somebody pinch me

I think I might be dreaming! Just last week I tweeted that plateaus suck... because well, they do! I had gone 2 and a half weeks with only a pound lost, and even that one fluctuated from day to day. Then, the very next day I stepped on the scales and 3 pounds disappeared. Then today, 2 more have vanished! That brings the 30x30 total to... are you ready for this????

16 POUNDS! (That makes a grand total of 32 since September 2010) WHAT!?! Are you kidding me? I stepped on and off the scale multiple times today just to make sure. In January, I was excited about losing 7 and I said that I didn't expect big numbers like that every month. I lost 9 pounds in February. I'm still a little bit in shock. :)

I'm also, as of last Thursday, without a trainer... officially at least. Michael is still at the gym, and I have no doubt that he will still be as encouraging as ever, but for at least 3 weeks, I'm going to do this on my own. I'm taking applications for workout buddies though... ladies? Help! :) Seriously, I'd love to have someone to workout with!

Last night I went to the gym after DPAC for a workout. I intentionally went late so that there wouldn't be as many people there and I could set up my little crossfit set up and go to work. My workout was: 5 rounds (as fast as possible) of... 10 (25lb) kettle bell deadlifts, 10 burpees, 10 (25lb) kettle bell swings, 10 ring rows (it's like an adjusted pull up), 10 air squats, 20 v-ups, and 20 tricep pull downs. OUCH! I was sweating like a crazy person, but I finished in less than 22 minutes! Woohoo! I had to prove to myself that I could workout without Michael. It's always hard when the training wheels come off, but oh so worth it!!

5 months and Valentine's Day!

Alrighty... let's get right down to business first...



Today = 5 months of the new and improved lifestyle = 27 lbs! This last month has been a pretty big one weight wise... 7 pounds since January 15th. As for the 30x30 goal... I am down 11 lbs since January 1, so I have 19 more to go by July 1! I'm starting to confuse myself will all these numbers! :)



This has been an up and down month for me. The scale has been awesome... sometimes despite my not as awesome eating habits creeping in from time to time. There have been a few times that I've eaten above my calorie count for no good reason at all, which definitely annoys me. And there have been times I chose ahead of time to go above my calorie count... like at a friend's birthday dinner and a super bowl party. I'm learning though, to plan ahead for events that will probably (or definitely!) entail yummy, not-so-good-for-me food by getting in a little extra exercise and drinking tons of water before and after. I also know that I am NOT on a diet... and there are going to be days when I eat more. Life happens. And life often involves food. I'm willing to take this slow if need be. :) All that said though, pounds are still coming off and I'm SUPER excited about that. All the muscle building work Michael had me doing at the beginning is totally paying off now.



I'm so INCREDIBLY excited to share with you all how my class celebrated Valentine's Day yesterday. My class has been learning about exercise and healthy food all year. It's just something that has really stuck with them, and it's important to me, so we are always discussing it. Last week, as a class, we created the menu for our "Healthy Heart" party, and they all brought in the food yesterday. The menu? Juice, apples, oranges, bananas, grapes, carrots, broccoli, cheez-its, popcorn, and graham crackers. When they all came in with their contributions, they were SO excited! They talked all day long about the party and had a blast celebrating our friendships AND our healthy hearts. :) Not one time did they ask where the cake, cookies, or candy was. They didn't miss it at all! Lord, teach me to eat like a little child!!

i used to be scared...

I used to be scared to run... but today my workout set included 4 .25 runs (or jogs... my "running" is still pretty slow). By the 4th one I so wanted to slow down, but I'm finally getting mentally strong enough to talk myself though it and just finish! Dang, that felt good.

I used to be scared of the "guy side" of the gym, otherwise known as the free weights... but today my workout set included 2 different movements that had to be done on the "guy side"... I think my favorite moment was when I went to get the 30 lb bar to do curls, and this guy grabbed it first. I figured I didn't want to wait around for him to finish, so I grabbed the 40lb bar... and did curls right beside him. hehe I'da hated to be that guy.

I used to be scared to talk to new visitors at Summit en Espanol for fear that they'd discover my limited ability to actually speak Espanol! But tonight I forced myself to talk to people I didn't know. I'll admit, I was nervous and I'm still going to be a little scared next time, but getting to know new people is great, and something I need to do much more often!

Fear is no good... I'm learning to face my fears head on and I am loving it! Life is too short to live in fear and "what if"s. Besides, God didn't give us a spirit of fear, and if fear is not from Him, then I don't want it! What an exciting journey this is... every day I grow more excited about where the Lord is taking me and how He is getting me there day after day! Life with Him is far from dull - that's for sure!