getting back on the wagon

I started this whole thing shortly after seeing this picture of my self



I couldn't believe I had let myself get so big. Now,don't get me wrong. I've been "chunky" my whole life. "Big boned" my family liked to say. I topped out around 190 and my lowest was living in Seattle when I commuted by bike. I was around 165.

I started this whole thing on December 28, 2011. I was sitting on my *kitten* during holiday break. My kids were at school. It was noon and I was still in my pajamas...eating and sleeping. It took effort to get up the stairs. I felt weak and out of breath. From walking up stairs? WTH!!! I had tried and failed at C25K two summers in a row. I hated getting dressed, shopping for clothes, looking in the mirror. Blah.

That day, I looked up calorie counters and found MFP. I downloaded a Jillian 30 day shred video and so the journey began.

I never even finished the 30 day shred because on January 8, I joined a gym. I went 4-6 days a week, depending on my work schedule and was crushing 2 hours a day there between cardio and weights. I got down to an all time low of 138. (I had pink eye in the picture. Eek!)



I began to feel comfortable in this new body, in this new weight. I was at a fitness level I had never been at even when I was in high school playing sports. I was a machine.

Then, a month after his picture, I had surgery on my thyroid. I was out of commission for about a month. Once that month was over, all my motivation was gone. I hadn't gained weight, but getting back in the gym was hard. Getting out and running was hard.

I thought I could maintain without counting and without exercising. I gained back about 10 lbs. Luckily, I never let it get too out of control and never got back to my starting weight.

38 days ago I started religiously logging again. it has been hard and I haven't been faithful. I've had days that were so bad I just gave up on trying to log. I am now working two jobs so I don't have as much time as I used to for exercise, but once summer is here and my teaching job is on break, I will again.

As of this morning, I am back down to 140.5. I don't have a current full body shot but here is a head shot as of yesterday.



My goal for the rest of 2013 is to

1. Get to my final goal weight of 130
2. Get some muscle definition.
3. Run a half marathon.

Thanks for looking!!!!!