Getting Supple: My 25 Week Fitness Challenge

I was doing a 6-week fitness challenge started on Jan 2nd with some of the mamas over at hipmama, but since I need more time than that to get to my goal weight I will continue for another 14 weeks and make it a 20-week challenge. *Update 3/02/07* A friend of mine told me perhaps I should extend my personal challenge to 25-30 weeks so as to take the pressure off myself to be 130 in another ten weeks. Because that would mean I'd have to lose 50 pounds in 10 weeks, which won't happen unless I severely cut my calories and workout like crazy every day, both of which would cause me physical and emotional stress. This is really good advice! and I am so glad to have someone to tell me this. Good friends are awesome, I tell ya. So this is now the 25-week challenge!

I am also going to post pics to show my weight loss as my body changes. I will post new pics every 10 pounds or so. I am losing weight at a nice clip so the shrinkage will be fast! I already have lost some of my back fat. I was wondering where my 7 pounds I lost by week 2 was because I sure didn't see it or feel any different but I realized on the morning of 1/17/07 that an entire row of back fat was GONE. Three rolls to go! Update 4/13/07 Back fat is almost gone; it's basically back ripples now, LOL.

Pics Week 18, 158 pounds


Pics Week 12, 170 pounds


Pics Week 7, 190 pounds


Pics Week 3, 201 pounds


Ok so I feel finally able to put my real weight down. Starting this challenge I weighed 210 pounds. Now in most of my pics I don't look fat, do I? That is partly why/how I got this heavy, I carry the weight 'well' and convinced myself that I wasn't that overweight. I convinced myself that our scale was broken. I am pear-shaped, in that I have a small top and large round bottom. The bulk of my excess weight is in my behind and thighs. Since this has always been my shape I didn't begin to really take notice until my stomach started getting rolls and arms started getting flabby, and I got the dreaded back-fat. Then overnight (to me) my face started looking really fat and bloated...but then again I have always had big round cheeks and eliminating salt from my diet took the bloat off my face really quick.

These pics are from last christmas, my husband's mom took this pic. When I was 210 pounds I had a hard time 'seeing' how fat I was in part because I rarely took pics/had pics taken of me that showed the expanse of my legs and I'm so much smaller on top proportionately...See how much smaller on top I look compared to my legs?

I can really see the 210 in this pic, wow:


I can also see the 210 in this pic, too, in my face. Compare to the 2nd pic at 162.5 pounds:


I was doing really good with my weight and fitness and overall health last year and got down to the 150ish range, then I got side-tracked due to some family issues and other things. I stopped paying attention to portion sizes and even stopped going for walks every day, one thing that would have prevented me gaining so much weight again. I am determined this year to finally get to my goal weight and stay there. I will learn how to eat and stop overeating and get enough exercise no matter what is going on in my life. I am undergoing a 25-Week Fitness challenge. Watch me lose weight and get fit!

Final Goal: 130
Starting weight: 210
Current weight (last update 6/14/07): 151
total to lose: 80 pounds
current to lose: 21 pounds
current lost: 59 pounds

Exercise Plan:
1/2 hour yoga every morning
3 times a week at gym; burn 400 calories
3 times a week at home, walk 12,000 steps
New! As of June 15th, jog 2 miles every morning
1 day rest (just yoga)

Food Plan:
120 oz.water daily
One serving meals, no seconds
Raw veggies & nuts for snacks
Raw fruit for dessert
No salt added to food

Overall Health Plan:
Yoga 1/2 hour every morning
Brush and floss after every meal
Bedtime when sleepy/Wakeup 5am

Helpful Links
I saw Dr. Oz on Oprahshaking around somebody's omentum and it freaked me out because I had a lot of fat on my belly area! He also showed what a healthy omentum looks like. Seeing this and hearing why excessive abdominal fat is so bad for yoru health was a real eye-opener. He has a book co-written with Dr. Michael Roizen titled You: On a Diet. The site is full of information included in the book and gives tips and support.

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Here are links to the (almost) daily posts I made about my progress. Note: Some pages will be on my writing blog. I did not set this fitness blog up until May 6th, 2007. I will have everything transferred over as soon as I can.

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