So... Jack Fit asked the other day.  Why do you want to lose weight.  He wanted it in picture form...the answer written on a notecard.

Here's my answer - Pretty self explanatory I think:
















You know... people say - you have to lose weight for yourself, not for others, but I TOTALLY disagree.

Dun dun dun da da da da da da Dun dun dun dun da da dun da da...
(imagine if you will the Star Wars music - you know when Darth Vader enters - playing)


That's what I feel in my head every Thursday as I approach the scale to weigh in (abbreviation after this as WI).  I especially felt it today after a 3 day business trip to New York, which included 3 full days of eating out.  I tried to choose wisely, but still ... it is restaurant food, and there are so many unknowns with portion size and calories.  Anyways... back to my march to scale.  I was pleasantly surprised by a loss of 1.4 today.  Down a total of 93.2 lbs!!!  I shouldn't be surprised though, I mean, I really did make good choices, and I exercised last week each day, and while I was gone - running on Tuesday.  I know it would have been more too, had it not been for sitting in an airplane until almost midnight last night and drinking a Bloody Mary and Nachos before getting on that plane.  Thank you water rention.  On to next week.. I'm within a 1 week reach of the 95 lb mark.  WOW!  So so close to 100!  That's a whole 'nother post for a different day.


Now... I'm going to bed because after going to bed after midnight, getting up at 6:30, working today, attending Weight Watchers, AND getting in my run, I'M BEAT!

Whew!!! I did my last training day yesterday (Sunday), flew to New York afterwards, and finally had a day of rest today.  I managed to workout all 7 days of last week.  3 days at Curves and 4 days running.  No shortage of activity points for Weight Watchers, that's for sure.  I made it through my first week running, and although at times I thought I could not actually get any sorer, I am done, and the soreness is finally gone.  I'm feeling strong and empowered!

Here's how my training for last week went (I'm following the Weight Watchers "Walk-It Challenge" Train to Run a 5k plan):

• Tuesday =  5 minutes walking, 1 minute running/1 minute walking x 10, 5 minutes walking
• Thursday = same
• Saturday = 5 minutes walking, 2 minutes running/3 minutes walking x 4, 5 minutes walking.
• Sunday = 5 minutes walking, 2 minutes running, 3 minutes walking x 3, 5 minutes walking.

I made it through all 4 days, and I ran the suggested amount of time and DIDN'T HAVE TO STOP YAY! 

I also learned some unpleasant things about my iPod setup this week: 

• Head phones really suck, and I have these: Beats By Dre.  Apparently my ears are not the right shape.
• Clipping the iPod on is not working, I've been holding it, but then the cord bumps against me and the previously mentioned headphones pull out of my ears.  Curse you large chest!

I guess I need to find a solution to the iPod problems, as the music really helps me focus.  What do you like to use when running?  Has anyone liked an armband?

Oh yeah and I found a very cool site on Saturday:  MapMyRun.  It revealed that I'm walking/running about 2.2 miles already!

I'm on business in New York this week, and will be doing my running plan for tomorrow hopefully on the paths at my hotel.  It is kind of in the "country" and they have a nice 1/3 mile running path.  Beats a treadmill anytime - As long as the weather holds up - its been rainy and hot (upper 80s) and humid!  YUCK! 

I eluded in my first post that I was now training to run a 5k.  Yes it is true.  The formerly 280 ish some pounds girl is going to run!!!  I never in a million years thought I would do this.  I mean, I hate running.  No, let me rephrase that - I HATE RUNNING!  It hurts and it makes you sweaty, and ... blah blah blah. 

So, then why do I feel the need to run a 5k?  I mean I could have picked a mile run.  Nope, I picked a 5k? 

1. Prove I can do it.
2. Do something that really fat people can't do to prove to myself that I'm not as fat anymore.
3. Prove to myself I really do hate running.  I mean, what if I really secretly love running.  Who knows?
4. Get a new Weight Watchers charm for my key chain (when you lose the first 10% of your body weight at Weight Watchers, they give you a key chain, then you get charms for things like 25, 50, 75, 100 lbs, running/walking a 5k, etc.).  People you would not believe how important these stupid little things become.
5. Because my Weight Watchers leader volunteered to run with me.  No getting out of it now.  Bless you, you are a fabulous woman!
6. Last and most important - I want to try and catapult my weight loss into the next zone.  I want to get to 100 lbs lost and I want to get to my goal.

#6 is really where I'm focused right now.  I weighed in on Thursday, and I lost 1.4 pounds for a new total of 91.8 lbs lost.  I have only 8.2 lbs to reach 100 lbs total lost, and only 14.6 lbs to my goal weight!!! HOLY COW!  This is real.  I am so close.  I really feel like training for this 5k is my ticket to get there as quickly and as healthily as possible.

I hope to post the plan I'm following soon, and also talk about what I want to do once I reach my goal!  I'll also post a first training week recap tomorrow, after my last session of the week.  I should also take some more recent pics.  The ones I posted on my first post are from about 2-3 months ago. 

Stay tuned... and thanks for visiting!

I suppose I should introduce myself.  I'm Sarah.  I'm 33 years old, and I'm still fat, but not as fat as I was 18 months ago. 

You see ... as of today I've managed to lose 91.8 pounds.  I know the next question.  I hear it several days a week.  How'd you do it?  I don't have any voodoo magic to share with you.  Sorry!  Here's my secret... huddle in now... wait for it... I strictly watch what I eat EVERY single day, right it all down, and I exercise most days a week, usually instead of doing something like going out for lunch, or happy hour.  Not very fun huh? 
But much better to be this:

Yikes!!! That hurts my eyes people.  Seriously... How did I let that happen?    Well.... I let it happen over many many many years of being overweight, obese... fat.  Whatever you want to call it, I was it.  I was the fat kid, the fat teenager, the fat bride, and finally the fat pregnant lady.  I loved myself, I had good friends/family, and I felt people accepted me, but  It all came down around me on August 9, 2007. 

See that sweet boy sitting on my lap in the scary picture above?  That's my sweet baby that was born that night.  Let's call him "L".  He was born 5 weeks early, weighed 3 lbs 4 oz, and spent 27 days in the NICU at the hospital.  He was born early because I developed HELLP syndrome - a very serious and rare from of preeclampsia that can lead to liver failure and even maternal death.  L and I, we're lucky.  We both came out of it relatively unscathed.  Sure, he's a little small, but it hasn't effected his ability to flourish one bit.  After L was born I continued my "old lifestyle" for over a year before I was finally told flat out by my doctor that my weight was likely a "contributing factor" to my pregnancy issues - oh yeah there were multiple issues, but let's not go there right now.  I was also advised to lose weight prior to any more pregnancies.  WOW!  I almost killed myself and this sweet little boy, because I like bon-bons too much?  That was a selfish thing to do.  And so, the very next week I walked into Weight Watchers and vowed to change myself.  I had to... I had that sweet little boy to think about now. 

And that pretty much brings you to now.  I've followed Weight Watchers since October 2008.  Let's see that's 18 months!!! I lost my first 50 lbs with no exercise, and then last April I started going to Curves.  Oh yeah... and now I've lost my last piece of sanity and am signed up to run a 5k in June.  June 12, 2010 to be exact.  It will be a day that lives in infamy.  See, my family, we are not runners.  So, stay tuned for that one.  I just started training this week, and will have a post coming soon.

In closing (isn't that how you were taught to write an essay... it has been a long time people).  I have a favorite quote.  "A journey of a thousand miles, must begin with a single step"
- Lao Tzu
I live by that every day!