Sunday, November 22, 2009

My goals, as of 9/22/10

My ultimate goal: to finally be happy with who I am.

Ideally, I have a certain goal weight in mind (don’t we all?), which is listed in steps below. But, I’m more so looking to gain confidence and contentment in my life. So here’s to that!

Instead of going straight to the number goals, I'm trying a new approach this time around, which is what I did with partial success the first time I legitimately gave this losing weight thing a shot. Moderation and steps are key, instead of jumping in head first. Habits take a while to form, so I'm going to try to get used to something before adding on another activity/goal. And here's the plan:

  • Begin with 3 days of exercise a week. Add another day every 2-3 weeks or so.
  • Start the Couch to 5k (C25K) running program. And start with Week One, Day One. None of this skipping around and thinking I'm more advanced. I really am starting from the couch.
  • Only run two days a week for now (maybe even one) so I can get more cycling in while it's still warm.
  • It's ok to substitute something else for running once in a while, since it's better to get some exercise even if it isn't what I need right now. But I need to break a sweat for at least 30 minutes doing whatever the other thing is.

And onto the weight goals:

Current weight (9/22/10): 220.5
Goals:
209 - 12/8/10 - 5% Lost
199 - 3/2/10 - Onederland
174 - 8/24/10 - Just Plain Overweight
162 - 11/16/10 - College Minimum
154 - 1/25/11 - Last Ten or So
140 - 5/2/11 - GOAL!

About Me, as of 9/22/10

I'm a 26 year-old rugby player, triathlete, racquetball junkie, and general sports fanatic who just happens to be severely--and perhaps even morbidly--obese. How did that happen? Well, I love beer, ice cream, and chocolate, and not necessarily in that order.

You'd think that with all these sports in my life I would have no trouble losing weight. And the fact that I live in super active Colorado shouldn't hurt either, right? Wrong! Instead of becoming more active after moving here, I've become an even bigger couch potato. I don't know if it's intimidation due to the extreme amount of exercising people do out here or just pure laziness, but this has got to stop.

I've tried a lifestyle change many times, most notably by beginning this blog in November 2009, losing some weight, gaining it back, getting a GoWear Fit (calorie-counter thingamabob that sits on your arm), losing 10 pounds, then gaining it back, and more recently, training for a few triathlons and races, losing 15 pounds and gaining even more back. I wish I could just get the hint and figure it all out, but, alas, I've struggled.

So I'm renewing my commitment to a healthy, and hopefully thinner, lifestyle. I'm at the point where I avoid mirrors and can't look at pictures of myself. That's really scary for me since even though I've been big all my life, I've never been this ashamed of my body. And now I'm hoping to go to Belize for a month in May and/or June where I will be wearing a bathing suit (or at least skirt and tank top) the whole time so I want to feel comfortable when I'm there. I don't need to be "hot", I just want to be happy.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Just Vegas

I think I'm going to stay away from TNT for now. There's no way I see myself raising $5000 (I checked with the people and that's how much it is to go to Florida), and even if I could, I would much rather use it on a Habitat trip to Africa. There's also no way I would make it out to Denver two times a week just to do a workout. Having to do something every day is trying enough for me.

So as it stands, I'm going to go on my own (well, with Maggie) and see where that takes me. We live in Boulder, so it shouldn't be too hard to find people train with. The local tri club does runs and bikes every week, and I just found out that they also do swims, albeit at 6:30 in the morning. So hopefully I'll be able to get in on that and get some instruction. I don't think I need too much of that since I'm a fairly good swimmer, but it'd be nice to get some feedback on my stroke. I kind of wish we lived in Denver (let's add another reason to this list of why Denver is better than Boulder) since their club seems much more organized, actually has a coach for sure (the same guy who coaches the TNT team), and I figure more normal-looking people actually join and do these things instead of the emaciated housewives that flock to endurance sports in this town. But, I figure Boulder knows what it's doing so it should be enough.

So yeah, I'm actually getting a bit excited about this triathlon bit, even though I haven't done much for it yet. I'm also thinking of signing up for another Olympic one in June since it's about an hour away and it'd be nice to have something to do after this April one in Vegas. And it's going to be at even higher altitude than Boulder, so we'll have something to work towards instead of just improving our time. And I really like their logo, which is part of the reason I'm so excited about participating. I know it'll be hell being so high up, but I think it'll also be a great challenge. The funny thing is I talk about being so excited to get fit and all that jazz, yet I've been dreading even starting C25K for a while now. In my mind it's great, but actually doing all this fitness scares me and I wish I could avoid all the pain.

The new resolution now is to join the Boulder Tri Club and follow some triathlon plan, either the one in the book, one from BeginnerTriathlete.com, or one recommended by BTC. I figure if I exercise even a bit, then I'll be better off than doing nothing. Also, I think we may substitute the running portions with some later weeks of C25K since I kind of need to ease into running, mostly because I hate it so much and need something bearable to keep me going, but also because I'm so out of shape in that respect.

Ok, now I need to start packing for Cancun, since I leave tomorrow and have done absolutely NOTHING to prepare. Granted, all I need is a bathing suit and flip-flops, but it'd be nice to remember important things such as my passport as well.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Second thoughts

This triathlon thing has me in a quandary. I don't know if I can go from not exercising much to doing it intensely every day. I've been really thinking about this TNT thing a lot and I figure that's the only way I'll actually do a triathlon since I don't have the willpower to get my ass to the gym so often. It's just too easy to say no. But with TNT, I'll have made a commitment and put money down so it'll force me to work out and make this happen.

Also, if I have to raise something on the order of $3000 or more, I don't know if this is where I wanna spend my time fund-raising. For the longest time I've been wanting to go to Africa or Fiji to do a Habitat for Humanity International trip, but the steep price tag has always scared me off. I mean, how do you raise $3500? Especially me? But when I saw the prices for the triathlon thing, it seemed like a piece of cake. And now that I think about it, it's comparable to what Fiji or Botswana would cost me. So the big question is, what would I rather fund-raise for?

I mean, the triathlon would be a great way to get my butt into shape and it'd be much more than a trip. It would a life-style change which is what I really need right now to kick-start the new me (I need a fire under my ass to do anything that's remotely hard). And the Habitat trip would just be...a trip. A sweet experience, but still, just a trip. I guess that's the reasoning I'm going with right now. I can always get involved with Habitat later down the road. I'm just afraid that I'll only have one chance to ask people for money and I can't decide which I want more.

This is really going to happen

It seems like this triathlon thing is really going to happen. Maggie's super psyched about it and maybe that'll translate to us going to the gym more often. In fact, we did our first triathlon workout today! Lots of swimming and then we added some core exercises from a rugby lift schedule we acquired back in college. I'm already sore tonight, so I can only imagine how I'm going to feel tomorrow. Hopefully it won't discourage me from going back to do some cycling tomorrow.

I went to the library today to check out a few training books to start a program since I haven't found anything online. There are a bunch, but I picked the most detailed one, so I hope it's the right way to go. I feel that you can't go wrong with just generally exercising even if it's not optimal for triathlon training. Since I'm not trying to be the best, and instead am striving just to finish, I think that this'll be good. It gives us a 12-week training regimen for a sprint triathlon, the "baby" as we call it since it's the easiest of them all: 750 m swim, 20 km bike, 5 km run. It seems pretty pansy distance-wise so depending on how we feel during training, we may up our ambitions to the Olympic one: 1.5 k swim, 40 km bike, 10 km run. We'll see. I was pretty tired after swimming today, and that was only 500 m. Then again, it is only day one and so my endurance is bound to get better.

We even found one that we may register for: Rage in the Sage at Lake Mead just outside of Vegas on April 17th. That gives us just about 12 weeks to get ready and so it's the perfect time-frame. It's also in Vegas so afterwards we can go PARTY! We're even trying to get Ally to come and do it with us, even though I'm pretty sure she'd smoke our asses. Anywhos, now that we have a goal, we just have to work towards it.

I've also been looking at other programs out there and maybe possibly joining the Boulder Triathlon Club to get some advice and maybe even a bit of coaching. I know how to swim, but I'm pretty sure I'm fairly inefficient at it, so some guidance would definitely be helpful. So there's also the option of just taking a swim class come January at the Rec Center. I'm so used to being coached when I join new sports that it'd be weird just going at it alone without direction.

On that note, a friend of mine from high school did this program similar to Habitat Bicycle Challenge in that a charity sponsors you for an endurance event (you can pick from hikes to marathons to long cycles to triathlons) and you raise a certain amount of money for them. In exchange, you get coaching, a team environment, and flights and hotels paid for. By the way, it's called Team in Training (TNT for short) and has a chapter in Colorado. There are a few triathlons in Boulder/Denver/CO area but later in the summer. The group sponsors one on April 25th in Tampa Florida, so it'd also be a perfect timeline. The only problem is that it's an Olympic triathlon and I don't think I'd be ready for that considering my current level of fitness (or lack thereof). But, with the right coaches, which they provide, I think I can at least complete it, which is all I'm going for at the moment.

Another problem I'm finding with this triathlon business is that equipment is so damn expensive. I wish running did it for me since all you need for that is a good pair of running shoes. But for this new interest of mine, I'm gonna need a road bike since my scrappy ol' mountain bike just won't do. I'd also be pretty embarrassed if I showed up to an elite triathlon (which is what the Vegas one is) with a mountain bike while everyone else has a spiffy road bike. I don't like looking like I don't belong, and that would totally make me stick out like a sore thumb (I probably already would just by being overweight and all). I also don't have a wetsuit for the swimming thing and I'm pretty sure that they don't come very cheap. I'm still excited just to train if nothing else since it's slowly getting me off my ass and into a gym. And with the wetsuit, maybe I can find something on eBay or Craigslist for something really cheap.

OR I can do the TNT program and get a wetsuit for "free". At least I think that's how all that works. My aforementioned friend, Brianna, had pictures on Facebook where she had a spiffy new wetsuit with their logo on the chest, and so did everyone else on her team, so maybe that's one of the perks of joining. Maybe they'll give me a bike, too ;) Either way, it looks like a lot of fundraising, which I don't know if I can do since I really suck at it, but I also figure I have the whole rugby team to help me (hopefully) so maybe that'll be a good lead. On a completely other note, I think the CO TNT chapter is getting pretty shafted since the only cool triathlon to choose from is the Florida one, while the West Coast people (Washington, LA, San Fran, and San Diego, to name a few) have the option of going to Hawaii. Granted, they have to raise over $5000 each, but I'm still insanely jealous.

I still don't know exactly how this program works, or even if I can get into it (this weekend was the last round of info sessions so I hope it's not too late) so I shouldn't get my hopes up too much. I've emailed the coordinator lady for the triathlons (she was away at the info meeting tonight so hopefully she answers me tomorrow) and my friend to get some answers. Even so, this sounds like an awesome opportunity and I REALLY hope I get a chance to participate.

P.S. I was doing really good with the gym and all and then we ordered a pizza and I ate half of it. Oops. At least I went to the gym. That's one victory for today.

P.P.S. To add an unnecessary and premature worry (since I always have to have one), if I do get a wetsuit from TNT at the start of this journey, I'm pretty sure it's going to be a bit too big by the time the event really does happen. So what do I do then? Get a new one? Or have a saggy, non-aerodynamic piece of neoprene? Oh the problems I have...

Monday, November 16, 2009

Triathlon anyone?

This weekend was quite ridiculous. Our rugby prom was held last night (Saturday), and as always, it was a shitshow. Friday night was also pretty crazy since we went to a show and got pretty hammered. And today after our rugby team meeting/elections, a few people stayed behind and we made an early Thanksgiving dinner, except with chicken.

Anywhos, I was way off plan and didn't count anything that I put into my mouth. I also haven't been wearing my GWF, so the results for the last two days will be so skewed that I may as well throw out any data. Oh well. It's time to start anew on Monday. At least that's what I say every week. Maggie said she wants to give up drinking, or at least give up excessive drinking until August, so that'll make my beer habit a little more manageable since now I'll have someone around all the time who turns down a beer after dinner. That'll be really nice.

Also, we decided that we're going to start training for a triathlon. I want something tangible to work towards with my exercise and I absolutely HATE running (even though that's my current LJ theme...details). So the natural choice would be a triathlon where I can do some swimming and cycling, two things I love to do, and only do a bit of running. One day I'd like to do the IronMan just for bragging purposes, but I don't think that'll ever happen since it's a lot of swimming, even more biking, and a marathon of running at the end. AND it lasts about 10 hours if not more. I'd get bored so fast!

I've been looking online for some training programs since there's an abundance of them for marathons and general running, but everything is paid for the triathlon programs. And I'm not serious enough to put money into this quite yet. Right now I'm looking to just finish, and maybe if I really get into it then I'll invest in a better training program and maybe even a road bike. Right now I plan on using my shitty mountain bike that's bulky and doesn't really switch gears all that well. I really need to get it fixed so then maybe I'll actually start biking (or going) to work more often.

Alright, enough of this. I should get to bed since it's 3 am and I REALLY have to be efficient at work tomorrow since, for the first time at this job (I think) I have a deadline. Yay being a real adult!

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Mom

Today was pretty good until people came over. Maggie had a little get-together for our rugby team at 7 pm and I had an indoor soccer game at 8:30 that I had every intention of going to. But then 7:45 came around and then 8 and I figured I'd rather hang out with people than kick the ball around. Stupid me. Instead of getting a work-out in, I drank wine and beer and ate cupcakes that I shouldn't have. Oh, well. There's always tomorrow.

Since I've become nocturnal, I've been reading a lot of 3FC threads lately. One of them really made me think about my mom and how, although I'm obese myself, I always get on her case about her weight. Yeah, it's kind of "returning the favor" of her always mentioning my size in every conversation we have, but now I've realized that I'm just breaking her down instead of helping her be healthier. It's a huge fear of mine that she'll die in the near future because of her size. I love her to death and I have no idea how my family would function without her. She keeps us together and keeps my dad super healthy, even with all his health problems. Yet, she doesn't take care of herself as much as she cares about others, and that hurts a lot. I want her to be around forever and I feel the only way to do that is to get her on a healthier life track.

I mean, she doesn't eat badly. Surprisingly, the things she cooks are mostly thin, yet totally delicious, soups and meats. But I feel that her metabolism, like mine, is as slow as a turtle and it doesn't help her out at all. I don't know what to do besides get her to exercise more. Over the years, I've been complaining to her that she eats too much in volume and should start writing down everything that goes into her mouth. I know that's been scientifically proven to be a great help in weight-loss, but I feel that that's only part of the problem. I'm too harsh with her and I should just lay off the nagging.

So next time I'm home (which won't be til Christmas), maybe I should try a different approach. Inviting her out for a walk or getting her started on C25K may be the way to go instead of always complaining that she eats too much and exercises too little. Maybe the way to go is to lead by example. Like, "Mom, I'm going for a bike ride. Do you want to come?" I think she'd be more appreciative of that than some of the things I currently say to her.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Day 1 at the gym!

I finally made it to the gym, albeit for only 30 minutes. But still, that's better than I've been doing lately. Maggie and I did a bit of lifting, til my left shoulder started hurting pretty badly so I finished up with abs and some shoulder-specific exercises. As always, we were messing around most of the time, so that kinda needs to change in order to make our work-out more efficient. But at least it's step one in starting this whole weight-loss exercise thing.

Of course, after we came home, we popped open a beer and some ice cream, but again, it was only one beer so I'm slowly working up my willpower. I guess you can't go from 0 to 60 in a day. Turning down things will totally take time. AND I also bought a watch for the C25K, so although I'm not quite running yet, there's really nothing else that stands in the way. That is, besides me absolutely HATING running. But hopefully I'll get over that.

I'm still kinda freaked out about the whole loose skin on the belly thing when it comes to losing weight, but after seeing myself in the mirror at the gym today, I was totally disgusted and would take having loose skin any day over the way I look now. I guess at this point I'm more worried about the "batwings" people describe since those are a bit harder to hide than some belly flab. What's sad is that even though I may lose all this weight, I still won't be able to wear a bikini...and that's one of my major motivators. Boo.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Slacking off again

I've been feeling really down lately and haven't been doing any exercise. I didn't sleep much last night (went to bed at 6 am and had to get up at 9) so when I got home from class I passed out and woke up at 8ish. Oy. The vicious cycle of being nocturnal continues...

I went to physical therapy for my shoulder this morning. I'd overslept my last appointment so I REALLY had to get up and not miss this one. I was very spoiled with my PT guy in Connecticut so I didn't really think anyone could compare to his knowledge and competency. But the lady I met today was pretty good. She went over my MRI results with me, something my douchebag doctor hadn't bothered to do (another reason I don't trust that he has my best interests in mind) so it was nice to finally figure out why my shoulder's been throbbing. I'm really glad I insisted on the MRI in the first place because it definitely gave me a much better idea of what is going on in there.

The exercises she suggested were really simple but exhausting at the same time. I hate that PT people know exactly what muscles, tendons, and ligaments to isolate. I've never been so sore after using a 2 lb dumbbell. BUT I now have the stretchy rubber band thingies that I can use to strengthen up my ankles. She also doesn't need to see me more than once a week, which is great since it'll come out much cheaper this way. All in all, a very productive session. Now I just have to get my butt to the gym to do these things.

Italian was boring boring, mostly because I was so tired that I couldn't focus. We got our tests back and I'd missed the super easy parts I already knew. So now I have to get my butt into gear to make sure I keep an A in the class. And by that I mean that I actually have to study instead of just going out drinking the night before.

And then I slept. Maggie suggested we start the C25K thing today, but that obviously didn't happen. I HATE running, so I have no idea how I'm going to get started on this program and actually stick with it. I mean, it's only 20 minutes of torture, which is so insignificant in the long scheme of things, but I just can't get the motivation to get started. Oy...I just need to get over myself.

Also, after reading 3FC threads about post-weight loss bellies, I'm super worried. I don't want a saggy belly after busting my butt losing 80 pounds. WTF. I'd rather be a little fat and not have pregnancy sag. The results all depend on the a lot of things, but I'm pretty sure I'm gonna be one of the people with ugly bellies. My goal for this weightloss is to be able to wear a bikini, but that doesn't seem likely with what people are predicting. Maybe it's just the extreme cases that posted on that thread and most people don't have a problem with it, but I'm really worried. I don't want that! But first, I have to get down to that size to see if it'll actually affect me. Maybe my youth (right...for once I'm saying I'm still young) will help, but I've been obese for a while and I'm not sure my skin is all that elastic. I mean, my face looks a lot more damaged than most people my age. But then again, I've never exposed my stomach to the sun, so there may be hope. I don't expect to lose this weight fast, so I think that may also be to my advantage. Ok, enough of that.

Now I'm going back to watching Gossip Girl and then some melatonin for sleep.

P.S. I was semi-good today with eating well (mostly cuz I was asleep all day), but I just had a Snickers out of boredom. I need to get out of the house more and be busy so I don't snack all the time!

Monday, November 9, 2009

First Day for Real!

I've been "seriously losing weight" for the past 2 weeks and haven't really gotten anywhere. The only thing I've been doing differently is diligently keeping track of what I've been eating. And although that is a great start, I haven't been doing anything about what I've been putting in my mouth. So, I feel like I need to hold myself accountable by writing down my thoughts here. Obviously, this won't be a daily thing or anything like that, but when I think of something I need to say (like, epiphanies regarding eating and working out), then I will have somewhere to write this down. So, the first epiphany is going to be here:

I need to change and go running/to the gym as soon as I get home. If my butt finds the couch, then there's no hope. I'm even thinking I may do the C25K runs in the morning. I mean, it's only 20-30 minutes and I can get them over with. We'll see how that goes...

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Triathlon Training


16 weeks of training for my Olympic distance triathlon on June 26, 2010
(with a sprint distance tri thrown in on May 23, 2010)

See where I'm at:

Wk Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
1 Swim Intervals
(950 m)
Foundation Bike
(45 min)
Foundation Run
(30 min)
Swim Intervals
(950 m)
Foundation Bike
(45 min)
Foundation Run
(30 min)
2 Swim Intervals
(1,050 m)
Foundation Bike
(45 min)
Foundation Run
(35 min)
Swim Intervals
(1,050 m)
Foundation
Bike + Tran.
Run
(45+10 min)
Foundation Run
(35 min)
3 Swim Intervals
(1,150 m)
Foundation Bike
(1 hr)
Foundation Run
(35 min)
Swim Intervals
(1,250 m)
Foundation Bike
(1 hr)
Foundation Run
(40 min)
4 Swim Intervals
(950 m)
Bike Short Hills
(50 min)
Run Intervals
(30 min)
Swim Intervals
(950 m)
Foundation
Bike + Tran.
Run
(45+10 min)
Foundation Run+Drills
(35 min)
5 Swim Intervals
(1,250 m)
Bike Short Hills
(55 min)
Run Intervals
(35 min)
Swim Intervals
(1,250 m)
Foundation Bike
(1 hr)
Foundation Run + Drills
(45 min)
6 Swim Intervals
(1,350 m)
Bike Short Hills
(1 hr)
Run Intervals
(40 min)
Swim Intervals
(1,400 m)
Foundation
Bike + Tran.
Run
(75+10 min)
Foundation Run + Drills
(50 min)
7 Swim Intervals
(1,500 m)
Bike Long Hills
(65 min)
Run Intervals
(32 min)
Swim Intervals
(1,450 m)
Long Bike
(75 min)
Long Run
(55 min)
8 Swim Intervals
(1,225 m)
Bike Intervals
(1 hr)
Run Intervals
(32 min)
Swim Intervals
(1,150 m)
Foundation
Bike + Tran.
Run
(75+10 min)
Long Run
(55 min)
9 Swim Intervals
(1,575 m)
Bike Long Hills
(70 min)
Run Intervals
(36 min)
Swim Intervals
(1,650 m)
Long Bike
(75 min)
Long Run
(60 min)

Goals!

Current weight:
5/26/10 - 209.5

I would like to finally be happy with who I am.

Ideally, I have a certain goal weight in mind (don’t we all?), which is listed in steps below. But, I’m more so looking to gain confidence and contentment in my life. So here’s to that!

And onto the weight goals:

Current Goals:
221 - 1/9/10 - The Start (Part II)
210 - 3/27/10 - 5% Lost
199 - 6/12/10 - Onederland
174 - 12/4/10 - Just Plain Overweight
162 - 3/19/11 - College Minimum
154 - 5/14/11 -  Last Ten or So
140 - 8/20/11 - GOAL!

Original Goals:
220 - 11/9/09 - The Start
208.5 - 2/2/10 - 5% Lost
199.5 - 4/6/10 - Onederland
177.5 - 9/7/10 - Just Plain Overweight
162.5 - 12/21/10 - College Minimum
154.5 - 3/1/11 -  Last Ten or So
140.5 - 6/7/11 - GOAL!

Couch to 10K

Each workout is preceded and followed by a 5-minute warm-up walk.

Week Workout 1 Workout 2 Workout 3
1 Total - 34 min
Jog 1 minute
Walk 2 minutes
Repeat 8 times.
Total - 28 min 
Jog 1 minute
Walk 2 minutes
Repeat 6 times.
Total - 31 min 
Jog 1 minute
Walk 2 minutes
Repeat 7 times.
2 Total - 38 min
Jog 2 minutes
Walk 2 minutes
Repeat 7 times.
Total - 31 min
Jog 1 minute
Walk 2 minutes
Repeat 7 times.
Total - 34 min
Jog 2 minutes
Walk 2 minutes
Repeat 6 times.
3 Total - 45 min
Jog 3 minutes
Walk 2 minutes
Repeat 7 times.
Total - 34 min
Jog 2 minutes
Walk 2 minutes
Repeat 6 times.
Total - 40 min
Jog 3 minutes
Walk 2 minutes
Repeat 6 times.
4 Total - 40 min
Jog 3 minutes
Walk 2 minutes
Repeat 6 times.
Total - 30 min
Jog 2 minutes
Walk 2 minutes
Repeat 5 times.
Total - 40 min
Jog 2 minutes
Walk 3 minutes
Repeat 6 times.
5 Total - 46 min
Jog 3 minutes
Walk 1 minute
Repeat 9 times.
Total - 34 min
Jog 2 minutes
Walk 1 minute
Repeat 8 times.
Total - 42 min
Jog 3 minutes
Walk 1 minute
Repeat 8 times.
6 Total - 52 min
Jog 5 minutes
Walk 1 minute
Repeat 7 times.
Total - 38 min
Jog 3 minutes
Walk 1 minute
Repeat 7 times.
Total - 50 min
Jog 3 minutes
Walk 1 minute
Repeat 10 times.
7 Total - 54 min
Jog 10 minutes
Walk 1 minute
Repeat 4 times.
Total - 40 min
Jog 4 minutes
Walk 1 minute
Repeat 6 times.
Total - 52 min
Jog 5 minutes
Walk 1 minute
Repeat 7 times.
8 Total - 54 min
Jog 10 minutes
Walk 1 minute
Repeat 4 times.
Total - 38 min
Jog 3 minutes
Walk 1 minute
Repeat 7 times.
Total - 46 min
Jog 5 minutes
Walk 1 minute
Repeat 6 times.
9 Total - 68 min
Jog 10 minutes
Walk 1 minute
Jog 15 minutes
Walk 1 minute
Jog 20 minutes
Walk 1 minute
Jog 10 minutes
Total - 46 min
Jog 5 minutes
Walk 1 minute
Repeat 6 times.
Total - 54 min
Jog 10 minutes
Walk 1 minute
Repeat 4 times.
10 Total - 72 min
Jog 10 minutes
Walk 1 minute
Jog 10 minutes
Walk 1 minute
Jog 30 minutes
Total - 54 min
Jog 10 minutes
Walk 1 minute
Repeat 4 times.
Total - 57 min
Jog 20 minutes
Walk 1 minute
Jog 15 minutes
Walk 1 minute
Jog 10 minutes
11 Total - 71 min
Jog 40 minutes
Walk 1 minute
Jog 20 minutes
Total - 54 min
Jog 10 minutes
Walk 1 minute
Repeat 4 times.
Total - 57 min
Jog 20 minutes
Walk 1 minute
Jog 15 minutes
Walk 1 minute
Jog 10 minutes
12 Total - 60 min
 Jog 50 minutes
Total - 43 min
 Jog 10 minutes
Walk 1 minute
Repeat 3 times.
Total - 52 min
 Jog 15 minutes
Walk 1 minute
Jog 15 minutes
Walk 1 minute
Jog 10 minutes
13 Total - 50 min
 Jog 40 minutes
Total - 43 min
 Jog 10 minutes
Walk 1 minute
Repeat 3 times.
Total - 46 min 
Run 10K

About Me

I’m starting this to document my feelings, successes, and stresses throughout this weight-loss journey. Hopefully it’ll help keep me on track and motivated.

I’m 5′4″ and 220 pounds. I have been overweight my entire life, but have never let myself go this much to the point of being very obese. I’m a very athletic person despite my size, having played soccer my whole life until I went to college. Then I switched to rugby and have stuck with that ever since. Now I’ve picked up racquetball and swimming since we’re out of season. Even with all these activities, I've managed to gain lots of weight, mostly due to my love of chocolate, ice cream, and beer. So I'm trying to cut down on those (especially the last one) and increase the exercise to get to my happy place.

I remember being a junior in high school and thinking I was grossly fat at 155 lbs. Losing the 20 pounds to make myself feel thin seemed so impossible. And here I am at 220 wishing I was that skinny all over again, and facing to lose about 80 to be at my goal weight of 140 lbs.

So today, November 9, 2009, is the day I REALLY begin my weight-loss journey!