Biggest Loser, my Kids and some sadness

I started writing this post on June 25th. I updated what needed to be updated, but left the feelings of the end as is.....




So I have been long done with the Biggest Loser competition at the gym. Sorry I didn't update sooner. But, from Feb 22 to May 22 I lost a grand total of 30.4 pounds. This was over 15% of my body weight. I finished 6th in the competition...and won nothing but the awesome feeling that I am 2 sizes smaller. :) I have been doing a great job of keeping it off. My goal for the summer is just to maintain my new 170 pound body. I am actually down another 3-4 pounds (depending on the day). But I'm not as obsessed with the scale as I was during the competition. I have been running or biking or swimming as often as possible and loving it. I haven't even set foot in the gym in a couple months. I have been enjoying the outdoors as much as possible. Even in the 95+ degree heat we've been having. I did a 5 mile race last weekend and my goal was to run it in under an hour. I did it in 52:52 ! I am even doing a TRIATHLON in August!!

At the finish of my 5 mile! The boys wanted my medal and I wasn't giving it up...so I was able to get a couple more!

There has been so much going on. The Baby is now almost 22 months old and a holy terror. He talking, running and is getting into everything and climbing! Oh my lord the climbing. He has almost made it over the gate at the top of our stairs! He is going to give me a heart attack. The Kid is turning SIX next week and is finished with Kindergarten and is a FIRST GRADER! I can't believe I just typed that. wow. He finished swim school last week and did great. He learned how to ride his 2 wheeler with out training wheels on Memorial Day weekend.

This part written on June 25: On a more somber note, we have a good friend that just started hospice this past week. He was diagnosed with melanoma over 2 1/2 years ago. He went through all the treatments, removed lymphnodes and all that and they thought it was gone. He even ran a marathon last fall! Then, at a routine follow up scan last March they found tumors on his brain. They did surgery, but couldn't get them all. In that short period of time it has spread to many organs in his body. It seriously sucks just waiting. I can't even imagine what his wife is going through. He is 39 years old and has 3 children; a son, 10 and daughters, 7 and 5. It is just heartbreaking.

UPDATE: written tonight, July 14... Our friend passed away on June 29. It was the most awful funeral I have ever been to. Just looking as his parents, his wife and children made my heart break. My Hubby is still reeling from his death. They have been friends since HS. If anyone is interested in making a donation to his web page: Miles4Melanoma. He had just ran the Marine Corp Marathon in November on this team. He thought he was clear of cancer until a routine follow up visit in March found the tumors in his brain. Here is his fundraising website. The goal was originally $5K...that was met within 2 days of him passing... it is up to over $12K!! That is so awesome and a true gage on how truly great he was throughout his life, what a wonderful husband, father, son, uncle and friend he was, and how much he will be missed. Please donate if you have a spare dollar, if not, just say a prayer for his family. ...and WEAR YOUR SUNBLOCK!

Week 10 Weigh In

I just got back from a nice walk on the boardwalk with some friends. It is a gorgeous beach day today. We let the kids play on the playground in the sand after. The Baby loves the beach! If you have a chance to get out today...go to the beach!


Yesterday I weighed in after my spin class. I didn't have enough time to weigh in after dropping The Kid off at school and The Baby in the child care before the class started. So I was dripping sweat on the scale. I lost:


1.4 pounds!


Which makes a grand total of 24.2 lbs in 10 weeks! I am now fitting comfortably in a size 12 jean. I haven't been in 12's in over 5 years! I dropped a whole bra size... I was a 38DDD and I am the proud owner of 3 brand new 36DD bras!!! (And I am still nursing the Baby at night!)
I just feel fantastic overall.

I am really hoping that my calf heals soon. It still feels pulled when I try to jog/run. I have a few races lined up that I would love to do. There is a 5 miler in July that is my 1st goal to run that in under an hour. I'd like to do at least one 5K in May/June. I am also playing with the idea of doing a TRI in August. It is an all women's tri and sounds perfect for a first timer. The swim is 300 yds, bike about 19 miles and just a 3 mile run. I would love to do it. I have to decide before June 1, because then the cost goes up! LOL!

Week 9 Weigh In

Sooooooo..... I lost another:

3 pounds!!

I am so excited. I have lost a total of 22.8 lbs. I am now under 180. Seriously. It's been a while since I was under 180. And I busted through the 180...I weighed in at 178.2. I was 170 back when the Kid was around 9 months old and I went gym crazy. I got SO bored after 3 months of just treadmill that I just gained it all back.

I asked about the standings and they only had up to week 7 percentages calculated. (He was working in week 8 - where I only lost 1 lb anyway) And I was ranked #7 overall!!! There are 16 teams of 5 = 80 people! And I am 7th. I can't believe it. Only the 1st place individual wins a year membership to the gym....but if I finish in the top 10 I think I could have some pretty good bragging rights. So back to the grind I go. My stitches come out tomorrow, so I can go back to power pump (weight lifting class) and do the elliptical with the arm things. My calf is still pulled a little, so I'm still not running, but my class of choice has been spin! It is so fun and I leave there dripping with sweat. I went twice this last week and had a great weight loss.

See you next week! I promise one of these days I will go back to blogging about the small people that live in my house and bug me all day. ;)

Week 8 weigh in

Today I lost:

1 pound

I'll take it. I seem to be doing very well every other week. One week I'll loose over 2 pounds (twice over 4!) and the next week I'll lose under 2. So next week I fully intend on losing over 2 pounds. I am hoping in the next month to loose 10 more pounds in this competition.

I am a pin cushion on Week 7

I'm a little late posting my weekly weigh in.... I was also a little late getting weighed in.

I didn't get over there until Tuesday morning. I went into the dermatologist to get the 'rest' of my freckle removed for "abnormal cells", and by 'rest of' I mean how much more could they possibly take?? The tiny black freckle they took was about the size of a pin head. (Thank you to my P.A. for spotting it!) So I go in at 10am last Monday fully expecting just a little hole in my arm similar to the one that was taken out of my leg over a month ago. Just numb me, cut me and put a band aid on it.

No. Not that easy. I got 3 frickin stitches!! I was totally not expecting stitches. I was planning on going home, getting my gym clothes on and going over for my weigh in and get a work out. Nope. By noon my arm was so sore. It sucked. Now I can't lift weights for 2 weeks! (one more week from this Tues when the stitches come out, really.) And I'm not supposed to lift the Baby?!? Huh? Fortunately, my arm looks great, a little bruise, but no redness or infection setting in, since I don't know how to rest.....my ass was back in the gym on Tues to get some elliptical time in (since my calf still pulls so I can't run) and get my weigh in.

This week, I lost ANOTHER:

2.8 pounds!

For those of you keeping track.... We are now at 18.8 pounds loss in 7 weeks!


Plus, on another, totally unrelated subject. As we speak I have 6 garbage bags of toys and clothes sitting at my curb waiting for the Big Brother/Big Sister Organization to come pick it up. I purged a little this week and feel great about it!

Week 6 weigh in

So despite pulling something bad in my calf and being in pain when I walk for the last 3 days, at my weigh in yesterday, I still lost another:

1.8 pounds

Awesome. I am now down almost 17 lbs in 6 weeks. I am feeling great. I bought a pair of capris in the next size down (a twelve!) and wore them at Easter and got so many compliments.
I went to the gym this morning for the 1st time since Friday and did an hour on the bike. It was a good workout and now I have time to write since I have to ice my calf.

Our holiday weekend was nice. The weather was gorgeous and as soon as I download my pics from my camera I will post my very handsome little men in thier sweater vests. :)

Week 5 Weigh In!

I have been kicking some ass in the gym and the weight loss department...

Despite the fact that we have had some really bad shit going on around us. 3 people I know have/had bad cancer. 2 just had brain surgery to have tumors removed. Both are doing fine. One has to start chemo asap, he has 3 young children. The 3rd was a friend of my mom's and he died very quickly, leaving 2 young children. A woman that I just met on Saturday at a banquet went home that night and accidentally fell down her stairs and broke her neck. She also had 2 small children and was planning her wedding to a great guy. We are still in shock for that last one, since we just found out last night.

But, in my little world, my accomplishment this week, I lost...

4.8 pounds!

Which gives me a grand total of 14.6 pounds lost. Going to the gym has become the norm and very therapeutic. I am so grateful for my happy healthy children, even though the Baby had a fever all last night and hardly slept. The meds weren't working and he was groaning in his sleep. And Hubby is just getting over something similar (he's been sleeping on the couch so he didn't get us sick). I don't even know how to end this post.

Just hug your little ones closer today and I hope all of you, my readers, are happy and healthy.

Never weigh in at night!

So I was good eating all last week, mostly...there WAS St. Patrick's Day last week. And I AM Irish. ;)
I RAN over 20 miles over the last week, and walked another 8 or so. I did 2 classes at the gym. .....so tell me how the HECK did I gain:

.4 of a pound??

I will tell you how. I weighed in at 191.2 last night after a power pump class. Only AM weigh ins for me from now on. I was 188 on the scale this morning, after I ran another 4 miles. :)
I had already eaten all my meals for the day. Plus, holy CRAP, I can SEE my muscles!!! I know that I could have exhaled and not gained that .4 lb. But it's ok. I'll take it. My calfs are starting to be defined like they used to be. I can see my ankles. When I was in class last night doing curls I could actually SEE muscles in my arms! Those girly push-ups at night are doing their job!
I know that the fat is melting away. The muscles will only help in this competition in the long run. The only weight that matters is the 1st and the last, it's all good. I feel great. I am running 11 minute miles outside (12ish on a treadmill).

So I don't feel bad about a tiny gain (it's not even half a pound) and I will rock it this week.

Week 3 weigh in

I went into the gym this morning for a spinning class. It was a great sweat! The Baby cried his little eyes out in the childcare for the first 10 min, but then was just fine and watching Elmo by the time I was done, so I went and did some weights for 10 minutes and then got my weigh in.

Week 3 I lost:

4.8 Pounds!!

I am now down to 190.8 and have lost 10.2 pounds in 3 weeks. I am still on a roll. My motivation hasn't gone down. I am looking ahead to each day on my google calendar and trying to figure out when I can get over to the gym. I feel fantastic.

200 posts gone by & my weigh in

I almost didn't realize until I logged on today that this is my 200th post. I am glad I didn't let it go by without mention, because about 20 posts ago (and about 6 months ago) I was kind of waiting for it.
Now it's all anti-climactic since I didn't plan anything fun, like wedding pictures. They are still sitting in my camera. I will try to get some up this week. The Kid was amazing he went up that aisle like he was born to do that. If anyone needs a ring bearer, I can loan him out to you. ;)

But I did log on today to tell you all how I did with my weigh in this week. I knew it wasn't going to be as good as last week. I did bust my butt at the gym all last week in prep for the extravaganza. We had the rehearsal on Thurs with fantastic food and a few (4?) glasses of wine. Then we had the main event on Saturday. I kept myself up in the bridal suite with the Kid and stayed away from the massive cocktail hour. We had some good stuff upstairs, but I was saving myself for the prime rib. Plus they were serving BLUE MOON beer at the wedding!! It was a special request by the bride and groom and it is my favorite beer.ever. So I had quite a few of them. Sunday was really rough. I wasn't able to get over to the gym, but I stuck both kids in the double jogger (all 62+ pounds of them) and walked to the beach and back - a little over 2.6 miles. Yesterday, I was still recovering and was so sluggish all morning....just not as young as we used to be.... so when I picked up the Kid from school I brought his bike and had the Baby in the single jogger and we did 2 1/2 miles in 35 minutes. The Kid was a trooper...with promises of playground at the end.

Then we went over to the gym for my weigh in before dinner. I lost:

1 pound.

That's ok. I am happy I didn't gain anything. So I am now down 5.4 pounds in 2 weeks! That total number makes me happier.

Today was another gorgeous day in Jersey (FINALLY!) and I brought the Baby and the jogger to the beach and ran 3 miles on the boardwalk in 34 minutes! I am back on this and I will lose more and more. :)

This weekend I have a 5K and after my run today, I am feeling really good about it. And I won't have the jogger for that! Grandma will have the boys.

Week 1 Weigh In

I went for my Biggest Loser weigh in today..... guess what?


I lost 4.4 pounds!!!


I am so excited!
I have been working my ass off at the gym (and actually enjoying the time to myself). I have been eating smaller portions of food (and NO fast food!) I have only had ONE glass of wine all week (I KNOW!) I also gave.up.coffee. I was never a huge coffee drinker, but since the (17 month old) Baby is still on the teet at night, a few times a night, I am exhausted and thought that the coffee would get me through the day. It doesn't. You know what does? Looking forward to doing 2.5-3 miles on the treadmill ALL.BY.MYSELF. at least 4-5 days a week. I have so much more energy than coffee ever gave me. Sure, I'm still exhausted, but it's a different tired. It's a 'I just sweated about a 1/2 pound off me tired.' And I'm ok with that.

The Baby is also going into HIGH maintenance separation anxiety. I couldn't even go take a shower in our own house with my MIL watching him downstairs without a major meltdown. Probably because I have been dropping his cute little butt in the gym day care too much for his liking. I say TOUGH! He will get through it. He will survive. After about 5-10 minutes he stops screaming and the girls at the gym can handle him. I need to do this for ME!
So off I go. 2% down. I am on my way!! :)

Next week may not be as impressive. I have my SIL wedding on Saturday. Um, yea, I've been looking forward to the food and open bar all year. And it would be rude not to partake in the fancy place my SIL is paying big bucks to have her wedding. But I will be in the gym everyday this week, maybe even twice a couple days (since Hubby is home all week and I can leave the Baby home) and I will be there the day after the wedding for my 'last chance workout!'

And the start weight is...

I did it. I weighed in yesterday afternoon.
I was wearing jeans, since I went while the Kid was in TaeKwonDo. And it was just after 4 in the afternoon. And it was after I stuffed my face all weekend.
I am 201 pounds.
Holy crap! I was honestly 180 last June when I was running. Then I stopped. And gained it all back.

I can't wait to fit into my size 14 jeans that I am squeezing over my ass every day. (can we say massive muffin top?) I threw out all my 16s last summer b/c I SWORE I would never be that big again. I am. I refuse to buy new jeans.

I went back to the gym after TKD. My mom came over and gave me 30 min on the treadmill. I went 2.5 miles! I realized yesterday that it's easier to look at time, not distance. Every 4th minute I would pick up the pace from 4.5 -> 5.5 for a minute. Then on the last minute I was around 6.2! I used to try to run faster for a 1/4 mile and I'd get tired out fast. I read a blog about intervals folloing the TIME and it worked much better.

ok. Officially time to kick my ass into gear. Of course, today is a free short stack of pancakes at IHOP (with a donation to Children's Miracle Network). And I promised the Kid we'd go for dinner. I will ONLY have the short stack with a bit of sugar free syrup (no butter) and no add ons, like bacon or sausage or breakfast potatoes. Then I will go to the gym!

No weight yet...

I went to the gym this morning. I didn't have to weigh in! yay! I have one more weekend to relax. We have to be weighed in by Monday, so I will have the stats on that then.

I did get on the treadmill for 2 1/2 miles. The first 2 miles I walked on an incline (3.5) and then for the last 1/2 mile I lowered the incline to 1.5 and upped the speed and jogged a bit. Holy cow, now I know why I never liked inclines. They are rough!

Tomorrow is a 2 mile beach run - only 1/4 mile is actually on the beach. Then after we are going to the bar with a couple friends and now I don't have to worry about the beer calories! :)

Under the Knife

Kind of....it was a tiny knife.
I had a dermatologist appointment this morning to check out my mass of freckles and moles on my pale blonde body. Ironically, coincidentally, I don't know what it is, but my P.A. is friend's with my friend. Small freaking world, right? She was awesome, bytheway.

Anyway. I had 3 things cut off my body today. (I will have results in 1-2 weeks.) One right in the middle of my tramp stamp, one on my left thigh and one on my upper left arm. I am not sore yet since the holymotherofgod painful little needle with the numbing stuff is still in there, so I am heading to the gym. I have my weigh in and I am just going to do walking on an incline today. I don't want to do too much before my little cuts scab over, plus I have a 2 mile race tomorrow. Yay!
Need to drink a 1/2 gallon of water before I go.....

Will post later with gym results! :)

New Beginnings

Hubby and I have joined the local gym. I have been going 2-3 days a week for the last 3 weeks. I am SO hoping this doesn't fizzle out again, like it does every other time I start running.

Once, when The Kid was 8 months old I was going to an all womens gym and was on the treadmill almost every day. I lost 30 pounds in 3 months. I know, right? Unheard of. Especially since I wasn't tracking food at all. Imagine what I can do when I start really logging my food into Sparkpeople! Then I gained it all back. Then I got pregnant, then I had a miscarriage, then I got pregnant again and had the Baby. (who is almost 17 months old!! Holy Crap!)

In the last 4 years I have taken Running 101, 102, 101, 102, 101 and then 102 again. (A local running club does these programs to get people back into running or to start running if you've never run before.) Each time I was into running, ran a few 5Ks and then stopped. And gained all the weight back. Then I had to start all over again.
Last June I had finished my 3rd Running 102 class and I was 20 pounds lighter than I am now. Seriously. I would like to say I gained 20 pounds in 8 months...but honestly, I have been at the same weight since last November...so the 20 lbs came back within 5 months. How the hell does that happen? Excuses? I broke my toe in Sept. What was my excuse from June until then? The heat? 2 kids? not good enough. I have no excuses except that I got lazy again.

I am joining the Biggest Loser competition at my gym. The weigh-in is tomorrow. I am planning on being accountable to many many other people. I have been posting on dailymile every time I go to the gym or do my Wii fit, which in turn posts to my facebook. I plan on posting here as often as I can and hope to get some support and motivation to keep it up well past May when the competition is over.

Here are my goals.
I will lose at least 20 lbs in the next 3 months.
I will keep losing until I am down to 160. I know that isn't my 'ideal' weight by my height, but I would be very happy with that. Any more is a bonus.
I will do one or two 5Ks a month starting in March, until Sept....then I will run a 5 miler.
In 2011 I will run a 1/2 marathon. There. I put it out there. I think I have been saying that for years.
I will post my progress, including weight. I will take pictures, and maybe I will get brave enough to post them...when I have a good 'after' shot. ;)

Push me. Challenge me. Motivate me.
Please.