Under 200lbs!

I'm dropping!

Slowly, but surely, I'm on my way to my next goal weight - 191.5lbs!

I weighed myself today, and I am a solid 196lbs...that's the first time I've been under 200lbs since high school.

I'm excited and ready to drop even more weight! This also marks my first dress size down. US 16 to a US 14. My goal is to be a US 8, so I still have a way to go.

Anyway, measurement later! Gotta walk to work!

Reagan

Goal!

So I weighed myself this morning, and I have reached to first goal weight...actually, I've passed it!

I'm 200.6 lbs today, that's about 1.7lbs below the goal weight. I'm very happy with the progress, but I need to keep on keeping on. My new goal is 191.7lbs. I want to try to hit that weight before November. When I hit it, I'll add some before/after photos.

So here are the stats:

NEW GOAL: 191.7lbs

Weight: 200.6 lbs (-12.4)
Bust: 44 in (-2.4)
Waist: 39.2 in (-.8)
Hips: 46.3 in (-2.7)
Arms: 14.2 in (-.4)
Thighs 27.4 in(+.2)
Dress size: 16

Down 5lbs this week, 10.2 in all!

So I didn't adhere to my exercise or weight watchers routine this week...but I still lost 5 lbs!

Last week I decided on a Luas pass, when before I would have gone for a Bus and Luas combination pass. That move saved me 20 Euro and I figured it'd be good for me to walk to the Luas every day. I'll say, it's been tough. It's an hour walk to the Luas from my place, and after a long shift (like my 12 hour one on Thursday) the last thing I want to do is walk home. But I've been dedicated with it.

I've also been eating smaller portions, but I've been lax on recording my food intake. I need to start doing that again, or my losses so far might pile back on. Goal for next week: start recording my food again. Try to get to the gym at least 3 days/week.

Here're the stats:

Weight: 202.8 lbs (-10.2)
Bust: 44.5 in (-1.9)
Waist: 39.8 in (-.2)
Hips: 45.8 in (-3.2)
Arms: 14.6 in (-0)
Thighs 28.3 in(+1.1)
Dress size: 16

And a plateau...

My BFF in Dublin left this past week, and we indulged a bit on the foodie scene before she left - not to mention the three take-away dinners I've had this week. I've never craved a fried chicken burger before in my life, but once I can't have one...look out! I suppose I've let myself slide this week thinking "It's ok, just a week. I'll make up for it."

So I wasn't exactly surprised when I stepped on the scale this morning to a 207lbs mark. No change. I'm lucky I didn't gain.

I suppose I've had no desire/motivation to work out at all with my work schedule. I have, however, dropped my monthly bus/luas ticket in favor of a luas ticket. That means I have to walk a combined 2 hours to and from the luas everyday. It's not running, but it is steady exercise.

I met with a trainer at Trinity last week and we finished up our session on Wednesday. I hate doing free weights, which is why I think I've been so reluctant to work out. I always feel like my posture's not right and like I'm going to injure myself. In any case, even if I have to wake up at 6am every morning, it's back to the gym on Monday. I've got to lose this weight if I want to be down a dress size by my next set of Burlesque classes!

More to come, but first, the stats:

Weight: 207 lbs (-6)
Bust: 45 in (-1.4)
Waist: 40 in (-0)
Hips: 45.9 in (-3.1)
Arms: 14.2 in (-.4)
Thighs 28 in(+.8)
Dress size: 16

3 more pounds!

So despite my cardio setbacks this week, I've lost 3 more pounds! It's definitely becoming more of a habit for me to hit the gym every morning. I roll out of bed and have the debate with myself, and somehow, I always decide to go in!

I am still having trouble with week 4 of the C25K. I've had a side stitch for a week that refuses to go away even when I'm not running, and it has hit me hard every time I try to run the last 5 minutes of the program. I think I just need to work on week 4 until I can work through the stitch and do 3 complete runs in week 4.

I met with a trainer at Trinity who set up a program for me to start up. It involves free weights, with which I'm miserable at the moment, but I know they're the best for me in the long run. Hopefully this will really jumpstart my toning and weight loss.

I'm so close to my first goal, which is 203lbs. It's hard not to form a new goal when I'm losing all this weight, but I need to focus on the 203 for now. When I hit it, I'll set a new goal.

Here are the stats for this week:

Weight: 207 lbs (-6)
Bust: 45.4 in (-1)
Waist: 39.9 in (-.1)
Hips: 46.5 in (-2.5)
Arms: 14.5 in (-.1)
Thighs 28.3 in(+1.1)
Dress size: 16

Disappointing Day

So today was, well, a bit disappointing. I suppose I should have expected, considering that my progress has been steady so far. Today was my first day of C25K week 4, and I knew it was going to be a hurdle. The week 4 plan is two repetitions of 3 min run 90 sec walk, 5 min run 2.5 min walk. Today, I got through the first three runs feeling winded and tired, but promised myself I'd push through. Half way through the last run, I developed an intense cramp in my side. Initially I tried to push through it, but the pain had me literally bent over while I was running. With 2.5 minutes to go on my last run, I went into my cooldown. After the workout, I did an abbreviated abs workout, but I got through all my yoga stretches.

I had heard that people doing the C25K have often had to repeat weeks as they go along because they hit a wall. To be fair, I haven't been sticking to the "weeks" plan on the C25K. The programs says to do 3 days a week, so each week contains three workouts and resting time in between. I've been doing my cardio every day, so It's taken me about 2.5 weeks to get to week 4 in the program. I don't want to start taking days off, because I think the key to my success will be doing cardio every day, but I suppose I shouldn't expect so much from myself.

In other news, I started my dance class up again. We're learning a hula hoop routine, which is harder than you'd expect, and very tiring on my abs!

I also booked in at 8am Friday morning to have a fitness consultation at the TCD Sports Centre. It's an hour long, and the instructor will evaluate my needs and my fitness level and suggest a weights routine that I can incorporate into my current exercise routine. Hopefully that'll kick start my weight loss and toning.

More news to come.

Reagan

Lost Weight!

So yesterday was my second weigh in on the Weight Watchers diet...and I've lost 3 pounds! It's not a lot, but I think that if I stay on this pace, I could lose around 30 lbs by the 1st of December!

I've done ok on my diet. I haven't gone over the weekly points allowance, but I have to say, there was a fair bit of cheating day to day, so I used up all of my activity points and extra weekly points and came up right to the very last point when Saturday night rolled around. That being said, I've been working out every single day, which is more than I've worked out in my entire life. Today, I ran my 3rd week of C25K - which is alternating 90 sec run 90 sec walk, 3 min run 3 min walk - with the runs at 6mph. It doesn't seem like a lot, but when I started, I was jogging at 4mph and couldn't do more than 60sec. I'm also seeing a lot of improvement in my abs and yoga workouts that I do after my runs. My flexibility and strength have greatly improved, and today I noticed that I am returning to my resting heart rate a lot faster after intense running.

As far as food goes, I've got a way to go. I am trying to make a point of fitting in my Omega 3 fatty acids, so I celebrated my weight loss yesterday with some salmon sashimi. To be honest, I'm spending a lot more of my energy on working out, and I think that once that becomes a habit, I will really start incorporating food into the plan.

Next week, my goal is to be down to 207. The overall goal Weight Watchers set for me is 203, so I'm getting close! Here are the Stats for this week(The loses are measured from the beginning measurements)

Weight: 210 lbs (-3)
Bust: 43.9 in (-2.5)
Waist: 39.9 in (-.1)
Hips: 47.2 in (-1.8)
Arms: 14.1 in (-.5)
Thighs 28.3 in(+1.1)
Dress size: 16

Excellent Workout!

So I had a really excellent workout today. I think I can safely say this is the first time in my life I've felt this way after exercising, but it was great!

I started my first day of week 2 on the C25K plan, which is more intense than the first week, and then did my standard 15 minutes of abs and 15 minutes of yoga stretching. I noticed that, even though the run was more intense than the previous 3, I didn't have a problem with it. In fact, when the last run came, I pumped the speed up to 10km/hr and ran hard until the end. I was sweating all over my yoga mat afterwards, but, again, on my abs, I noticed a distinct difference...I was able to hold, lower, and raise myself in "boat" position, which I've never been able to do.

As great as the run and abs were, my yoga session is what really got me excited. I was doing a side stretch with my leg out, and I usually am only able to reach maybe a foot into the stretch with my arm extending over my head. Today, I kid you not, I was in the zone...I almost grabbed my foot! Every stretch I did today was deeper and I actually felt like I was doing yoga.

I may not be losing weight yet, but my athletic performance has definitely improved. It's very encouraging for me. I suppose the weight isn't as important as the toning and the stamina for dancing...

More reports next week...right now, PM yoga and then sleep!

Week 1

So I didn't lose any weight this week, but I did lose some inches...I think, although I might have gotten the measurements wrong the first time. I have been doing well on my workouts, so I'm hoping that next week goes a little better weight wise!

So here are the stats!

Weight - 213lbs (minus 0lbs)
Arms - 14.4in (minus .2in)
Thighs - 25.7in (minus 1.5in)
Waist - 36.7in (minus 3.3in)
Hips - 48in (minus 1in)
Bust - 45.7in (minus .7in)

Most Boring Blog Ever!

It really is!

Hopefully I'll start livening things up!

I'm almost a week into my weight watchers program, and I'm doing ok at it. I've decided to do Weight Watchers Online, since my schedule is very erratic, and the program has been really easy to use.

I guess I've started up again for the same reason I always do. I don't feel attractive, I don't feel confident, and there are things I want to do (dancing) that require me to be a lot lighter on my feet. I suppose that last reason is the new reason that I think will make me stick to the plan. I've never lost weight "for myself." It's always been because I want to attract a man, and that plan has never really quite worked for me.

This time is different. For the first time in my life, I want to lose weight mostly because I want to perform in a Burlesque show, for which I need a more toned figure and a lot more stamina.

So here's the deal...I'm gonna try again. I'm gonna try to post every Sunday when I update my weight and measurements. I might also post during the week...dunno. Anyway, here're the starting figures:

Weight: 213lbs
Waist: 40in
Hips: 49in
Arms: 14.6in
Thighs: 27.2in
Bust: 46.4in
Dress Size: American 16

Wish me luck!

April 19 - C25K Week 1, Day 1

After much consideration, I decided that my 30 minute walk today would be Week 1, Day 1 of C25K. I'm not sure exactly why I decided to abandon the simple walk, but I would suppose it's because I didn't have anywhere to walk. I've done my shopping for the week, I don't feel like going into college, and I didn't want to use my bus pass today to get to Bray (I've decided I want to do the Bray-Greystones cliff walk). So I strapped on my ipod, squeezed into my sports bra, and went out the door. This is really the first time I've exercised outside, barring the few days last year that I did the Grand Rapids Adventure Boot Camp, and I've never done it alone. I decided to see how far Week 1, Day 1 would take me in the direction of Phoenix Park. It turns out that Week 1, Day 1 takes me just to the entrance of the park. That's encouraging, because it means that every time the distance increases on the program, I'll be able to do more and more running in the park. Running outside made all the difference. I wasn't watching the clock and I didn't feel hot and light headed like I did in the gym. I took the following route:



I can't promise that Wednesday will bring another C25K, but I feel good having worked out. My foot hurts, and has been for a while, so I'll have to watch that and make sure I'm not getting a stress fracture. Other than that, I'm still sicky sick sick, but at least I'm sick and active today.

Until next time.

Reagan

April 19 - A new start

So it's been about two weeks since I wrote my last post.

This week I went into town to buy a black dress for my graduation. I visited all of the shops that I knew sell my size - River Island, A Wear, Monsoon, M&S, GAP, Dunnes, Penney's - and I tried some other shops that I sort of knew wouldn't carry my size, but tried anyway - American Apparel, Urban Outfitters, BT2. I found loads of beautiful, appropriate little black dresses, but none were in my size. I wear a size 16-18 here (14-16 in US sizes). At the largest, the dresses were size 14, but most only went up to a 10. Not finding a dress isn't a big deal, I have a backup black dress in my closet. However, it devastates me that, while smaller women shop around to have their choice for the perfect black dress, I shop around in order to find any black dress that will fit me.

My inability to find a dress, coupled with my inability to pull myself out of bed in the mornings, along with the way going to a club or bar surrounded by thin women in cute dresses (and there's me in my jeans and jumper, trying to hide in layers) has gotten me to a breaking point...

My motivation is horrible, but I need to be able to kick it into gear. My inactivity and my weight are building upon other self-esteem issues in my life to become a burden that I cannot hold anymore. The C25K program is a great goal, but I think I have to work my way back to into it. My last workout on the C25K left me out of commission for about a week. I don't think my immune system can handle a difficult workout at this point.

So I have resolved that in about two weeks, I will restart the C25K program. In the meantime, I will walk at least 30 minutes a day as a sort of bridge between being completely sedentary and being lightly active.

I'm a bit more optimistic this time, because I don't really believe that I have a choice anymore.

Until next time.

Reagan

So a bit of a fail this week.

I only got one day done. I'd like to say that it's because I was too busy, but that would be a lie. My motivation isn't great as of late.

Not giving up, though. I'm starting again next week at Week 1 and hopefully I'll be able to get a full 3 days in.

More next week!

Week 1, Day 1

So I must have overestimated my fitness level...


I was doing really well with an incline trainer when I was in the states. That is, until I developed bronchitis from the remodel dust at work (grumble, grumble.) So I naturally assumed that I'd do ok on week 1, day 1 of this C25K program. I downloaded the iPod app so I could listen to m'tunes and still be on track.

I thought it would be nice to run in Phoenix Park. I've never been there outside of a tourist bus and I've always had a hard time with the monotony of the gym. Unfortunately, I live in Ireland. As I walked out the door and discovered the torrential downpour that was waiting for me, I decided that I have to activate my gym membership anyway, so I might as well jump on the treadmill at the Trinity Sports Centre.

So I trekked down to Trinity and did my thing - Brisk warm up, then run for 60 sec, walk for 90 sec...repeat 8 times. I felt a little ambitious at first, setting my walk speed to 6km/hr (3.7mph) and my running speed to 8.5km/hr (5.2mph). Had I been at Phoenix Park, I think I would have self regulated my speeds, however as there was a moving belt forcing my ambition, I ran myself out within the first 10 minutes. Eventually I had to reduce both my walking and running speeds quite a bit. My heart rate was well over 185 and I felt like dying...

...but I did it.

31 minutes - it isn't impressive, but I did it, and if I keep with it consistently, I really think I will be able to run 3 miles at the end of 9 weeks.

Now I'm taking a shower. I'm pretty sure some of the bushes I walked past on my way home withered at my scent.

Until next time...

R

The Beginning?

So I've decided to start doing the Couch-to-5K program that everyone seems to be doing. I suppose my primary goal in these 9 weeks is just to get my fitness level up, not necessarily to lose weight (although that would be a fabulous secondary benefit.)

In any case, I've decided to include photographic evidence and measurements. I can't promise I'll be good at this, because my motivation right now isn't the best, but I suppose the best I can do is try!

So here goes...

Weight: 215lbs
BMI: 34
Bust: 48 in
Waist: 41 in
Hips: 49 in
Current Jogging endurance: 5 min