could tell I haven't run for a couple of days but I still enjoyed the run.

Okay, like I said earlier the next couple of weeks are going to be a challenge.  Next week, I am taking the week off because my family is visiting!  My youngest brother and sister and flying for their very first time to come see their big sister!  I am so excited to share my new home with them!  I know they are happy to defrost from the Indiana weather! :P  Wish me luck as my routine changes and I try to navigate staying on plan!  Staying active and everything in moderation is the key!  I'll be repeating that over and over again in my head!

Back to the Basics

Okay, I had a bad week.  I'm not sure what happened but I pretty much broke down.  Emotionally not a good week.  But I am ready to move on.  So here we are back to the basics.

I am up back into the 170s but barely so that's good.  I hate going backwards though!  Feels like the work was for nothing when I go backwards but just have to start over and keep going.

Back to the basics, what does that mean?  I am not exactly sure but here is my plan.
1. Water- 80 oz a day
2. Exercise- everyday can be big or small just have to move!
3. Plan meals!  Unplanned=bad decisions
4. Understanding my thoughts

The last one is what I have been struggling with for the last week.  I started a new kind of weight loss challenge last week and it has daily readings and webinars and all kinds of great stuff to support weight loss!  Not only the eating part but the emotional part.  I want to share with you what I am going to be focusing this week.  "Thoughts come first then emotions which then drive our actions which leads us to our results"  My thoughts control my emotions not my the other way around.  I need to be more aware of what my thoughts are and why they make me feel the way that I do.  I'll have to get back to you on this...

I am still training for my half marathon and I have officially registered!  So now I am committed!  I did 8 miles this week but not very fast.  The heat was back on and I am looking forward to the cool weather!  Only 6 miles to do this weekend so that will be a piece of cake! (probably not the best choice of words) The hard part isn't the long runs any more its sticking to my training plan during the week.  I now dread short runs more than long runs.  Hoping that waking up early this week and getting them over with in the cooler mornings will help but that means getting my butt out of bed....wish me luck.

6 month dietbet:  I squeaked by to win round 2 which was a goal of 6% and I won $25.16!  Next goal is 8 % and currently I am up from the 6% goal so I have work to do!  Speaking of work to do, I am in another dietbet and I have 9 days to lose 6 lbs...ugh oh.  Yeah I have been slacking!  Well I am kicking it into gear!  I don't know if 6 lbs is do able but I am going to try!  I hate to lose!  Started out this weekend by doing some meal planning for the week!  I am set this week with cooked chicken breasts, egg salad, spaghetti squash with broccoli and cheese, and pumpkin bread pudding!

So like I said early, I started a new challenge called the Meltdown challenge called Thin it to win it-Team Rex and I am on a team with my old medifast coach.  I love this challenge so far!  Not only do I have to lose 6%  in 6 weeks but I have to earn so many participation points as well.  The points are easy to earn and I am actually learning some great stuff!  I listened to the healthy webinar this morning and it brought up some great questions.  What do you want?  What is your goal?  Why do you want it?  Why now?  Do you want to feel better or stop feeling bad?  What matters most?  These are all questions we have to ask ourselves to find our motivation.  Our motivation is what keeps up on track.  What is your motivation?  I am still learning what my true motivation is.  At first it was to fit into that wedding dress and look great in pictures but now I want to improve my quality of life.  Not that my quality of life is poor now but it could be better!  I want to be able to do anything I want to do.  I want to do a handstand, a cartwheel, a pull up, bow pose.  What is your motivation?

Just want I needed to hear this morning: Inspiration (Youtube)

First day of September, New Month, New Goals

Today is September 1st and its a Monday! This is the perfect day to start some new goals!  There is a always the excuse, oh i'll start monday or I'll start next month.  Today is that day!  Do you have any goals for this month?  I am going to make a goal of signing up for the Harbor Half Marathon, finishing 9 miles where I run the whole time, and 10lbs!  What do you think?  Do able?

Last weekend I completed my 7 mile run and I actually went into it thinking I had to do 8 miles.  I had planned a route for 8 miles and had already psyched myself up to get it down.  Then when I was running I realized that I hadn't done a 7 mile run yet.  So I shorted up my route a little and did my 7 miles finishing strong!  This weekend was not as strong.  Yesterday, I did not plan my route as well and changed it up as I was running.  I ended up doing 9 miles although I walked a lot of the last 2 miles because I was really starting to feel it in my hips and knee.  I always run in a large circle cause if I run laps then I know I'll try to talk myself into stopping early.  So as I was trying to get back home I could feel a large blister on my pinky toe.  This was just adding to my pain.  I eventually made it home but at a much slower pace.  I am taking a rest day today to try to let my leg muscles heal but I'll probably do some arm, back, and glute work today.

Along with my September goals I am joining the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans for their Back to the Basics Weightloss challenge and their Buns and Guns challenge!

http://shrinkingjeans.net/2014/08/back-basics-weight-loss-challenge-dietbet/

http://shrinkingjeans.net/2014/08/buns-guns-challenge/

Who wants to join me?

I am excited about improving my plank time!  Also I have noticed that after losing weight, I no longer have a butt.  I guess my body decided that's where I needed to lose most of my weight.  Thanks body, couldn't take it from my thighs?  It's okay though, I'll just have to build it back up with muscle!  

Okay, on to some bad news.  I did not stick to my training schedule this week.  I worked out Tuesday and that was pretty much it.  This may have attributed to my rough run yesterday.  Well this is a new month, a new week and I am committed to sticking to the plan this week!  My schedule is a little off since I ran yesterday instead of rainy Saturday but I may double up a run and cross training day to make up for it.  Along with not working out, i did not eat my best.  I didn't binge or go too crazy, I just indulged probably a little too much.  Yesterday was pretty bad too.  It started out great but by the end of the day I was still hungry and kept munching.  I've heard of the long run hunger but hadn't experienced it really until yesterday.  I'll have to come up with some ways to curb this so that it doesn't cancel out all the work that I am putting in.

Today is a new week and a new month so I am starting out this morning on the right track and going to track everything that I eat and stick to my workout plan.  This weekend will be a challenge because my fiance and I are traveling back to our homeland, Indiana.  I have some bridesmaids dress shopping and he has his own things with his family.  Traveling is always tough but I feel good about this trip.  I plan on doing my long run Saturday (only 5 miles according to the training plan since I did 8 this weekend) then I'll have some calories to play with when I'm out with everyone.  Maybe I'll even get a yoga session in with my mom and grandma.  #fitfam

I had a goal of getting into the 160s by this Indiana trip and I'm going to try my hardest to make that happen this week.  Let's take September by the horns and make it our month!  Setting goals isn't the hard part it's sticking to them! 

I'm a loser! All I do is Win Win Win!

Its may be Tuesday but the second worst day of the week next to Monday but I am all smiles!

I am a loser!  I have scale and non-scale victories today!

Round 1 of the 6 month Dietbet was a success!  I won $16.21!  I knew I was going to win that one and next was the 4% in 28 days.  I had to be at 170.7 lbs to win.  I ran 6 miles during my long run Saturday and took a rest day Sunday.  The scale Monday morning read 173.6lbs. WHAT? UGH!  I was so sad.  My dietbet was ending and I wasn't going to make it!  How could I be up!  I was under on my calories!  I read up on long runs and how your muscles will swell as they repair themselves causing you to retain water but it should dissipate a couple days after.  So I crossed my fingers and drank a lot of water yesterday and very closely watched my eating and sodium intake.  This morning I stepped on the scale with all my fingers and toes crossed and it said 170.6 lbs!  Thank you! Yes, Please!  So I quickly snapped my pictures for my official weigh-in and it has been verified that I won!  by 0.1lbs but I'll take it!  I'll find out how much I won Thursday morning and hoping to get some new running shoes this weekend to celebrate!

Half Marathon Training is going!  I did 6 miles this weekend!  New personal best distance!  I really pushed myself and am proud of this run!  I did walk a couple of times but for good reasons such as my ankle or shins started to hurt.  I walked for a little bit and then picked it back up.  Looking forward to 7 miles this weekend!  During my Monday Easy Runs I've decided to start working the hills workout on my apartment treadmill to start building some different muscles so I can beat the Harbor bridge in November!  Hopefully this will make the bridge a little less intimidating.  

At the office today I was asked if I've lost weight!  Yes, almost 50 lbs!  It feels good that people can say they have to take a second look to make sure it's me!  Yes it's me,  I've always been this person on the inside, you just couldn't see it because there was some extra baggage I was carrying.  Do me a favor and compliment a person today!  Sometimes we are so obsessed with ourselves and what we are doing and just saying a kind word or catching up with a friend and asking about their day can make all the difference and make their day great!  Even if it is a Tuesday!

Finally,  would you be interested in some of my favorite recipes?  Need some help planning ahead for the week to help you make good decisions?  I'm thinking about sharing what I make every weekend for the week so help me keep on track.  Tell me if this sounds like a good idea.  Would you like it different posts?  Maybe I'll make a page with my favorite go to recipes.  Thinking out loud here

Well quick and dirty post today.  Just wanted to share some victories that made my Tuesday!  Thanks for reading!

Week 4 of Hot Half Marathon Training and My first Runner's Block

Another week is gone and I am one step closer to my goal!

I won $52.21 in my dietbet!  It was a buy in of $35 so I actually won $17.21.  Either way I ordered my new Toms and should be getting them today!  Pictures will be instagrammed later today :D

Here is sneak peak: New Work Toms!

I am due to weigh in for round 1 of the 6 month game today and will probably weight in either tonight or early tomorrow morning.  I am well with in my 3% that I had to lose so I am feeling strong and ready to tackle the next round.  My other dietbet I am not feeling as strong about.  There are only 4 days left and I am still 0.9 lbs away from the 4%!  If I win this dietbet, I am going to get a new pair of running shoes so there is a lot on the line here.  I am very worried that I won't make it or my body will do something funky....going to keep on tracking, eating right, and cross my fingers that my body is happy.  I will say that I have been bad with not getting all my veggies in and probably eating too much cheese.  May be time to reevaluate my habits so that I don't fall back into old ones.  

Even though I have not been eating my best, I have been making some good decisions.  My fiance and I recently walked to a new burger place and I chose the portobello mushroom veggie burger with no bun or mayo.  The burger was delicious!  I had a beer and couple of steak fries and called it a night.  I was happy with my decision and how I spent my calories.  With the good decisions that I made while my fiance was home this was one of the first times that I didn't gain while he was home!  I did splurge on sushi but I only had one roll and had a protein shake for dinner to compensate.  Hopefully, I can keep up this mind set and its a start of a new way of thinking!  

Another victory this week was my non-stop 5k on Wednesday.  I have really been struggling lately with my running.  I wasn't sure if it was my body or my mind that was blocking me from running more than a mile without walking.  I was starting to question, "Can I really run a half marathon?"  After reading this article by Runner's World I was able to push through this Runner's Block.  It was me blocking myself all in all.  I wanted to blame it on the heat or dehydration but I knew it was me deciding not to get my butt out of bed earlier to avoid the heat.  I was creating excuses for myself and had to remind myself that I'm stronger than I was before and a 5k is just 3 miles.  Wednesday I pushed through the run and thankfully it was a beautiful cloudy day that cooled down considerably after work and I pushed through to do a non-stop 5k!  This is just what I needed as I finish week 4 of my half marathon training with 6 miles tomorrow.  6 miles is just two 5ks.  I can at least run a non-stop 5k and I am going to try to push myself and run the whole thing but if I need a break it has to be after the first 3 miles.

Last weekend, I made dinner and lunches for the week and it worked great!  I am trying to not go out to eat other than when the fiance is home and even then once or twice and not twice in one day.  Coming up is another weekend planned with running, projects, and cooking for the week.  I will probably even try this crazy bullet proof coffee this weekend after my run.  I've heard good things and I've heard bad things.  I'll share with you my feelings on this #Eatthetrend in my next post.  

"I may not be there yet, but I'm closer than I was yesterday" 

Finally, it's important to look at how far you have come so that you can see where you are going.  I am almost 1 year into this journey and I have decided to set a goal of 155 lbs.  That will mean that I have lost 70 lbs from my highest weight and about 66 lbs since November.  I am 15 lbs away and I still have two months so lets get this done!  Pictures speak more than works so here is a look at how far I've come.  Excuse my white belly. It does not see the light of day or at least it won't until I'm down another 20 lbs.    

Spaghetti and Winning

Hello!  Great mood today because of a lot of things!  First and foremost, I won my dietbet!

I had to get below 173.8 lbs and I did it!  Can't wait to order my new shoes!  I'll share a picture when I get them!  This feels amazing after losing the last three dietbets that I signed up for!  I believe the break from dietbets let me reevaluate why I was doing them in the first place.  I am still enrolled in two other dietbets and hope to keep the momentum going. I have been hovering around the same couple pound for the last week due to my own choices.  I know why I made the choices and it is an old habit that I need to kick.  I need to remember how I felt after that splurge and ask myself was it worth it?  Did I get what I wanted out of it?  Is this choice today, worth ruining all the work I did yesterday?

Okay new thing for me.  I have been feeling overwhelmed lately and I know it is all the pressure that I put on myself.  I want to keep the apartment clean, I want to workout, I want to create healthy and delicious food, I want to spend time with Rosalie, I want to watch my shows, I want to finish that book, I want to start that project, etc.  I want to do all these things but I feel like I never have enough time.  I get home, I work out, I walk the dog, I cook, I eat and watch a show, and it is time for bed.  What?  Ugh.  So how can I create more time for myself?  Morning Workouts,  Yeah I know those are some dirty words...I have to admit I have already skipped more than I've done.  It is so easy to hit the snooze but on the days I have workout in the morning, I feel amazing!  I feel weird knowing I've already got my 45 min done for the day but I like it.  So far I have run in the morning twice and went to a row class once.  I want to make it a regular thing especially since its so much cooler in the morning down here but I'm slowly convincing my body its a good idea to get up that early.  Have you tried morning workouts?  Would you be willing to try it for some extra time in the evening?

I am still training for my first half marathon and completed a new record long run of 5 miles!  I was dreading that run.  4 miles were okay because i reasoned that its just .9 more than a 5k which I've done many of now.  But 5 miles?  Ugh.  I used the Map my fitness app's route genius and found a route that felt doable and with some new scenes so I wouldn't get bored.  My goal was under and hour and fifteen minutes and I did it in under an hour and seven minutes!  I did get very dehydrated during the run though and have started to look into a small water bottle with a strap to take with me to stay hydrated.  I have another 5 miles to do this weekend and I plan to do about the same route and see if I can improve my route a little.  Doing 13.1 or even 6 miles still seems daunting to me but I'm taking it one week at a time.

As I've said before Spaghetti is one of my favorite meals.  It's one of those meals that makes me feel all comfy and cozy (in my mind) and yet bloated and uncomfortable (bodily).  It probably reminds me of family or my childhood or something deep like that but either way it isn't very good for me health wise.  Spaghetti probably made me fat (along with taco bell and many other bad choices).  Now, how can I make one of my favorite meals better for me? Enter the Veggetti!  Oh yes I bought this As seen on TV gadget.  $15 bucks at BB&Beyond and totally worth it just after one use.  This thing makes vegetable noodles AND they are delicious!  What a great way to get those vegetable in!  Also, I hate giant one-use kitchen tools since I don't have a lot of extra kitchen storage and this thing is the size of a tall coffee cup!  I am already making plans for every noodle dish I can think of.  Macaroni and cheese meet Butternut squash and cheese or sweet potato and cheese!  Fettuccine Alfredo meet squash Alfredo!  Ribbon fries meet sweet potato ribbon fries(baked of course)!  It is dishwasher safe but I found that there was still food stuck in the cutting space so I suggest using a brush or other tool to clean it before putting it in the wash.  Do you have any ideas for some noodle meals that could use a veggetti?  I would love to hear them!

TGIF!  I have a busy weekend planned with getting some project supplies, starting those projects, 5 miles, Farmer's market, and cooking for the week!  My weekends used to be sitting and bingeing on food and TV but now I'd rather turn on some jamming music and dance around while cooking or working on a project.  I feel much more accomplished and it keeps me active to burn those extra little calories because it all adds up!  I'll have to find some time to relax because after all, that is what weekends are for, right? Thankfully there is a beach just down the road that can wash away my troubles.  I hope you have a productive and relaxing weekend and thanks for reading!

5k, another 5k, and a .......Half marathon?

Good news everybody!  (its okay if you read that like Professor Farnsworth, that was my intent)
I was not  avoiding this post because I have no good news.....I was been avoiding this post because there is so much good news to write about and I wanted to find a time that I could write (type) it all down!  And then more and more stuff kept happening!

Now, where did I leave off?

I believe last time I was telling you about an impromptu 5k.  The run was called the Hottest 5k hill run and I think it lived up to its name.  Thankfully it was at 7:30 am but that is still pretty warm for July in south Texas.  Next, Who knew there were so many hills down here?!?  Worse, they saved the biggest hill for last.  I could see the finish line but this giant hill was in my way.  I made it and with a new PR!  I tried to not walk a lot of it but some of the hills were brutal especially that last one.  My buns were killing me the next day.  All in all though I was happy to explore a new park that has some new running challenges and conquer it!

Then I did another 5k this time with one of my besties AND it had obstacles.  This meant trenches, monkey bars, trench crawl, walk climbing, and rough terrain.  Monkey bars were not a success (curse you high bars, short stature, and fear of heights!) but I did every thing else!  My proudest moment was being able to pull myself out of trench with the ropes!  I have some upper body strength now!  Woot!  This was the Light 'em up 5k Glow run so it was at 9pm and headlamps were required.  (Bug spray should have been on the required list as well)  After the race we splurged on some mini blizzards and they were well deserved.  We didn't set any records but we had a Great time and I am still hearing the "light 'em up" song in my dreams...

So after these two runs I was thinking...I want another running challenge.  After some research I found a half marathon in November in town!  More motivation?  I haven't signed up yet but the cost won't go up until September which is when I will decide if I feel strong enough after a couple weeks of training.  (my mantra for the next couple weeks as I get started: no injuries, no injuries)

I found a training plan that works with my cross-training schedule.

Here is the basics:
Monday: Easy Run
Tuesday: Cross Train
Wednesday: Moderate/Tempo Run
Thursday: Cross Train
Friday: Easy Run/Rest Day
Saturday: Long Run
Sunday: Rest Day

I'll be really happy when this weather starts cooling down and no making my runs so miserable as I steer to routes with as much shade as possible.  Starting to think about a water belt but I'll try to stick it out.  My goal isn't to run the fastest but to give me a goal to work towards while on my weight loss journey and why not mark off a bucket list item while I'm at it? (8 months till the wedding!)

After that what is next?  Triathlon!?!?  Not a full one but a sprint.  I may be getting ahead of myself but that is definitely a goal.  First I need a bike and to really learn how to swim....but for now I have 13.1 miles to focus and train for.

Weight update!  My weight as of this morning is 173.3 lbs.  Feeling good!  I've switched up how I'm eating again...especially since I am training now.  I am trying to focus on clean eating and getting lots of protein in.  We'll see how it goes but so far I am liking the results!

Dietbet update:  I am now enrolled in 3 dietbets.  Yep 3....Did I say I needed motivation?

Dietbet #1:  Ends in 9 days and I am already at goal as of this morning which was 173.8 lbs

Dietbet #2: This one is a transformation one so it lasts 6 months and you have to lose 10% but they have rounds and the first round ends in 18 days.  The first round goal is only 3%  or 174.6 lbs which I also met today.

Dietbet #3: I am doing this one with some friends. Some are veterans and the other a newcomer.  This is only a month long so I have to lose 4 % which means 170.7 lbs in 21 days.  oh boy.  This one is also special because I have done a dietbet with these hosts before but lost miserably....This is more than a dietbet...this is payback.  Literally. I wanna win my money back.

So you ask, "Gretchen what are you going to do with all those winnings?"

My answer, SHOES!  I could use some new running shoes...I am killing the tread on all my current ones.  Also I am in love with Toms.  They are the comfiest!  I wear mine to work EVERY day and they are starting to get worn too.  After these purchases its time to save up for a bike!

Finally, Non scale victory!  I purchased some new work clothes because all my clothes are so big!  I had some a Kohl's gift card from Christmas that I decided it was time to be put to use.  So shopping I went!  I challenged myself to try on some medium shirts.  THEY FIT! What?  oh yeah. This may seem silly so some but for a big girl this feels real good!  I ended up buying all medium shirts!  Feels great to wear clothes that actually fit my body.

This has been a great couple weeks for me and I hope it continues.  Thanks for reading!

Hello 170s!

Thats right!  I am into the 170s now!  What? What? (raising the roof dance)

I am 179lbs right now so not very far into the 170s but I am waving goodbye to the 180s!  Wow!  I really can't remember the last time I was in the 170s.  Probably high school...now i feel old....

Next victory?  Size 12 jeans!  Oh yeah!  Now I really feel bad for all those size 12 jeans that I threw away because I said to myself "why am I lying to myself?  I will never fit into these again."  I want to go back in time and hit that self but I guess that was a step I had to take to get to where I am now.

This week, I was reading a post from runner's world where a woman about my height and size went from 200 lbs to 120-130.  This is almost exactly my goal!  It's so nice to find a story that really relates to me because if they can do it why can't I?  My favorite part about the article that really got me was this part:

''I met my “rock bottom” in September 2002 looking at pictures from a vacation. I was disgusted at what I saw. At 20 years old, 5’1” and about 204 pounds, I decided enough was enough. I had been overweight most of my life. It seemed like I always battled it but nothing really every worked, so I went through a long period of time where I just accepted it and thought, “This is how I’m supposed to be.” So this was my meeting with reality. '' - Jennifer Piacenti

This seriously struck me because I remember having this conversation with my Mom.  I have always been bigger and after trying all kinds of diets, I had given up.  I just accepted that I was always going to be a big girl at 225 lbs.  That was when I went through all my clothes and got rid of anything that didn't fit because I had the face the truth that with my lifestyle choices I was never going to fit into them.  I had to cleanse myself and my closet.  I guess that was MY "rockbottom."  When I had to start shopping at bigger girl stores, I knew it was getting out of control.  I wanted to be able to be active.  I want to able to go hiking and not hold everyone up because I can't catch my breath.  I want to ride roller coasters and not worry about if I am going to fit in.  I want to experience everything and my weight should not be the reason that I can't.  Weight is something that I control, it doesn't control me!

Here is the link to her story:  http://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/how-running-changed-me-jennifer-piacenti?cm_mmc=Facebook-_-RunnersWorld-_-Content-RunnerStories-_-HRCMJennifer

Fitbit update:  Back at the top!  Kicking butt again!

Runner's World Streak Update:  I have completed 10 out of the 16 days so far with my longest streak of 7 days so far.  I have completed 15.4 miles!  That's a half marathon!  I hope I can keep this streak up even when I go on our cruise but we'll see!

It's May?!?

I am so sorry for the extremely late update.  I am not sticking to my weekly posts like I had hoped in the beginning.  Seriously though, it's May? What happened to April?


Dietbet update:


I failed again....I don't know what happened...actually I do.  I have been slacking a lot.  I'm not watching what I put into my mouth as much now.  I need to get back to logging all my foods and not letting myself say oh this little bite won't make difference because obviously it does. 


I am going to take a break from dietbets for right now and try to get back on focusing on my diet and exercise.  The extra stress of trying to make a goal in a set amount of time should not be my focus.  It should be trying to be healthy and meeting that long term goal. 


Activity update: 


I am still going to the rowing classes and I am loving it!  This weekend though I went to a class Saturday and Sunday and I think I pushed my body too far.  It's Tuesday and my legs are still sore..I'm not sure what workout it was but my front upper thighs are extremely sore.  Like so sore I could barely walk or go up and down stairs yesterday...I may need to look into how to make sure this does not happen again!


I am still working towards my 10k goal but a little slower now that I am rowing also.  I know the rowing has been pushing my body in different ways so I don't want to overwhelm myself and get an injury.  Last weekend every one back home in Indianapolis celebrated the Indy 500 Mini-Marathon.  The post of joy and accomplishment were very inspiring.  I would like to do a half marathon some day.  I remember seeing people do it when I lived there and thinking they were all crazy.  I can now see why they did it.  All the work they put into make it all worth it when they cross that finish line.  I want to have the feeling one day and everyday I hope I am working towards that but maybe at my own pace. 


Weight update:


Like I said, I have been slacking...I am at 188 as of this morning and I've been fluctuating all through the 180s for the last month.  I know I say I didn't want to stay in the 180s for a month but it happened.  I am disappointed in myself.  Time to get back on the wagon.  I think I am going to try and change up my diet though to include a cheat day because cutting out all the food that tempt me everyday is not working.  I need a guilt free day where I can indulge but know that for the rest of the week it is diet time.  I don't plan on going on crazy buffet binges but maybe allowing myself some extra carbs and some sweets I would otherwise turn down.  This way I don't go on week long binges because I just crave crappy food.  We'll see how this goes...I understand that I should be making lifelong changes and I believe this is how I want to live the rest of my life.  There are days when the splurge isn't worth it and other times when enjoying a warm morning cinnamon bun with your family is worth taking in. 


Thank you for reading and Enjoy you burrito!  (Nerdist podcast reference)
(Josh's nerdyness rubbing off)