Day 28: Wednesday weigh in (on a Thursday)

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

I laid in bed last night, not able to sleep, knowing that I was missing something important. This morning I realized I had completely forgotten my weigh in post! Oh well, here we are now. 

There's not too much to update you on because we're still on the same routine and doing the same thing every day. It can get boring sometimes, but at least this particular plan is only four weeks, and we're halfway through. Let's see how it's affecting our weight...

My progress: I have maintained since last weigh in for a total of 44lbs lost.

I'm now at 182lbs.

Shane's progress: He has lost 2lbs since last weigh in for a total of 45lbs lost.

He's at 264lbs.

I'm not too disappointed by my lack of progress this week, just because I feel like I've been losing and gaining the same 5lbs for months and months. I am still really proud of Shane, because he's the one keeping us motivated, especially with the meal prep. I feel like our motivation goes in waves...he's strong and motivated to cook when I'm weak, and I'm able to keep him running laps when he's getting a little tired. It's when our laziness syncs up that we're in trouble!

Bonus: here's a shot of us enjoying a post-workout protein shake on our back porch yesterday. I'm so excited that the weather is getting nice and we'll be able to relax outside regularly :) 

Day 22: Wednesday weigh in

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

Shane and I are trucking right along with our new diet and exercise routine. I'm proud of us, because I totally didn't think we'd stick to the diet part. Not when our St. Patrick's Day treats aren't chocolate coins but instead are things like this green monstrosity...

That's a whole packet of tuna, avocado, a little mustard, and Ezekiel bread. I'm super picky, and the only part I really liked was the mustard. The good part is the bread is so dry and grainy and wholesome that it's taste/texture mostly camouflaged the other junk. 

Ultimately I have to remind myself that we're trying to learn better eating habits by introducing better-for-us foods with portions to match. Plus we're also trying to lose quite a bit more weight, so we eventually won't have to be as strict on ourselves. 

We had a good workout at the gym today, and even made some new friends! We usually go early morning or at night, but today we went around 10:00 am, just in time to catch a 92 year old walking laps around the track. She was so cute walking in her little sweater set with her hair perfectly fixed. We also chatted with a few older people waiting for the Silver Sneakers yoga class. Shane got compliments on his owl tattoos and me on my purple hair, with one lady saying it made her day! 

We tried a new HIIT routine after our weightlifting today. I figured why not mix it up? We certainly don't have to do the same sprint routine every time. A quick google search game me this routine below. 

I don't know how ANYONE can do this whole routine in 20 minutes. Maybe our endurance isn't great, because we only made it through the lunges (item #6) and did a couple laps around the short track by the time limit. Oh, and I totally thought I was going to die. I even cheated on a lot of it (example: they wanted 30 burpees, I half-assed my way through about 8 total).

We didn't do a weigh in last week because we were eating terribly and I gained around 6lbs. We're back though, and our new diet plan seems to be helping already.

My progress: I have lost 1lb since last weigh in for a total of 44lbs lost.

I'm now at 182lbs.

So now that you see my 1lb lost, you know I also had to lose the other 6 that I went up before I went down. 

I'm extra proud of Shane this week! 

Shane's progress: He has lost 5lbs since last weigh in for a total of 43lbs.

He's at 266lbs.

He's doing great, especially because he's a picky eater too and doesn't even really like plain grilled chicken, but he's been eating it every day anyways. 

Slowly but surely, we'll get there. 

Day 13: Wednesday weigh in

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

This week has been a rough one due to the fact that I got my wisdom teeth out on Friday. Besides spending the weekend in a Vicodin haze, it totally screwed up my food and fitness plan. Did you know that you're not really supposed to exert yourself or lift anything heavy for like a week after a tooth extraction? Dry socket is serious business.

I made it through Monday by doing the elliptical for 30 minutes plus a just few weightlifting things. Don't worry, I went way down in weight and only benched 65lbs instead of the 80lbs I was supposed to be doing. Although I have pushed it a little bit, and so far so good, I was still too nervous to take any of the classes at the gym like I'd planned. 

I did my first YMCA group class last Wednesday. I was invited by my friends Haley and Becca and I'm so glad they asked me to tag along :) I've always been intimidated by the classes at our gym because they look so intense. I wasn't wrong! Boxing was really tough, and the teacher didn't stop for the whole hour. By the end we were all thoroughly exhausted, and I had a sweat towel full of purple hair dye. 

Hopefully I'll feel more confident in my recovery and will be able to catch some classes next week. There's a great variety at the Y, and I think it's going to be a good way for me to shake up my routine and get out of the slump. 

Now here's what you all came for...

My progress: I have lost 2lbs since last weigh in for a total of 43lbs lost.

I'm now at 183lbs.

47.7% of my goal complete!

Shane's progress: He has gained 3lbs since last weigh in for a total of 38lbs.

He's at 271lbs.

30.8% of his goal complete. 

I honestly think I caught a lucky break when I had to step on the scale this morning, I have no idea how I managed to lose 2lbs. And I take all the blame for Shane's gains this week. If I had better willpower, my sore mouth foods would be stuff like applesauce and oatmeal, but instead it was a lot of mashed potatoes, chocolate pudding, jello, and frozen yogurt. And if I get to eat it, it's only fair that he does too! 

It'll be interesting to see our numbers next week as we've got plans for pizza with family on Friday and a wedding on Saturday. Keep your fingers crossed for us! 

Day 7: Wednesday weigh in

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

On January 16, 2014, Shane and I committed ourselves to a healthier lifestyle and drastic diet overhaul. We were sick of the way we looked, the way we felt, and the impact our poor choices could and would have on our current and future health. 

On March 10th, 2014, I shared my first weight loss post with all of you and revealed I'd lost 9lbs from my highest ever recorded weight of 226lbs. Revealing my actual weight for the whole internet to see was the scariest thing I'd ever done...until today.

Today I am sharing my first ever full body progress pictures. I've shared update pictures before, but never any as revealing as these. I dress carefully to camouflage my shape and am super picky about what gets posted. But I've been having a rough time with weight loss recently, and this is (hopefully) the kick in the ass that I need. It's going to be really hard to push "publish" on this post, but it's for my own good.

Our problem isn't a lack of exercise. Shane and I have gone to our local YMCA 3+ times a week for an hour or more each session for a year now. We've built a lot of muscle and I'm really proud of that progress. But losing weight and getting in shape is about 80% diet, 20% exercise. And what I'm not proud of is how far we've backslid into poor eating habits. We're a great team, but it goes two ways. We either motivate each other, or we co-enable our bad habits. We ate a ton junk food while we were snowed in last week. It all tasted so good, but felt so terrible. 

We have recommitted to ourselves to healthy eating habits and back to tracking calories on MyFitnessPal. If you're looking to get healthy yourself, you should join MFP and friend me! Find my profile here: Lehorner6. I've set a goal of 1500 calories per day for now, which may be subject to change based on how it affects my weight loss and energy levels. It's been three days since I started tracking again for real. I'd forgotten just how nice it feels to want a chocolate chip cookie and actually have room in your daily calories to eat one! I'm pretty much eating cookies and losing weight, which is the best of both worlds.

I've procrastinated enough, it's time to share the pictures. 

My progress: I have lost a total of 41lbs...I'm now at 185lbs.

45.5% of my goal complete!

Shane's progress: He has lost a total of 41lbs...he's at 268lbs.

32.8% of his goal complete. 

In case you didn't pick up on it...Shane and I each lost 41lbs. Crazy, right? 

I'm nervous and excited about this next phase of our transformation. We have had a great first year of our new healthy lifestyle, with 6-7 months of solid weight loss, and a whole year of exploring exercise. We've also been through our first plateau, about 6-7 months of weight fluctuations with no real loss (although we have been building muscle and losing fat, our bodies haven't really gotten much smaller). I'm hoping we'll get over that plateau very soon. 

I plan on posting regularly again to keep us accountable with our progress. We've both got a long way to go on our weight loss and fitness goals, and ultimately it will be a lifelong process. But if I could feel better about my beach body this summer, that would be fantastic.

Weekly Update: The Training Begins...

To see my whole weight loss journey, click here.

You're only young once, right? So what better time to train for a marathon? 

Shane and I went through the Couch 2 5k training program months ago but haven't really kept up with our running as much as we should. The last 5k we attempted was The Great Pumpkin Run at Shuckle's Corn Maze. While a run through a corn maze sounds exciting and fall-ish, it's a little more tough than we planned. I mean they don't just set you loose in the corn and expect you to find your way out -- the path is clearly marked -- but it's hard to keep going when you are twisting and turning around and around a hundred thousand times. 

I was seeing mostly-straight by this point. 

Shane was an insane person and chose the Tough Pumpkin option. See that larger pumpkin in his hands in the photo above? He had to carry that throughout the whole course. 

Don't we make cute farm animals?

We are now following the Hal Higdon Novice 1 - 18 week program. With any luck, we'll be ready to race a 1/2 marathon sometime around January and finished with the training in time to race a full marathon just in time for the Nashville Rock and Roll Marathon at the end of April.  

Sunday was day 1 of the training, and we successfully completed a 3 mile run!! And with a pretty decent time too, keeping a 12:30 mile pace. I honestly didn't think I'd make it even 2 miles...I am so proud of Shane and myself! After we finished the run, Shane thanked me for motivating him and keeping him going, which is funny because his running motivated me and kept me running! 

I've got two more 3 mile runs and a 6 mile run by the end of this week, so wish me luck! I never thought I'd be able to run, and I've surprised myself so far. I'm not at all sure that I'll make it a whole 26.2 miles, but I'm sure gonna try. 

Weekly weigh in + Oh sh*t, we were fat!

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

My progress: I've maintained 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 gained 4lbs since last weigh in for a total of 44lbs lost...he's at 265lbs.

35.2% of his goal complete. 

Shane and I aren't making much progress watching the numbers on the scale move down, but we are making a ton of progress in the gym. Our weight might not reflect it, but our bodies are definitely slimming down as we gain muscle. If you missed it last week, I've gone from someone with the upper body strength of a baby hamster to someone who can do a real pushup x 15! I honestly never thought the day would come when I could do ONE pushup, much less 15 on my first real try. 

It's really funny how things work out sometime. Shane and I both kind of independently had an "oh sh*t, I was SO fat!" moment today. Mine came when a friend commented on an old facebook picture today. It was actually one of the pictures from my very first weight loss post but I hadn't looked at it in months and was absolutely shocked. The picture in question is from September 2011 and I honestly don't know how much I weighed at this point other than it was somewhere near 200 and it WASN'T my highest weight. Here is a side-by-side comparison of me from 2011 and me from today. 

Shane's moment came from logging into his MyFitnessPal account on his computer for the first time in a long time rather than on his phone. When he saw his profile picture, which he took around January at the beginning of our weight loss, his jaw almost hit the floor. I had to take the after picture just to show him how different he looked from the before picture. 

We both have a long way to go, but I am so proud of us for sticking with it this far. I can't believe the amazing changes we've made so far in ourselves. I can hardly believe this part myself but we've even started working out at 6 am like crazy people instead of waiting until we come home from work, and it feels amazing. I've never been a morning person but I think I may convert because working out just gets me pumped up and ready for the day. I am actually disappointed when I have to leave the gym and go to work because I get so much energy I just wanna stay and lift weights all day. Plus now when we get home from work, we actually have time to cook dinner, clean, grocery shop, do laundry, all that fun stuff, instead of waiting until the weekend. 

If you're reading this right now and you want to make a lifestyle change like we have, the best time to start is now. Don't wait until next week or next month, just do it now. I'm not saying you have to try and kick a food addiction cold turkey or start working out two hours a day...but maybe tell yourself you'll only drink ONE soda today, or walk around the block after dinner instead of sitting right down to watch tv. My only regret in all of this is that we waited so long to take charge of our bodies and our lives. To quote Drake and The Lonely Island, "YOLO."  You might as well enjoy the body you've got while you've got it! So what are you waiting for? 

  

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. 

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 2lbs since last week in for a total of 38lbs lost...I'm now at 188lbs.

42.2% of my goal complete!

Shane's progress: He's lost 1lb since last week in for a total of 44lbs lost...he's at 265lbs.

35.2% of his goal complete. 

We have to wear blazers to work every day now...so I'm glad I'm losing the weight for sure. The less insulation I have to carry around, the better. 

We've been sticking with our weight lifting routine and just finished the initial 8 week beginner training program, yay! Shane has a new routine he's following, which includes protein shakes, and I'm following a more moderate routine without the shakes. I just can't handle the thought of choking down lumpy protein powder, even though Shane reassures me it's not so bad. 

We're doing the Firecracker 5k this Friday for the 4th of July and I'm so excited! After the Color Me Rad 5k, I really feel like I'm gonna knock this one out of the park, and I'm sure Shane will be running circles around me. Our annual family 4th of July cookout is on Friday too, an I think my parents and sister are coming Thursday night, so they'll be able to come cheer us on at the finish line! 

I'm getting really excited for the cookout, but we have a lot of planning to do! We're gonna have a bigger crowd than normal, but the more the merrier, right?

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 week in for a total of 35lbs lost...I'm now at 191lbs.

38.9% of my goal complete. 

Shane's progress: He's gained 2lbs since last week in for a total of 41lbs lost...he's at 268lbs.

32.8% of his goal complete. 

We're soooo close to our first 5k of the summer, just a few more days until the Color Me Rad 5k on Sunday! Shane hasn't been running for nearly a week because his Achilles has been acting up and really bothering him. He's hoping that resting before the race will help him make it through. I'm hoping that the race will jumpstart my efforts and really kick my butt back in gear! Shane and I are just doing okay...we're mostly still losing, but we've gotten lazy. It would be awesome if I could meet my weight loss goal by the end of the year, but I'm going to really have to work for it! 

We spent the weekend in Knoxville for Father's Day. I was proud of myself because I stayed away from my in-laws' pantry full of snack food, except for one small handful of Cheez Its. I used to be addicted to those things, and Shane and I could go through a big box in just a day or two. After the one handful, I realized they didn't even taste that great to me anymore. We did good too, we packed our workout clothes and went for a quick workout at the Knoxville YMCA on Saturday morning. It's not always easy to stay active but I definitely feel better after a workout. 

I did have an awesome surprise this weekend. Shane and I went to Old Navy because they were having a big sale on workout clothes, and what do you know they were also doing 50% off on shorts. I tried on a pair in my usual size (14) and they were WAY TOO BIG! I started off this year wearing a 16 but probably needing an 18 most days. Now I own a pair of size 12 shorts...and they fit! I bought a few (size large) tank tops too because they were cute, on sale, and I didn't feel embarrassed of my arms when I put them on. While I love my new shorts and tank tops, I wanna keep going and see just how awesome I feel when they're way too big :)

And just because I want to brag on her...I got to go visit my sister at her brand new first salon job ever! Yay! She's been doing my hair for a while now because I'm always happy to be her guinea pig, but it was so nice to have her cut my hair in a salon rather than my parents' bathroom. She seems like she's really enjoying her job too, which is great. They stay really busy because they're in a shopping center right next to a Starbucks and a Salsarita's, so she's going to get tons and tons of practice. 

I'm off to get a good night's sleep for work tomorrow, and am looking forward to a big workout and run tomorrow night. Cross your fingers for me, because with this race looming, if there was a time for me to twist an ankle, you know it'll be now. 

Weekly weigh in

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

My progress: I've maintained since last week in for a total of 34lbs lost...I'm now at 192lbs.

37.7% of my goal complete. 

Shane's progress: He's lost 3lbs since last week in for a total of 43lbs lost...he's at 266lbs.

34.4% of his goal complete. 

Pardon Shane's crazy hair.
Don't worry, he doesn't go out in public like that ;)

This week has been a weird week for me. At work we had a lot of changes happen in a very short period of time...new owners, new managers, new ways of doing EVERYTHING. They also brought in lunch on Thursday and bagels twice. With all the food just laying around and the crazy amount of stuff that changed, I'm surprised I didn't gain 5lbs from all the stress-eating I did. 

In other news, Shane and I ran outside (instead of on the indoor track or treadmill at the YMCA) for the first time in a while this week. Shane did 6.5 miles today and I did nearly 3. It's definitely harder to run without your own personal fan and a TV screen right in front of your face, but this will help us train for the Color Me Rad 5k which is coming up in less than two weeks. I entirely expect the weather to be scorching that day, so I'd best prep now so I don't have a heat stroke while covered in brightly colored cornstarch. 

We also signed up for an awesome three race series deal through the YMCA. You get to choose three of their six upcoming area 5ks to participate in for only $60/person! We've signed up to do the Firecracker 5k on July 4th as our first race, as well as the East Nashville Tomato 5k during the Tomato Arts Festival, and the Holiday 5k in November. 

More exciting news...I'm noticing more and more changes in my body and the way my clothes fit. A little over a month ago I went on a girls shopping day and bought a new button down shirt, size large. The fit was just okay, the button placket gapped open across my chest a bit, requiring the assistance of a safety pin, and the sleeves were tight when rolled up to 3/4 length, but I knew it would fit soon so I bought it anyways. I am proud to say I wore that shirt again last night and it felt significantly bigger and I had extra ROOM in the sleeves and the chest area! I couldn't stop smiling when I remembered how it felt a month earlier. I've only lost 6lbs since the week I bought that shirt, but the drastic change in fit really tells me that the weight loss IS making a difference, and so is the weight lifting we've been doing. 

My body is slowly but surely rearranging itself into a more "fit" shape, and I'm liking it :)

Weekly weigh in

I've been slacking off on this, but don't worry...I'm back! 

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

My progress: I've lost 2lbs since last weigh in for a total of 34lbs lost...I'm now at 192lbs.

37.7% of my goal complete. 

Shane's progress: He's gained 1lb since last weigh in for a total of 40lbs lost...he's at 269lbs.

32% of his goal complete. 

We've been bad and got way off track with our workouts, and thus way off track with our food. Plans with friends and family just made it too hard to stick to our workout schedule. I'm really hoping that we will soon be able to get our workouts going for the mornings, at least the running portion, because that would be awesome. I would LOVE to become a morning person. 

Although we haven't been doing too great on our diet in the past week or so, we're still seeing differences in our clothes for sure. I have so many clothes in my closet that I haven't been able to wear in months or even years that are now fitting just fine, or I'll be able to fit in them in just a few weeks or so. That is the part that is so CRAZY to me. I don't feel like I've really gotten smaller, but you can definitely tell in my clothes! My "fat" capri pants from last summer now fall to my ankles. The fancy sports bra that took both me and Shane to squeeze me into when I bought it a month ago, well I wore it to the gym the other day.   

I always kept my smaller clothes for that one day far off in the future when I would finally lose weight, and now I feel like I have a whole new wardrobe and I didn't even need to go shopping! I went through everything in my closet yesterday and pulled out a lot of things that are now way too BIG instead of being way too SMALL!!! It was much needed too, the work shirts I've been wearing since January started looking like I was wearing trash bags or a potato sack or something. 

I also really want to pat myself on the back for this next bit...I've conquered my biggest gym fear...the pullup/dip machine! I'm not scared of the actual exercise but how high up you are when you're on it. I was the kid who cried when I climbed up to the top of the bunk bed and then couldn't get down and I never really got over that, so being about three feet off the ground really freaked me out. The first two times I tried the machine, I got to the first step, tried the second step, and then got right back down. The next few times I made Shane stand right behind the machine while I was on. Once he walked away without me knowing and I got sooooo mad. Now I can get on and off the machine (and do pullups & dips!) without any adult supervision. 

I'm so close to 190lbs I can taste it! Check back next week to see if I have kept up the progress :) 

Weekly weigh in

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

We've just been trucking along with the weight loss, and it's going well!

My progress: I've lost 3lbs since last week for a total of 32lbs lost...I'm now at 194lbs.

35.6% of my goal complete. 

Shane's progress: He's lost 4lbs since last week for a total of 41lbs lost...he's at 268lbs.

32.8% of his goal complete. 

Honestly I think most of my weight loss this week is water weight loss from not hydrating as much as I normally do over the weekend. We were in the car all day on Saturday so I didn't drink hardly any water so we wouldn't have to stop for a zillion rest stops. Granted, I still drank a few normal-sized bottles worth, but that's a lot less than normal. And then yesterday, we ran out of water in our big water cooler. I'm looking forward to getting back on track with my water consumption...I have not felt great being underhydrated. I can tell a difference in my skin, especially my face, and my throat feels so dried out when I wake up in the mornings. 

I am especially proud of Shane this week because in the picture above, he had just finished running six miles. You read that right, SIX MILES! He's halfway to a half marathon and I am so proud. The furthest he had run before that was four miles, which is still a crazy long distance to me. I don't see how he does it, I'm jealous! I'm still at the point where I can run max about 30 minutes/1.5 mile on a good day. He is doing a special half marathon training plan to be ready to run one sometime in the fall. If he keeps going at this pace, he'll have no trouble. 

Check back next week for another weigh in!