Sunday, July 27, 2014

Weekly weigh in

To see all past weigh ins, click here. To see my whole weight loss journey, click here.

My progress: I've lost 1lb since last weigh in for a total of 42lbs lost...I'm now at 184lbs.
46.7% of my goal complete!

Shane's progress: He's lost 2lbs since last weigh in for a total of 48lbs lost...he's at 261lbs.
38.4% of his goal complete. 


We've done pretty good with our workout routine, going to the gym almost every day of the week. Shane is starting phase two of the Shortcut to Size program this week, and I'm going strong on the Labrada 12 Week Lean Body Training program. We generally spend 4-5 days per week weightlifting, and we also work some cardio in there. Shane made up a HIIT (high intensity interval traning) cardio circuit for us to do this Saturday morning...it is Sunday night and I am STILL sore. The picture above was taken right after I finished. It only took me 20 minutes and it's hard to tell from the picture but I was absolutely dripping with sweat when we were done. That's how you know it was a good workout! Also, I'm really proud of this accomplishment...I actually did a whole real push up, and then four more. I did a total of 15 push ups when the workout was through, and that's probably why my arms are so sore, but I did them!

I know I have a long way to go before I reach my goal, but it really blows my mind that I've lost over 40 pounds already! I never thought of myself as being as big as I actually got to be, I was smaller in my mind. Now that I'm a bit smaller, it's like the opposite has happened, I think of myself as bigger than I am. I grabbed a t-shirt out of my closet this morning and thought "oh that's not going to fit, looks like it shrank way small in the dryer." Well guess what...the shirt fits and it's not even tight! 

I've recently traded in my way too big work clothes for some much nicer and smaller ones. I was still wearing size 16 pants that almost dropped to the floor when I stood...can't believe I used to have to squeeze myself in them and hope the buttons wouldn't pop off! I've replaced them with a size 12 that actually fits. Do you remember the rather rude guy from my work who never has anything nice to say? See here and here if you have no idea what I'm talking about. I was wearing my new clothes the other day and that guy asked if I'd lost weight. When I said I'd lost nearly 40 pounds, his jaw hit the floor, and even told me that he was "embarrassed" that he hadn't noticed before. I almost passed out from the shock of him being so nice to me. He continued to congratulate me every time he saw me throughout the day. 

While we're doing great with the working out portion, we've stalled on the food bit. I'm finding myself splurging more and more, and I've got to rein that back in. I realized the other day that it has been almost exactly six months since Shane and I made the commitment to ourselves to lose weight and get in shape. This is the longest we've ever stuck with something like this before, and I don't intend to give up now. I am skinner now than I have been since I graduated Tech in 2010...that's just crazy! I would absolutely love to push myself now and reach my goal by (or shortly after) my birthday in January. I told myself I'd lose weight at 25, then made it all the way to 26 without making a single change. But by the time I make it to 27, I could be in the absolute best shape of my entire life. 

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Weekly weigh in + Happy 4th of July!

To see all past weigh ins, click here. To see my whole weight loss journey, click here.


I'm back from a short hiatus and better than ever. Shane and I had a big two weeks. We have both been working on our new, more intense weightlifting routines. We ran a 5k. We joined a DietBet. And we hosted an awesome 4th of July party! But more on that in a minute...let's get down to business with our weigh in:


My progress: I've lost 3lbs since last weigh in in for a total of 41lbs lost...I'm now at 185lbs.
45.6% of my goal complete!

Shane's progress: He's lost 2lbs since last weigh in in for a total of 46lbs lost...he's at 263lbs.
36.8% of his goal complete. 



We ran in the YMCA Firecracker 5k on July 4th and had an awesome time. I am so proud to report that I ran THE WHOLE WAY without stopping once! When I started the Couch to 5k program earlier in the year, I seriously thought I was going to fall dead of a heart attack after a 30 second run. And I ran for 3.1 miles in 35 minutes! I'm not going to be winning any land speed races any time soon, but I made it through to the end and I couldn't be happier. I am so proud of Shane too, he finished the race a whole 4 minutes faster than me and clocked in at 31 minutes! 

If you've ever pondered the idea of becoming a runner or just need a way to get in shape (don't we all)...I can't recommend the Couch to 5k training program enough. It's not always easy, but anything worth having is worth the work, and this is worth it. Working to become more fit has changed my life in so many ways already, and I can't wait to see where it all takes me. You should totally try it, because if I can become a "runner", anyone can. 

Shane and I have also joined a DietBet to help keep us motivated, specifically the Shays Father-Son SummerShapeUp. Shay Carl Butler, the host of the challenge, is a YouTuber (see his main channel here: Shaytards) who films videos with his wife, five kids, and various other family members...and who Shane is absolutely obsessed with. Shay Carl lost a lot of weight a couple years ago and has since hosted several DietBets to help motivate his viewers to do the same.  In case you're unfamiliar with the DietBet website and/or app, you join a challenge for a fee (in this case $30 each) with other DietBetters, and by the end of the specified amount of time, if you didn't reach the fitness goal you lose your money, but if you DID reach the goal, you get to split the pot of money with all the other winners. In this bet, we have 28 days to lose 4% body weight (for me, that's 7.5 lbs). There are currently 1,292 players and a pot of $38,760! If we win, we are liable to get a nice chunk of money. 

Last but certainly not least, this year Shane and I hosted our 4th Annual Elliott and Horner Family and Friends 4th of July Extravaganza. We are so lucky to have family near enough to come and visit us occasionally, and we always have a great time cooking out and shooting off fireworks. This year was extra-special because it was the one year anniversary of becoming homeowners! It seems like just yesterday that we moved in, and we still have so many things we want to work on. I'll work on getting some updated pictures on here for y'all too, because there are a lot of things we've done since this post last year. 

Check out the video below to see just how much fun we had! I'm already planning for the 5th Annual party next year :)