The new plan is going well. Still no change on the scale, but I feel like my clothes are fitting looser. Losing inches is great, but I'm so tired of the numbers on my scale!

My workouts have been tough, I've given myself stomach cramps twice this week. They always hit right after a workout. I've been pushing really hard this week. Like today I did 40 minutes on the elliptical trainer & 20 minutes of weight training. And I'm also going to do a workout this evening at home.

I've been working with my "Biggest Loser Challenge" game for the Nintendo Wii at home this week as well. When I started this journey I got the game in hopes it would help get me motivated, but realized that I wasn't even in shape enough to use that. I was told to use the "Light" exercises mode and even those were hard for me then. So on Monday I re-took their fitness test & my results were great! I was told to start out with the "Hard" workouts. It was very exciting for me. I even did good on some of the "extreme" exercises. The first time I did that test I didn't even get half way through and now I can make it all the way until the end. That was a good way for me to judge how strong I've gotten. I've never been so determined about something in life before. Its still trying every day and I find new ways to challenge myself and I think the most exciting thing is to see what my body can do.

On a side note I've added a new picture to my blog on the right hand side to help visually track how much my appearance has changed.

I'm also going to have my personal trainer check my body fat percentage either this week or next week. The thought of it not changing much is really scary for me, but I have hopes that it has changed at least 2%.

Thanks for reading!

New Plan

So for a few weeks now my weight loss has slowed and now its stopped at the 60 pound mark. I'm far from done and I'm not giving up because of this little hiccup. Its not a set back, but it is a time for me to evaluate my workouts, nutrition & motivation. I think I need to exercise more & eat more calories. I know, that doesn't sound quite right, but I don't think I'm getting enough "fuel" in my system to keep my metabolism going. Its not enough to keep up with the amount of exercise I do each day.
I go to the gym 6 days a week, I spend roughly 20-30 minutes doing cardio each day, and 2-3 times a week I do strength & resistance training. I'm pretty sure that its time to up the amount of cardio, I know I can do more. Today I did 40 minutes on the Elliptical. I pushed really hard, so hard that at one point I thought for sure I was going to throw up. But it passed. I had thoughts of Jillian Michael's in my head screaming at me, a frequent saying of hers..."Unless you throw up or faint your not quitting!" I was so proud of myself when I fought through the discomfort. I planned to do 40 minutes today and I did it, I stuck with what I wanted to do. That is one thing that tells me that I will get to my goals no matter how long it takes.

My new plan is to get AT LEAST 40 minutes of cardio a day, still do 2 to 3 days of strength & Resistance Training and also add in a new workout during the evening (Even if its just doing steps on my Wii Fit while watching tv).
I also plan to eat 1,400 to 1,600 calories a day now (instead of 1,200) - I think this is going to be the hardest thing for me, not the extra exercise. I've pounded it into my brain to stick to 1,200 calories for so long if feels strange to eat more, but with the extra calories burned I'm going to need extra to keep my metabolism going to burn fat.

Motivation: I've really started to realise just now much I've changed. I just got a new workout shirt this past week while I was too sick to work out. Its a MEDIUM!! Its a fitted Under Armor Brand workout t-shirt. I love it. And I know the harder I work the better it will look on me. I'm still not comfortable wearing something fitted, but my hubby reassured me that it looks good and that I have nothing to be self conscious about. I'm so glad that hes been so supportive.

I'm planning on posting some new pictures soon :-)
29 lbs to go!!
Thanks for reading everyone!

10 Pounds At A Time

All I have to say is... FINALLY!! I have struggled with getting out of the 190's but I finally did it. I'm at 189 now and that means I've lost 60 pounds. It seems to help if I just try to tackle the weight I still need to lose 10 pounds at a time instead of the number as a whole. I'm almost to my August "Mini-goal" & no longer having a BMI that is Obese.

I've had a "mental block" lately with my workouts, I know I can do the workouts, but part of me is holding me back. Like I'm Doctor Jekyll & Mr. Hyde at the same time while at the gym. Part is telling me "Come on, you can do this easily.." and the other is saying "You are weak, your knee hurts lets quit". In my case Mr Hyde is stronger than Jekyll for the most part. But its difficult to push as hard when your doubting yourself. I just need to get out of this funk & I'm hoping being in the 180's will help with that. The last 10 pounds were tough!

Stuck

Can I just say that I'm SOOOO tired of seeing 191 on my scale when I weigh in! I've been stuck in the 190's for what feels like forever now, and I have been stuck in the past like when I was in the 230's, never thought I was going to get past that. But I did and that's what matters. And I do know that I will get out of the 190's soon.
I told my trainer that my weight loss has stopped today when I had my session & he recommended I eat 6 small meals today, strictly 6. So I'm doing just that. When I got home from my session I measured & cooked the rest of my food for the day, & divided them out into my meals. I used my food scale, which I already use it on a daily basis but I used it to equally divide my remaining meals for today into separate containers so that I'm not tempted to eat more in a sitting than I should.
He also recommended to drink more water than usual today and then do a really good 40 minute cardio workout tomorrow morning.

I'm still rooting to be out of the 190's by the end of the week. COME ON!!! I want to finish losing the 60 pounds already & move on!

Update

Its been slow going this past week. My knee is still bothering me quite a bit so I have been lifting a lot more weights compared to the normal amount of cardio I do. I was up 1 pound last week, so as of this morning I weighed in at 192 instead of 191. Which is ok, I'm pretty sure its a pound of muscle gained & not fat. building muscle will benefit me in the long run and helps burn more calories. So the goal of the week is STILL to get into the 180's.

I really kicked some ass today at the gym. I did 40 minutes on level 20 on the elliptical trainer. I was soaked from head to toe. But after that workout I had such an exercise high... I LOVE that feeling! I felt like I could take on the world, seriously!

I can actually flex the muscles in my thighs now & my leg feels firm/hard on the front side.... the back side still needs a lot of work. And my arms are getting more defined, at least I think so. I just wish I could have some of the extra droopy stuff from the backs of my arms removed, they would look freaking awesome without that, but it may tighten up some as I lose more weight.

Physical therapy is going pretty good. I was expecting it to be more of a workout & a little harder than it actually is. My shoulder & knee get sore afterwards sometimes. Especially the shoulder. But it is getting better.

My personal trainer (Silver Fox) thinks I'm doing great and physically I have changed a lot since I've started this journey. I'm looking forward to my session with him on Wednesday morning as usual. He always has something new to make me suffer & work that much harder, but I love it, really I do. Is that so wrong? Hehe..

Loss, Injury & Remaining Positive

Its been a while since I've had a post so there are a few things I need to catch everyone up on. I lost 2 pounds this week, I weighed in this morning at 192 pounds. Most of my clothes are pretty baggy at this point, but I don't feel the need to be buying new ones quite yet. The baggy clothes are annoying, but I don't want to buy more clothes that will soon be too big for me to wear, that would be a waste.

I went to OSS (Orthopedic & Spine Specialists) for an appointment this past week. I got a anti-inflammatory injection in my right shoulder because the muscle there is in a constant state of spasm. It seems a little better now, but I still have to go for physical therapy to strengthen that muscle. And my knee was not fluid filled like originally thought, the cartilage in my knee has softened & is inflamed. I will be needing physical therapy for that as well to strengthen the muscles around the knee to take the pressure off of it.
I never thought I would have this many injuries while getting healthy, but when you let yourself go it wreaks havoc on your body. I think I have dealt with the injuries quite well up until this point. After I got home from the last appointment I felt bad for myself. I don't know why. But I made the conscious decision that I was only going to give myself a pity party for 5 minutes. It kind of worked. I just have to look at it in a positive way. That I am working on fixing my body, changing it into what I want it to be by changing my life style, exercising more and making better food choices. I never thought I would get this far and I'm certainly not going to let these injuries keep me back. I would have when I first started but not now. I want this so bad and I'm not going to let something so simple stand in my way.

My goal for this week as far as weight loss goes is 189 pounds. I have a goal set off 184 pounds by August 31st, and if I can lose those 3 pounds this week then I should be ahead or on track for my August goal. I'm hoping to beat that goal into a bloody pulp this month.

That's all for now, Thanks for reading!