Finally Fit at Forty

A SHOUT OUT to a blog follower!

2012-01-28T22:34:00.001-08:00

I didnt get her name, but today while I was teaching my scrapbook class at the Scrapbook nook, she came up to me to tell me she is a blog follower and had to share with me that she has lost over 40 pounds! She was so proud, and I am too of her!!! Congrats!!! Keep going strong!!! thank you for taking the time to tell me about your success, I love it!!! Tami

Catch up time

2012-01-22T14:09:00.001-08:00

Tree in my driveway, my car was parked there, but got moved to safety when the tree was taking a rest on my car, it fell about 1 hour later.

What a week it has been for all of us here in the Seattle area, Well the state of WA really. the snow started I think on Sunday? it has all been a blur. A little bit of snow, Then of course on Monday, it was MLK day, so no school for the kids. Snow fell again Monday night, and it was pretty ICY. I cancelled my class at Kent LA Fitness for Monday evening, knowing the roads would be a sheet of ice by the time I tried to come back up the hill after class. We also closed the Scrapbook Nook at 6 pm that night. Tuesday, No school, and again we closed the Nook early,snow had not come back yet, but it was coming back late late Tuesday night. Suzzy and I carpooled to Fairwood to teach our classes that night, it was the first night for both of us at that club and we didnt want to cancel. Again icy icy, But it was a good showing, and I had several fellow gym rats come to class , and lots of familar faces from Covington!( Yeah about that, I was sad to leave some of the people, so I am happy to have them with me again at Fairwood) Suzzy and I got home safe and sound . And as predicted, we woke up Wed AM to a blanket of white. The Nook didnt even open, and I had Scott, Alec, Jake and Sam at home with me all day. I made pancakes, ( banana) brownies, and burgers for dinner. I spent the day in my scrap room cleaning it out, it was a good productive day. Thursday AM, Scott and Jake had to go to work, and after 45 minutes of the car defrosting the 2 inches of ice it was incased in, they left. This was the time they pushed my car out of the way of the tree. Alec was with us again, so now it was Alec, Sam and I at home. 6 AM, power went out. Trees crashing all around the house, and sadly, the tree in the front yard could no longer hang on and snapped in a few places. one of the neighbors knocked on our door around 8 am to tell Alec to move his car because of the falling trees and ice. About 1 minute after he moved, trees came down where it was. Alec went out a couple of times this day for coffee and to get us some lunch ( pizza)On his trip out for lunch his tire blew, so he had to change it while Sam waited inside Dominos. we were still without power and the house fell to 55 degrees. I spent the AM shoveling ice and snow and a nice clear path , only for it to start snowing, yet again. JAke and Scott got home around 4 pm, and still now power, Scott thinks he will go look for some dinner, NO ONE HAD POWER, therefor, no place for hot food. and nothing at the grocery store. He also got stuck somewhere, so he was gone a good two hours. we ended up eating sandwiches around 7 pm. A couple of card games later with Alec and Jake, and power was restored. 14 hours without was enough for me, But we were also very grateful that that is all it was. some people are still without as I type this blog. I feel so bad for them, it is better that it isnt freezing anymore, but still. I chanced the ice and hills on Friday night ( I finally made it back to work, with Sam in tow after missing two days at the Nook and two classes at LA) and went to the gym Friday night, not sure it was the best idea, but I needed a good sweat and needed to get started on getting rid of the 5 pounds I am sure I put on this past week.( I do not do well with being home and not being able to workout. )

I had to cancel my appointment that I had with the orthopedic surgeon to go over my MRI results on my shoulder, and figure of a plan of action for fixing the tear. Oh, I just realized I havent posted about my injury. Ok, short version , almost 8 weeks ago I was working out with Jake at Kentwood, and we were a flipping tractor tire, it weighs between 125 and 150. we would flip it 10 times, run around the track, repeat. we had done it a couple of weeks before and it was a great workout, shoulder to legs, sore, all over good workout. anyway, I was lifting it and felt instant pain, I did it a few more times, but then I just couldnt do it anymore, and stopped, by the end of the weekend I was in so much pain I couldnt move it. went to the DR , of course xray came back clear, so after a couple of weeks they scheduled an MRI, I couldnt get in till after new years , and it showed three different things that are wrong with it, but the main thing is what they call a SLAP TEAR INJURY . Awesome. So rescheduled the Dr appointment for this coming WED, I hope to have a plan of action for the treatment after the visit. it has been a very long and very frustrating injury, you would be shocked at how much you use your shoulder. The pain is so constant, that when I move it , and DO NOT feel pain, I am aware of it.

Ok that is all for now, I have kept you for a while. Stay safe, Stay warm, and have a happy and healthy week!

UPDATE AT 7:33 PM SUNDAY NIGHT. School cancelled again on Monday due to so many schools in the district not having power. Perfect.

A little Saturday motivation for you ..

2012-01-14T09:41:00.000-08:00

Source: muddlingthruthegrays.tumblr.com via Tami on Pinterest

I am doing the Big Climb in Seattle!

2012-01-13T22:19:00.000-08:00

BIG CLIMB DONATION PAGE

Did you know I was doing this? I am so happy that I am doing this event this year! I wanted to last year and didnt do it, ( not sure why) this year, I committed to it, and I did BIG TIME! We have a team ( GYM RATS) and the team size keeps growing, I love it! we have a couple different ZUMBA fundraising events planned, and I will share them with you over the next few days, but for now, I wanted to share our donation page. Any donation, big OR small is welcome! we have a $1000.00 goal as a team , but a personal goal of $250.00 for myself..

The big Climb is at the Columbia tower in Seattle, ( tallest building in Seattle) and it is a total of 69 flights of stairs, and 1311 steps. We RUN up , and get to take the elevator down.... CAN NOT WAIT TO DO THIS! ( am I crazy!) I am combining all my worlds on this one, Friends, Gym Rats, and My Fitness Pal Friends, I love it!!!

Post again soon, Have a happy and healthy week!

Happy 2012!

2012-01-01T20:05:00.000-08:00

Happy New year!!

I have been MIA for a while, due to ALOT of things. since the last time I have blogged we have had a couple of major holidays, and alot of good tasting food flowing! I weighed the day before thanksgiving and was still at my 148 weight. I then weighed in every WEDNESDAY from then till now, with a goal of weighing the same . No GAIN was my goal, ( A loss would have been a bonus, but only happened once and didnt stay). I had my son Brett come home from the Army Basic Training, he came home on DEC 15th and leaves again in the AM. Add him being home to the holidays and there was ALOT of baking going on in my home. Cookies, Fudge, Cakes, bread, you name it, I made it. and I ATE IT. But keeping the sweets on moderation with alot of cardio , kept my weight the same the whole time. I am very happy with the last 6 weeks.

I am also ready to get rid of the these 5 pounds that like to hang out around my hips....

That being said, I was on a run today with a fellow gym rat, Christie, and we were talking about weight and working out, and how hard this last year has been for me for maintaining, and I was saying how I think this weight, this 148 pounds is what my body is happy at. Meaning, I can enjoy life ( IE FOOD) , I can work out a normal amount for me ( 5+ hours a week) and NOT gain anything. And maintain my size. Now if I want to lose any more, I need to up the cardio and lower the calories, but for maintaining, I think this is what my body likes.

I have come a long way, from that 330 pound , very unhappy lady, to this 148 pound , very happy lady. My body is not the same as someone who has never been obese, my body does not look like others who weigh what I weigh. My skin is not firm and tight, even though I have a good amount of muscle under that skin, My metabolism is not the same as another 41 year old lady who weighs what I weigh, mine is fighting me after I was so mean to it for 20+ years. I am working on figuring it all out, and I am learning to be OK with where I am....

I will never weigh 115 pounds, ( cant say I want to) and I may never see the 130's, but I am healthy and I am fit ( more fit than others who are smaller than I) and my body thanks me EVERY DAY for no longer being that 330 pound prison that it was before. and I shall NEVER forget that. And I will strive to make 2012 a healthy and fit year . You do the Same !

Our Christmas Card 2011.

One Year ago today.........

2011-11-08T07:21:00.000-08:00

One year ago today, I reached my goal weight.

After almost 2 years of losing weight, I finally reached that goal that I had set out to reach. I had reached it in the two week span of my being asked to go on the TODAY SHOW, and going on the show, so when I reached it, it kind of got lost in my feelings, if that makes sense. I ended up spending the next year, the past year, trying to figure out how to maintain the weight. Who knew it was going to be harder than even losing? Had someone told me that, I would have told them they were crazy. Losing was hard, right? Cause I had never had success at that before, so that was hard, I figured maintaining was going to be a piece of cake,
( lol, no pun intended) So wrong,

SO. VERY.WRONG.

It was time to figure out what , how much I can eat, and how much exercising I needed to do to maintain the weight. Just not as easy as it sounds. A year of playing with calories, A year of eating less, working out less, eating more, working out more, eating more, working out less, ( that one doesnt work by the way) and eating less, working out more. Did you get all that? Think you are confused ? Try being me, lol .

I still dont have it figured out .

I still count all my calories, I still weigh my food, I still weigh myself almost daily ( about every other day ) , I still write all that down.

I still fit into my clothes.

I have gained 4 pounds that do not want to go away.

I am trying to be OK with it , I am just not OK with it.

So here I am , a year later, and still working at it, day in, and day out,

Today I celebrate what I have been able to do.

Tomorrow I will still continue to try to figure this thing called " maintaining your goal weight" and see if I can do it again for another year.

Have a happy and healthy day! :)

Sharing a link

2011-10-22T20:17:00.000-07:00

From My Favorite Photographer , sharing her work, and my amazing family .

I Am truly blessed and so grateful for having the amazing family ( Husband, and Sons ) that I have. <3<3<3

Simply the best dinner ever

2011-10-16T20:24:00.001-07:00

The yummiest stew ever! And my Dude liked it too! Simple and healthy! I threw in the crockpot the following :1.5 pounds of beef, 2 cups of each of the following : onions,celery,assorted peppers,carrots. Also add one can of crushed tomatoes (mine had garlic as well) green onions, and as many red potatoes that your husband needs to think this is good, I also used organic beef broth , and season to taste. And enjoy! So yummy! Add any veggie you want!

Blog Hiatus

2011-10-09T16:16:00.000-07:00

I am taking a little bit of a Blog Hiatus . I need a little break , and thought it would be better to post a "blog Hiatus" instead of just not posting anything. I will be back soon :) Until later, Be Happy and Healthy :)

I have been crazy busy

2011-09-28T22:11:00.000-07:00

so much going on these last two weeks, Bretts going away party, then I had my huge Scrap Pink Fund raising event at the Nook, it has consumed my every free moment. Now I am just wrapped up in the last week with Brett's leaving, ( and just life in general) He leaves for the Army on Sunday.

I will be back to my regular blogging next week, I just need to mental get through this weekend.

I Want to share with you guys before I go a couple of pictures ( you know how I love pictures) My husband and I are having our 10th wedding anniversary on Oct 6th, Here is a picture from our wedding, and one from our photo shoot a few weeks ago.

Oct 2001 and Sept 2011 Ten year anniversary.

Brett's Going Away Party

2011-09-18T17:47:00.000-07:00


Brett and I at his going away party

food from the party

I have been so busy the last week, getting ready for Brett's going away party. ( Army) . He leaves for Basic Training on Oct 2nd, he will be in South Carolina at FT. Jackson. The week kept me from working out as much as I wanted, and eating more than I wanted. It was not the greatest week for me fitness wise, But it is what it is, and I will move forward. This week has started off great with a great run and my nights are all free this week for all the exercise I want. :)

As you can see from the pictures above, I was surrounded by food. Glad that is over!!!
I am exhausted, and I hope to have a great restful week. This weekend at the Nook I am hosting my 5th annual Scrap Pink Crop for the Cure event. 18 hours of scrapping, raising money for the Susan G Komen foundation. Another crazy weekend surround by not so healthy stuff ( can you say Pizza and cupcakes?) But I can bring my own food, get my great workouts in, and I can say no to the pizza, ( not to the cupcakes though!)
Have a happy and healthy week!!

Family Fun Photo Shoot!! Makes a mama happy!

2011-09-12T23:03:00.000-07:00


Group Picture

Sam and I

Alec and I

Family Photo Shoot. From smithphotosseattle.com Aileen is wonderful, amazing, makes you feel so comfortable. Even the boys commented on how wonderful she was. I gave her a list of what I wanted pictures of ,and she did it all, she was perfect. ! Some of my Favorites! not all, more to post later .

All my boys

Brett and I


Scott and I

Jake and I

The REI Rockwall

2011-09-03T19:35:00.000-07:00

(Picture above is After the climb), (You can click on all pictures for a bigger image)

Did I ever mention I was afraid of heights? No? Maybe I should of mentioned that before.

Needless to say, I did NOT climb to the top. That SUCKER IS HIGH! 65 feet! Jake made it to the top, and Brett made it to the top, TWICE. ( he went first , and last ) Alec made it about 3/4 of the way up, and He is afraid of heights as well, so he was thrilled to get as high as he did. When I was standing in front of it looking at it,I knew I wouldnt get far up there. I was sick to my stomach . lol I just kind of freaked out ( inside) when I didnt like the next placement for my footing, and I said I was done. Funny, the coming down was fun , which was what I really feared, and the going up was tough. if I just had to look up, I would have been fine, but having to look down to place my footing really threw me off.

The Boys were amazing. Brett was amazing with it, He climbed it twice , his first climb there wasnt a bell to ring, so after Jake rang the bell, Brett wanted to see how fast he could get up to ring it to, so she let him go up again without charging. ( I think cause he was so good the first time, she knew he would be easy and fast) . Jake was great, he had to pause for a bit cause he got a cramp in a not so cool spot, but after that he was fine and just kept going up.

The next 3 pictures are the boys in order. Alec, Brett, Jake:

And while it was not the finish that I wanted, it was still an amazing thing to do with the boys. At one point on my way up, I heard Alec say to his brothers " Two years ago she never would have been able to do this" That brings tears to my eyes as I type, and makes my heart happy. I love them, and the amazing , fit life that I have and share with them all.

Pics From the Wedding 8-26-11

2011-08-27T21:34:00.000-07:00

It was simply the prettiest night in Seattle for a wedding. 80 degrees at 6 pm, sun shinning, the bride was beautiful, the groom was handsome, it was just perfect. And they seemed to fully enjoy themselves. After the vows, the all danced back down the isle. it was fun and totally fit them.

This wedding was for Scott's co-worker, (Scott has known Chuckie since he, Chuckie, was 13 years old). It was a big deal to me that I looked good for this wedding. As I said in the previous post, Scott's Co-workers knew me when I was fat ( yes, I say that) so anytime we have a function with them, I always make sure I look my best. Scott's Boss, who also happens to be Chuckies dad, told me " You look gorgeous , Tami" . Mission accomplished.

Scott had told me last week that I would be the hottest chick there ( next to the bride) , and last night when I was walking towards him he told me " You look like a movie star" And later he said, " what did I tell you, You are the hottest one here" <3 He is never short on compliments.

Onto my reset button that I hit last week, I feel renewed, and wonderful. my body is happy I hit it and responding nicely. my scale is exactly where it belongs, back to my lowest , and I will be happy when I lose a few more. I want a flat stomach, I do, I am not gonna lie, And I will keep going till it is flat. I really think it will only take a few pounds.

And I am leaving you with what Alec, Brett, Jake and I are doing next Saturday. We are climbing the REI Rock wall, I am so excited to do this with them, a little nervous, but I cant wait to do this with the boys!!

Have A Happy Healthy Week!!

Reset button

2011-08-24T09:25:00.000-07:00

I totally hit mine on Sunday.. Did you know you had one to? We all do, and sometimes you just need to find it !

I have come to the conclusion that summers are my killer. Last summer I didnt lose for the entire summer, I totally blamed it on fruit ( I am blaming this summer on fruit as well, and the drinks) I love fruit, but like many of us, I sometimes think cause its fruit , I can eat as much as I want. So not true, and even when I stay within my calorie goal for the day, my carbs and sugar, ( as 'natural' as it may be) are out of control. And my body is not a fan. This summer I have struggled with 5 pounds, I gain I lose I gain I lose. Every week. and I hate it . I dont want to be there, always thinking about it. I know I what I need to do.

So I have nixed it all, expect berries, cause they are the best and they are great in my greek yogurt.

I already feel wonderful and totally as if I found and hit my "reset button"

Just in time for a big wedding this Friday for Scott's co worker. I want to look amazing , I really enjoy "wowing" all the men that Scott works with, they all knew me before the weight loss, so I totally enjoy wowing them.

Have a Happy and Healthy Week! I will post pics this weekend from the wedding .

Orthorexia: An Unhealthy Obsession With Good Food

2011-08-20T23:09:00.000-07:00

I saw this article on facebook on Friday, and wanted to read it.. I thought for a brief moment that I may have this... that was BEFORE I read the signs. And while I do for sure think about food at least 3 hours a day. ( # 8) I do allow myselfs treats.. maybe too often. I can EASILY see how this is something that people can have, I can also EASILY see that this is something I could have. ( I can also EASILY say that I am sure some people think I have this) . But I can say, no, this is not me..... if it was, I dont think I would still drink wine . ;)

Orthorexia: An Unhealthy Obsession With Good Food

Please welcome Registered Nutritionist, Nicola Graham from Eat Well NZ, to Dietriffic today, by leaving her a comment below and getting involved in the discussion ~ Melanie

Organic, raw food, gluten free, vegan and low sodium. Is this just a super healthy diet, or is it something else?

While it’s great to be into healthy eating, like everything, you can take it too far. When healthy eating becomes an unhealthy obsession, it’s bad for your body, mind and relationships.

Orthorexia is a condition where healthy eating becomes an obsession, and eating healthy food becomes the key thing in determining your self worth. Often, eating becomes extremely rigid, and only a limited number of foods are acceptable to eat.

In orthorexia, healthy eating isn’t healthy any more because the diet becomes so restricted, that a number of essential nutrients are lacking. Relationships can suffer, too, as orthorexics often avoid socialising because it may interfere with their dietary regimen

Here are 8 signs that your healthy eating might be an unhealthy obsession:

1. You Experience Guilt

You have feelings of self-loathing and guilt when you eat foods that don’t match your criteria for healthy eating.

2. You Avoid Socializing

Your food habits mean you avoid social events and meals away from home as much as you possibly can.

3. You Obsess Over What To Eat

You find yourself obsessing and worrying about food, and if what you are eating is healthy or “correct” all of the time.

4. You Avoid Certain Foods

You have very ridged eating patterns by choice, and avoid a large number of foods or food components to keep in line with your rules.

5. You Take Pleasure In Food Rules

You take more pleasure from knowing that your food meets all of your food rules, than you get from actually eating.

6. You Find Breaking Your Rules Stressful

You become stressed and anxious in a situation where you may have to break your criteria for healthy eating.

7. You Don’t Allow Treats

You completely avoid all, or most, of the foods you used to love eating.

8. You Are Constantly Thinking About Food

You spend more than three hours each day thinking about food.

If this sounds like you, or someone you know, I urge you to get in contact with your doctor for help and support to get back to a more balanced way of eating

Totally Blog Worthy Day!

2011-08-09T20:28:00.000-07:00

Today is Sam's 9th Birthday. My baby is 9 ! So crazy how the time goes so fast. Scott and Sam and I went to Family Fun Center in Tukwila. And we did it all, mini golf, go karts, bumper boats, giant sling shot , laser tag, ( My Team won, and I had the highest score, oh yeah) and bumper boats again. I can honestly say, that had this been 3 years ago, I would have only played mini golf, and I would not have done any other thing because of my weight. I couldnt have done most of those things before due to the weight limit on them ( the sling shot had a weight limit of 220 lbs, AND you have to get on a scale so they know how much you weigh) . I was reminded today of how much of a gift I gave myself and my family, just from losing weight. How amazing is that? I know this is not the most attractive picture of me, or the best ( husband is not fabulous with the camera) But it was just so super fun to jump so high! I did not do any flips, too chicken for that, one time I bounce off the trampoline, so after that , I was a little more careful.

After we left FFC, we went to dairy Queen, I got a childs cone, and it was still 170 calories. I also got a nutrition menu in cause I ever want to splurge I can splurge with knowledge.

So now for my other blog worthy news. I knew I had to go for a run today, I had made a goal to workout for 10 hours this week, and if I didnt go tonight it was really going to set me back. I even got dressed to run, CHANGED back out of my running clothes, and had said to myself I wasnt going to go. then I entered my food into my diary on MFP and saw where I was, still under my goal, but didnt have alot of wiggle room for dinner, and I was pretty high in carbs, ( fruit, pancakes, ect) Then I logged onto my Facebook Page And I read a comment from
Jena and she said:

"I just really want you to know that you help me keep my head in the game! Thank YOU! ♥"

And I thought well, She just motivated me to get my ass out for a run tonight, and I got off the computer, went back upstairs and changed BACK into my running clothes, and went out. For 67 minutes. (I forgot that I was getting a cold and I wondered why it was sucking so bad then I remembered.) OH well,

I kept going.

So for as much as I motivate others , Jena, you motivated me tonight!! Thank you for your words!

yeah for A Sunday run!

2011-08-07T21:20:00.000-07:00

and I hope to make it a Monday an Tuesday run too!

I ran today for the first time in over 3 weeks, due to injuries. I was happy to get out again, i was slacking in cardio time and it is showing, big time, in the clothes, and on the scale. I cant relay on just keeping the calories in check, I have to get the workouts in too. The back being hurt kept me from working out for a week, I never went that long before.

I am shooting for 10 hours of workouts this week. I have 3 hours planned for tomorrow, and have over an hour in today, so the rest of the week should be a piece of cake! Tomorrow I am going for a run , taking a class at the gym, teaching a class, then weights with some girls. 2 plus hours on Thursdays , always, ( two classes) 1 hour wed, ( class) and some added cardio. this will be easy.

I got new batteries in my Heart Rate Monitor today , so I am going to start wearing that again. Knowing exactly how many calories I burn is key for me.

I ALSO got new running shoes :) love them .

I am done feeling flubby, I need to feel more fit... :) Have a happy healthy week!

2011-08-07T12:28:00.001-07:00

First run in 3 weeks. It was tough, it was slow, but it was long (75 minutes) IT felt good #gonnafeelthattomorrow

2011-08-05T15:12:00.001-07:00

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/welcome/index3
Check out the home page of My Fitness Pal, you will see a friendly face :) and be sure to join for free if u haven't

2011-08-04T19:22:00.001-07:00

First class at the gym was great, back is back :) onto my second class!

Here is a quickie

2011-08-03T08:49:00.000-07:00

I was going to try to do a quick blog update, cause I missed mine over the weekend.

I hurt my back last week, it was for sure my sciatic acting up. It was so bad come Sunday AM that I couldn't get out of bed, and when I finally was able to get out of bed, the only thing that felt good ( for a while ) was standing up. So I spent the day in my scraproom scrapping. I spent the night on the floor flat on my back. Each day it has gotten better, but I also haven't worked out since Thursday. DID you just read that?? I haven't worked out since Thursday.... and for anyone that is keeping track, I haven't died yet. Its pretty hard to want to work out when you can barely walk... working out kind of takes a back seat. I really really can not wait to get back in the gym tomorrow, and I am hoping for a bit of Zumba in between my two classes as well.

On another gym note, I gave up teaching my bootcamp classes on WED nights at LA Fitness, Needing to find a balance with work, gym, teaching gym, life, and home. I think this will be best for all of us. So I will still teach my Monday classes at Kent LA Fitness, and my Thursday classes in Kent AND Covington. I feel pretty good about this choice that I made :)

OK, that is all that I have time for now , I said it was a quickie :)

I hope everyone has a healthy week!!

2011-07-29T08:14:00.001-07:00

Welcome.

testing how to blog from my phone... carry on :)

thoughts from the past week

2011-07-24T20:51:00.000-07:00

I have spent the last week with family from out of town. We had a family wedding that everyone came to Seattle for, including people from Boston. There was alot of things happening out of my norm. My daily plans were not the same, my workouts were not the same ( only made it to the gym three days out of seven, NOT normal for me), and I was faced with lots of food and meals out of my norm as well, including something so simple as my water intake, normally 1 gallon or more a day, and I know it was lower on some days, Let me tell you, my body noticed that. But I am proud to say, that even when faced with these different, and not really good choices, day after day, I still managed to do well. I even had a mint chocolate chip ice cream shake on Thursday, and a piece of wedding cake last night at the wedding. both by the way, incredibly yummy.

So this morning I woke up , and figured I had to face the scale. I was going to be a big girl and see what the damage was from the past few days of chaos. I stepped on the scale with my eyes closed, and when I opened them I was happy to see the number was exactly the same as it had been the week before. No damage had been done, which was a huge deal considering how much damage could have been done. the food around me for days was amazing. lots of carbs for sure!!

Someone had asked me if I still log all my food, always, even when its a bad choice. So I thought I would answer that here. but in two parts.
When I was losing, for two years, yes, I logged everything, everyday. I needed to do that, I needed to see what I had been eating, and having that written down also allowed me to be able to look back on it if I needed to.

Now, and for the past almost 9 months of maintaining, I still log all my foods, the only time I do not is when the whole day is going to be shot ( like the 4th of July, or Christmas). but if its just a meal gone wrong, or a special treat, I log it. Why not? when I drink alcohol I log it and try to keep it within my calorie goal for the day. IF I dont, then the only one I am kidding is myself. Right??

Now I say time and time again, this is what works for ME, and what works for me, may not work for everyone else. I can only tell you what worked and works, for me.

On a totally different subject, I had alot of hurt feelings these past few days, but with those hurt feelings came the realization that unless you have walked in someone else's shoes, you really have no place to judge. And unless you were once a 330 pound 38 year old woman who finally took control of her weight and her life , and have done it in the most healthiest way possible, You really have no right to tell that person how she should be now. Because you do not know, just as you have no clue what it was like to have been that 330 pound person, you do not know what is the right way for her to maintain her weight. ( and by 'her' I mean ME) . and If I have to count calories and eat chicken every day for the rest of my life to do it, I am ok doing it. :) I have no hard feelings, just hurt that there is such little understanding .

Have a happy and Healthy week!

WELCOME!

2011-07-20T07:37:00.000-07:00

I wanted to welcome all the new visitors I have been having, and also send you in the direction of my Finally Fit Page on Facebook . I post all sorts of links and tips daily over there :)

Have a Happy Healthy Day!
Tami

What keeps you motivated today?

2011-07-18T22:44:00.000-07:00

People ask me all the time what keeps me motivated. And what keeps me motivated today, may not be the same thing that kept me going last week, or last month, or even last year. Sure, the overall reasons I stay doing what I am doing are the same, ( being healthy, feeling this amazing, even just waking up every day as THIS person, in THIS body as appose to the one I was waking up in 3 short years ago, ) even as those simple things keep me motivated overall, something has to keep me motivated on a daily basis. So if you ask me that today, you will most likely get a different answer than you did last month.
Today it may be the family wedding coming up this weekend, and the dress I want to wear ( although I am going with a different dress than the one I had planned but that is only cause my mom came from Vegas for the wedding, and her dress is the same color as the one I was going to wear and I do NOT want to be matchy matchy with my mommy). BUT I have another wedding to go to in August that I plan to wear that amazing dress to.
Next week my motivation may come in the form of trying to work off whatever it was I ate and drank at the wedding, ;) .
Sometimes my motivation is from the sole fact that I do not, and will not gain back any of the weight that I worked so stinkin hard to lose. That I know I am worth it, that staying fit is worth it. That giving back to others , and helping them feel as amazing as I feel, is worth it.

I am not going to sit here and sugar coat it for you . It . IS. HARD. staying motivated. counting calories still, every day ( no matter what you think, that doesnt end when the scale shows you that magic number that you have worked so hard to see). And knowing that I still have to work just as hard, and workout just as much as I did before , just to maintain the weight loss, it is STINKIN HARD. BUT.........

OH MY GOODNESS.....

SO WORTH IT.....

I had a customer at the Nook today do the " I know I know you but are you really the same person who "use" to work here " thing in our conversation, and then she cut me off mid sentence and said " You look amazing, how did you do it" ? So after thanking her, I told her, and we chatted a bit, and she told me how she lost 50 pounds a couple of years ago, but in the last year has put it back on. I asked her if there was something that made her put the weight back on, ( an illness, new job that kept her from working out, ect) and you know what she said ? She said she just got lazy with what she was eating, and her special treat that she let herself have on a weekly basis, became more often than that, and she just couldnt help herself. I just wanted to give her a big hug and let her know that that is EXACTLY what I have been thinking about, and I know what she meant, and I know how easy it can be to let the weight come back. And that is why I am still counting my calories, and working out just as much as I did before. Because it CAN happen so easily... I get it.

I do not want anyone to think that I am perfect, because I am not. I keep the thought of re gaining weight in my mind on a daily basis, I just can not let it happen. Because it is so easy....

I hope she finds her way back to South Beach and gets going in the right direction again. ( She had lost weight with the South Beach diet plan) Its hard to get yourself started up again, But once you get going, its easier than you think.

I think when we lose the weight, we all have the empty fat cells , just waiting and waiting for us to eat something bad so they can grab it and have a party with it. and the more we eat, bad, or even just in excess of good calories, (cause calories are calories when it comes down to it) our old lonely fat cells are just sitting there, waiting for some party favors.

That is one party I plan to be a party poo per on for years to come.....

Have a happy and Healthy week !

4 Strategies to Shrink Your Waistline | Active.com

2011-07-15T20:39:00.000-07:00

4 Strategies to Shrink Your Waistline Active.com

Love this link!!!!

5 Weight-Loss Mistakes to Avoid | Active.com

2011-07-14T22:38:00.000-07:00

5 Weight-Loss Mistakes to Avoid Active.com

seriously just trying out this new feature I have that links things I like, but this is a good read, so enjoy!

Tami

GroupHealth Magazine has arrived and I am the centerfold!

2011-07-06T20:21:00.000-07:00

Here it is , the link to the article that went out in the summer publication for GroupHealth Magazine. You can read it here . I was beyond excited when it showed up in the mail on Saturday, I wasnt expecting it so soon, ( not like I wasnt stalking the mail or anything, I wouldnt do such a thing) ;0)

And the picture again that was used is above.

I just love this, I love that this is me. I hope so badly that someone who is struggling with their weight, and who is feeling hopeless and lost, will read this and know that they can change their life too, and that they can feel as wonderful as I do. and it would the world to me if someone changed their life because they were inspired by my story.

Quote that I love

2011-07-03T21:57:00.000-07:00

I saw this today on MFP, love it, had to post it here !

New goal

2011-06-26T20:17:00.000-07:00

I have a new weight loss goal.
I have found that it is very easy to get comfy with where you are, and even though that where I am at is totally fine, I do not like the comfy feeling.
I want to lose 5 pounds in the next 27 days. Totally do able. What is in 27 days you ask? My cousins wedding. Where I want to where a very sexy dress that I borrowed from my friend Katrina, and even though it fits just fine right now, I will feel very confident if I lose 5 pounds.
Losing those 5 pounds will also bring me to a new all time low. so two goals will be reached in one.

I will keep you all posted , next Sunday the 3rd, I will post again. I will be having a major cheat day on the 4th with Margaritas and cake pops, But other than that, I am cutting out all alcohol and sugar, even cutting back on my favorite fruits. Not cutting out carbs, but I do plan to cut out carbs after 5 pm.

Again, will keep you posted. :)

Love having goals , they keep you going in the right direction!

Have an awesome week <3

A few things I have been thinking about

2011-06-18T22:50:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking about this alot lately. and more so because of the feelings, and feedback I have been getting and feeling.
First and foremost, Most people are not this way, I really want to point that out from the start. This is NOT what I think of most people . BUT , the few that do feel this way, SOMETIMES really ruin it .

People are just waiting for you to fail.

pure and simple.

People are waiting to see you gain the weight back, and the second you do, they will for sure be there to point it out.

It has been 6 months since I reached my goal weight. And the 'world' has known it. I have been on national TV , telling everyone who watched how much I use to weigh, and how much I weigh now. I have this blog, I have a Facebook Fan page , sharing with anyone, my weight loss journey and woes, I am very open and public on all aspects of my weight loss. And because of that, I know, I have opened myself up to public criticism, and I am OK with that.

BUT, I am NOT OK with people waiting to see me gain the weight back. Guess what? Its NOT.Gonna. Happen.

I worked Too hard, for TOO long, to let that happen. It has become a lifestyle, this good way of eating and working out. I am not going to just sit my ass on the couch with a bag of Doritos and oreo's and a bottle of wine , night after night. ( Although , TRUST ME, it sounds VERY GOOD) . its just not going to happen, so you can stop wondering if I am " maintaining my weight" or if I am going to gain my weight back, cause I WILL WIN.

I am not going to lie, I gain and lose the same 5 pounds every month. It is HARD FRIGGIN work to stay at 143 pounds, and my body is not a fan of it. I have to be super perfect and right on, every day to stay there. and hello, I am anything but. BUT , that being said, I have maintained my size 6 , since Nov when I reached my goal weight. And I am SO OK WITH THAT!

I wish people were not so judgemental, but they are, I wish people were not waiting to see me gain all my weight back, but sadly, some are. I wish people were happy for what I have achieved, but sadly, some are not.

But its OK. Cause I am. I am so happy with what I have done, and I love the life I have made because of my weight loss.

So please, all you people waiting for me to gain weight back, Stop. I am going to win.

Smith Photos: UPDATE: Tami Interviewed on Fitbie.com

2011-06-17T21:26:00.000-07:00

Smith Photos: UPDATE: Tami Interviewed on Fitbie.com: "Just recently, I took photos of Tami and wrote about her amazing weight loss journey here . What I failed to mention before is that Tami ..."

Proud Mom and the Graduate!

2011-06-12T18:07:00.000-07:00

MY BABY has Graduated!!!

He was my baby for 9 years, and will always be my baby.
Saturday was a wonderful day, I was lucky enough to share this joyous day with family and friends, Jake graduated from Kentwood High School and he is also 1 credits shy of having his AA degree in criminal justice. ( he had been doing running start his last two years of high school) . I am just so proud of him, he is such a wonderful young man, a great son, a good brother, and friend. He makes good choices in his life. Such a wonderful person, I cant even put into words!

I love this picture of us. it is a favorite for sure!!!

I have eaten alot these last couple of days, Scott had a birthday on Friday, and then with graduation and party, lots and lots of cake. I can say that I still made sure I got in my workouts on all those days, even on graduation day. I didnt feel great on those runs that I did, but I did them. your body knows when you fuel it with bad crap over good crap. Take us to today, Sunday. I slept till 10:30 am, ( so needed) and I had some fruit, then I went for a run. I ended up running 6.4 miles, twice running by my street only to keep going. I wanted to burn at least 600 calories, ( I ended up burned 729) so once I passed my street for the second time I knew I would exceed my goal, it was just a matter of making the choice to keep going.

sometimes you just need to make that choice.

Todays Hike on tiger MT June 4th 2011

2011-06-04T22:44:00.001-07:00

Left to right, Beck, Aileen, Angela, Christie, Debbie, Kelli, Me

ME!

Sam and I !

Sam, Me, Brett and Jake.

It started out as an amazing , beautiful, day in the PNW. Seriously, the first that we have had since last summer. It has been a pretty ugly winter, spring, around these parts. Cold. rain. and lack of sun.

We had planned this hike for a while, and Sam and I were going to hike up the mountain with my gym rat friends. Brett and Jake went up ahead cause they wanted to go up and down faster than an 8 year old.

Brett and Jake went on up, and Sam and I were in the back with Becky, enjoying the nice weather, and Sam's company. We ran into Brett when we were close to the top. And he was alone, he said he wanted to run down, and Jake didnt. I didnt think anything of it, and he , and we, went on our way.

We never did run into Jake, and in fact, ran into Angela's husband, who also said he didnt see my boys, and again I didnt think too much of it ( there are different trails you can take to the top, so I just figured we missed one another ). we got to the top, took some pics, and headed back down, This time, it was me, Sam, and Debbie. We were going pretty slow, Sam, and my IT BAND issues were holding us back. All of a sudden, we ran into Brett, who was coming back UP the Mountain. ( we were a little more than half way down at this point). Brett said Jake wasnt at the bottom, and he had left his cell phone in his car. Brett was going back up the MT looking for Jake. I freaked out, on the inside. On the outside, I told Debbie I had to go back up with Brett, and she said she would take Sam to the bottom, Where everyone was already. So Brett and I went back up, and we were pretty quiet. I didnt say much, there were a few phone calls back down to Debbie and Angela, just to relay the messages that Brett had to say ( like where he and Jake split up) giving Angela and her husband, Jeremy, clues as to where to look for Jake. I asked some of the hikers if they saw Jake, and started giving out my phone number to them. Brett and I got to where he had left JAke and we walked and walked. I even called 911 who then transfer ed me to a non urgent line and after 5 minutes of being on hold, I hung up, cause they were sucking up my battery. Brett made a comment like " he watches survivor man all the time, he knows what to do " and that made me smile for a minute. But seriously, I was freaking out, and thinking all sorts of bad things, and most of all thinking that just around any corner , he would be there, walking towards us, smiling when he sees us.

Brett and I talked to a couple of hikers who had been on the road for about 2 miles and didnt see anyone, so at that point Brett and I couldnt figure out what to do. At this point , it had been 2.5 hours since Brett had last seen Jake. We were talking, and then my phone rang, it was Debbie, I said " hello" and she said " we found him" the greatest 3 words a mom could hear, followed by " Jeremy has him , he is fine" She said Jeremy found him by hwy 18 walking in the right direction. He had to have gone about 6 or 7 miles before Jeremy found him. I thanked Debbie, and just sobbed. and sobbed. I couldnt even say goodbye, just " thank you" hung up with Debbie, and just hugged Brett, and sobbed. it was such a relief, This overwhelming, heart wrenching relief. Brett and I headed back UP the MT, to get back DOWN the Mt, our little hike turned into a 4 hour hike. Jake soon called me, and he told me what happened. I talked with Angela and she was ok with leaving Sam with Jake while they waited for us in the parking lot . Brett and I talked going back down the MT, unlike our way up. it was 1 PM when we got to the bottom, and Sam and Jake were sitting his Jake's car waiting for us ( Sam greeted us with a hearty wave). I got to the car and didnt say too much. I know Jake felt bad, and I wasnt going to make it worse, ( my gym rats all told him he was going to get yelled at , lol) .

It was such a horrible feeling. Not knowing where your son was on a Mountain. knowing he is a 'man' and knows how to figure out where he is, but OMG still. HEART WRENCHING Mommy times. I would never wish that feeling on anyone, and I am so happy he is safe and sound.

I love you Jake, Big Time love you......

Group Health Picture is UP!

2011-06-03T22:23:00.000-07:00

I got the OK today to post the pic, as long as I gave proper photo credits. so here we go. Photo credits by :http://www.aguerophoto.com/

I LOVE IT!!! He did a great job, and they picked the perfect picture! Makes me very very happy!

I have a super busy week, ( what else is new) Graduation for Jake is on the 11th, and I have a ton to do.

First up, A Hike with Jake, Brett, and Sam , bright and early Saturday. I will post pics!

Happy Birthday to my Son Alec!

2011-05-28T20:02:00.000-07:00

Today Alec had his 22nd birthday. It is so hard at times to think that he is that old. He is a wonderful caring , loving, son, brother, and friend. I love the man he has become, and I love watching him continue to grow.

I share with you a picture of he and I from 2007. ( Click on photo to enlarge) ALSO ( I love my , much smaller, much cuter Red Sox Shirt in the today picture) .I had taken him to Boston to see a Red Sox game for his high school graduation present. It was such a wonderful time for us to enjoy all that Boston had to offer, and for me, to share with him the place I grew up. It was even more wonderful that he shares my love for the Red Sox with me, and I was able to show him Fenway Park for the first time in his life. The Red Sox played the Angels, his second favorite team, and it was an amazing lifetime memory that still brings tears to my eyese when I talk about it.

I hope Everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day weekend . Be healthy, be sure to get in a workout , go for a run , or a hike, or a walk. Enjoy Life!

Super Fun times!

2011-05-19T22:04:00.000-07:00

I have been really busy, BUT I was able to have today off, and that was fabulous! The Sun was shining and it was a perfect day for a photo shoot!!! I met up with the editor and the photographer for the grouphealth magazine for the photo for my story. This will come out in the July/summer issue. It was done on the Soos Creek trail (where I love to run), and it was a picture of me, running. :) they had me run and run the same spot over and over again, he would snap some pics, look at them on his computer, and make whatever changes he needed to my , or his, location. We had to wait from time to time for the bikers or runners to pass by, it took about 45 minutes total. it was so fun watching him get all excited when he would see the perfect shot. They of course wanted me to smile and not serious, and would say " 10 % happier on the next try" lol. it was cute. I totally enjoyed and loved the pictures that they took. He got the perfect one and asked for an insurance one, and he got an even more perfect one. He loved the light, the bounce in my hair, the smile. TOO MUCH FUN!!!

So here is a picture that Scott took of me before I left for the shoot. I may get to see the ones they took, I am not sure, before it is published. Oh, and did I mention I will be the centerfold?? lol I told Scott how great is that for him, that he can say he is married to a centerfold . ;)

Long time no blog!

2011-05-15T15:43:00.000-07:00

Crazy Busy.
That is my life these days. I sometimes wonder when it will slow down. I think I need it to slow down. Where I am at now, my weekends are for full recovery from my week, and also to get things down, errands run, spend time with family, ect... I would love to catch up on sleep, and I would love to have some time to spend with friends. I have had nothing as of late. I also spend any free time I have on the weekends planning out new workouts for the following week. Any idea how time consuming that is? and then to watch all these on demand workouts and they are all the same thing over and over again. it sucks. lol This past weekend I also had to address Jake's Graduation Announcments, I will be mailing them out this week. I am super excited for him, and super sad for me. lol

and my butt is getting big. I dont mean fat, I mean big, round. which is better than what it was, FLAT, but sometimes I catch a glimpse of it in the mirror and I do a double take wondering what is following me back there . :) Seriously though, how can it not with all the squats and lunges I do. I seriously can not how many I do, but it is for sure 500 + a week.

I have a photo shoot for GroupHealth Magazine coming up, it was going to be today, but it got postponed till THURSDAY due to this awesome weather we have been having here in the Pacific NorthWest. Awesome I tell you.

I hope everyone had a fun and fit week, and you did something wonderful for yourself!

A,B,C,s of Tami

2011-04-30T19:41:00.000-07:00

I stole this from a cycle persons blog, I thought it would be a fun way to get to know me ! Enjoy!

A. Age, 41
B.Bedtime : anytime between 11pm and midnight
C. Cereal: when I eat it, Kashi Go Lean , high protein ( red box)
D.Dinner : usually chicken and whatever veggie I am eating at the moment
E.Energy. Yes TONS!!!!!
F.Fun, Flirty ( Scott agrees)
G. Girly Girl, everyday, in everything I do, I am a girly girl
H.Happy!
I.interesting
J. Jobs: Full time at the Scrapbook Nook, teacher at the SBN, and group fitness instructor.
K.Kids, Yes, 4 Sons, 22,20,18, and 9 ( this year)
L.Lives in: Covington WA
M.Married: Yes, to Scott, 10 years this OCT
N.Not one day goes by that I do not remember how far I have come. I will never forget .
O.Operations: yes, carpal tunnel surgery, both hands, two others as well.
P.Pet Peeves: the noise of the forks or spoons hitting the plate, people who park in handicapped spots when they are not. people who are late.
Q. Quotes : "You CAN do it, You DO have the time , and You ARE worth it"
R. RED SOX.. love love love.
S.siblings : two older sisters
T.time I wake up : 6:30 am, even when I dont have to :(
U. underwear: Yes, I wear it, no, I have not found one that I love to wear to the gym, YET.
V. Veggies, I use to hate them, now I love SOME of them . Favorites, Broccoli, raw carrots, green beans, cucumbers, sugar snap peas, corn, all peppers.
W. Weight Lost, 188 pounds
X. xrays : pretty much every part of my body!
Y. Year I took my life back. 2008
Z. Zoo animal, FAVORITE : monkeys, I love how they swing all over the place like its nothing.

FIT BIE!!!!

2011-04-29T22:07:00.000-07:00

I had an interview/ feature article go live today with MSN Fitbie you can read it here!

I love it, Angela did such a great job, I love it when it is right!

Anyone who knows me , knows that Jake was huge in b eing my gym buddy and weight loss buddy, I am not sure I would have been so successful without having him to go to the gym with, and to eat the right things with. I couldnt be a prouder mom!

They also gave proper credit to Smith Photos for the picture of me, But I am always wanting to pimp out someone/something I love, so I will give credit to Aileen and Smith photos anytime!

I also have fun stuff happening with the GroupHealth Magizine. We plan to have a fun photo shoot in the next couple of week, for the Summer edition. I. CAN. NOT. WAIT.!

Smith Photos

2011-04-20T21:50:00.001-07:00

Aileen from Smith Photos has posted a lovely blog post about me, showing my pictures and a little Q&A with me. Please take some time to check out her amazing work and lovely blog!

I absolutely adore her. We meet in classes at the gym, she is one of the lovely ladies that glares at me with a smile :) I think she is pretty fantastic!

and here is a favorite of mine that is not shown on her blog :

Photo courtesy of Smith Photos

Fun Stuff happening!

2011-04-16T19:20:00.000-07:00

I had my PHOTO SHOOT TODAY!!! Super super fun times!! I can NOT wait to see all the pictures, and show them to you!! I have one picture to show you, ( My friend / photographer is busy all weekend so I do not expect to see any pictures till Monday) But I do have this one to show you .

I LOVE this one, just one, So I can not wait to see the rest!

I have a phone interview on Wed with Fitbie, for their site, I had to sign and send a release form, and on it it had a spot for me to put in my 'agent' and 'agency'. Made me giggle. They want before and after pictures ( of course) but they also want pictures of my son Jake, I love that people are realizing how big of a support Jake was to me, and how he did it with me as well.

I also have an article coming out this summer with Grouphealth magazine ,and it is titled "exercise is medicine" And they want to schedule a photo shoot and have Jake in it as well. He likes that! I had my interview with them already, and I am just waiting for the article to proof read for them to be sure they have it all correct, and a release form for them as well. they are looking at the end of month for a photo shoot.

So exciting stuff happening here, and also lots to keep me on my toes, I LOVE LOVE LOVE that I get to share all my joy and excitement of fitness and a healthy lifestyle with others. I love to inspire other people to feel as wonderful as I feel.

I am just so happy, I love that I get to share my life with everyone !

Photo by Smith Photos

Teaching lots of classes

2011-04-05T20:00:00.000-07:00

I have been teaching alot of classes at the gym these last few weeks, it has been kind of crazy, going between two gyms, ( sometimes two in one night!) but I have been loving it! ITs hard not to love helping others feel good about themselves. The only problem with all this teaching is I have to keep coming up with new things, and that is very time consuming. I am thinking there needs to be an easier way to do this. I am someone that needs plans. I go to my classes with my note cards, and they take us through the hour. Sometimes I will come up with something that isnt on my note cards, but not often. Many times I will have too much to do, and I have to cut something out, but I would rather do that than have to try to add something, lol. Monday thru Thursday I teach, and come Friday I am so ready for the weekend, and to be out of the gym, I look forward to the nicer weather that will be coming our way so I can start running outside on a regular basis. This rain is really getting to me. IF anyone has any idead on how to cut down my planning time that would be great! Have a healthy week!

Lots of questions lately about "excess skin"

2011-03-26T23:37:00.001-07:00

So , instead of trying to answer every one's email, or question on MFP , or even posts that have been left for me herem cause I simply can not answer everyone individually, this will have to suffice.

People have been asking me , what about the excess skin, or loose skin, whichever, after having lost as much weight as I have, Have I had surgery to take care of it? Cause clearly people do not seem to think I have an issue with the excess skin. Well, OK, thank you for that, You saying that to me means I have done what I have intended to do, and that is HIDE IT WELL . YES , sadly, there is excess skin , And as open as I have been in this journey, no , I will not be sharing my pictures of all my skin for you to see, I am keeping that one to myself. You will just have to take my word for it. But Maybe its not AS BAD as some of you think. I am not sure what you expect, I get " Your tummy is so flat, Do you not have excess skin" ? Umm, yeah, But my tummy is 'flat' cause I am relatively small, I don't weigh that much,( compared to where I was) and I don't have much body fat, so the excess skin that is there, just kind of is there. It doesn't hang down to my knees ( haha, are you wondering that one?) but its not flat and pretty either. You name the body part, there is excess skin. Pure and simple.
BUT , I must say, for all of you wondering if it will happen to you too , and you are wondering if you should even, lose weight cause you don't wont the excess skin ( yes, people have actually said, I don't want to lose weight cause I don't want loose skin. REALLY? you would really want to be overweight cause you fear the excess skin? ) , there are many factors you need to consider. How long have you been overweight? how is your skin now? sun damaged? do you take care of it? How fast are you losing weight? are you getting tons of water in? are you doing strength training? BUT the key factor here , I think, is GENETICS !!
So what goes for me, may not go for you. I had held that extra weight for over 20 years, my skin had been stretched out for a very long time. it may never bounce back ,and I am aware of that. I am not freaking out over it, I don't love it, I , in fact, HATE it. But I don't have money to have it taken care of surgically, so I don't have many choices, But to deal with it. and part of my dealing with it , is being sure you don't have to see it.

Hope that answers some questions regarding the issue :)

I am no longer finally fit at forty

2011-03-20T19:04:00.000-07:00

I am now 41. I had a birthday this past week, and while I had just an OK day due to personal things going on, I was able to enjoy my achievements that I have reached over the last year. My year of being 40 was wonderful, I did everything I set out to do. I reached my goal weight, and I have learned how to maintain that weight. ( Finally) I have reached fitness goals I honestly , never thought was possible for me to do. I can do pull ups, and just a few days before my birthday, I did 50 ( FIVE ZERO ) military style push ups. I held a plank for 4 mins, and only stopped cause it was 4 minutes . I was on the TODAY show, I was in New York City for 25 hours with my nearest and dearest friend Maegan, and we had a whirlwind time in the Big Apple, all because of my weight loss. I was on New Day Northwest, and shared that with two of my wonderful sons, Alec and Jake, and also my dear friend and workout buddy who keeps me honest, Angela. The NEW DAY show was almost better than the Today Show, cause I shared it with my sons, they made me very very proud and honored to say I am their Mother . I became an instructor at my gym and I now teach 3 classes a week .

But most of all , this past year I have been able to inspire others to start their weight loss journey, or I have been able to encourage them to continue on the journey they had already started. people that I will never meet, have been inspired by me sharing my struggles and my journey so open and publically. I am grateful that I have been able to do it, and happy to every single day. Cause if I can help one person who felt the way I USE to, feel the way I feel now, It makes it all worth it.

I leave you with a picture taken my Birthday weekend. Inner peace and happiness shows through in this picture, I think.

LOVE the NEW BLOG!

2011-03-12T07:24:00.000-08:00

A Big Giant Thank you goes out to my dear Friend Maegan, She has been working on this little gem for me for my Birthday. I love it!

There is a contest at the trainers desk at the gym, for men and ladies, who can do the most push ups, and hold the longest plank. I did the push up challenge the other night before boot camp, I did 50 on my toe push ups ! I was in first place with the ladies and tied with the men . I had no clue if I could do 50, the most I had done was 38 then I got really sick and didnt workout for almost a week, but my goal had been to complete the 50 by the end of Feb. I was thrilled to do it!

See pictures above! I have since been beaten, some crazy lady did 70 pushups! WOW , dont know who she is, but we are pretty sure she isnt human.

Awesome weekend planned, Birthday weekend! Actual day isnt till WED, but I have some birthday plans this weekend, and spending time with my boys.

Everyone have a good Weekend!

Long time no Blog

2011-03-05T21:58:00.000-08:00

I am sorry its been a while, I was really sick for a week so I missed a post. Then I have spent the last week playing catch up, with life, work, family, ect.
Back to the sick, I had the following : Bronchitis, ear infection, sinus infection, and swollen tonsils. I have NEVER had any of the above. IT knocked me on my butt for sure, I taught a class on a Monday, after having been sick since Thursday, and finally went to the DR on Tuesday, ( after my mom told me I shouldnt have burning lungs when I did cardio). I took the following day off, spent it in and out of bed and on antibiotics, and it was a good 4 days before I was better. I went 6 days without working out, A first in over two years for me. The first workout was tough, and each one was tougher, it was a hard, exhausting week , this last one. But I worked out 5 days and worked 6 days. I am really looking forward to doing nothing tomorrow except going for a run.
I picked up a 3rd class this last week, I now teach Monday nights in Kent ( body works) Wed and Thursday nights in Covington ( Bootcamp) please Join me whenever you like!!

I met with my DR this past week, had all my blood work done, everything is perfect, I was hoping there was something that wasnt so perfect, I have been having inner thigh cramps in the middle of the night, I was hoping to find a reason why. Perfect, Who would complain? Well, I would. lol

I also talked about why when I increased my calories, I gained 4 pounds. Hello, I went from 1200 to 1500 calories, and gained 4 pounds. In the last week I went back to 1200 and lost those 4 pounds. according to my DR I should V E R Y S L O W L Y increase my calories. like 20-50 a MONTH . WOW, not 300 a day, right away? she wants me to only increase 20 - 50 a day, for a month at a time , then go from there. thats not even a cookie a day, its like a ...... A REALLY BIG CUCUMBER! lovely. This should be interesting.

Its AMAZING what your body is telling you

2011-02-20T21:02:00.000-08:00

when you actually listen to it!

I have been having tummy issues. bloated and bubbly, after lunch usually, so I cut out yogurt, and that helped, then I must have added something else in cause it started up again. So I just suffer with it every day after lunch.... or sometimes its after breakfast. But it wasnt till yesterday when I didnt eat too much cause I wasnt feeling well, that I figured out what was causing me to feel ( and sometimes look) 6 months pregnant, it was PEPPERS!!! my love of all things, can add it to every meal and make it better, little sweet bell peppers. I love them , but guess what, they do NOT love me. SAD, super super SAD over this discovery. I love them, they have a crunchy sweet thing that I love about them .
the point is, 2 years ago I would have never even thought that if something was wrong with my tummy, that it was something I ate, I just never listened to my body before, but now, it talks, and I LISTEN, and guess what, when you are not putting all that crap in your body , you can pinpoint what is causing the issue pretty fast. Listen to your body, it really is trying to tell you what it needs.

I leave you with a thought that I think of often. before, when I weighed 330 pounds , everything was hard to do, EVERYTHING, even, the simplest task of rolling over in bed, that was hard to do, it required effort, and it was hard. I remember when it was no longer effort to roll over, and I can recall when it no longer woke me up in the middle of the night. My body was speaking to me, 'hi Tami, rolling over in bed should not be an effort, lose some weight girlfriend, you will sleep better' .... So glad I listened to it :)

Happy Valentines Day!

2011-02-14T21:46:00.000-08:00

did you do something today for yourself? To love yourself, your mind , body and spirit? we often think of valentines day as a day for lovers, but why not make it a day to love yourself? Pamper yourself, Get a massage, get in an extra workout ( simply because you can) get your toes done, or simply sit back and read a book. There are many ways to love yourself, and treat yourself in a loving way. So often we do things to our bodies that are not good, not loving, so why not take a day to love yourself? and if you're reading this after the big day?? No biggie, do something this weekend for YOU!
I did something good for myself today. I got TANKED. I wanted to know, once and for all , what my body fat % really was. Because of my loose skin, I can not do the pinch test, it wouldnt be accurate. and the thing that you squeeze at the gym ,isnt all that accurate either. ( Hmm, but mine wasnt too far off) but still. I wanted to have the most accurate testing available to me. I was hoping for 20% see chart :

Body Fat Percentage Categories
Classification Women (% fat) Men (% fat)
Essential Fat 10-12% 2-4%
Athletes 14-20% 6-13%
Fitness 21-24% 14-17%
Acceptable 25-31% 18-25%
Obese 32%+ 25%+

the first % is woman, second % is male. as I said, I wanted 20% I got 23% . As you can see from the chart above, I am considered "fitness status" Should be fabulous, I should be jumping for joy, but knowing that I wanted "athlete status" I am not jumping for joy. I need to lose 6 pounds of fat to be where I want to be.

I have my work cut out for me <3

But with that said, I am still VERY happy with what I have done, and where I am at. VERY VERY happy. I am good. I have a healthy HAPPY heart.

On a very bright side note, I was at the grocery store yesterday morning, and a stranger ( male) came up to me and said " I just have to tell you, you are beautiful " I said " thank you very much, that is so sweet" he said " no need to thank me for telling the truth " when he walked away, another man who was standing there and overheard it all said " Its true" Thank you BOTH , strange men at the grocery store. I Heart You ......

Speaking of Heart you. I leave you with a picture from Saturday night and my dinner that I made for my husband for our Valentines Day celebration .

I love being little

2011-02-06T16:48:00.000-08:00

Little. Never , EVAH, ( said in my best Boston Accent) did I evah think I would be little. And when I say little, I mean for me. cause I know that by no means am I little, there are tiny people out there( my good friend Blair, is tiny, super cute and adorable and I love her regardless ) but I am tiny, for my once size 28 , 330 pound body, this size 6, 143 pound person is tiny. And I love it. I love the way I look in clothes, ( naked, not so much, but that is a whole 'nother story) I love my tiny shoulders. I love my little fingers, never have I ever had little fingers. I have bones, I can see and feel.

If ever I questioned if I want to work out 4 or more times a week for the rest of my forevah, I just need to look in the mirror and I will be reminded that Yes, I in fact do. Cause I love the way I feel, I love the way I look, I love that I can do anything I set my mind to ( 50, on my toe consecutive pushups, here I come) , I love my life. a little over 2 years ago I dont think I could have said, I love my life. How sad is that???

Keep doing what your doing, you will love your results, you will love feeling better and you will love seeing what each day brings you. You will just love you. And there is nothing better . You will love everyone and everything more when you love yourself. That is a fact.

Simply Become who you are.

2011-01-30T13:07:00.000-08:00

Simply Become who you are, and remember from where you came. Become more than anyone dreamed, and be an inspiration to many.

I was cleaning my scraproom today and came across this saying on the front of a mini- book that I had made in 2007. It was a class that I took from Lisa Bearnson AT CK convention in Bellevue WA. This saying is on the cover of the book, the book that I never filled. At the time I thought it was silly, 'I am not an inspiration to anyone, I cant fill this book'. And so, like many projects we scrappers make in classes, it sat untouched. For Over 3 years. I cant wait to fill this book now!!!

This was perfect for me to find today, absolutely perfect. If ever I questioned if things happen for a reason, this would nip that in the bud. I found this book today for a reason.

I have been asked why I am so public about my weight loss, Why would anyone want to share such a personal thing about themselves? And How could I ever say out loud that I once weighed 330 pounds ? ( I was not asked that question , but I know it has been thought) . And while I was thinking about all of this this past week , I was approached daily by people who had read my blog ( thank you ) watched my show , or had heard about me, and wanted to let me know what an inspiration I was to them. Many, but not all, of these ladies have weight issues, and all of them are doing something to make themselves more healthy. they tell me what they are doing, how their husbands are changing too, They love telling me how they are taking baby steps towards a healthier life. They related to my blog, or my story, they come to my classes at the gym and want to talk to me afterwards about me, about themselves, they want to pick my brain about things ( loose skin, is it an issue? food, calories, exercise, how hard it all is ) But most of all they just like that I am real. I am a real person that has done something that so many consider impossible to do. ( And I tell it like it is. ) They think that is this ordinary 40 year old lady can do it, than I can to.
Think about how hard it is to lose 20, 40, 80 pounds. And think about how daunting it is to lose those pounds. Now think about someone who has 120 , 140 , 180 pounds to lose. Imagine for one moment how that person must feel. Hopeless, that is how they feel, like its a completely impossible task , something that they can not tackle. Think about how shameful it is to be overweight, not just overweight, but morbidly obese. There is shame in everything you do when you are that large. From shopping for clothes, to have a romantic relationship, to just going out in public, and to the worst part, eating in front of others. And seriously, its no secret that you eat, cause that is clear that you eat , way too much in fact. You wake up everyday and are reminded of how your weight has gotten so out of hand and how it effects every aspect of your life, with everything you do, you are reminded of that.

If , by me being so public and so open , and so willing to talk about where I have been, can help just ONE person , Then it makes it all worth it. If I can help one person that feels the way I use to feel, feel as wonderful as I feel now, than its all worth it.

I will never question if being so open was/is the right thing to do, I know it is. It may not be what is right for others, but this is my journey, and no-one needs to understand it, but me. <3

Body Fat

2011-01-23T15:31:00.000-08:00

that has always been my goal, to be at a certain body fat % , I am shooting for 20 % . I honestly have no clue what mine is. I cant do the skin fold test, I have too much loose skin for an accurate reading ( we have tried) I have the thing that you squeeze at the gym ,but those are not really accurate either, usually they are too high. but its been my guide since its all that I have. Until now! I will be using this method on Valentines Day . I cant wait to do it and find out for sure where I stand. I am a little worried about it, but I am also hoping to be very surprised , happily shocked when I get my results! ( positive thinking )

Because after all, its all about the numbers.

Dont worry about the numbers

2011-01-20T22:44:00.000-08:00

That is something I hear all the time when talking about the scale. People tell me ALL the time, its just a number, it doesn't mean anything ( this is what people say to you when you are obsessing over staying at a certain weight ) . They say, don't worry about the scale, its how your clothes fit, and how you feel. But here is MY thing. Its about how the clothes fit?? Cause guess what? The clothes number means just as much to me as the number on the scale. Fitting in and staying in a size 6 is what I had aimed for , heck, I wouldn't even mind being a size 4 all the time. Granted there are some size 4's that fit, BUT there are also some styles that 6's are tight and I need an 8. and that should be just fine with me coming where I came from. But its not. And guess what, I wont by those pants that I would need an 8 in. I just wont. Cause its all about the number.
Its always been about the number, all day long numbers dictate my , OUR life. Calories in, Calories out , counting what you eat, ( numbers ) weighing your food ( numbers) watching how many carbs , how much fat, how much protein is in everything you eat ( numbers numbers numbers). 2400 ( mg) is how much sodium you should have in a day, well not to exceed that much, NO MATTER how much you eat, you shouldn't exceed 2400 mg of sodium. Have you seen the amount of sodium that is in deli meat? No? take a peek next time your in the kitchen. You will be shocked.

How can I not worry about the numbers, when its ALL About the numbers. It always will be for me, cause I am not ever going back to where I was. I wont freak if my scale goes above 145, ( 150 is a different story, lol) I will forever be a scale lover, it will always be my guide. Yes the clothes thing is also a very good guide, but I like my scale, it has been my enemy and my partner in my journey, and finally my friend for the first time in my whole life. I am not ending my relationship with my scale, I dont care what you say.

IT will always be all about some number , and it really is OK

Why is it so hard?

2011-01-19T22:43:00.000-08:00

To get higher calories in with healthy foods?? Sure I could easily eat 1500+ calories if it was bad for me and tasted yummy ( loaded with fat) but I am not going for that, I am going for healthy good for you foods, and I tell ya, it is harder than heck to get in all those calories with healthy foods. Why is that?? Well one, I think, its because they are so filling. high protein and good for you carbs, and lots of fiber, ALL good for you , filling stuff. And TWO, well lets just be honest here, I don't like ALOT of healthy good for you stuff, I just don't. I eat the same things for about a month than rotate onto something else. Everything makes it way back into my life , but sometimes I go a month without something ( broccoli for example) . Crazy , I know this. OH and then to balance, Carbs, Fats, AND Protein, even harder!! Who knew?
Its the carbs that get me . Always the carbs.....

Have a Healthy Day!

Honesty

2011-01-15T17:33:00.000-08:00

While Angela and I have been talking about it alot lately, I havent talked about it here. Being honest with ourselves . I have been honest with myself mostly, for the last two years. I do not think you can really do what I have done without taking a good long honest look at yourself, and stay true to yourself . About 3 months into my journey I had a BIG realization . I was faced with cookie dough, and I thought, " You could eat this piece of cookie dough and no one would ever know" then I thought " WHOA You stupid #*%@! , YOU KNOW!!!!" WOW , that was a moment of honesty that I will remember forever, That was when I was being honest with me, myself, and I. Truly the one person that mattered most in this journey.

Honestly comes in many forms in this diet and exercise way of life, it comes in when you measure your food, and log your food. Did you level out that tablespoon, cup, whatever it is, or is it heaping over?? Guess what ?? That heaping over adds calories that you are not accounting for. Not leveling off your tablespoon of peanut butter, you probable added about 25% more calories, and while that really isnt a big deal for that one time, it is when it adds up over a day/week. Are you honest with what you log / write down what you are eating?? you are kidding no one here but yourself. Even if you eat over, WRITE IT DOWN, this is HUGE , you can see what you are doing , HUGE deal. When you are not getting the results you want, you can look at your food diary and see why not.

It comes in when you are on the treadmill, are you walking , out for a sunday stroll, put in 30 mins and think you had a good workout ?? Cause you what, You probably didnt. Sure, you got on the treadmill and did some walking, but did you really push yourself?? THAT is what is gonna get results. pushing yourself, making yourself uncomfortable, not hanging out reading a book, or texting, or on your phone. Unless you have an injury which keeps you from pushing yourself, you have no reason not to. Be honest with what you put in at the gym.

So back to being honest to myself, I know that this is going to be a tough year, maintenance I mean. not that I think I will eat too much, But just the opposite, I think I wont eat enough. I am scared to add more calories back in, I am working very hard on doing it , but it is tough. Also trying to work out only 4 days a week instead of 5. Again hard to do. But, I am working on it. Today I had time to go to the gym, it would have been day 5, it took a LOT for me to not go. I even had my gym bag ready to go in the car. I kept telling myself it was ok not to go..... I didnt go.

I am going tomorrow.

Newday Northwest Show

2011-01-12T21:57:00.000-08:00

Link to NEW DAY NORTH WEST Show!

IT WAS SUPER FUN!!!! They were so nice, what a fun time I had. I was all good and not nervous, not too much, until I walked out there and sat down on the chair, Then I wanted to throw up right there at Margaret's feet. OH MY GOODNESS. I looked out and saw Alec and Jake and Angela sitting there and they made me want to cry. So good having them there and having their support. We sat in the audience through out the whole show, then they came and got Alec Jake and I and went in the back and got our non shine makeup on. Then Alec and Jake went back out and sat down, I stayed in the back till my segment. Like I said, I was fine till I went on, I was chatting with one of the guests that had been on before me and I was doing great. Then I went out and she asked me some questions that were on the list, but not all. So I was kind of thrown. But who knows if I would have been any better if I had known every question she would ask and I had every answer planned out. Cause once you throw emotions into play, it all goes to heck. lol IT was a great and amazing time. Loved it!!

I got an email after the show aired from a lady who said she weighs about where I started out, and was making cookies and eating cookie dough when I came on and she saw my segment. She threw the cookie dough out , and was saving the rest of the made cookies for her kids. SEE!!! That IS EXACTLY why I share my journey, to touch others, and help inspire others. YEAH, she made my day !

I am having issues again with uploading pictures, I will try to add them in the morning. In the meantime, enjoy the link!

UPDATE Pics are now up, I had to make them small for them to go. Whatever. ;)

First pic os Angela and I outside of the green room, Alec Jake and I before the show, and Angela, Margaret and I after the show !

HAVE A HEALTHY DAY!

New Day Northwest!!

2011-01-08T15:47:00.000-08:00

Do NOT forget to tune in to watch me on King 5's New Day Northwest on Tuesday Jan, 11th, at 11 am. For those of you that are not located in the PNW, the clip will be available to see within 24 hours after the show airs. ( I will post a link here and on FB) . I am super excited to do the show ! I talked to Bekky ( the producer) on Friday for about 30 mins, so nice to finally talk to her, we have been emailing since November!

Also, I really want to go into a bit more detail about my speaking the other night. The Ladies at the church were wonderful. I am super bummed I didnt remember my camera, I will for sure this week when I speak at my Co-workers Church. I only hope the ladies on WED night will be as warm, welcoming, and open as the ladies were last week. I spoke of my fear of being judged , because we, as woman, and a society, judge people. I know its true, I do it , I did it. I will admit that about myself, and I have a fear of being judged, I had hope the ladies wouldnt judge how I lived my life for 20 years. As an obese wife, mother, person. But I didnt get the feeling that they did, and in fact, if they did, I didnt notice , and I will take that :)

I am meeting with Susan on Saturday so we can talk about my becoming a personal trainer, she is one herself, and owner of a Yoga Studio , and wants me to come work in her studio and help overweight ladies become healthy. I want to do this more than anything, I want to bring my experiences of the journey from unhealthy to healthy with me and help others become healthy. I have been there, done that, and want to do whatever I can to help others feel as good as I feel. And getting paid for it and turning it into a career, YES PLEASE!

Thank you

2011-01-07T05:50:00.000-08:00

I just want to thank all the ladies that came out to hear me speak last night. They were welcoming and open to hearing my story. It was a wonderful night and I felt like I had inspired many. :)

my 2010 results!

2011-01-01T18:10:00.000-08:00

I have been trying to post my 2010 results since Friday night, but blogger was being a pain, So glad to have it up for you now!

In 2010, I lost 40 pounds, and 29.5 inches

Neck - 1.5

Chest - 5

ribcage ( where you measure for the bra band) -3

Waist -6

hips -6

Thighs 2.5 ( x2 = 5)

biceps 1.5 (x2 =3 )

Those are the only points that I measure, so yes there are more inches lost, but that is all I keep track of.

Sad about the 5 off my chest, I was never the girl that hated her big boobs, I in fact, always enjoyed having them, unless of course I was running, lol. This year I have just completely lost them. Sad. I have been known to stuff my bra these days, not always, but whenever I think they need a little something , I add it. lol. ( I hide nothing from you guys)

My review of eating whatever I wanted for two days

2010-12-27T20:56:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve and Christmas day.

I ate whatever I wanted for two days. I also drank whatever I wanted for two days ( only induldged in the alcoholic drinks). I baked breads and cookies for two days prior to this, knowing I would be eating them. I ate more sugar in those two days than I have eaten in a year, I AM NOT KIDDING YOU.

Cookies with frosting, many of them, cran berry bread, gingerbread, more cookies with frosting, chocolate, candy canes, cranberry bliss bars from Starbucks, and that is just the sugar. I also ate pizza, chips and dip, prime rib, stuffing, roll with butter, mashed potatos, chips, cheesecake. And I am sure I am forgetting something.

My reaction to all this? (besides feeling a bit out of control , but also enjoying the freedom to eat without feeling badly, cause I really didnt feel badly for eating it), but my body FREAKED out to all the sugar! Never in a million years did I think I would have reaction to sugar, and it took till the second day for me to realize what it was. ( and talking to Alec about it) . My pulse was racing, racing. NOT even kidding. When I tried to sleep was when I really noticed it, I felt like I was on speed ( not that I know what that is like, but I felt like this is what one would feel IF they were on speed ) I also was never hungry , but kept eating anyway, cause I wasnt NOT going to eat something, cause this was my day to eat! lol It was a huge eye opener, to what I must have put my body through when I ate that way on a daily basis.
I had a food hangover come Sunday Morning, but I ALSO headed right to the gym for Angela's cycle class, then had one of the best runs I have had in MONTHS after cycle class. I burned over 800 calories and felt awesome when leaving the gym. I ALSO did a pull up. without help, I did have to curl my knees up and I think that is cheating a bit, but I got my chin up over the bar and doing so made me feel very strong , and empowered.
Angela and I had a very deep conversation after our workout. and we talked about all the craziness that goes on in our head about all this. Weight loss, and food. There is so much mentalness that goes on with it all. My goal in 2011 is to work through some of the mentalness.

Losing the weight could turn out to have been the easy part. Getting my mind to catch up to my body could be the hard part.

A compare for you

2010-12-25T21:26:00.000-08:00

MY Highest weight ever, ( pretty sure) and then a picture I took the week before Christmas 2010. I only took the picture to show Alec, but then I thought , Hey , Why not show everyone?

Have you been waiting for just the right time to start your journey? The time is now.

Merry Christmas!

its been a while

2010-12-17T21:12:00.000-08:00

since I blogged . It is a busy time, and whenever I 'plan' blog time into my day, something comes up and snatches it away. I know its the time of year, ( I have been busy making a few gifts) and shopping, and working, and working out, and now teaching, its all sucking up my time. I have a few things to report :

Two upcoming speaking engagements, One January 6th, and the other Jan 12. Both are at churches, ladies womans group.

then I have a date for a TV interview, with New Day NorthWest! January 11th! So excited!! You can email if your local for tickets, they have a live studio! I know of a few people that have already sent in for tickets, you can too!

Anyway, its all been keeping me busy, but I wanted to post a couple of tips to get you thru these last two weeks of the year.

1. Going to a party, ( or two)? eat healthy options before you go, then while you are there, choose your thing to indulge on first, then snack on healthy things ,and stay away from the food table. Visit with friends and family in a different room. Not sure if there will be healthy options at your party? Then bring your own, Your hostess will love it!

2. its OK to indulge, Even I do it. But its never something that is spur of the moment. Its all very planned. Lets face it, you cant indulge without having a plan. What is that saying? " if you fail to plan, you plan to fail." So TRUE!!! SO that being said, If your planning a special dinner, or dessert, plan it into your calories, and plan a good high calorie burn before it. ( Its always better to do it before, then you dont feel so bad about indulging) if you do these two things, you will feel ok about it .

3. Think about it, Do you really really want to eat/drink that? think about what your putting into your body, know what is in it , ( did you know a Venti salted caramel hot chocolate has 560 calories?) Know what is in the food you eat/drink!!! knowledge is power! never forget that!

thats all for now!! enjoy your holiday season!!!

I will admit it

2010-12-05T21:23:00.000-08:00

I am having a hard time with the "increasing my calories cause I have reached my goal weight" thing. I have yet to do that. But I have also yet to be honest with the I am at my goal weight thing. 4 more pounds, that is what I want. Ok well 5. 5 more pounds, there, I said it, I wouldnt be sad if I lost 5 more pounds . on the other hand, I wouldnt be sad if I didnt lose 5 more pounds either.

I also want to say that if some stranger saw me on the street and we talked and they never knew me as an overweight person, and I mentioned I wanted to lose 5 pounds they would not say " I think your good" As I get now.

So that is where I stand. At some point I think I will need some therapy, I kid you not. this whole weight loss thing and having your brain catch up to your body is some tough stuff. You cant relate unless you have gone through it yourself. I know I look good, I know I am super super healthy and super fit. but seeing the scale have a "13" in front of the last number wouldnt be so bad either.

How did you do?

2010-11-28T22:44:00.000-08:00

did you make it through the Thanksgiving Holiday without too many calories?? I can not say that I did, I can say that I had an AWESOME workout that morning with my good friend Angela, and then I ate and enjoyed every moment of it. I had everything I wanted , and I had some of all the desserts that I wanted to have. I drank lots of wine, and ate lots of food. I did not feel guilty, not for one second. And on Friday I went right back to eating the healthy way that I enjoy, and working out as I also enjoy. It is totally possible to enjoy your Holiday, the key is to only enjoy the DAY, and not turn it into 4 because you have leftovers in the house, or because you are off for 4 days. THAT IS KEY!!!

I did something pretty amazing over the weekend too, I took my cycle certification course and I passed with 97% ! Whoo hoo!! cant WAIT to start teaching cycle classes!

Have a good week everyone! Be healthy and Active!

New York City Album

2010-11-21T16:18:00.000-08:00

Click on the picture and it will bring you to the Album!

New York City Recap

2010-11-19T17:09:00.000-08:00

OK , A recap of the trip. I am just going to go from start to finish, more for myself to remember it all, if at any time you are bored with my details, then feel free to stop reading :)
Flight was leaving at 9:10 am, so I woke up at 4:45, alarm was going off at 5 , with Scott and I leaving at 6:30 , but I woke up so excited I couldn't go back to sleep, so I stayed up. Which was good, cause when we walked out the door at 6:30 I was still putting stuff in my bag, lol ( almost forgot my flat iron).
Scott dropped me off at the airport with a giant hug and lots of good lucks. Maegan got there right after me, we made our way through security and we boarded the very full plane ( not seated near one another) and we were off to New York City! I sat between two very nice men, one was going to NY for a fellowship interview for sports medicine, and the other was going to pitch his company to GUESS stores. not too shabby. I tried to study for my Cycle Cert, but the excitement of what was about to happen took over and I couldn't focus to save my life. When we landed Maegan and I were both in need of some major caffeine. It may have only been 2:30 in the afternoon to us , but we had been up forever and had gone way too long without our coffee. So we stopped at the first coffee bar there was, Java Moon. It was out first coffee in NY.

We made our way down to baggage claim to find our lovely driver waiting for us.

He even had the sign, loved it! He took us to our hotel where were freshened up and then made our way out to Rockefeller Plaza. OMGosh it was so amazing to see this place up close! There were skaters at the ice rink, and the Christmas tree had gone up the Friday before. you couldn't really see it cause it had the scaffolding all around it so they could put lights on , but you could still see it and get an understanding of how grand it would be.
We chatted with some of the local hotties ( NYPD) and asked them where I would go in the morning, ( there were 3 different buildings that said 'NBC' on them), Then we were off to dinner at Del Friscos. It was, the YUMMIEST meal I have had in a very long time. I had Filet Mignon, a baked potato and garlic broccoli yummy yum yum!. We also shared a half bottle of wine . We did not get dessert at Del Friscos because we had already had plans to head to Serendipity 3 for some frozen hot chocolate.
We went back to our hotel, only to have to run out again for something, we needed a drugstore, and got into a taxi, which took us to Walgreens in Time Square, Maegan wanted the taxi to wait for us, but we didnt have it wait, which was probably a good thing, cause the Walgreens was 3 stories high, and what we needed was , of course, on the top floor. We then walked around Time square a bit, took my picture with a couple of the local hotties, and then we went back to the hotel. The hotel was out of fans, and anyone who has ever slept with me knows I need to have a fan when I sleep, or SOME SORT of sound. So Maegan had an app for that! we listened to beach sounds on her iphone all night long, very nice to have something to fall asleep to. 6:30 came way too fast, I can tell you that.
( Not posting pics in post anymore, if you scroll up to the post above this one, you will find a link to the album)
6:30 AM of the Big DAY!! showered and got ready, I was not doing my makeup cause I was getting hair and makeup done at TODAY. I did kind of do my hair, only cause I did not want to walk around with that un done too. (It was bad enough that I was walking around without make up ).
WE went up and had some breakfast in the hotel , and then we walked over to the studio. We went to the wrong building first, but found where we were to go for real . We checked in with the person with the clipboard, and then we were taken to the green room ( which, by the way, is NOT GREEN). No sooner had I sat down and started looking around to see who was in the Green room with us that I was called to go to hair and makeup.
They took us downstairs to hair and makeup, and I gave the wardrobe men my clothes ( which they took out and steamed them and hung them up )
Hair and Makeup! I loved the hair guy, very nice and talked to me. While I was in the chair, Joy joined me in the chair next to me, it was so fun! She did say that she didnt want KAthie Lee to know who I was , cause they like the reaction from Kathie Lee and Hoda be a real one, so she said if she didnt talk to me, that was why. Kathie lees dressing room was right behind my chair , we saw her come in and go into her room, she said hi to everyone and went to look at the outfits she had hanging in her dressing room.

When I was finished Maegan and I went out to the sitting area of hair and makeup and sat and talked a bit, we talked about how I needed more eye makeup, lol, but wasnt sure how to ask for it. In the meantime, the red headed boy from Harry Poter came in with a bunch of people. Joy came over and we chatted about what they could ask me, and talked about the food that she picked to use . The it was time to get dressed! Was I nervous?? I was getting there, but I still had things under control. At one point a blurb of my upcoming story came on and it was odd to see the pictures that came up, Joy asked me if I had seen the clip that they put together with my pictures and my story, I had not, and said I didnt want to see it till after the show. She completely understood. I didnt want to cry, I just wanted to get through the whole show without crying, I could cry later when I Was home alone watching it .
I got dressed, then Joy took me upstairs to the studio to show me what it looked like, where I would stand ( on the "T") and we talked about the food again. it was strange though , cause when I was in there the cameras were in one place, and when I came out the door on stage, they were then all pointing at me, it was very different. :) Then we left the stage and she took me out in the hall, where she then asked someone if they could place me in a room, cause Kathie Lee and Hoda would be walking past me, and again , they didnt want them to see me. So they placed me in an office, as I Was in there looking around , I realized I was in Al's office! there were pictures of his son, and some other personal things laying about to make me realize where I was. As soon as it clicked im my head that I was in there, They came and got me. Bummer.

I was then with another gal, and we stood outside of the door that I was going to walk through. There was a man who was going to open the door for me , and the lady that I Was talking to. I could hear my voice being played ,and again , didnt want to hear that ,so she and I talked. Next thing I knew she said " he would open the door in 15 seconds". Then I could hear Hoda say " Lets meet Tami " and blur... it was all a blur... The door opened, I walked out, ( missed my mark, lol) and then I talked to them and it was over. lol. Hoda asked me about Jillians Book and I didnt think that she would, so I was taken by surprise when she did . All the questions that Joy thought they would ask, they didnt ask any of them, I was totally taken by surprise with the questions. When I was talking I saw the camera man do a rolling thing with his hands, so I quickly finished what I was saying and stopped talking. I dont know if it was for me that he was rolling to, but I stopped talking just in case he was talking to me.
Then Hoda and Kathie Lee talked to me for a bit and then they were off to their next segment. Joy and I took some pictures then we went back downstairs to where Maegan was and we were done. We said our goodbyes and thank you's, and took some more pictures and Maegan and I were off.
We quickly went back to our hotel, changed our clothes, and packed things up, We had a LOT to see and not much time to do it in!

( more to come later )

2010-11-18T06:44:00.000-08:00

TODAY SHOW

Link is to My video from the today show!

I tried to post last night , but my computer was not behaving, and it was probably telling me that it was time to sleep, since my body had been telling me the same thing all day.

I slept last night , it was wonderful.

Will post a FULL detailed blog post of NYC with pictures, this weekend, I have been going non stop since getting back, right back in to work and of course the gym. looking forward to the weekend where my only real plan is to get together with my friend Sharon for a drink. That is my kind of plan!
New post to come soon!

What a week its been .

2010-11-10T17:41:00.000-08:00

So much emotion has gone on within me in the last week, And so much more to come in the next 5 days I am sure.
I hit my goal weight on Monday, ( what a great way to start the week!) I am actually below by 1/2 a pound. I didnt even really get to process the whole hitting my goal thing cause I had to go to work, and everytime I thought about it , I started to cry, and was ruining my makeup so I had to stop thinking about it. Still havent had time to really think about it . I want to though, I really want to spend some time on the thought.
But I have had all this other stuff going on, getting ready for the Today show. that has been taking up all my spare thoughts . :) Today I had to go up to the local NBC station here in Seattle , KING 5, and record my track. this is the little bit that you will hear in the beginning of my story when you also get to see All my lovely before pictures. I was concerned that I wouldnt get through it without crying , but it was no problem , I think cause I read it so much to Emily, the producer, My co-worker and my hairdresser, that by the time I read it in the sound booth I was fine ( plus the half of anti anxiety pill that my DR gave me couldnt have hurt.) lol So It was fine, I was fine.
Then I went over to my friend Dena Brandt's house, she is a national director for Cookie Lee, and she helped me pick out some jewelry for the show, How Fun was THAT?? !!
And tonight , as I type this, I am about 1 hour away from teaching my first Boot Camp class at the gym. Am I nervous about that? yes, I think I really am. I wouldnt be too upset if it was a small group for the first night. :)
So thats about it, two more work days till the weekend, I have a few little errands to run around and do on SAT, but not too much, trying to keep it a quiet day. I leave Early Sunday morning with Maegan for NY. Excited doesnt BEGIN to describe how I am feeling .

THE TODAY SHOW!

2010-11-07T19:48:00.001-08:00

I will be ON IT!!! On Monday Nov 15th, I will be on with Kathie Lee and Hoda, and Joy and be the newest member of the JOY FIT CLUB! How AH MA ZING is that???
Over the Summer I had emailed them to tell them about myself ( everyone said I should be on TV, so why not give it a shot?) so I did, then nothing.. then you know what happens? You forget that you did email them. And you go about your life... then one morning ( WED ) you are getting ready and go in the kitchen and see you have a new email on your phone. Jake in the meantime is talking to you about who knows what, cause as soon as you see its from the JOY FIT CLUB and the TODAY SHOW , you freak out ( cry actually) and Jake is looking at you like what the heck is wrong with you? I ran upstairs and got on my laptop and read the email again ( like reading it on the computer was better cause it was bigger than a BB, lol) and I read it and read it.. 5 lines is all it was, and a phone number. Call the producer if interested . ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? I didnt have to think for a minute, not even for a second, I called her! Got a VM , ( naturally) and left a message. Finished getting ready all while Sam reminded me that we were running late. lol I wouldnt post it on Facebook till I told a friend first, I didnt want her to read it on FB. so I waited and waited for her to call me. She thought I was waiting for her to comment on the cute sweater dress and leggings, ( which she had ) that I was wearing that day, she didnt know that I needed her to call still... FINALLY she called as I was sitting in Starbucks , ( I think they thought I was nuts) . And we both freaked out. In the meantime, as I waited for the producer to call me back, I was signing papers with Chrissy at LA Fitness as the new instructor for the Bootcamp class. . Mind totally not on focus with her, and I finished up and left the gym, to check my phone and of course, had missed her call.
Finally talked to her and she asked if I was able to come to NY on the 14th to be on the show on the 15th . Of course I am able to do that ,I have no plans, wide open! lol fast fast fast , is how it has moved since then, Next week will be crazy too.
I will try to keep you posted this week on it all. I am all wonky right now..
Hugs to you all!

I posted on My fitness pal the pictures below

2010-10-30T19:56:00.000-07:00

My before picture,and My current picture :and while I was posting these pictures to compare my 181 pound weight loss, it made me very VERY sad when I looked at the two photos.
( And dont ask me WHY this is all underlined and in blue, that was not my intention, but, to be honest, I dont care enough to figure out why so we will all have to deal with it )
Anyway, OHH look , its gone! :)
anyway. Back to me being very sad, cause after all , this is my blog and its all about me :)
I looked at the picture, looked at my face, looked at my neck, my arms , my BOOBS , my stomach, my EVERYTHING. and I am sad that THAT WAS ME. and that I let myself become that. LOOK at those two pictures, can you believe its the same person? cause I cant and it is ME!!! So I can understand if you are thinking the same thing.

This weight loss is so mental, and the closer I get to my goal ( hello, did you see my ticker, do you see that I am 4 POUNDS AWAY?) I am having a harder and harder time with the mental stuff.... We wont talk about that.

What we WILL talk about is:

I am getting my going to be cycle instructor certified !!! I am also going to be teaching Bootcamp at LA Fitness! starting in less than 2 weeks ( if all goes as planned). I cant wait to share my passion for fitness with others! AND to get paid while doing so, how great is that? HELLO!!!! :)

12 hour workout challange complete!!!

2010-10-24T20:10:00.000-07:00

Angela and I thought it would be "fun" to workout 12 hours this weekend, 6 hours both days. We thought it would be a challenge that we could see 1, how many calories we could burn, and 2, what our bodies could endure, she also got her co-worker Tyler, and her friend Brenda to join us.

We burned over 4700 calories in the two days, and our bodies endured the following : 2 hours of spin class, 2 hours of bootcamp 2 hours of cardio machines, 8 miles of walking/ running, 1 hour of pilates, 1 hour of yoga, 30 mins of swimming, 1 hour of weight training, over the two days.
We were all wiped out the first day, I crashed by 9 pm, and when my husband came home around 8 pm he said I looked like crap ( tired) we didnt drink gatorade or anything like that till late in the day on SAT, big mistake, headache big time. Also forgot our Advil. not too sore Sunday AM, but I felt it for sure. Sunday was much better. We were tired on Sunday, burned less calories, and were ready to leave the gym , BIG TIME. The weather was CRAP, we were planning a 90 minute hike at the end of Sunday, and had to do a walk/run cause the rain and wind was so bad we couldnt hike. tyler complained about the lunges in bootcamp, so I made him do more, I can do lunges till the cows come home, so those didnt hurt me :) Brenda who is in AMAZING shape, was sore as heck today, when you do things you dont normally do, your body takes notice. I am sore tonight, my butt hurts.....
We ate the whole time, and drank gallons of water. IT was awesome to finish what we set out to do.

FYI, my " if every day were like today " on my fitness pal said I would lose over 25 pounds in 5 weeks. So there ya go, 5 pounds a week, this is how the biggest loser people do it!

Did you see that?

2010-10-07T21:45:00.000-07:00

did you see that my ticker MOVED!! and not just a little, it moved BIG TIME! 6 more pounds BABY!!! And another size 6 jeans slid on this morning ... just saying.
Last week someone asked me " do you see yourself as someone who has lost 178 pounds, or someone who has 7 pounds to still lose?"
Good Question... Made me think. didnt want to think, not about that. But I did. and honestly, I see myself as someone who has 7 pounds to lose ( well 6 now ), and not the 178 that I have lost. NOT that what I have done is any small feat, cause I know its pretty frickin amazing , its AH MA ZING , but I am not at the goal that I Set, and right now that is what I am focused on , reaching my goal. So yes, I see myself as someone who still has 6 pounds to go. When I hit my goal weight , and I have lost 185 pounds, I will then look at myself as someone who is maintaining her 185 pound weight loss, and wakes up every day KNOWING what I have done is AH MA ZING, and feel AMAZING, and is happy , every day I wake up happy, how awesome is that? Life is good .

long time no post

2010-09-26T18:42:00.001-07:00

I really tried this past week, but something was wrong with my internet and not it just wasnt loading well, so I gave up.
anyway, its been a very long couple of weeks, with work and workouts. I had a crazy week last week with a few days of over 1000 calories burned, yes, you read that right. I had two nights where I was at the gym for 3 hours, If that is what its gonna take to zap these last few pounds off of me, that is what I will do.
I have had a few things said to me this past week that doesnt sit well with me at all. And I am going to bitch about it here.
. When people tell me I am good, I dont need to lose any more weight.
I HATE THIS. for the sole reason that I am NOT DONE, I have not reached my goal that I set out to reach. I will not just stop where I am at cause I look "fine". If I did that ,I would feel like I failed to reach my goal. regardless of the weight I have lost ,I will feel like I failed, because I didnt reach the goal that I set out to do. I think people dont get it, when you have been overweight your whole life ( or as long as I can remember) I really want to be able to say for the first time " I have no weight to lose" not that I would walk around saying that, but people say all the time, " I would like to lose, 10, 20, 30 pounds" I dont want to still be able to say that. I dont really expect anyone to get it, but that is how I feel about it.
Sometimes I feel bad when people want me to help them , and I cant seem to do lose this last bit myself, so how can I help someone else??
On a Good note, and this is a very very good note. I bought my first pair of size 6 pants on Friday. Size 6. so I know that when I lose my last 9 pounds, I will fit into a 6 on pretty much every brand, not just one :) I still cant do the skinny jeans, I just have too muscular of the legs to pull that cut off, but that is OK . Loving the boyfriend jeans.. I even got my friend Jenn to like them after she said she would never wear them , :)
Posting a picture from this weekend that I really like of me :)

I wanted to share this with you guys

2010-09-14T22:13:00.000-07:00

A Gal from My Fitness pal , shared her blog that was for me tonight. I so needed to read this :

This is for Tamishumate and all the other people who post about how hard it is to lose those last 10 pounds:

Hi,

I've been a MFP member for 8.5 months and had a lot of success so far. But I'm much more concerned about maintaining than I am about losing weight since I've had success like this in the past.

I know that a lot of people tell you what a great job you've done so far and rightfully so. But I want to tell you that I think that what you are doing right now - losing those last few pounds to get to goal - is the most impressive to me. I think you are at the hardest part when every pound comes off at what seems like a snail pace. I've been there so I know that it can be as discouraging as hell, especially when the first 50 - 60 - 75 seem now, in retrospect, to have just dropped off.

I don't follow you closely so the last time I looked at your profile you were at 15 pounds to go. Today, I looked you up again and you were at 9lbs! I remembered that you were feeling kind of down about how slowly the 15 were coming off so I was really happy to see you had lost 6. Congratulations!

I'm trying to work into a mental attitude that will help me maintain when I reach goal. I haven't worked it out all yet but part of it is that plateaus and the last-ten-pounds syndrome are trial runs for maintenance. They require you to keep on tracking what you eat, exercising heavily and regularly but without the thrills of weight loss and the public recognition that goes with it. In other words, just sheer dogged persistence.

Every time you write about the discouragement you feel at this last stage, how you are getting through the aches and pains of exercising without giving up, you inspire and remind me that this is an endless journey. There will be no "well, it doesn't matter now because I'm finished losing weight" thinking and NO GIVING UP.

I know you're going to hang in there. Thank you for sharing how tough it is going to be.

IT is so hard, And so hard to not just say " Ehh, I look good, just be done" But I CANT DO THAT, I have set a goal, and I must reach it, its no longer about the health and that I need to lose weight to be healthy ( in fact, I am insanely healthy, was told by my dr that with my blood pressure I will live a very long time, And this was only AFTER she had to go get a smaller cuff to take my blood pressure, they use to have to get the XL cuff, now they go looking for the smaller one) Anyway, its not about that, its about reaching the weight that I said I was going to do, its about seeing if the last 9 pounds will take care of the tummy that I hate having, its about seeing if I , TAMI SHUMATE, can be a size 6 , ( that is total vanity, I admit that ) . Its about , saying for the first time in my life, that I am at my goal weight , that I dont have any weight to lose. its about all that. I wont give up, I wont. I will figure out how to get rid of these last few pounds, and I will be able to say all that :)

I have been having a pity party

2010-08-29T21:41:00.000-07:00

It has been a most frustrating week.
Did I mention in the post below about my 9+ mile run last Saturday, and how at mile 3, the pain in my knee started, and by the end of the run, was killing me ( IT BAND ) well all week it was still killing me, not getting any better, I have gone thru a bunch advil , and a couple of pain killers. I didnt run all week, But went out Saturday AM by myself to see what I could do. 6 minutes is what I could do before the pain started. I ended up running only 2 miles on and off, run, then walk. it sucked . I am very very concerned about it, I dont know what to do to make it better. I have been using a foam roller ( which kills by the way) and I have been stretching tons. I dont know what else to do .
On Top of that, I am getting a tad annoyed with the fact that I cant drop these last 9 pounds . I looked back at my food diary, and the last time I lost weight was about the same time I started eating so much fruit. I know people may think its crazy that I am even connecting the two, but I was eating alot of fruit. and Fruit has alot of sugar, regardless of the whole Natural sugar nonsense, its still sugar. and carbs. So starting last WED, I stopped eating any fruit. I am willing to not eat fruit for a couple of weeks to see if that helps any. I am trying to keep my sugars real low, ( below 15 has been my goal) I am not going all crazy over no carbs, but I have cut them back too. I will let you know if anything works in my favor :)
I hope my leg gets better soon, I am getting concerned about the half marathon coming up in OCT.

Biggest Loser Meet N Greet!

2010-08-21T20:04:00.000-07:00

Today there was a Biggest Loser Meet N Greet at Lake Meridian in Kent, WA. Tomorrow there is a TRI with a few of the former Biggest Losers. I am volunteering on the Bike course tomorrow bright and Early. Its the least I can do for these amazing people that can do a TRI ! think about how tough that is! That is my friend Angela in the picture with Matt and Suzy and I . Daris is the cutie in the orange shirt from last season, and Kai is the perky little one in the other orange shirt from season 3.
Cute Fun Story : I was waiting for my friend, standing outside my car, and I was on my phone on FB I see a car pull up, but I didnt look up, I hear a whistle, I ignore it, then they whistle again, then I hear, " Hey Skinny" in this cute voice, I look up and its Suzy in the car with Matt and Daris, and his Girlfriend. She gets out and we say hello. Matt gets out and introduces me to Daris as " This is Tami, and she has lost like a gajillon pounds" Daris and I shake hands, and I tell him its not really that much.. lol When I had him sign my before and current pic thing that I had, he looked at it and said " I know you" , I told him we were friends on FB, he remembered it. How fun for me !

Forgot to mention that we ran 9.2 this am. took 1 hour and 44 mins.

I miss my scale

2010-08-17T21:45:00.000-07:00

only two days into it, and I really miss it. Its such a habit to get on it after I get home from the gym, and then before bed, and then first thing in the morning, and then.... you get the picture. It really is a big part of my day, and I feel weird without it. strange.......
tailbone still very sore... couldnt do yoga Monday night, or Pilates Tonight. I am able to do everything else, as long as it doesnt involve laying down, good thing most of my workouts you need to be upright for. :)
I am really looking forward to our 9.5 mile run Saturday, hoping for a much better outcome than the last one. Lets hope I dont hurt for days after.
Thats all for now, just wanted to let you all know that I really do miss my scale .

Last week :)

2010-08-15T21:41:00.001-07:00

Its been a week. and the next few ones dont seem to look any better. I am working more hours at work ,and still getting in all my workouts. I will be having 12 hour days with gym time too. It will be hard, and take alot of planning of my food so I always have something and am not eating out of complete starvation which leads to bad choices. Anyway,
I want everyone to know that I have given my scale to my son and told him to hide it till friday morning. I have been driving myself crazy with it, and I think I need a break of it. I know I am doing all the right things with the food, the scale just isnt moving. Makes me crazy, so its time it goes away. Will I weigh less on Friday when I get on it, Who knows, but at least I wont go crazy all week, lol
I tried on a pair of shorts Friday morning , size 8 , a little baggy, so I went back and got the 6 , tried those on. A bit snug but they buttoned and zipped. I didnt buy them, but hello .. a size 6??? That would make me happy, not what the scale says, but for a size 6 to fit me.

Today I wore a bathing suit out in public and wasnt the least bit uncomfortable. FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE . WOW, that was a very AH HA moment for me , I want everyone to have the same feeling , it was very freeing, and I know I would have never felt this way without all the hard work I have done. I sat there on the beach alone waiting for Scott and Sam, and I enjoyed the moment . I wasnt embarrassed cause I was alone, ( in the past I would have been) I didnt mind when men looked and smiled, I smiled back. IT was very nice. Feeling the way I felt.

9.2 miles

2010-08-07T17:23:00.000-07:00

took was 106 minutes, or 1 hour 46 minutes. or 6,360 seconds. that isnt too long.. right? 9.2 miles, less than 4 more and I would have finished my half . it wasnt the fastest run, let me break down all that slowed us down this morning:
we hadnt had a long run together since the weekend BEFORE the 22nd of July, not sure what that one was exactly, but we did 8.5 miles that weekend then next weekend I did 6 on saturday am with Angela, then 5 on Monday with Tanna, then I took a break cause of my foot/ankle. I have been nursing it since then. yesterday was the first day it felt really great.
So it had been a while
We were taking it slow cause my my foot, and her hip ( she hurt it a few weeks ago doing weights), This AM I got my monthly gift, ( a week early ) and I had some major cramps from that. and also for some odd reason, I was in the bathroom all morning with tummy pains. And to top it all off, it was raining.
But we went anyway. Cause we HAD TO . I stopped at the store before we met for some pepto, and kept my fingers crossed that I wouldnt need a bathroom. And I was fine.
My foot was ok, and Jenn worked thru her hip pain, at about 4 miles she figured out how to run without it hurting too much. some parts of the trail were covered by trees, and some parts wide open, so we got rained on alot
Mile 7 I hate. my knees gets tight, and my quads want to freeze up, its a bitch to get thru, usually about mile 8 I am thru it, but with less than a mile to go I remember telling Jenn I hurt from my hips to my toes. lol Sounds lovely huh? so far so good. We are so far ahead on our training, we feel pretty good about it !
Cant wait for a 10 mile run!

Matt Hoover !

2010-07-28T20:09:00.000-07:00

I love him. I truly do, and not in romantic sort of way, but in a , he is such a good man, who really really enjoys speaking and sharing his journey, and inspiring others. He shares the good, the bad and the ugly, and he makes you laugh, and you can completely relate to just about everything he says.
He came to my work to speak to us on Tuesday. He was going to speak for 30 mins and he spoke for 75 mins. He answered questions, and he took pictures with all of us that wanted to take them. He said so many things that made sense to me, including, and this is a very big one, when you say goodbye to your old , unhealthy lifestyle, you also end up saying goodbye to those friends who want you to stay unhealthy , cause that is what you did with them ( drinking, eating , a whole lot of nothing,) But along the journey of getting healthy you make new friends ( Ha I feel like I am in high school) who have the same interests as you, and enjoy the same healthy activities that you do. ( in a nut shell, that is what he said) I have had a hard time with this , and I have felt bad about it, but its so true, and I need to feel ok about it.
I have alot of new friends, and its no coincidence that all my new friends are very involved in fitness. And its ok to have new friends, cause you want to surround yourself with people that make you feel good, and share your interests.
Pictured with me below is one of my new friends, who has lost 91 pounds, and is studying to become a personal trainer. I love her, she is so wonderful ! And can I just say that I love that Matt comes with his life size before picture?? I want one of those!

Luau !

2010-07-25T21:59:00.000-07:00

See my life was so crazy last week I couldnt even finish the week in my life. LOL
But fast forward to Saturday, and it was a fabulous party! I love having a reason to get to wear a dress :)
So much yummy food, it was amazing, I enjoyed every single bite , and I really think I tried everything on the dessert table.
Here are the pics from the Luau, and a couple from the Red Sox games too!

Pics below are Yummy cupcakes;Jenn and I; Jen, Jenn and I ; then Red Sox games, three different ones. Kimi and I ; Alec and I ; Jake and I; and Brett and Sam and I

a week in my life: Thursday

2010-07-22T23:16:00.000-07:00

6:40 am Alarm goes off . lay in bed for a few feeling the ankle/foot, wondering how it will feel when I step on it
6:45 get up and go to the bathroom, foot still hurts ( Darn it!) have a happy # on the scale , and I get in the shower
7:20 coffee, oatmeal, dishes were not started in the dishwasher ( darn 17 year old boys!) and so I start the dishwasher, then I put my clothes in the dryer.
7:40 computer time, email Scott, check FB, running short on time this morning, not sure how that happens?
8:30 Sam comes knocking, breakfast please, :) I tell him I will be right down, still trying to figure out what I am wearing to the Red Sox game tonight. the weather is not working with the outfit I had picked out, so change of plans.
8:45 eggs, I dont have alot of meal prep cause I am having a smoothie for lunch and subway for dinner. so I just need my protein for my 11:30 snack.
9:15 leave for work
9:30 clock in to work.
11:30 snack
1:00 go get smoothie
3:00 leave work, go home wait for Scott to get home, Sam is at a party down the street, but I cant leave till Scott gets home.
3:30 Scott and Brett get home, JAke and I leave, go to bank, Jake gets a haircut, I go to subway, we are on the road to Seattle by 4:15
4:45 Free Parking!!!! That ROCKS and saves me some $ yeah!!
5:10 Gates open!! we go to our seats and I eat, I am hungry. enjoy the views of the Red sox, and my time with Jake.
Awesome Game, no hitter going into the bottom of the 8th , then the sox blow it in the bottom of the 9th .
10:30 we give up and go, I have to work tomorrow.
11:10 Game is OVER Red Sox WIN and I am in my bed blogging :) with an ice pack on my foot.

Texting with Tanna, who wants to run the half marathon with us. And I am also trying to figure out what to do about my foot. Thinking maybe not run, or try the run and see what happens? I have no idea, not tonight anyway.

Food Diary is below:

Breakfast 8:45 am	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Pace - Medium Salsa, 1 tbsp	5	1	0	0	125	1
Bob's Red Mill - Steel Cut Oatmeal, 0.1975 cup	111	21	2	5	0	0
Egg - Grade A Large - Egg White Only, 4 Egg White(s)	68	0	0	16	220	0
Egg Small, 1 egg	70	1	5	6	0	0
Add Food \| Remember Meal	254	23	7	27	345	1
AM snack 11:30 am
Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein - Strawberry Banana, 1 rounded sccop (30g)	120	3	1	24	60	1
Add Food \| Remember Meal	120	3	1	24	60	1
lunch 2:00 pm
Emerald City Smoothie - Lean Body, 24 oz	330	24	8	40	460	6
Add Food \| Remember Meal	330	24	8	40	460	6
PM snack 4:30 pm
Add Food
protein durning workout 6:30
Add Food
Dinner 8 pm ish
Quaker - Rice Cakes - Butter Popcorn, 2 piece	70	16	0	2	90	0
Subway - 6" Roast Beef on Wheat With Veggies, 6 "	310	46	5	26	840	6
Nuts - Peanuts-Dry, Roasted, Salted, Shelled , 1/2 cup in shells	166	6	14	7	230	0
Add Food \| Remember Meal	546	68	19	35	1,160	6

Totals	1,250	118	35	126	2,025	14
Your Daily Goal	1,200	120	33	105	2,500	24
Remaining	-50	2	-2	-21	475	10
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar

A week in my life: Wed

2010-07-21T08:45:00.000-07:00

5:55am Alarm goes off, I DO NOT hit snooze. Bathroom get dressed for run, eat a banana
6:12 Out the door, still rubbing the eyes, not really awake. I walk for about 2 mins before I start running, I encounter two "weirdo's " by the fire station, but I feel safe, cause I am by the fire station. :)
6:50 back in the house after a 3 mile run, it felt real good, the breathing wise, I was for sure slower with 33 mins for the 3 miles.
6:55 answering texts from Jenn and emails. Should be in the shower, but still sweating so no.
7:10 Shower
7:30 coffee, but I didnt START the coffee pot last night, I got it all ready, but didnt start it, I really thought I did, hmmm. Start coffee pot, make oatmeal. wait, ( not happy about it at all) for the coffee pot to make my darn coffee.
7:45 still on the computer, knowing I am running late, but I dont have to be at work till 9:45 today so its all good.
8:40 Sam came in the room looking for breakfast, and informed me that I was "running late today"
8:45, get Sam breakfast, Make my egg whites, lunch and snacks. Take out stuff for dinner.
9:10 Sam informs me that I am "really running late now" ( like I need a 7 year old to tell me that ) I tell him I really am ok, but thanks :)
9:20 leave house. stop at walgreens, get 2 sugarfree redbull shots ( will need them for sure) and go to work.
9:45 work.
11:00 Hungry so I have some strawberries, I knew I would be super hungry today with the run in the AM
11:30 Protein shake!
1:45 lunch! Call and make the DRs apt that I have been meaning to make all week
5:00 leave work, go to grocery store pick up some things we need for dinner, call Jake, ask him to start dinner.
5:30 Home, take over the dinner prep from Jake. Sam is not home, Scott is napping. Teenagers are playing poker, So glad I cam home to spend some time with everyone.
6:15 eat dinner, Scott still sleeping, Sam is still not home ( he is at the neighbors) .
6:30 leave to go back to work for a class, go to the neighbors and get Sam, invite neighbor to the Mariners Game on the 8th for Sam's birthday.
6:45 arrive at the party store to get wrapping paper so I can wrap the present for the party that Sam is going to tomorrow.
7:00 Class
9:00 leave work ( again)
9:10 arrive home, Scott is awake , only to say goodnight, I say goodnight to him and Sam, and I wrap the present . Make my coffee for the AM ( I SWEAR I set it this time!) I throw in a load of laundry, and then I grab an ice pack for my foot and head upstairs.
I hurt my foot today, I dont know when it was, maybe on my run ,but I didnt feel it till I was working, so I have it wrapped and iced( it is slightly swollen) hope the next two days that I am off from working out heals it all .

Tomorrow and Friday night I have Red Sox games to go to. I need to plan out my meals for tomorrow, I am going to do that now. Jake and I are stopping at Subway for dinner, and not eating at the game. I am exhausted and going to bed after that.

I said my week was crazy, I normally have more home time than this, but I wanted to show that even with the craziness of my week, that you can still do this, it just takes alot of planning :)

food diary : Before I post it, I know some people are wondering why I am not eating all my calories, ( meaning my exercise calories) knowing that I will have two days in a row at Red Sox games, and no workouts, and on Saturday I have a HUGE party to go to with tons of fabulous foods, more yummy sweets than you could imagine ( check back Sunday for pics) I know I am going to eat on that day, more than my calories for the day, so I have been not eating them all this week, it just makes me feel better about Saturday :) and now,
Food Diary:

iary For:

Breakfast 8:45 am	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Pace - Medium Salsa, 1 tbsp	5	1	0	0	125	1
Bob's Red Mill - Steel Cut Oatmeal, 0.1975 cup	111	21	2	5	0	0
Bananas - Raw, 1 medium (7" to 7-7/8" long)	105	27	0	1	1	14
Egg - Grade A Large - Egg White Only, 4 Egg White(s)	68	0	0	16	220	0
Egg Small, 1 egg	70	1	5	6	0	0
Add Food \| Remember Meal	359	50	7	28	346	15
AM snack 11:30 am
Dymatize Elite - Whey Protein Isolate - Gourmet Vanilla, 1 scoop	114	2	2	24	50	0
Kellogg's Special K - 90 Calorie Multigrain Crackers, 1 pkg - 22g	90	17	2	2	190	5
Add Food \| Remember Meal	204	19	4	26	240	5
lunch 2:00 pm
Melons - Cantaloupe, raw, 1 cup, balls	60	14	0	1	28	14
Strawberries - Raw, 1 cup, halves	49	12	0	1	2	7
Chicken Breast No Skin (Baked) - Baked Chicken Breast No Skin, 4 oz	117	0	6	23	0	0
Flaout Out Flat Bread - Light Original, 1 flatbread	90	16	3	9	320	0
Strawberries - Raw, 1 cup, halves	49	12	0	1	2	7
Add Food \| Remember Meal	365	54	9	35	352	28
PM snack 4:30 pm
Quaker - Rice Cakes , 2 cake	70	14	0	2	30	0
Add Food \| Remember Meal	70	14	0	2	30	0
protein durning workout 6:30
Add Food
Dinner 8 pm ish
Dole - Romaine Lettuce, 0.5 cups	4	1	0	0	4	1
Generic - Tomato (Roma), 1/2 Tomato	8	2	0	1	3	2
Generic - Ground Beef - 93% Lean 7% Fat, 4 oz	170	0	8	23	70	0
Kraft Salad Dressing - Ranch Dressing/Dip, 1.5 tbsp	90	2	9	0	278	2
Add Food \| Remember Meal	272	5	17	24	355	5

Totals	1,270	142	37	115	1,323	53
Your Daily Goal	1,586	158	43	138	2,500	24
Remaining	316	16	6	23	1,177	-29
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
	*You've earned 386 extra calories from exercise today

a week in my life: Tuesday

2010-07-20T21:34:00.000-07:00

6:33 alarm goes off, Hit snooze
6:42 Alarm goes off again, Get up. Bathroom , Shower
7:10 Coffee, oatmeal. check MFP, FB, and emails
7:35 still on the computer and should be getting ready, texting with Jenn this AM :)
7:40 getting make up on, drying hair, getting dressed
8:35 go downstairs to make eggs whites, and prepare meals for the day. Sam is playing PS3 and would like breakfast now, we visit while I make my meals and he eats his cereal ( which by the way is a HUGE KUDOS for me to get him off the pop tart that daddy likes to get, and to get him to eat healthy cereal, He doesnt like his milk in it, so it takes it on the side)
9:04 Out the door , head to Value Village to find a shirt for the luau for Sam, and I have success!
9:35 get to work ( only 5 mins late but its really 10 mins early on some days so I am good)
11:30, protein shake ( very hungry this AM)
2:00 Lunch, ! yeah, I was starving, I usually go at 1:45 but we were running late today
4:30 snack time! tuna and rice cakes
5:00 clock out of work, change for the gym
5:10 in car , traffic is light !
5:30 Arrive at gym, meeting Jenny for weights and a run on the treadmill before we go to Pilates ( she is the instructor)
6:20 Weights are done, get on the treadmill for 2 mile run and a cool down.
6:50 set up my spot for pilates ,drink my protein shake and go potty!
7:00 Pilates
8:10 leave gym, after making plans with Jenny for next week
8:20 arrive home to Jake, Alec, Sam and Patrick ( nephew) playing basketball outside
8:30 in the house, make particks bed up ,and get some dinner, visit with Scott ( husband) and eat and watch the RED SOX game.
9:00 Say goodnight to Sam and Scott, make coffee for the AM, and cut up my strawberries for tomorrow. While I was doing this, Brett came down and picked my brain on eating healthy and losing weight, he says he is ready to "eat like me" !!!! OMG OMG OMG!! This is HUGE, besides Scott, Brett is the last to jump on the healthy lifestyle, so I was HAPPY to chat with him about it all. Hope it works for him, he needs to lose about 40 pounds to be on the healthy side. He will be 19 a week from today.
9:25 say goodnight to Jake and Patrick, tell them that I will be asleep by 10 so no loud voices after then :)
9:30 get my running clothes ready for the AM, this is where my crazy week starts. I have to get up at 6 am and run 3 miles, As you can already tell, I am not a morning person, so this will be interesting. I can not workout tomorrow night, I have to go back to work for a class at 7. But I have to get my run in. Thursday and Friday are also out, ( Red Sox games) so this is it. will let you know how it goes...
9:49 that is what it is now, I will finish up here, check emails and FB really fast , post this on MFP and go to sleep.
That is my Tuesday, here is my food diary for today:

Breakfast 8:45 am	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Pace - Medium Salsa, 1 tbsp	5	1	0	0	125	1
Bob's Red Mill - Steel Cut Oatmeal, 0.1975 cup	111	21	2	5	0	0
Egg - Grade A Large - Egg White Only, 5 Egg White(s)	85	0	0	20	275	0
Add Food \| Remember Meal	201	22	2	25	400	1
AM snack 11:30 am
Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein - Strawberry Banana, 1 rounded sccop (30g)	120	3	1	24	60	1
Add Food \| Remember Meal	120	3	1	24	60	1
lunch 2:00 pm
Melons - Cantaloupe, raw, 1 cup, balls	60	14	0	1	28	14
Strawberries - Raw, 1 cup, halves	49	12	0	1	2	7
Chicken Breast No Skin (Baked) - Baked Chicken Breast No Skin, 4 oz	117	0	6	23	0	0
Flaout Out Flat Bread - Light Original, 1 flatbread	90	16	3	9	320	0
Add Food \| Remember Meal	316	42	9	34	350	21
PM snack 4:30 pm
Kraft - Miracle Whip (Light), 1.5 tbsp	45	5	3	0	210	3
Bumble Bee Tuna - White Albacore, Very Low Sodium, 1 container (4 oz ea.)	120	0	2	30	70	0
Quaker - Rice Cakes - Butter Popcorn, 2 piece	70	16	0	2	90	0
Add Food \| Remember Meal	235	21	5	32	370	3
protein durning workout 6:30
Dymatize Elite - Whey Protein Isolate - Gourmet Vanilla, 1 scoop	114	2	2	24	50	0
Add Food \| Remember Meal	114	2	2	24	50	0
Dinner 8 pm ish
Pace - Medium Salsa, 1 tbsp	5	1	0	0	125	1
Chicken Breast No Skin (Baked) - Baked Chicken Breast No Skin, 6 oz	176	0	9	35	0	0
Flaout Out Flat Bread - Light Original, 1 flatbread	90	16	3	9	320	0
Dole - Romaine Lettuce, 0.5 cups	4	1	0	0	4	1
Fresh - Watermelon, 1 cup	46	12	0	1	2	10
Add Food \| Remember Meal	321	30	12	45	451	12

Totals	1,307	120	31	184	1,681	38
Your Daily Goal	1,812	158	49	181	2,500	24
Remaining	505	38	18	-3	819	-14

A week in my life : Monday

2010-07-19T21:47:00.000-07:00

I thought I would give you all a week in my life. this week is crazy for me, so I thought maybe this isnt the week to do it, BUT then I thought, If you can see that even with my crazy ass week going on, I am still able to work out 5 days a week . When I started this journey I made up my mind that I needed to put myself first on a daily basis, Now I am not saying I am a complete selfish person and I only think of me, BUT I do THINK OF ME, and I have done it every day. I have 4 boys, and a husband, and a full time job. If I can make time for myself on a daily basis, anyone can . So Here was my Monday:
6:30 am: Alarm goes off, I hit snooze
6:48: I can no longer hit snooze and I get up.
6:50: Bathroom, Shower
7:10 Coffee, and eat my oatmeal , spend a few minutes on MFP and FB
7:30 Make up, Sam comes in and crawls into my bed with his Lego book and we talk and watch the today show, as I go in and out of the bathroom getting my makeup on and doing my hair
8:30: Sam and I go downstairs and I get him breakfast, make my 5 egg whites and pack my lunch and snacks for the day, which consist of : protein powder for my 11:30 snack, strawberries and cantaloupe, 4 oz of chicken, lettuce and salsa on a flatout. ( lunch) my 4:30 snack , tuna and a rice cake .
9:15: leave the house for work
9:30 : work day starts, I work till 5 pm , Lunch is at 2 pm, I take two breaks for snacks, one at 11:30 and one at 4:30 ( these are both high protein, one is a shake and one is tuna )
5:00 Clock out, change my clothes at work for the gym
5:10 leave work, run to ross to look for a shirt for Sam for a party on Saturday, ( nothing) run to Target to get sheets and a pillow for my nephew who is coming tomorrow to spend a week with us( I will not part with another pillow, and who knows where the extra sheets are) and a birthday present for Sam's friend for his party on Thursday.
6:00 pull up at the gym. ran into Jenny on the way in ,we chatted for 10 minutes then off to my workout . I only worked out for 1 hour, it was a fast one that I didnt want to do at all cause it is Monday and I hate mondays at the gym, but cause I have such a crazy week going, I had to get it in. Did weights ( chest and biceps) and ran 2 miles on the treadmill, stretched and then I was outta there! burned 340 calories .
7:15 in my car and made a quick stop at Kohls, ( still looking for that shirt for Sam to wear to the luau on Saturday, ) No luck , ran thru the fitness clothing section real fast and then left with nothing.
7:45 home . Sam was playing basketball outside when I pulled up, so I played with him till 8 then I had to go in and eat
8:00:Starving!! Made my flatout pizza ( love those things) and had some watermelon while my pizza was cooking, Logged my workout and food into MFP, got on FB real fast, said hello to my teenagers and my hubby and then ate dinner.
8:30 : Scott wanted to go to bed cause he was bored. I said to him, " I am here, talk to me" so we sat in the room with the door closed and talked till 9 pm when he had to go to sleep
9:10: shower
9:30: Went downstairs, threw in a load of laundry ( including those sheets for Patrick) closed up the house, made my coffee for the morning ( I remembered to set the timer , came upstairs, got back on MFP left a few messages, then put last weeks episode of " Losing it with Jillian" on and have been blogging while that is on. It is now 10:13 pm
10:30 I will be turning off the light and going to bed.

My Monday is in the books. Check back tomorrow night for Tuesday :)

I also have posted my food diary for the day :)

Breakfast 8:45 am	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Pace - Medium Salsa, 1 tbsp	5	1	0	0	125	1
Bob's Red Mill - Steel Cut Oatmeal, 0.1975 cup	111	21	2	5	0	0
Egg - Grade A Large - Egg White Only, 5 Egg White(s)	85	0	0	20	275	0
Add Food \| Remember Meal	201	22	2	25	400	1
AM snack 11:30 am
Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein - Strawberry Banana, 1 rounded sccop (30g)	120	3	1	24	60	1
Add Food \| Remember Meal	120	3	1	24	60	1
lunch 2:00 pm
Melons - Cantaloupe, raw, 1 cup, balls	60	14	0	1	28	14
Strawberries - Raw, 1 cup, halves	49	12	0	1	2	7
Chicken Breast No Skin (Baked) - Baked Chicken Breast No Skin, 4 oz	117	0	6	23	0	0
Flaout Out Flat Bread - Light Original, 1 flatbread	90	16	3	9	320	0
Add Food \| Remember Meal	316	42	9	34	350	21
PM snack 4:30 pm
Kraft - Miracle Whip (Light), 1.5 tbsp	45	5	3	0	210	3
Bumble Bee Tuna - White Albacore, Very Low Sodium, 1 container (4 oz ea.)	120	0	2	30	70	0
Quaker - Rice Cakes - Butter Popcorn, 2 piece	70	16	0	2	90	0
Add Food \| Remember Meal	235	21	5	32	370	3
protein durning workout 6:30
Add Food
Dinner 8 pm ish
Flaout Out Flat Bread - Light Original, 1 flatbread	90	16	3	9	320	0
Hy-Top - 3 Cheese Pizza Blend, 0.666 cup	160	2	12	14	400	0
Ragu - Pizza Sauce, 1/4 cup	30	5	1	1	240	3
Raw Red Onion - Red Onion Slice, 1 Large Slice	5	2	0	0	0	2
Peppers - Sweet, green, raw, 0.25 cup, chopped	7	2	0	0	1	1
Watermelon - Raw, 2 cup, balls	92	23	0	2	3	19
Chicken Breast No Skin (Baked) - Baked Chicken Breast No Skin, 1 oz	29	0	2	6	0	0
Add Food \| Remember Meal	413	50	18	32	964	25

Totals	1,285	138	35	147	2,144	51
Your Daily Goal	1,542	134	42	154	2,500	24
Remaining	257	-4	7	7	356	-27

So today

2010-07-15T21:37:00.000-07:00

I was at ann Taylor Loft, checking out the sales, and I was thrilled to get a wonderful find of a pair of jeans ( long ones) for a total of $10.00 ! Original price was 59.99 . thank you very much for the deal of the day! Anyway, The lady and I were talking about weight loss, and how I was very happy to buy those jeans in a size 8 petite , considering I use to be a size 28. We talked about how I did it, and all that, but most of all we talked about how I just want to help every overweight person in realizing that they do not need to stay overweight, that there is HOPE.
I have thought about that so much lately, I feel like I can see how hopeless they feel, and I can see it , cause that use to be me. I get it, I understand how they feel, even more so for the ones that have alot to use. And I want them to know that they dont have to wait for that magic pill , or that weight loss surgery is their only hope, I want them to know that the time is going to go by anyway, so even though its going to take a LONG time, they have nothing to lose but the weight. Start TODAY, you wont be sorry you did. I want EVERYONE to feel as wonderful as I do!
how can I get that thru to them? its not like I can walk up to all the overweight people I see and tell them , " Hey , You dont have to stay fat ya know, you can lose weight too!" lol, I would have freaked if someone said that to me. So how do I get them to hear me without me saying anything like that?
I still have yet to figure it out.

It was a good week

2010-07-11T20:52:00.001-07:00

this past week was very good. From Monday - Sunday, I lost 3.5 pounds, bringing my total of pounds to go to 10.5! that is crazy!!
I also got TWO pairs of size 8 capri's from Kohls this week! SIZE 8! can you believe it? I think that is just about the most amazing thing to happen to me this week. To having gone from a size 28 ( a tight one to be exact ) to a size 8 is just amazing. It has been such a long long journey, and anyone who knows me , knows how hard I have worked to get here. ( I hope they dont think it was a piece of cake ) I am one lucky girl, I get to experience this life almost as if I were two different people , not many people get to say that . I really like the experience from the girl that I am now . it is soo much better being healthy and active , having all the energy in the world to do whatever I want, it is fabulous!
Today I had my LDR with Jenn, we were going for 7.5 miles, but didnt track it till afterwards, it was 8.2 miles. 95 mins it took me to run that. ( I say "me" cause Jenn would be a lot faster without me.) I thought at the end , " ok, just one more hour and that is the 1/2, 5 more miles added to this." I think that is totally doable. right after mile 7 my legs got very tight, but that went away in a few mins. so far all the hurts and the aches have gone away, I am hoping it stays that way :) . But each week there is a new pain, and I am pretty sure that by the time we run this half in October, I will have had a pain in every possible place in my legs .
Did I ever tell that you that if I just smell something I want, that is enough for me and I dont have to eat it? Crazy huh? 99% of the time, that works for me! something like doughnuts , I dont really want to eat them, I am happy with just smelling them. :) you should try it some time, but dont get mad at me if you end up eating it! :)
the week of the 18th is going to be crazy for me working out wise. I have something going on WED, Thurs, and Friday nights that will make it very hard to get my workouts in.I am stressing about that, I will need to figure it out for sure.

23 miles this week

2010-07-03T21:38:00.000-07:00

that is what I Ran.
7 sunday, 3 monday,2 tuesday,2thursday,2 friday, and 7 Saturday.

Somewhere in all that running I talked myself into running a 1/2 marathon on 10-10-10 in Victoria BC.!
Right at the very moment, I am beyond excited to do it! talk to me about it when I am running 10+ miles at once.
I dont have a goal time in mind yet, but I still have time to get one.

Todays 7 mile run was amazing. It felt so good, the whole thing felt so good, hills and all. at one point I was thinking " this is pretty easy, I feel pretty good" and Jenn says to me " This is pretty easy Tami!" I know!! we both were thinking how much easier it was than the last time we ran that route.

Last month ( June) I lost 4 pounds, and some inches. 4 pounds in 4 weeks, I will take it. I have 13.5 to go. I gave myself a goal of reaching it by the end of Sept, but now with the marathon training, I am not sure if I will reach it, MANY people say that when your training for a 1/2, you really dont lose weight... we will see.

Great day of running!

2010-06-27T21:59:00.001-07:00

This morning I picked up my 18 year old niece and took her for a 4 mile run. She had started right off running faster than me, I told her I run about and 11 min mile. But she ran off in front of me, I let her go, I dont talk on my runs anyway, she would look back and see where I was and keep going. when we got to the 2 mile mark on the trail we turned around, and she was walking, she looked kind of in pain , something not feeling right, she said her shoulders hurt. So anyway, I was running and soon she passed me. it wasnt until we got back to the hill that she was walking, and I passed her, when I got to the top of the hill I looked back and she was still walking, the end of the trail wasnt too far off so I ran to the end and waited for her. I was very proud that I outran my 18 year old niece!
Then this evening after I took Jake to work, I then went out on another run, this time it was 3 miles. My time was the same, I cant seem to get past the 11 min mile , I dont know what it takes to get past it! I felt AMAZING running twice today. Even Brett asked me when I was heading out for the second run " Didnt you already run 4 miles today" I said "yes" he said, " so your running again now, WHY?" I said " Because I want to " .
That is just it, I did it because I can!! I am not sure if anyone really grasps how amazing I feel, I am not even sure I can explain how it feels to be in this body , and experience all that it is capable of doing.

14 TO GO!!

2010-06-23T07:46:00.000-07:00

Stepped on the scale this morning and I saw the most amazing number, one I had never seen in my life ( well , of course I saw it once before, but I never paid attention to it) A number that I was most likely 16 when I last saw this. I stepped on the scale 3 times just to be sure.
I have 14 pounds to go!
So again, as in my previous post, maybe this has to do with taking the week off and resetting the metabolism , I dont know for sure, but I will take it!!
I wont update my weight loss ticker on My Fitness Pal for a few more days. :)

15 to go!!

2010-06-20T22:50:00.000-07:00

I cant believe I only have 15 pounds to go until I am at my goal weight!!! I have had an awesome day all day just thinking about that one!
Good week, even though I was busy busy busy , and had 3 nights in a row that I didnt even get home till after 9:30 , it was a good week. In the mist of all the chaos, I still managed to get in my 5 days of working out, a bunch of running, even with the bad leg.
I dont know if the losing 2 pounds last week was because it was just time to finally drop some weight, or if it was cause I had taken the previous week off from working out, to reset the body. I guess I will never know if it really worked and "reset" my body, but next time someone thinks about it and asks my advice, I Will tell them my results.

I have to leave you with a story from the gas station Saturday morning. It was raining and yucky, I was on my way to my nephews high school graduation, and I had on the dress in the post below. As I got out of the car to pump the gas, the man at the pump across from me gave me the up and down look, and smiled at me. I smiled back and went on with getting the gas. He then looked at me again, and said " I sure do appreciate such a pretty outfit on a day like today, thank you, you brightened my day" Why Thank you Strange man at the gas station, you brightened my day too!
Still strange to get use to though.....

I DID IT!!

2010-06-16T23:06:00.000-07:00

Oh My GOODNESS!!
I cant believe I did that, and I didnt freak out! I will totally admit that I took a pill that my DR had given me so I wouldnt be a nervous wreck, and it totally did the trick! I didnt have butterflies at all and I only wanted to cry twice! When I started talking and I was saying the reason why I agreed to public speaking is because I want everyone to feel as wonderful as I feel, and I want them to know, know matter where you are with your weight, anything is possible if you just put your mind to it. That was when I wanted to cry.
Then I went on and on and on, and talked for about 45 mins maybe longer. I could have talked FOREVER!
I know there were things I could have said, and I certainly could have gone into more detail about certain things, but I feel like, and was told so, that I touched on so many points that every woman in the room could relate to me. It was so good!
there are some snippets of video floating out there, it hasnt been sent to me yet, but when it does, I will post it here if I can figure it out :)
So I must go to bed, its been another crazy week for me and I want a normal week, with nothing to do but work and go to the gym at night. Thats all.

but before I go, I really want to say that I am so happy I did it, It was such a good feeling thinking I was helping even just ONE person to get to where they want to put themselves first and change their life. I Love that I was asked to share .

Speaking Tuesday Night!!

2010-06-14T23:02:00.000-07:00

AACCKKK!!! a little nervous, But as I was writing my speech out , I started feeling a little bit better about it. I have some friends that are coming and I was thinking of scattering them all about so I always have a friendly face to land on when I am looking out at them. :) Good idea, Huh?

I have to say, that when I was getting my poster board together with all my pictures, I got very emotional. I had been gathering all the pics for a while, but it wasnt till I had it all spread out in front of me and I was looking at the timeline of my life that I just broke down in tears. I had spent MY WHOLE life , overweight, I had wasted my whole life being fat. I know that isnt really a good way to look at it, but it was how I felt at the moment. Yes I had lived my life, I have 4 wonderful boys, a man who loves me. But I still felt like I had wasted my whole life being fat. Plain and simple, being overweight made me live my life differently than how I really wanted to.

How can something take that much control away from us? how do we let it, and why do we not notice it is happening when it is happening? And even if we do notice, how come we just accept it? Is it cause the thought of losing so much weight is overwhelming? Do we think we are not worth the change? ( Cause we are!) Hmmm. something to think about .

Ok, It is late, I need to get to sleep so I am well rested tomorrow, But I wanted you to have something to read when you wake up in the morning :)
Here is a pic that most of you probably have seen , but I am posting it here anyway.

Me , inside my old shorts, size 28. WOW!

Do I ever get to where its second nature to eat healthy?

2010-06-05T20:13:00.000-07:00

That is what my neighbor Steve asked me today after my run. He was out washing his car, I was limping back from the run. ( I will get back to that limp) . Anyway, He asks me questions all the time about weight loss. He is in his sixties, single, and wants to lose weight. He asks me what I eat , how much I exercise, he is interested, you can see the wheels turning, but he hasnt gotten it into motion yet. Anyway. He today he stopped me as I was passing his house and said " Silly question to ask you Tami, But do you get to the point where you dont have to think about eating healthy, and you just do it" ? yes, I told him, I am at the point where my first choice , is a healthy one. but how I eat today is certainly different than how I did even 1 year ago, 6 months INTO the weight loss. So as we talked, I was saying I wonder if I will get to the point that I wont be frustrated with how slow these last 17 pounds are coming off. ( only lost 3 pounds last month) . I told Steve that, and he said he would be so happy to lose 3 pounds a month, cause that would be 36 pounds in a year! I was so happy that he thought of it like that, GOOD FOR YOU STEVE!!!! But what bugs the HECK out of me is that I am working HARDER than I did a year ago, when I was losing 2 pounds PER WEEK, and eating better than I did then, and I am busting my butt to lose 3 pounds in one month?? I WANT TO BE DONE!!! not so I can stop working out, ( cause I can tell you right now, I am addicted to working out, so I wont be stopping ) and not so I can eat more ( but it will be nice to increase the calories a tad) but so I can stop having it hang over my head. I want to say " I achieved my weight loss goal" and I am now maintaining my weight. I want to say " I have no more weight to lose" for the first time in MY LIFE, I want to be able to say that!! I want to be a size 7/8 and lose these last 17 pounds.

Back to the limp. the moment I started running today I felt a pain in my right hamstring. I kept running, cause often times when I start running, I have some aches and pains. But this one kept going. But so did I. the hills really hurt, and I did stop and walk one of them, I even kind of limped and ran for a while. all the while I kept thinking " when is it not right to push thru the pain" and I kept wondering that, while I kept running. the pain gets worse with each passing hour.

Happy 21st Birthday Alec

2010-05-31T18:59:00.000-07:00

My oldest son is 21. Shocking I know, how can someone as young looking as I , possibly have a son who is 21?? LMAO.. I am kidding. Yes he is 21, but I know how old I am .

anyway, Picture of us from last year and this year. The real shocker is the picture from 2006, but I will have to scan it or something , cause its not on my computer.

Also went out this weekend to see Sex and The city 2. the movie was only so so, but the time before the movie spent with friends was good. 3 cosmos and I didnt overeat , in fact I only went over in my calories because of the 3 cosmos. This picture was taken at the bar , I love this picture, a true smile on my face.

and last but not least, I bought the photo from my run, so here it is without all the copyright written across my body.. lol

OHHH, down another pound. IT took me 1 month to lose 3 pounds, not happy about it, these last 18 pounds are going to be tough. 18 pounds!!! down to the nitty gritty as Scott says....

there is a 12k run on June 12th, still toying with the idea of doing it... I need to get long run in next weekend, that will be when I make up my mind .

I found a couple of pics from the Run!

2010-05-26T21:24:00.000-07:00

on the website. it has the image of the photographer all over it, but I found two, one on the run and one at the finish line. I think I will buy them both so I can scrap them!! had to post here!

First official 10K in the books!

2010-05-23T09:42:00.000-07:00

With an official time of 72:15, I had my time at 71:10, but I had a potty stop at mile 2, and I stopped my watch for that, and the chip timer didnt , ( haha, I wish they did!) either way it was a good time for me, chip timer had me at an 11:39 min mile, a little slower than I wanted But, that just gives me a goal to beat for the next one!
It was POURING Rain Friday night when we went to pick up our race packets ( See photo) , and we just hoped and prayed that it wouldnt do that Saturday morning.
Saturday morning my alarm was set for 4:45, but when I woke up at 4 am , I stayed up, I knew I wouldnt be able to go back to sleep, so why bother? I took a picture of my stuff and ate my oatmeal

When I left to pick up Jenn, it was still raining, well it was misting, That I could handle, the birds were singing and that was a good sign. We got to Seattle in good time and found a place to park, then walked over to where the race began. Stood in the LOOOOONNNGG line for the bathroom, hoping that would do it, but it didnt, had to go again at mile 2. Ohh Took this picture before we left the car,

ok. Race started, it was a little cold, but it wasnt raining, so life was good! lots of people, so we didnt run side by side the whole time, Jenn usually talks to me to keep me from thinking about the ache in my legs, or something, And not having my music either, I had to resort to singing to myself. there were a few hills , but nothing like what Jenn had me training on, so it was fine, TONS of people stopped when they got to the hills and walked, this was about the only time that I passed anyone, lol. when we had about 1 mile left, we ran side by side and I told her she had to start talking, so she did, about stupid random shit that kept my mind off of it, we picked up our pace a little bit and she kept telling me how close we were to being done. once I saw the park I knew the end was in sight, I was so happy! then, right before we crossed the finish line There was my friend/group fitness instructor from the gym, Jenny with flowers , cheering for me!! what a NICE surprise!!! made me a little teary. (Jenny and I ran the 10k last Sunday together , cause Jenn was in Vegas.) After the race we walked to a bakery and had coffee and a piece of banana bread, yummy!
it was just so awesome, the whole thing, training for something and then actually doing it, was amazing.
Next one that I know I am doing isnt till September.

Life is Wonderful! have I said that lately??

2 more days till 10K!

2010-05-19T19:32:00.000-07:00

I searched the web tonight for the route of the run, I am dying to know how hilly it is , I found it, but it doesnt show elevation , anyway, here it is . I am so excited!! wondering what to wear, ( such a girl) and how to wear my hair, right now forecast is rain and sun, lol. Normal Seattle weather. race time is at 7 AM!! if I wear a jacket it will end up around my waist, so I dont know . I ran last night, nothing tonight, and working out tomorrow night. The Friday night Jenn and I are going to pick up our race packet in Seattle, then Early to bed for me on Friday night!

So excited, I cant wait for it!!

also had to share, the other day when we went to the zoo, I saw a reflection in one of the windows, two woman walking , for a brief moment, I thought the overweight woman was myself, then I realized I was the smaller one. it was like a "WOW " moment, she looked like I use to look. it was just odd. when will my mind catch up? Will it ever?

Any social impacts you'd care to share? Spouse/friends reaction or challenges with your amazing transformation?

2010-05-16T21:10:00.000-07:00

I have had someone ask me this question over the weekend on MYFITNESSPAL there is so much packed into this simple question.

First , my interests and things that I like to do have changed, so naturally , my friends have changed to. I have a couple of really good friends, that havent gone anywhere since my weight loss, but I have more that have gone away since my weight loss. Maybe they got sick of hearing about the gym and my weight loss, maybe they are jealous of me ( As I know some are) maybe they dont like the new more confidant me? whatever it is, they were not my true friends if they cant be happy for me .
( This section was EDITED. Hopefully you read it already!)
As for my spouse??
WOW, that is a loaded question. I honestly and truely do not know how he feels. He says I look great, and I know he means that, when I have new clothes on I can hear it in his voice, he thinks I look amazing, in fact this am, he told me I looked like Jennifer Aniston. LOL I had on a tshirt and a pair of jeans, and he was very happy with what he saw.
But you would think he would be all over me ( ya know what I mean) with this new body, but he is not. That I dont get at all. I am half the woman he married 9 in size I mean), I gave him a new wife , what man wouldnt want that? and not just in the looks/body department, but my overall happiness has gone up 100% . I LOVE LIFE, I love how I feel, I am a different person, but maybe to him I am not a better person? I dont know. He says he is fine with it all, ( I know he is jealous of the thought of other men, I think the gym bothers him the most) but other than that, I really dont know how he feels.

I carry myself differently, I am more confidant, I look people in the eye, I know I look good ( not said in a bitchy way), I know I have changed, so I understand that my relationships will change too. It doesnt mean I like that I have lost relationships, but I understand.