Keepin' it Real: Scientific data Week 19

Another successful week is in the books!

My calorie tracking was decent.....except for one little love affair with 8 Double Stuff Oreos that one day.....

I have done more shuffling, Yoga, Pilates, ..... and planking....than I have ever done in one week!

For your viewing pleasure, here is my first attempt at planking....

I have been sweating buckets this week and discovered one very interesting.....and disgusting.....fact about myself.....


My butt sweats profusely.

Yes....my butt....

No seriously.....


A lot!!!


Look!!!

That is what my (ever so baggy!!) shorts looked like yesterday after cutting the grass....

Seriously.....whose butt sweats like that?!?!

Mine does.....

Don't be jealous.



Ok.....it's comparison picture day......Week 1 and Week 19

Not noticing much difference in the gut so much anymore, but the legs are getting pretty baggy.

I have noticed my other size 12s are quite loose in the waist though.  In fact, this morning I decided to try on my dress pants, since I will be needing them for my internship....this is what they look like:

Guess I will need to shop for SMALLER pants!!! :)


And now....your favorite game show....."Will I Ever Fit My A$$ into These Size 10's Again"!!!!
With your host.......KAAARRREEENNNN!!!!!
(wild applause)

I have gotten into these so fast, I am seriously doubting that the pants in that first pic are the same as the other pics!
But......they fit!!! ......and for that, I am thrilled!


Number time:

Beginning weight:  165
Last Week's weight:  151.6
Today's weight:  149.6
(YIPPEE!!!!!!!!!!!  2 pounds AND I AM OUT OF THE 150'S!!!! for the first time in 2 years!!!!)
Yoga: 2
Pilates: 2
Planking: 2
Miles shuffled:  27!!!! ........ TWENTY SEVEN!!!!!!
Days until half marathon: 64

Keepin' it Real: Scientific Data Week 18

I had a pretty good week last week!  There were a couple caloric "bumps" in the road, but for the most part stayed within my calorie range....and if I didn't I was able to shuffle off the excess!!  In fact, I tend to commit myself to shuffling due to going over on my calorie intake almost daily....

(hmmm....guess I'm going to have to do a better job of planning ahead!!)

My most exciting part about this previous week was the 5k race we did last Sunday!

It was a cool, sunny morning...perfect day for 3.1 miles!  The crowd was small (roughly 100 participants) and  I was asked about my bare feet a couple times by some curious runners.  (I always enjoy engaging in conversation about barefoot running!!)  I positioned myself toward the back of the crowd (as I always do, since I am slow) and wished my Honey "good luck" as he made his way forward through the herd.

I started the race in my predictable, usual way....slow and steady.  I felt good!  The cool air and asphalt made for a pretty comfortable 1st mile.  As I neared the mile marker, I took out my ear bud to hear my split time.....9:18.

Hmmm....pretty nice!  I thought to myself.

My 5k run down typically looks something like this:  Mile one = just over 9 minute/mile.....Mile two = just over 10 minute/mile......Mile 3 = Just over 11 minute/mile. This typically has me running a 30-31 minute 5k.  This is my norm, and I have only deviated from this pattern one other time.....ever.....in my life!!  (now, by "deviated" I mean "run faster".  I have certainly had WORSE times!!).  That one other time was in 2009....the first year I started running.....and I was in shoes.

As I approached the 2 mile marker, again I removed my ear bud to hear the split time......18:40.

What?!  I thought.....Did I really keep just over a 9 minute/mile pace??  Wow!!  How cool is that?!

I felt empowered!!  If I was able to keep this pace, I would be able to shuffle a sub-30 minute 5k for the first time in 4 years!!!  (and the first time ever, barefoot!!)


Now....
I have never been very competitive at these races...why would I be?  I was certainly no competition to anyone there!!

But on this day....
I felt different.....

I went into "ninja-mode"......
and honed in on my prey....

two ladies, just up ahead.....one, about my age, tall, long-legged, wearing a neon orange shirt...and was tiring fast.....

the other, much younger than me, but about my build....also tiring, but kept looking over her shoulder at me....she knew I was planning to take her down...but wasn't going down without a fight....as I neared, she sped up, and wouldn't let me pass....

That's ok....I thought....they are tired.....and I will take these two out on this upcoming hill....

I could see the exhaustion that they felt, and somehow that gave me more power to keep pushing through my own fatigue.  I remembered what I wrote in my previous blog post ("A letter to 120 days-ago-me") about not fearing the feeling of my racing heart and heavy breathing.  I told myself that I would be able to recover at the top of the hill.

Ignoring my pounding heart and tired legs, I shuffled up the hill and passed the girls pretty easily....

That's it!!  Steady!!!  You will get your rest in a little while!  I reminded myself as I panted heavily.....

I knew that "young girl" was right on my tail and I couldn't let up, not even a little....

However, on the downhill, orange girl AND young girl passed me....and I knew that orange girl was now aware that she was on my radar.....

I had just committed myself to a "race to the finish" with more than half a mile to go.

I kept with them....pushing myself to go a little faster than what was comfortable, but at the same time pushing them past their comfort levels as well....I could see them tiring even more, yet watching me over their shoulders.

I could imagine their thoughts....."I'm NOT going to let this barefoot WACKO beat me!!!"

As I neared the next intersection, I saw it......

one....little....orange....cone.

The Finish Line.

and something in me clicked ...... or maybe snapped......

I took off faster than I think I have ever run before....
as fast as my stumps would carry me....
huffing....puffing....
focused on the finish line about 50 feet ahead...





I passed orange girl!!!!

Then, with the finish line just steps away.... I passed "young girl"!!!!!

And she wasn't too happy about that!!!  She kicked it into high gear....I could hear her just behind me....

....as I crossed the finish line!!

I beat "young girl" by TWO TENTHS of a second.....and "orange girl" by a little over one second!!

A..MAZ...ING!!!!!!

AND......

Not only did I make "ninja-chow" out of those two chics.....
I had my best 5k time of 28:30!!!
(In fact, both Honey and I had our best 5k that day!! :)  )

AND....

I came in 2nd in my age group!!

(Ok....mind you there were only 3 of us in the 40-44 age group.....but I didn't come in 3rd!!!! :)    )

What a great race and a far cry from my first 5k of this year back in March :)



Now....for this week's numbers:

Days until half marathon: 70
Miles shuffled:  19
Beginning weight:  165
Last week's weight:  151.8
Friday's weight:  151.6 (BLAH!!)
Bowls of "Ninja Chow" served:  2.......DE-LISH!!!!!

Keepin' it Real: Scientific Data Week 17

I have had a phenomenal week :)  After my complete failure last weekend in Cincinnati, I knew I had to work extra hard this week to stay within my calorie allotment and move, move, move!!  I was hoping to lose the 6 pounds I gained last weekend...and I did....and then some!! :) Yay!!

In fact, I have reconciled with my scale...."Taylor"....(yes he has a name!)....and he swears he's changed.  I've moved him back into the main bathroom, instead of the spare bathroom (as you may recall, he was banished in my Week 4 (April 26th) blog post).  We are back together.....don't judge....

Taylor 

I have kept myself busy...cutting grass, shuffling, cleaning....moving as much as possible...trying REALLY hard to not make excuses and be lazy!!!  I have done a great job at logging my calories....I even went out with a friend to dinner and planned my meal ahead of time!!  Little did I know that the restaurant wouldn't have a few of the items I had planned on, so I had to do some recalculating:

Hmmmm....what can I substitute for Creamy Onion soup??

The best part about my post today is that I am officially.....

NORMAL!!!!!! 

Yes, yes....I know....many of you are thinking "You name your scale??  Normal is not a word I'd use for you!......You shuffle barefoot, often with a lamp on your head!!!.....not normal!!!! "

No...I don't mean THAT kind of normal!! 

I mean my BMI, according to the CDC, is in the normal range!!!!

My BMI today is 24.9!!  Just barely into the normal range....but NOT in the "overweight" range anymore!!

Ok...picture time!

First, my Week 1/ Week 17 comparisons:

Those size 12's are starting to get quite baggy in the crotch, but are still comfortable in the waist.

Now it's time to play.......

"WILL I EVER FIT MY A** INTO THESE SIZE 10'S AGAIN!!!!"

(roaring applause)

For your viewing pleasure, here is my baseline:

And here is today:

And....they're UP!!!!!

(The crowd goes wild!!!!)

Ok....now, in all fairness...I am NOT convinced that these are the exact same jeans I used in my baseline pic.  I tore my room and closet apart looking for a tighter pair of size 10's ...this was the tightest pair I could find.....now....to get them comfortably buttoned.....

This week's numbers:

Beginning weight:  165

Last week's weight: Well....last FRIDAY'S weight was 153.6

Today's weight:  151.8!!!  

Total weight loss:  13.2 lbs

Miles shuffled: 16

Pilates:  2!!!!!!

Days until half marathon: 78

Ok....gotta run......Taylor and I have a date.....

A letter to 120-days-ago-me....some advice and words of encouragement

Dear 120-days-ago-me,

So....there you are.  March 26th, 2013.  Almost 40 years old... and you finally realized you're fat, depressed, miserable, tired and, (judging from the way you feel physically) on the verge of bad health.

I know you are concerned that you may be headed for diabetes....your heart pounds when you eat.  You think that you are having symptoms of insulin resistance....in all likelihood, you probably are.  You don't want diabetes...too many people you know have it...it's an ugly, degenerative disease.  (Remember when you worked in that nursing home many years ago and that diabetic man lost a couple little, black, dead toes in his bed?  Yeah....that's the reality of diabetes....you know it all too well!!  You do not want to go there!!)  The best part about that type of diabetes is.....you choose to get it!!  (and conversely, choose NOT to get it!!)

Well....congratulations!!

You made the decision to do something about it!!

I know that you are skeptical that you will REALLY do anything you plan to do to get healthier...I'm here to tell you, you DO!  Actually, I am now 120 days into your future....and you are still going strong, FEELING strong, healthy, and not feeling depressed and anxious!

You are shuffling often, you've lost 12 pounds, and mentally you are in a totally different place.

(I know that you are thinking ONLY 12 pounds...in 120 days?!?!
Yes....only 12 pounds...but trust me, you are OK with that because you will feel so much better than you do right now.)

During the next 120 days (and hopefully beyond), you are going to learn a lot about yourself....your strengths....your weaknesses...your motivations....your demons.

Speaking of demons.....

We all have demons to fight....yours are not special or unique...but they are YOURS.  Identify them....embrace them....then work DAILY to fight them.  They are yours for the rest of your life!  Those demons will either be your crutch or your motivation.  It is purely your choice!  Get to know them...and know them well.  Know what makes you powerless against them...and what gives you strength!  You will be at war with them until your dying day...get comfortable with going to battle with them...it does get easier and you do get stronger...but they are always nipping at your heels...prepare and plan ahead.

Let's take a little gander at a couple of yours, shall we?

1.  YOU. ARE. LAZY!!!!  Yes....you are. You didn't get fat and unhappy by moving, getting outside, and never taking short cuts.  You are where you are today because you DON'T MOVE (lazy), you CUT CORNERS (lazy), and you AVOID DETAILS AND PLANNING (lazy).  You know this to be true...you  have struggled on a daily basis to find something to do to keep you from sitting....(sitting makes you anxious...and depressed...and EAT.)  MOVE!!!! As often as humanly possible!!!  Take the steps, not the elevator...park far away from the store so you have to walk more...stand instead of sit....cut the grass with the push mower, not the riding mower...shovel the driveway instead of using the tractor...clean the house...dance with your kids.....MOVE!!  And move at every possible opportunity!!  STOP. BEING. LAZY!!!

2.  Here's another demon:  YOU. MAKE. EXCUSES.  Stop it!!!!!!!  "I'm hot...I'm cold...it's going to rain...I don't have time...I didn't sleep well...I hurt (somewhere)...I don't have anyone to watch the kids..." BLAH! BLAH! BLAH! BLAH! BLAH!!!!!  Seriously...knock it off!  It doesn't do you any good...it holds you back...it puts limitations on you...and NO ONE is buying them!!!!  Quit complaining and start acting!!

3.  You are addicted to junk food.  You know this.  You need to fight against it. Though you do get better at it, 120 days from now you will still be struggling with this addiction.  The best thing you will find to combat it is....you guessed it....MOVING and NOT MAKING EXCUSES.  You eat this junk when you are being lazy....then, your food choices make you feel sluggish, tired, and depressed.....lazy.

I tell you these things not to berate you or make you feel bad about yourself....you feel bad enough already, I know.  I tell you these things because 4 months from now, you will find that you are still going to battle with these demons every....single....day.

These three truths about you are your "default states".  These are the states to which you will return when you are not prepared to fight them...when you are stressed....when you are out with friends....when you are celebrating....when you are mad, happy, sad, disappointed....you get my point.  120 days from now, you will still be struggling with these things.....

I tell you these things about yourself so that you may be prepared....so that you may know where you will find yourself if you don't make a conscious effort to go in a different direction.

The good news is.......
in the next 120 days you will learn what works for you to prevent regressing back to where you are today....

Here are some things you will figure out in the next 4 months:

1.  You need to shuffle.  In 120 days, you will be absolutely convinced that running (shuffling) is capable of curing any ill, be it emotional, mental, or physical.  The beauty part is you don't have to be (and you WON'T be yet) really good at it!  You just need to do it as hard as you can....and OFTEN!  In 120 days, you will be addicted to it.

2.  Embrace sweating.  No....not just sweating.....embrace the feeling of a rapid heart rate and heavy breathing....heavy breathing that causes your face to distort into ugliness.  Do not be afraid of these feelings!!  Though these feelings are not, by any means, comfortable...they are necessary to get to the true beauty of hard exercises (like shuffling)...that feeling of natural endorphins...a sense of accomplishment..... clarity....calm....peace...creativity....strength....
Try to sweat every day!!  For as long as you can!!  I know it feels gross...but it's washable!  I promise!!
(PS:  Sweating also affords you some extra calories so you can eat more!!  You will appreciate that!!)

3.  Don't watch the news.  I know...you are thinking "What in the world does that have to do with getting healthy?".  Well, the less you watch, the more energized and happy you feel!!  Anything that directly impacts you or your loved ones you will see on Facebook or hear of in a phone call.  Trust me.  Turn off the news....

4. Write.  Write about your journey.  Write your struggles...your little victories...your goals....the food you've eaten....the exercise you've done....write it all down!!  You will appreciate that you documented all of these things.  Not only could your story help motivate someone you love (or a complete stranger, for that matter!), it will show you that 120 days from now there will be so much improvement it will make your head spin!!  This is improvement that you will NOT notice on a day-to-day basis, I promise. You will take each day individually and say "this is not working!!!".  However, when you look back and read what your struggles were in previous weeks, you will be so happy to see how far you've come!!  Even if no one ever reads your story, to YOU, this is the most important story you need to see.  You are in control of how this story turns out....

5.  Don't just read amazing stories about others, BE an amazing story to yourself and to those who love you!!

6.  Be kind to yourself!  I know that your head is filled with negative self-talk right now...believe me when I tell you that will stop...and relatively quickly, thank God!  That talk does nothing positive for you....nothing!!  It is not motivating, it is self-defeating.  How do you combat that? Simple..... MOVE.  Moving to the point of sweating, fast heart rate, and heavy breathing will shut those voices right up, I promise!!  Eventually, you will be your own coach and motivator.  You will not belittle your self anymore. You will shuffle through all of that and will come out feeling victorious and confident.  It's a great feeling :).  I know that right now, shuffling is a place of discomfort and self-doubt.  Keep moving anyway.... that place will crumble quickly!

As you prepare for your journey to better health, don't be afraid to rally for support from those around you.  You will enjoy writing your story for your friends and family to read....but the biggest benefit you will reap from writing in your blog is the accountability of your choices.  You need that.  You do well if you know someone is keeping tabs on you....use that to your advantage.

And by the way....don't worry about what others think about your methods.  Do what works for you...as long as you move every day towards better health!  If you can only battle your demons one barefoot, snails-pace, shuffle at a time...well then let those little piggies go to war for you!!

Best of luck to you!!  You will rock!!!

Love,

Today-Karen

Keepin' it Real: Scientific Data Week 16 (better late than never!)

6 pounds in one weekend!!!

SIX. POUNDS!!!!!

Six pounds gained, that is.

The last time I saw these numbers on the scale was on May 17th....8 weeks ago.  8 weeks of work to lose it.....3 days of gluttony to get it back.

Now, I am aware that these 6 horrible pounds are mostly water retention, but they are disheartening nonetheless.

Our weekend of binge-eating began innocently enough.  We had this trip to Cincinnati, to visit dear friends, planned for a couple months.  As the days neared, my husband and I came up with our strategy. We are well aware that when we get together with our friends we do an awful lot of eating...and very little moving.

Well....not this time!!!

We stopped at the grocery store and bought our family's weekends-worth of food, packed it in coolers, and brought it with us!  Yes!!!  I was still going to continue to be successful at my weight loss...even in Cincinnati!!  I even brought my water shoes so I could get my shuffle on!!

I weighed myself before we left....153.4...down almost a pound from the previous week!  I wasn't going to ruin my successful week!!

Well.....that frame of mind lasted about....oh.....2 hours.

On our 4 hour trip down, I made the mistake of opening a bag of chips....(which subsequently opened a whole can of worms).   Suddenly I had a mad craving for Caramel Cremes and begged my husband to buy some when he stopped for gas.
He bought 2 small bags....I devoured them both within minutes.

Caramel Cremes?  Really?  I haven't had those in probably a year.  Where in the world did that come from?

I don't know....but they were little morsels of heaven....

I told myself I could still adhere to my calorie allotment...I would just have to stick to the groceries that we packed.  I hadn't failed.....yet.

Then we got to our friend's house.....
"We brought groceries for our family!"  I told her...
"Oh...we went shopping for you all!" She said..."Look!  Jeff even bought your favorite!  Grater's Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream!"

(gulp.....Grater's Mint Chocolate Chip?!?!  Only THE greatest flavor that has ever laid upon my tongue!!)

Enter "crappy food" addiction, stage right...

"Oh my gosh!  That was so sweet of him!!"  I could have a little, then work it off during a shuffle...ok...still ok.....

"....and there's chips, and Double Stuff Oreos....and wine!" she continued

Oh. crap.
Double Stuff Oreos?!?!  Wine?!?!
Could I really control myself around this stuff??
I was beginning to doubt myself.....

"Yes, and tonight, I have a scientific experiment planned for us"  Jeff added later that evening....."I have here 5 different brands of Twinkie-type cakes...we are going to do a taste test to see which one everyone likes the best and to see who can correctly guess the brand!!"

"What on earth would possess you to come up with something like that?" I asked.

"I don't know"  he said as he walked to the pantry...."the same thing that possessed me to buy 6 different brands of powdered doughnuts for our scientific experiment tomorrow morning after breakfast!!" he smiled as he produced 6 bags of powdered doughnuts from the pantry.

(Yes...the doughnut experiment was in ADDITION to the large breakfast he had planned for us!!)

I knew then and there that I had been defeated.
I was both giddy with excitement and anticipation for the promised scientific experiments.....and disappointed in myself for not putting up ANY kind of fight for my health.

It was just ONE weekend!!  How much damage could I do in three short days??

Well....6 pounds of damage...that's how much.
I weighed myself when we got back home and I was 160 pounds.

Notice how FULL the fruit bowl is!!

(By the way...the Twinkie experiment took place around midnight that night....)

After-breakfast scientific experiment in progress....

As I stated before, I know much of this is water weight.  My feet were swollen much of the weekend from sitting so much and when I went out for my shuffle last night, EVERYTHING that bounced, hurt.  I felt like I needed to be wrung out like an old dish rag.....

I am praying that I can get back down to 153ish before my next Keepin' it Real this coming Friday...after all...it's picture day!  Yikes!!  I plan on working my butt off (literally) these next few days and getting back into logging my calories on MFP.  (I didn't log a single calorie this weekend...how do you log "whirl-wind" eating?!)

Ok.....number time.....

(Last) Week's numbers:

Beginning weight:  165
Last week's weight: 154.4
Friday's weight:  153.6
Last night's weight: 160
This morning's weight: 157 point something
Miles shuffled: 14
Miles shuffled in Cincinnati:  You guessed it.....0
Days until half marathon: 82


I've got a lot of work to do.......

Keepin' it Real: Scientific Data Week 15

With every week that passes, I am more and more shocked that I have stuck with this for as long as I have!  15 weeks sounds like an eternity to me!!!  That's over 100 days!!!!  Although I am losing weight a lot slower than my impatient self would like, I am feeling amazing!  I have become quite addicted to shuffling and have found that if I go more than 2 days without it, I get pretty crabby...kind of like I was with sugar...

In the past 105 days, I have shuffled roughly 205 miles!!  That's only a few shuffling miles short of the distance between here and Cincinnati!!!  In 105 days, I am coming close to shuffling the distance of one corner of Ohio to the farthest, opposite corner :)

That's a lot of miles....for me :)   This is good :)

I have been very diligent about logging my food/drink into My Fitness Pal...it has been 16 days now.  I am still struggling with finding my balance of nutrients, calories, and exercise.  I find that on some days, I can eat up to double the calories that I am supposed to; whereas on other days, I have a several hundred calorie deficit.  I am still way below on my Potassium intake (I can only eat so many bananas and potatoes in a day!!) but have not had anymore racing heart episodes.

I have also found that I am not able to eat as much meat...this is an unexpected side effect of....well....I don't really know...but I have begun to not really like the taste of it (or how I feel afterwards)...this means I will need to monitor my protein intake in other ways....

Even my beloved Buffalo Chicken Dip has not tasted as good to me...

This is beginning to get more complicated than I wanted it to get....

So, that's where I am today...feeling great but the pounds are still stubbornly sticking to my bones...


Now, without further adieu.....it's picture day!

I finally moved into the 21st Century and figured out how to create a side-by-side, before-and-after picture of my blubber...

Week 1 and Week 15 

Week 1 and Week 15

As I begin to melt comfortably into these size 12's, I have decided it is time for a new "pants goal".  The pants in these pictures are my tightest size 12's.  All of my other size 12's are much too big on me...I can even put some of them on and take them off without undoing the button! :)  

So...it's time to begin the journey into my tightest size 10's...

Welcome to the new segment I lovingly call:

"WILL I EVER FIT MY A** INTO THESE JEANS AGAIN?!"

Here, for your viewing pleasure, is my baseline pic:

Yes....I AM wearing shorts!

Yikes!!!  Talk about a long road ahead!!!!

This week's numbers:

Beginning weight:  165

Last week's weight:  154.6

Today's weight:  154.4 (grrrrr....at this rate I will be "thong ready" when I'm 60!!!.....I'll be sure to post pics of that in 20 years!!!!)

Number of times I stepped on the scale:  at least 10.....

Number of times the scale budged even after going to the bathroom...brushing my teeth....removing my retainer...:  Zero (really?!?!)

Shuffling miles this week:  17

Number of people who asked me if they could shuffle with me because they want to start running:  2!!!  ( I cant tell you how excited I am about this!! :)  )

Days until next half marathon:  92

Onward.....

Keepin' it Real: Scientific Data Week 14

Ok...ok...so I'm a day late!  My sister has informed me that my "emergency post the other day does not absolve me from my weekly "Keepin' it Real" post!"...thanks for keeping me accountable! ;)
Better late than never, right?

I've had a pretty successful week.

I have faithfully logged my food and exercise into My Fitness Pal.  I am surprised at how using it has changed what I choose to eat.  But it has also helped me, I think, pinpoint why my heart has been racing at times...
I am not taking in nearly enough Potassium.
I thought, at first, that my racing heart (especially after breakfast) was due to a blood sugar spike and subsequent drop.  Though this may be the case, the other day I noticed that of the 3500 mg of Potassium MFP recommends I take in I might be taking in 1000 daily. Yikes!! Additionally, I have been doing A LOT of sweating this week!  I have run 3 or 4 times, cut the grass with the push mower (for 3 hours), and did the Pilates Reformer...trust me...I have soaked my clothes almost daily this week!!!
The other morning I planned to run after breakfast....I noticed my heart racing.  It didn't make any sense...I had not eaten any of the typical "white" foods that I think spikes my sugar, I took in plenty of fluids after cutting the grass the previous day...so why was my heart beating at 100 beats per minute? (My resting rate is usually 54-60 beats per minute).  I looked at my MFP log from the previous day and realized I took in almost ZERO Potassium (and most likely sweated out the Potassium I had in my body)!!  I know that in order for our nerves to fire (and hearts to beat) properly, we need a proper balance of Sodium and Potassium...I can honestly say I have NEVER in my life thought about my intake of Potassium...until now.  I ate a banana and within minutes my heart rate returned to the 60's.  Had I not seen my intake on MFP, I would have never suspected this was the problem....

I think that has been the most difficult thing to adjust to on this journey, is finding the right balance of calories and nutrients for ME.

On a different note:

On Thursay, I dug out one of my old (skinnier) pair of jeans...you know...the one's that get banished to the back corner of the closet with the hopes of someday being able to squeeze into them again!  They were size 10 (the one's I take pics in on the odd Keepin' it Real weeks are 12's).  They went on!!!  They were painted on and they gave me a bit of a wedgie.....but they went on!!!!!  Last time I tried, I couldn't even get them over my thighs!!!

Size 10

So tight, there was not even room for my underwear!!

Small victories :)

Though I have been feeling great and energetic, not all changes have been positive....I have found that all of this sweating has given me a wicked case of "backne" ....great big cysts on my back and chest and my face and neck have been breaking out as well.  Yes...I DO shower :) and am quick to remove my wet clothes after a workout....sigh.....

The Numbers:
Beginning weight:  165
Last week's weight:  155.4
Today's weight:  154.6 (10 lbs!!!)
(Yesterday's weight.....155.4)
(Today's weight before going to the bathroom and stepping on the scale 6 times....155.4)
(Hey!!! I worked too hard this week to be the same weight I was last week!!!!)
Miles shuffled:  14
NEXT HALF MARATHON:  October 13!!!! :)