July 23

Ok vacation is over. I am returning to my workout regimen Monday. I was giving my hips a break and not exercising but I am in need of a distraction from life so here goes.  I am at 131 pounds and still losing due to restrictions on calories.  But I need lots of toning up to do.  I talked with my doctor and she said it was ok for me to lose another 11 pounds.  My goal weight is 120. Totally within my weight category for my height. YAY! I think I am also going to stop eating meat and only eat fish again. It worked out well for me during Lent and I will need new fish recipes.

Setback

It's July and I have had a major setback. I just don't feel like working out anymore. I know I should and that it makes me feel good but I am just not doing it anymore.  The setback is in my thinking. I don't have the motivation to go. I am still maintain my weight at 133 but I can feel my body getting squishier or not as toned. I just have one excuse after another. I know this is not the way I want to be or a way to get my goals accomplished, but still I don't go to the gym. It started when I was not able to go running anymore.  Now I am set on just not going at all. I hope this doesn't last too long and I can find my motivation again.

June

Here I am in the month of June am down to 133 pounds. I have not been doing too well with my running. I have had to stop completely due to not having proper footwear. Yeah that really sucks because I have gone through two pairs of really good running shoes but they have not been the right ones for me.  I am going to have to get my shoes custom made to fit my feet. When I run now my hips have been really hurting me.  I have a pronation in my feet and need stability shoes for running. This sucks because the two pairs I have purchased have been stability shoes but have not been the correct type. So I have tried running after each purchase and not cannot run for a while. Walking is painful so running is out of the question. I tried the elliptical yesterday and had some pain but not too much. This has been putting a damper on my workouts. But thankfully not on my mood too much. I have been feeling happier lately.  I do miss my workouts though. But not enough to push myself to get worse. So on it goes day by day. I have strick control on my diet so I know I won't gain any weight. I have been losing some this month. I started out the month at 140 pounds and have been consistently at 133-135 pounds. I still have about 12 pounds to go.

May is here!!

Wow! I have made it to May finally. I have been enjoying life right now and have been very excited about Spring finally arriving. This means I can go outside with out freezing. I can run out side and see the beach and just be outside. The euphoria a feel being outside is amazing and has been eagerly awaited.
So on with the details...Well I am at 140 pounds (85 pounds lost) now and have been for the month of April. I have more muscle definition all over but especially in my legs and arms. My abdomen is looking a lot better but still a struggle. At least I have gotten past wanting to quit and just get a tummy tuck. Slowly I am gaining better results. I just have had to learn lots of Patience. And that is not something that comes easy for me.  I have been trying to get out and run as much as the weather permits, even if it is a little chilly.  Otherwise the StairMaster is key and the treadmill a back up.  I don't like using the treadmill because I run so different outside than inside. I still want to lose 20 more pounds to get to my goal weight but I am in no hurry. I am just taking my time and enjoying my workouts. But I was having a hard time with my food intake. I was not eating enough calories. My body did not like that and stalled my weight loss. So I have changed my eating habits to smaller meals more often.  It has been working out fabulous. I am still eating what I need but spread out in the day.  I have also cut back on meat consumption. Not necessary restriction on eating meat but on the quality. I don't want to waste good calories on crappy meat.  I would rather have fish, shrimp or other seafood.  I am going to try for running 3 miles every weekday in the month of May. Weekends are for me to rest which has been difficult to do but good for me.

145 POUNDS

WOW!! 145 this morning and for the last two days.  I wanted to make sure the number was really right.  I have now lost a total of 80 pounds. I still have 25 more to go.  I am starting to be able to see the differences.  I can see the changes in my arms, legs and my face.  My stomach is still not where I want it but it might never be.  I had two kids by C-section so I might always have that pouch. But I can work the best I can to tighten things up.  My legs are looking really nice. But that is from all the StairMaster.  Now the running is doing fairly well.  I am running 1 1/2 miles everyday.  I am tryng to improve my time. I was running 3 miles but I think that might have been too much for me too soon.

Pain

Yesterday I got on the treadmill to run a mile and a half. I was taking it easy because I had ran 3 miles the day before.  When I got on the treadmill I started to warm up by walking. As soon as I took my first step...ouch. My hip started to hurt. Now I am not one to ignore pain or to have a high threshold for pain. It hurt, and I stopped. So now I am really scared to start running again. Am I a coward for not trying? Hell yeah. I don't want to have it hurt worse.  But I really like running right now.  So back on I get.  Just not so fast or for as long.  I am warming up before I run and taking it easy for a few days.  Running is almost as good for me as the StairMaster was.  But I knew I needed a change.  My body was getting use to the StairMaster routine.  I can't wait to be able to run outside.  YAY!!

Phase 2

So today starts phase two with P90x. YAY!! I am so excited to start this again.  Last week was the recovery week and I did stretching, yoga and core exercise. Not bad but not too fun.  So this week is exciting for me. Now I am starting something new along with P90x. Running. I started to run 3 miles every other day. I have been working on the stairmaster for many months and I wanted a change.  So the treadmill it is.  It is still too cold outside for me to run out there but hopefully when the weather heats up I can get outside.  I am looking forward to spring just for that reason.  So the treadmill is my only option right now.  I have been doing pretty good with it at lunch times. I was working out in the afternoon but too many conflicts left me missing many days because of work.  So I am using my lunch time to go running.  I was able to go 4 miles on the stairmaster burning 400 calories in 35 minutes.  On the treadmill I can run at 6.5-7.0 and make 3 miles in less than 30 minutes. I just started so I have to work my way up to 4 miles...then maybe 5. I am not sure where I want my goal to be so I am just having fun.  3 miles is pleanty for me right now.  I can't believe how much I am enjoying running.  Maybe it is the sence of acomplishment or just that I am surprised I can actually make the 3 mile mark. So my saga continues.