It's hard to believe that I lost 32 pounds and still came in second place. I'm totally bummed, but still really proud of myself! 17.3% loss!
If nothing else, this has given me even more motivation to stick with it and lose even more weight!
Thanks for sharing in this journey with me. This blog has been a huge support system for me and even though I feel like I'm talking to no one most of the time, it's been a blessing in disguise!
As I continue on with my weight loss, I will check in here every now and then... but sorry no more daily posts and food/exercise tracking. You're heartbroken I'm sure :)
On that note, I think I'll go treat myself to a Shamrock Shake. Cheers!
This morning I am officially 29 pounds lighter :) That means I only have ONE pound to go to reach my goal of losing 30 pounds! That is SOOOO doable!
And 3 pounds in 3 days (including today) to lose the 9 pounds that has been predicated that I need to lose in order to win first place! This weekend is going to be TOUGH, especially being St. Patrick's Day on Saturday!
St. Pattys Day is fun and all but I'm def not one of those hardcore Irish-wannabes that just use St Pattys Day as an excuse to get shit blasted. I think I grew out of that in college, unfortunately. Damn I'm getting old.
It's just gonna be a nice little Saturday with my future hubby:
Since there is no chance that I'm going to be drinking any green beer this weekend, I'm just going to keep myself busy doing stuff and when I'm not doing stuff I'm going to SLEEP! Exercise and sleep (hopefully) = minus three pounds.
I WANT THIS SOOOO BAD!
2- Day Recap:
3/14 Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs Snack: Unsweetened applesauce with cinnamon
Lunch: Progresso Light Soup: Chicken and veggie
Dinner: Chicken breast and peas Snack: Nutrigrain bar Water: four 24oz bottles of water
Exercise: (morning) 30 minutes on the treadmill, (evening) 35 minutes on the elliptical, 20 minutes core and lower body strength
3/15 Breakfast: Banana and 1 hard boiled egg
Lunch: Small salad, carrots and green peppers Snack: Orange Dinner: 4 scrambled egg whites with onion, green pepper, and reduced fat cheese, and a fruit salad (grapes, orange, grapefruit, and bananas)
Water: four 24oz bottles of water
Exercise: (morning) 30 minutes on the treadmill, (lunch) a couple laps around the building with my girlfriends, (evening) 45 minutes on the elliptical, 20 minutes core and upper body strength
Now that I've officially passed my initial goal of losing 13.5%, my newest goal is to lose a total of 30 pounds! I'm only 3 pounds away from that goal and even if I don't lose the 5 more pounds needed to secure first place, I think 30 pounds is nothing to shake a stick at!
The end is so close...I can almost taste it! (And by taste it I mean I can almost taste the delicious McDonalds breakfast that I'm planning on inhaling right after I weigh in next Monday!!!!)
But don't worry....I'm not yet at my ideal weight so I will NOT be quitting after the competition is over. That being said, I'm also not going to be a food nazi and gym junkie like I have been!
Yesterday' Recap:
3/13
Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs Lunch: Small salad with some leftover steamed broccoli Snack: Mixed nuts
Dinner: (thanks my love) Tilapia and green beans Water: four 24oz bottles of water
Exercise: (morning) 30 minutes on the treadmill, (lunch) a couple laps around the building with my girlfriends, (evening) 1 hour run/walk with Jasper
WARNING: do not continue to read this post if you are dieting and do not have strong will power to resist temptation.
OK...you've been warned.
99% of the time I LOVE Pinterest.com. I think it's a great site. For those of you who aren't familiar with Pinterest, here is my best attempt at explaining it: Pinterest is like a virtual pinboard. You can "follow" people and view all of their boards and things that they have pinned to their boards, like recipes, DIY ideas, clothing, etc. You can repin something someone has pinned or you can pin an image or video of something you've seen on the web. Get it? Well anyways, my favorite boards are my "Yum-O" for all things delicious (see below for examples), "My Dream Wedding" for great ideas, tips, and tricks for my upcoming nuptials, "Biggest Loser Motivation" where a lot of my motivational images on this blog come from, and "If I had free time" board for all the stuff I'd like to make if I ever find the time.
Now back to that 99%....well that 1% is today, when I'm feeling especially vulnerable and craving chocolate like it's my J-O-B.
But, honestly, who could blame me after seeing stuff like this:
Breakfast: 1/2 cup cottage cheese Snack: Unsweetened applesauce with cinnamon Lunch: Progresso Light Soup: Maryland Style Crab Snack: Apple and some mixed nuts
Dinner: (thanks Sefffff) Chicken thighs marinated in Fat Free Italian, some leftover cauliflower "potato" salad, and broccoli Water: four 24oz bottles of water
Exercise: (morning) 30 minutes on the treadmill, (lunch) a couple laps around the building with my girlfriends, (evening) 1 hour of ZUMBA!
No, I'm not birthing a child :) One week from today is the last official weigh in for the Biggest Loser Competition here at work. I've been in first place the entire competition, until last weigh in when I was bumped to second out of nowhere! I was told that I need to lose at least 9 pounds to win the whole thing (assuming the current first place competitor continues to lose at the same rate).
Well its one week down since this news and I've lost 3 more pounds, which means I need to lose 6 pounds in 7 days. Possible? I think not, but I sure as hell am going to try my hardest!!!!
We had a great weekend visiting some of Seth's family and it sure felt great for them to notice our weight loss :) So far Seth and I have lost 49 pounds combine!! Stay tuned for a before and after picture of us :)
Weekend Recap:
3/9
Breakfast: 1/2 cup cottage cheese (per a fellow competitor suggestion to get more protein in the morning...thanks Wendi!) Snack: Banana Lunch: Tuna and a pear Snack: Apple
Dinner: a bowl of peas (haha too lazy to cook anything and I LOVE peas!) and light vanilla yogurt with granola Water: four 24oz bottles of water
Exercise: (morning) 30 minutes on the elliptical, (evening) 45 minutes on the treadmill, 15 minutes core and lower body strength
3/10
Late Breakfast: 4 scrambled egg whites with onion, green pepper, and 2 slices of turkey bacon
Dinner: Grilled tilapia and peas Water: four 24oz bottles of water
Exercise: 1 hour and a half walk with Jasper
3/11
Very Late Breakfast: Light vanilla yogurt with granola
Lunch: Veggies: carrots, green peppers, and broccoli with homemade veggie dip
Dinner: Grilled chicken thighs, asparagus, and cauliflower "potato" salad....Sunday was such a beautiful day outside so we took advantage and grilled out! So happy that my college roomie stopped by for dinner :) Hi Court! Water: four 24oz bottles of water
Breakfast: Pear Snack: Unsweetened applesauce with cinnamon
Lunch: Tuna and some carrots
Snack: Grapefruit
Dinner:Lemon chicken thighs and Seth's famous green beans Water: four 24oz bottles of water
Exercise: (morning) 15 minutes on the treadmill and 20 minutes on the stationary bike, (lunch time) a couple laps around the building with Jess, (evening) 2-3 mile walk with Seth and Jasper
Today marks day two of my 2-a-day workouts. Yesterday wasn't too bad except for the fact that I went to bed at about 7:30! I'm exhausted! Getting up at 6am and two workouts makes me sleeeeepy. Not to mention that this little furball likes to take up most of the bed. Lucky for him he's so damn cute! Plus he loves me not matter how much I weigh :)
If only he would sleep in his bed like he's supposed to....here is his famous "Snoopy" shot when he was just a baby:
Doesn't he look like Snoopy dancing??
Anyway....this schedule appears to be working! I'm down two more pounds which means I'm officially 25 pounds lighter :) Only 6 pounds to go!
2 Day Recap:
3/6
Breakfast: Grapefruit
Snack: Almonds
Lunch: Progresso Light Soup: Savory Vegetable Barley and some carrots
Snack: Almonds and one tiny mandarin orange
Dinner: Bonefish grill: Saucy shrimp appetizer, salmon, broccoli, and asparagus
Water: four 24oz bottles of water
Exercise: 30 minutes on the treadmill, 15 minutes core strength
3/7
Breakfast: Unsweetened applesauce with cinnamon
Lunch: Tuna and some cucumbers
Snack: Grapefruit
Dinner: (thanks master chef!) Baked chicken breast with Ken's Lite Asian Sesame dressing marinade, with sauteed onions, and steamed broccoli
Water: four 24oz bottles of water Exercise: 30 minutes on the treadmill in the morning and evening, 25 minutes core and arm strength
So yesterday I was boasting about my 12.43% loss....that was until I found out that I've officially been bumped to second place. This guy came out of NOWHERE with a 14% loss!! He wasn't even on my radar of potential threats...until now.
The "commissioner" (as we like to call him) did some projections, and according to him, I need to lose at leastNINE POUNDS in order to retake first place and win the competition. 9 pounds in two weeks?!?!? I'd like to think it's possible considering I lost 10 pounds in the first two weeks of the competition. But things were different then...my body was literally shocked by the drastic change in diet and exercising. Our bodies are made to adapt and over the past 8 weeks my body has adapted to the changes. I mean I only lost 4 pounds the past two weeks and now I need to pull 9 pounds out of my butt. *SIGH*
I'm caught between just keeping with what I've been doing and taking an inevitable second place or kicking my ass into gear and go for first place. But I've decided that I've worked too damn hard to give in now. Therefore, the plan is fruits, veggies, fish, and chicken ONLY. No more carbs/starches period. Also, starting tomorrow I'm going to start two-a-day workouts. Last year I spent the last week of the competition working out in the morning and the evening and I lost 3.37% over the last two weeks. So maybe if I start two-a-day this week I'll be able to loss the 9 pounds or 4+%. The hardest part is making myself get up even earlier than I already do to beat the traffic. Just gotta remember:
Lord help me....
Yesterday's Recap:
3/2 Breakfast: Unsweetened applesauce with cinnamon Snack: Grapefruit Lunch: Progresso Light Soup: Roasted Chicken and Veggies Snack: Almonds and one tiny mandarin orange Dinner: Baked chicken breast with Ken's Lite Sundried Tomato dressing marinade and steamed broccoli Water: four 24oz bottles of water Exercise: 1 hour of ZUMBA!
Today was the last weigh in before the final weigh in, which is only TWO weeks away! Ah! Some days it feels like the longest 9 weeks ever and some days it feels like just yesterday we started this crazy competition.
After today's weigh in, I'm officially -12.43%! I need to lose 4 pounds in the next two weeks in order to reach my goal of -13.5% weight loss! It's going to be tough but what's two weeks out of my life :)
Weekend Recap:
3/2 Breakfast: Banana Snack: Unsweetened applesauce with cinnamon Lunch: Salad with tuna Snack: Mixed nuts Dinner: Tilapia and steamed broccoli Water: four 24oz bottles of water Exercise: 40 minutes on treadmill and 15 minutes core strength
3/3 Breakfast: Banana smoothie Lunch: Grilled chicken salad with honey lime vinaigrette from Chilis Dinner: Shrimp and steamed broccoli Water: three 24oz bottles of water Exercise: 40 minute run with Jasper
3/4 Breakfast: Banana smoothie Snack: Grapefruit Snack: Apple Dinner: Tilapia and zucchini Water: three 24oz bottles of water Exercise: 30 minute walk with Jasper
In a little over a month, my dear friend Brittany would have been turning 25!! However, in 2002 she died in a tragic car accident. Brittany was such an amazing friend, athlete, daughter, and sister, and she is missed every single day. Her infectious personality and bright smile made all of the lives she touched better.
Not long after Brittany died, her amazing family started the Angel's Race Triathlon to raise money for the Brittany Groover Memorial Scholarship Fund. I've been participating and volunteering in this race for many years and yesterday I just signed Seth and I up again!
Every year that I have participated in this race, I've been on a relay team in which I swim the 300m leg of the triathlon, while another team member bikes the 20k and another runs the 5k. I've had a goal for a few years now to work my way up to doing the whole race myself. This year I'm stepping it up and doing both the swim AND the run.
There is no doubt in my mind that I can do this because each year Brittany lets me borrow her angel wings :)
And I know she's watching over me everyday....yesterday I was kicking myself because I forgot to scan this awesome picture of Brittany and I that I have at home. So while I was writing this blog post yesterday that very same picture that I had forgotten hangs in cube at work fell off my pinboard and landed right beside my computer! Thanks Britt :)
Brittany's parents gave me this picture when we went to visit them after the funeral. I love it because it shows the true essence of Brittany. This picture really is worth a thousand words!
2-day Recap:
2/29
Breakfast: Banana Snack: Banana Lunch: Small salad and grapes Snack: Clementine and mixed nuts Dinner:Ground turkey casserole Water: four 24oz bottles of water Exercise: 30 minutes on the treadmill, 25 minutes core and lower body strength
3/1
Breakfast: Banana Lunch: Leftover ground turkey meatloaf Snack: Clementine and mixed nuts Dinner: BBQ chicken thighs, couscous, and moo shu veggies (see below for recipe) Water: four 24oz bottles of water Exercise: short walk after lunch around the building with my girls
Moo Shu Veggies
Ingredients:
3 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, divided
4 large egg whites, lightly beaten
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 12-ounce bag shredded mixed vegetables, we used broccoli slaw
1 bunch scallions, sliced, divided
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
Directions:
Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and scramble egg whites. Remove to a plate. Wipe out the pan and heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil over medium heat and cook the garlic for about a minute. Add shredded vegetables, half the sliced scallions, soy sauce, and vinegar. Stir to combine. Cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until the vegetables are just tender, about 3 minutes. Add the reserved eggs and hoisin; cook, uncovered, stirring and breaking up the scrambled eggs, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining scallions and remove from the heat. Enjoy!
