Body Image and Cultural Identity

For myself and I suspect many other black women, we don't feel bad looking at thin women because we have heard positive affirmations about our body shape all our lives, from all types of men and from other women. We also have mothers and other female family members who showed little or no dismay at their bodies. I can recall going over to white friends' houses as a kid and teenager and their mothers were always on diets, always moaning about being too fat. My mom didn't seem to care; when she wanted to lose weight for health reasons she took up walking and cut down on over-eating. She never made her weight the focus of her life or basis for self-esteem.

I don't know why any white woman really believes that a big round butt is a bad thing, every man I've ever dated has been very enthusiastic and wowed by my bum. And why would I want it to? I have a fantastic body. Even when I was 210 pounds I still got whistled at and hit on all the time. There's no way I'm going to let 'the media' make me feel bad when people tell me I'm fine all the time. Also, no matter what my weight most of my fat is in my butt and thighs. Even when I was very thin I had a big behind and thick legs. I'm also very muscular in those areas. That's my body shape, it's never going to change. So why should I hate my body and have a negative body image? That's like hating myself because I have 2 legs or something equally crazy.

That said, losing weight and getting fit shouldn't be about how you look or what you think your level of attractiveness should be. It's about your health, and within my culture the acceptance of excessive body fat leads to many black women having weight-related health problems that decrease the quality of their life and shorten their lifespan. Losing weight and becoming fit is not going to affect your color or culture. It just may save your life.

25-Week Fitness Challenge: Week 21, Day 144

Weighed in this morning 153.5, I think I will hit my Saturday goal of 153! The weather had definitely been on my side. It's been very hot here, up in the 90s a few days this week. So I have been sweating a lot and drinking lots and lots of water has not been a problem. I have had swollen ankles, though, which happens to me sometimes when the weather is hot. I was worried I was retaining a lot of water (and hence would not have any weight loss this week) but so far the little water I have retained hasn't stopped me from losing weight.

I also have a mild heart condition that affects my circulation so swollen ankles also freak me out because it can be a sign of heat failure. But don't panic if you occasionally get swollen ankles, it can be a sign of many other issues not related to heart failure. If you are pregnant or recently had a baby you may experience swollen ankles as a result of blood pressure changes from your condition. Many people, women in particular, develop swollen ankles in hot weather, after doing yoga, and as a periodic result of blood clots or varicose veins.

There are some stretches I do that really help relieve the water pressure on my ankles. One is a regular yoga pose, the wheel pose. I get myself in this position and then I lift one leg straight up in the air while keeping the rest of my body in that position. This is very challenging for me but it decreases the swollen ankles almost immediately. If you find doing this too challenging another one that works well and is easier for me is to position myself against a door frame or wall and put both my legs up against the wall for a few minutes. Then I lay one leg flat on the floor while keeping the other up for a few minutes, then alternate.

I really liked Sang H. Kim's book Ultimate Flexibility. It's a guide for stretching for Martial arts but of course the stretches can be applied to any sport and just for life. You can find yoga positions and stretches on santosha.com

Today's Goals:
30 minutes yoga
45 minutes elliptical
120 oz. water
Raw veggies for snacks
Raw fruit for dessert
One serving meals, no seconds
No salt added to food
Brush & floss after every meal
Bedtime when sleepy, wake up 5am
Weight loss so far - 56.5 pounds

25-Week Fitness Challenge: Week 21, Day 141

I was just reading over at Tim Ferris' blog and saw this:
Lose 20 pounds of fat 30 days, no exercise

I really like #4, ha!

I of course am going to keep my exercise up but I'm considering tweaking my eating to this (except vegetarian of course and including fruit on off days) for the remainder of my challenge. I am a little scared about not being able to lose my last 20 pounds or so due to hearing about and seeing so many people get stuck at the last 10 or 20 pounds. I don't want to get stuck for months and months where I'm at! I weighed in this morning at 154.5, so I have 24.5 pounds to go. I'm starting to see a real difference in my legs, finally, you'll see in the next batch of pics.

Today's Goals:
30 minutes yoga
Walk 4 miles
Elliptical 30 minutes
Weight training 20 minutes
120 oz. water
One serving meals, no seconds
Raw veggies emergency snack
Raw fruit for dessert
Brush & floss after every meal
No salt added to food
Bedtime when sleepy/Wakeup at 5am
Weight loss so far 55.5 pounds

25-Week Fitness Challenge: Week 21, Day 140

Today was a walking day for me, unintentionally. My kids each forgot something at home so I ended up walking to their 3 different schools at various times throughout the day. I walked to my oldest son's school twice. In all I walked 7.5 miles today including my walk to the library this afternoon. No Y for me tonight, I'm done.

I saw a news clip about a woman who has this weight loss program that's based on praying to God instead of overeating when you feel stressed, sad, upset, etc. She got slammed by Matt Lauer on the Today Show but I feel like, if it works for them, good for them. It seems much better than taking pills or surgery or other drastic means to lose weight. I can see why it would seem a little scary to some, though.
Weigh Down with Gwen Shamblin

This reminds me of a book that was out a few years ago by Nutritional psychologist Marc David: The Slow Down Diet: Eating for Pleasure, Energy, and Weight Loss

On another note I weighed in this morning at 155 again. Man! I was expecting a half pound loss but oh well. I'm going to really concentrate on my portion sizes this week as I have gotten really flexible on that again, LOL. My goal is to be at 153 by Saturday. I can do it!

Today's Goals:
30 minutes yoga
Run 2 miles (ended up walking over 7 instead)
120 oz. water
One serving meals, no seconds
Raw veggies for snacks
Raw fruit for dessert
Brush & floss after every meal
No salt added to food
Bedtime when sleepy/Wakeup 5am
Weight loss so far - 55 pounds

Supple Mama's Comment Policy

Commenting Policy

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Going Barefoot May Stimulate Reflexology Points

Although since I have developed more balance since I started doing yoga, I am still not as steady on my feet as I would like. I wondered why my feet are not as strong as they should be and it led me to wonder if shoes weakened my feet. So I did some research and found out that although it has not been established as a medical fact, many doctors believe that shoes interfere with the natural biomechanics of the foot. Some even say going barefoot can inhibit athletes foot and alleviate pain from arthritis, varicose veins, and other leg and foot pain from a variety of ailments.
Barefoot - Wikipedia

I've always been scared of going barefoot ouside because when I was a kid I got hookworm that way; from playing in the dirt with barefeet. It's a gross thing to go through when you're a little kid and when the doctor explained to my mom how the parasite enters the body, I rarely went barefoot outdoors after that. However I do wear shooes indoors, in my home, which makes little sense, so at least I can go barefoot in the house.

25-Week Fitness Challenge: Week 20, Day 138

I feel ultra-raggedy this morning, not sure why. Well, that's not entirely true, I'm upset over stuff that's happening with my extended family. I tried to put it put of my mind but just ended up repressing it, and now it's surfacing on me physically. My legs and hips ache really bad, and there's no reason for it. I haven't gone running in what, 4-5 days and even if I ran really far and fast my legs wouldn't ache like this, so I know it's just my feelings about my family manifesting in a physical way. Nothing I can do but deal with it. I know once I do I will feel better physically and emotionally, but still it's hard.

On a better note I got some new running shoes yesterday! I will have to take a pic, they are too cute. I'm going to the Y later if my legs feel better and run on the treadmill for a couple of miles. Then I'm going to run 2 miles every morning and do a longer run once a week, maybe 5 miles. I am so glad I started running again, it's such a great activity. I get a lot of focused thinking done while I'm running and I feel so euphoric and optimistic afterwards. It's like walking only better.

Weighed-in this morning at 155 pounds. 25 pounds to go!

Today's Goals:
30 minutes yoga
15 minutes sauna
Run 2 miles
120 oz. water
One serving meals, no seconds
No salt added to food
Raw veggies for snacks
Raw fruit for dessert
Bedtime when sleepy/Wakeup 5am
Weight loss so far - 55 pounds!

25-Week Fitness Challenge: Week 20, Day 135

I missed running again today! I mean it completely slipped my mind until now, how odd. Mercury Man wants to go to the Y tonight so I'll run on the treadmill then.

This is week 20 since the beginning of this challenge! I am close to the end and did not even realize it. I weighed in this morning at 156 even which means I have lost 54 pounds, yay! I have just 26 pounds to meet my goal, but I won't make it by week 25, boo. I'd have to lose 5.2 pounds each week including this one...and as I've lost the grand total of a half pound this week so far, I don't think that's going to happen, LOL. When I was at an obese weight the most I lost in a week was I think close to 4 pounds; I was getting the weight off at a pretty nice clip then just because I was so heavy (it takes more effort i.e calories to move more weight).

Very briefly I thought about just doing a juice fast from now until then to knock off the rest of the weight, but I just as quickly dismissed the thought. I am going to get to my goal weight by not overeating and exercise, and I will maintain my goal weight the same way. It will take me longer than 6 months to hit 130 pounds but it's going to happen. I can do it!!

When to Weigh Yourself

I weigh myself every single morning after I have a large glass of water and my morning poop (bowel movement) before breakfast.

I have been losing weight since January and I swear by this method because it helps keep me on track each day. This is because my goal is to make the numbers go down just a little each day. I have a scale that measures by the half pound and every couple of days or so (or 3 or 4 or 5) my weight drops another half pound, which feels victorious. Weighing once a week did not work for me because then it made it easier for me to lie to myself about what I was eating, for example I'd overeat Monday Tuesday Wednesday because I knew I wouldn't weigh myself until Saturday. Or I'd trick myself that I could play 'catch up' with my exercise by the end of the week to see some progress by the end of the week. Didn't work. When I weigh myself everyday it really forces me to be aware of what I'm eating on a daily basis and how much I'm actually exercising/moving my body.

It's such a powerful motivator for me in so many ways. It helped me to figure out why my weight fluctuated so much, I was able to zero in on figuring out how salt affected my water gain and therefore my weight, as well as caffeine. I no longer add salt to my food and I no longer drink coffee, and my weight does not go up and down on a daily basis anymore, just down (the exception being my period of course). This may not work for you but it couldn't hurt to try it for a couple of weeks.

About Trula & Supple Mama

Hello there, I'm Trula Breckenridge and this is my fitness & weight loss blog. I'm a 36 year old woman who lives in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. I'm a mother of 3 children, ages 19, 13, and 10, and like many mothers I struggled with losing weight after having children. In 2004 I wrote a book titled Supple Mama: Fitness, Nutrition, and Healthy Body Image for Moms, with an emphasis on mothers getting a healthy body image. I re-released it last year with additional info on nutrition including healthy portion sizes.

To my chagrin a whole lot of my own advice and research went out the window last year as I grappled with some serious family issues and other personal challenges. My weight skyrocketed to over 200 pounds! At my heaviest I was 210 pounds. I am only 5 feet 6 inches in height. On January 2nd, 2007 I began my fitness challenge, and I haven't looked back. Since then I have lost 10 24 37 42 53 70 pounds, gained some back and am now working on losing the last 25 pounds for good. I am surely going to reach my goal of 130 pounds. The photos are all me from a period between December 2006 to present, so you get to see me shrink fro 210 pounds to my goal weight of 130 pounds.

People had been telling me I should start a weight loss blog but I wanted it to be more than a vehicle to sell my book. I have the book's store page linked, sure, but all the articles and blog posts I've written here are free to help you with your own weight loss journey. If you don't have time to read a long post, bookmark it and come back to it. You can also print up any post, just click the # symbol that's beneath every post to get it to open in it's own page. I did not start this blog until I felt ready and able to share my experience with overeating and exercise issue in a compassionate manner.

I am on a mission with this blog to help other people free themselves from food addiction, aversion to exercise, and other issues that keep us physically overweight and emotionally sick inside. It is ok to want to be fit and healthy. If you want to change your outlook about being overweight and take responsibility for your weight and health issues caused by excess fat, this blog is for you! The Supple Mama blog will help you change not only your body but your very life.

Jump in with your comments any time but it's ok to just read, too. You can also get updates to this blog by RSS feed and by email subscription, just click on the selection in the left column, right at the top. I add my own exercise and food goals almost daily. Yes, I have a lot to share with you! I would love to hear from you and get your feedback on this blog, so drop me a line sometime. My email is trubreck at gmail dot com. Also, if you have a weight loss and/or fitness blog let me know so I can link it to Supple Mama and please link me also. Thanks for coming by and keep working towards your fitness goals! You can do it! I have so much confidence in you.

Help with Overeating & Losing Weight

Some things that have helped me:

Give or throw away any junk food in your house ASAP.

Especially soda

Give away any processed foods, including white bread.

Figure out what your trigger food is/are, and don’t eat it/them. Once you stop eating them for a couple of weeks, only eat them once a week. My trigger food is peanut butter. LOVE. IT. For a minute though I couldn’t eat it, because it would trigger me into over-eating. Now I eat it almost every day, but I can now stop at one peanut butter and jam sandwich.

One of my sisters, her trigger food became cheese once she got on psychotropic medication. She would eat an entire block of cheese at a time. She no longer buys or keeps block cheese in her home, and just by doing this one thing her weight dropped 5 pounds in a few weeks.

Carrots are the best appetite controller I have come across. You simply cannot overeat on carrots. They are very tasty vegetables but after 2 or 3 big carrots, they start to taste bitter and you just no longer have the urge to overeat. Sometimes when I feel that I have to eat something more even though I am full, I eat a carrot or 2 and the urge goes away.

Apples are good too, very sweet, very tasty, but you are just not going to sit and eat 10 apples in a row.

You will sit and and eat 10 servings of potato chips, though, if you are like me.

Drink lots of water, keep a water bottle with you at all times and sip from it throughout the day.

Carry healthy food with you at all times in your purse or bag. A baggie of carrots or broccoli, an orange or two, a baggie of nuts, a banana. That way if you are at work and feel the urge to snack you can eat that instead of going to the vending machine to get junk.

And pack a lunch if you work outside the home or are going to be out during the day. This really helps with buying junk fast food too.

Walking is the best exercise, try walking for 30 minutes a day. This is not for fast weight-loss but over time will slowly and gently help bring your weight to your body’s naural setting, whatever that may be.

This is a good one to try because it benefits your teeth and gums as well: get up and immediately brush your teeth after eating. I find this very helpful, it gets the food taste out of my mouth and redirects my mind from wanting something else tasty.

See more progress on: Lose weight and get fit

25-Week Fitness Challenge: Week 20, Day 134

The weather where I live is slowly settling into spring. This past weekend was sometimes chilly, sometimes mild, and today it's very warm out. I missed running early this morning! but had a nice walk after the kids got off to school. I have quite a bit of work to do in the garden later on today, I am most definitely counting that as exercise, ha.

I did my morning yoga, and I'm going to the Y for a few hours today as my kids are going over to my in-law's house after school until bedtime. I'm going to sit in the sauna for 15, 20 minutes, then hit the elliptical and burn it up. Then I'm going to lift weights and end with a slow walk on the treadmill. When I hit 150 pounds I'm going to try the stair-stepper machine...I got on it once a few months ago when I was around 190 and it was so hard!! Weighed-in this morning at 156.5 pounds.

My appetite has been ok lately, I don't have as much compulsion to overeat as I did starting this challenge. I've made stopping after one plate/bowl a habit, and brushing my teeth after every meal helps with this so much.I've been averse to cooking lately, too...for example this morning I made the kids pancakes and then for my own breakfast, instead of making my usual oatmeal I just ate a banana. I just did not feel like cooking something else. Not only does this slow my metabolism down (and thus I don't burn as many calories just walking around and breathing) but it will make me extra-hungry at morning snack-time and lunch. I won't overeat to compensate for missing breakfast but just thinking about it makes me feel deprived. I think for snack I will have a few walnuts with my carrots and cucumber slices.

Today's Goals:
30 minutes yoga
45 minutes elliptical
30 minutes weight training and treadmill
120 oz. water
One serving meals, no seconds
Raw veggies for snacks
Raw fruit for dessert
No salt added to food
Brush & floss after every meal
Bedtime when sleepy/Wakeup 5am
Weight loss so far - 53.5 pounds

25-Week Fitness Challenge: Week 19, Day 131

I went running this morning with a goal to beat my last time of 13 minutes 20 seconds for one mile. I far exceeded this goal, are ready? Drum roll please.....I ran a mile in 12 minutes 7 seconds!! I am so excited about this. My son Scott went out with me again and I truly could not have done it without him. He rode his bike alongside me and gave me encouragement. He was so helpful.

Today's Goals:
30 minutes of yoga
Run 1 mile under 13 minutes
Walk 10,000 steps
120 oz. water
One serving meals, no seconds
No salt added to food
Brush and floss after every meal
Raw veggies for snacks
Raw fruit for dessert
Bedtime when sleepy/Wakeup 5am
Weight loss so far: 53 pounds

25-Week Fitness Challenge: Week 19, Day 130

This week has flown by, I'm so serious. 2 more days of work work work then on Mother's Day I'm going to chill. :) Weighed in this morning 157 even.

Today is Stir-Fry Friday at my house, so I'll have a little relaxing at dinner. Then after that going to the Y and working it out on the elliptical. I missed running this morning so I may run a mile on the treadmill too. In fact, I will run on the treadmill today. I have found that when I leave it at 'may' or 'maybe' I won't do it. Last run time was 13 minutes 20 seconds so I will try to beat that.

I made an appointment to get my dental implants in (I need 3 in the upper back) and also lumineers (sp?) on the rest. I have been doing excellent about brushing and flossing so for once I feel ok about going to the dentist. Still scared, but I know I have maintained where my mouth was at since last time; my gum disease hasn't gotten any worse. But my teeth are shifting due to the space left by the teeth I lost, so it's time to get that taken care of.

Today's Goals:
30 minutes yoga
45 minutes elliptical
Run 1 mile treadmill, goal under 13 minutes
120 oz. water
One serving meals, no seconds
Raw veggies for snacks
Raw fruit for dessert
Brush & floss after every meal
Bedtime when sleepy/Wakeup 5am
Weightloss so far - 53 pounds

80 lb. Weight Loss Pics

25-Week Fitness Challenge: Week 19, Day 128

I am not running today but man oh man is it a great day for running. Today I am going to the Y and hitting the elliptical. Weighed-in at 157.5 this morning, woooot! I thought my weight wasn't going to budge for a minute.

I was flipping through my yoga book and this caught my eye: Your body is not set in stone. Such a simple statement but it is amazing how much I resisted understanding this. My body is not set in stone! I can change it. It has changed, it will change some more due to my working out and not overeating. I am not helpless to control my food intake, I am not helpless about exercise.

Today's Goals:
30 minutes yoga
45 minutes elliptical
120 oz. water
One serving meals, no seconds
No salt added to food
Brush & floss after every meal
Raw veggies for snacks
Raw fruit for dessert
Bedtime when sleepy/Wakeup 5am
Weightloss so far - 52.5 pounds

25-Week Fitness Challenge: Week 19, Day 126

Next round of pics: Weight 158

My waist at 158 pounds. Not a big difference from the last round of pics at 170, but my back fast is almost all gone. My weight loss is slowing down, but I am confident I will get to my target weight of 130 pounds if I just keep exercising and not overeating. I should take a better pic, but another difference I noticed with my weight loss since the last round of pics is the fat on my bottom has shrunk and left my butt muscle more defined. I used to have more sag; a lot of fat over the curve.



My waist front view. Still have flab and definitely see the need for improvement, but I am happy with how much better my belly looks compared to when I started, and I feel so much better too. I didn't realize how much it took out of me to carry that big pillow stomach around.



Gratuitous booby shot. I rarely wear a bra because I have sensitive skin and they just aggravate me, plus I am not symmetrical in size and I'm hard to fit. I probably should get professionally fitted. But - I have made sure to wear a sports bra when I exercise as other women tell me I will get extra saggy if I don't. No bra in this pic, I think I still am perky. Not bad for 35 and having had 3 kids.



My legs!! I am trying really hard to stay body-positive about my legs, but this is getting to me. I have only lost a half-inch on my legs since the last round of pics and I can barely tell from looking at them. I am pear-shaped i.e small top big bottom, OK, but sheesh. Lotta fat on my thighs still. The bulk of the 28 pounds I'm going to lose is here.



Lotta fat on my thighs still. I do have better muscle tone and I have gained a lot of strength in my legs, so I feel really good about that. When starting this challenge my legs were so weak I could barely do basic yoga moves. Now I feel able to support my body and able to balance my body. This has affected me in even little things like just walking around. I am steadier on my feet.



The biggest change is in my arms! It took 5 months but I can see a big change now! The fat is greatly decreased and I have more muscle tone. Finally!



The not overeating part has gotten easier but the past couple days I have had to really squeeze my exercise in. I find it best to stick to a schedule, but I'm flexible too. Weighed-in this morning 158 pounds. This is what I mean when I said I didn't want to run because of so much fat on my knees. This is my leg now, at 158, it really hung over the knee when I was heavier. I should have taken a side view at 201 pounds so ya'll could see.



Me at 158 in clothes! These are size 10 pants with a drawstring waist. They felt fine in the leg and are very comfy.



Today's Goals:
30 minutes yoga
45 minutes elliptical
120 oz. water
No salt added to food
One serving meals, no seconds
Brush & floss after every meal
Raw veggies for snacks
Raw fruit for dessert
Bedtime when sleepy/Wakeup 5am
Weightloss so far - 52 pounds
From the Beginning: the Overview

25-Week Fitness Challenge: Week 18, Day 122

I practice Iyengar yoga, and it is such a pleasing way to begin the day. I think of all the things I have done in an effort to grow as a person, doing yoga has been one of the most beneficial to my personality. It is very calming and soothing to my soul. As recently as last year I would have described myself as a naturally nervous, anxious person; easily flustered and even high strung. Now I have come to realize that there in nothing 'natural' about these characteristics at all within myself, they are the result of learned coping skills from childhood that became habitual. I feel now that I am 'naturally' a person who is calm, slow to anger, and easy-going. I have learned to be, in large part because I choose to dedicate a half hour of my morning to yoga. Oh yeah and there's the physical benefit of being more limber and leaner. Weighed in this morning at 159 pounds even.

Today is a running day and it went well, I shaved 9 seconds off my last time. It took me 13 minutes and 51 seconds to run one mile. Still nearly two minutes over my walking speed, but it's progress. S-bop forgot his lunch so I decided to bike to his school as fast as I could to get an extra workout in. It's a mile and a half away from the house so that's 3 miles in total (coming and going) I biked today. I was thinking about going to Spinning class tonight but since I got 3 miles of biking in, I may just stay home and do some writing.

Today's Goals:
30 minutes yoga
Run one mile (time today 13 minutes 51 seconds)
Bike 3 miles
120 oz. water
One serving meals, no seconds
Raw veggies for snacks
Raw fruit for dessert
Bedtime when sleepy/Wakeup 5am
Weightloss so far - 51 pounds
Fitness Pics!

25-Week Fitness Challenge: Week 18, Day 121

Today is a walking day, and yoga in the early morn of course. I am getting much steadier on my feet with yoga, I have to smile when I recall how when I started I was so off balance I couldn't even do the Mountain pose without wobbling, have mercy. Now not only has my balance gotten better but so has my flexibility. I have gone from being barely able to touch my toes to being able to pass my toes - I can grasp to the middle of my feet now, with little strain. I always feel so great afterward, very relaxed and limber.

Weighed in this morning still 159.5. I think my weight loss is slowing down more. That's cool, I know this happens. I burned more fat at 210 pounds than 159.5 pounds because it takes more effort/calories to move more weight. So I will challenge myself to intensify my workouts to get a high calorie burn so I reach my weight loss goal. For example when I was heavier and had walking days, I would break up my walking time and focus on the distance, which meant sometimes I was just strolling along. Now that I am 50 pounds less, I will focus on my speed as well as the distance and walk for longer periods of time. On my walking days I aim for 12,000 or more steps which is 6 miles, and when I was heavier I would break this up into five to six 1 to 2 mile spurts. Now I will break up the 6 miles in 3 spurts: 1 mile, 3 miles, 2 miles and push for walking a 12-minute mile.

I'm doing a new sleeping plan as outlined on Steve Pavlina's post How to Become an Early Riser. Basically you go to bed at night when you feel sleepy, not at any set time. The key is to get up every morning at a set time. Like Steve I picked 5am. I started Monday and so far it is working out great. I had my doubts last night because I didn't feel sleepy until 1230ish, but I got up at 5am ok and I don't feel any tiredness, grumpiness, or haggardness so far today. I suspect I will feel tired by 9ish tonight and if so will promptly take myself to bed. I like getting up an extra hour early because it has helped me get some things done...stuff I would have gotten done anyway if pressed but without the stress of time constraints.

Today's Goals:
30 minutes yoga
12,000 steps
120 oz. water
One serving meals, no seconds
No salt added to food
Raw veggies for snacks
Raw fruit for dessert
Brush & floss after every meal
Bedtime when sleepy/Wakeup 5am
Weightloss so far 50.5 pounds
Fitness Pics!

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25-Week Fitness Challenge: Week 18, Day 120

I went running! I have been waiting and waiting to start running again since the beginning of the challenge in January! I was too heavy then, 210 pounds, and since I have a lot of weight naturally on my thighs/bottom and then had so much excess fat there as well, I thought it best to wait until I lost a bit of weight before attempting to run again. I didn't feel it would be good for my knees to run with so much excess weight. 160 was my target weight for running. I weighed in this morning 159.5 again, so I decided today is the day. I took off as soon as t-bop was on the school bus.

It went great! My legs felt a little leaden within a few minutes but I kept on and then the leaden feeling went away and they felt light as a feather. I told myself since it's been so long since I ran I would allow myself to stop at any time, but I ended up not having to stop. I made sure to take deep breaths in through my nose and out through my mouth, and kept my visualization up. I ran a mile and it took me 14 minutes, which makes it official...I can walk faster than I can run, LOL! but I am confident I will get faster. I'm going to start running a mile every other morning. It felt awesome! I broke into a light sweat and felt very euphoric afterwards. It's a quite different feeling from working out indoors, must be the fresh air and wind in my face

Today's Goals!
30 minutes yoga
Run 1 mile - today's time 14 minutes
30 minutes elliptical
120 oz. waterOne serving meals, no seconds
No salt added to food
Raw veggies for snacks
Raw fruit for dessert
Bedtime when I get sleepy (I'm following this new sleep plan/Wakeup 5am
Weightloss so far - 50.5 pounds!
Fitness Pics!

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