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! 

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)

How do I get off Vacation Mode?!?!

The Bahamas were amazing!  I had so much fun catching up with friends and making new ones!  We went clear bottom kayaking, snorkeling, and beach bathing! This is a great picture of a very large fish that we were swimming with that Josh got with our new underwater camera!  We walked around Nassau and I bought a pretty sweet wood anchor for our boat themed guest bedroom.  Its a work in progress...  I really think the people made trip so amazing!  I couldn't ask for better friends, I just wish we didn't live all in different states! 

It was a Fabulous trip!  But being that it was a cruise...I ate too much and drank too much.  I did work out two days but one day was more of a mental workout and the second was right after eating which meant not so fun cramps...But at least I got moving?  I even had a workout buddy for the second gym trip!!!  This was my view while on the treadmill! <==


After the Bahamas it was on to Chicago for my very good friend's beautiful wedding! We were treated to some delicious Chicago Deep Dish pizza at the rehearsal dinner!  It was sooo good!

The morning of the wedding, I can't lie I was a little scared to put on my bridesmaids dress.  Thankfully it was a flowing dress so it really only had to fit around the chest.  It fit and I still had room to breath even after having it taken in when I had it altered!

The wedding was beautiful with the ceremony outside under a tree.  The views were beautiful but what made me really tear up with their stories and vows.  I can only hope that our wedding makes people ball even 1/8th as much as they made me!  Again, Congratulations you too!!  I don't think anyone left that wedding with a hint of doubt that those two absolutely belong together and will live happily ever after!

Okay, now that my tears have dried...back to getting in shape for my big day!  uh oh...I still have not got back on the scale to so were I stand after the calorie filled vacation.  I have decided to get back on the medifast diet with the 5 small meals and one lean and green meal.  I will however be adding fruits such as bananas, blueberries, and cherries.  (I had A LOT of muscle cramps during my vacation that were not very fun)  Hardest part...keeping my dieting going when my love comes home from work.  I don't know what it is but I just wanna stay inside and cuddle and eat ice cream and sushi all day when he is home.  I feel safe and always accepted no matter how I look with him which is a AMAZING thing but not good for my diet.  I will say though that he did motivate me the other day.  When he was in Tulsa, he started working out and is now motivated to keep it up!  I think he liked the results and I'm not going to lie...I liked them too :P  But if he works out then I feel bad if I don't work out!  Hello competitive motivation!  I love that we can talk and compare workouts now!  Of course its different because I wanna lose weight and he does not.  But still it is a new way of bonding and I love it!  (Don't make fun of me, I know you are reading this a laughing at me)

So here is to getting back into the routine and reaching that goal before our big day!  Still have 9 months and at LEAST 60 lbs to go? (depending on the scale which I am avoiding) Wow...now that I see that I am kind of scared.  Can I do that?

Wait, of course I can!  What is stopping me?

oh yeah, ME

I know there is so much I still wanted to post but its getting late and I wanna get to bed on time so that I can wake up and maybe, no, definitely get in a morning run!  No more lazy, hitting the snooze 3-4 times!  I am still trying to get out of vacation mode...so any motivation that you wanna send my way will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks 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!