Hot 100 - Week 5 Late Update

These weeks are flying by. I can't believe I didn't have time to post my Hot 100 update on Friday. I met a friend in Boston for lunch and by the time I got home I had to pack for the weekend.

Well, better late than never, right? Here's how I did last week:

Goal #1 - Lose An Additional 15 Pounds by December 31st

Challenge Starting Weight (9/23/10): 194.2 lbs.
Week 1: -1.3 lbs.
Week 2: -0.9 lbs.
Week 3: -2.4 lbs.
Week 4: -4.0 lbs.
Week 5: -1.1 lbs.

I can't believe I've had 5 weeks of losses. I'm a little afraid to get on the scale tomorrow after indulging on cheese, crackers and all sorts of crap at a Halloween party Saturday night. At least I didn't give in to all the Halloween candy that kept calling me. I only had a handful of B's M&Ms tonight which has to be the least amount of candy I've consumed on Halloween EVER. I'm planning on an extra long, intense gym session tomorrow hoping to combat any weekend weight gain. Who wants to join me?

Goal #2 - Couch to 5K

Still struggling to get past week one.

Goal #3 - Build More Muscles

I never got a chance to meet with the trainer last week. This week for sure.

Remember, those FUN SIZE candies aren't so much fun when they settle on your ass.

I hope you're all keeping it HOT! Have a great week!

Hot 100 - Week 4

Hey Hotties - Can you believe it's Week 4 already? Where does the time go?

Here's my Hot 100 update:

Goal #1 - Lose An Additional 15 Pounds by December 31st

Challenge Starting Weight (9/23/10): 194.2 lbs.
Week 1: -1.3 lbs.
Week 2: -0.9 lbs.
Week 3: -2.4 lbs.
Week 4: -4.0 lbs.

Holy Smokes! FOUR POUNDS! I wish I could see those kind of numbers every week. As you saw in my last post, I feel like I've hit the sweet spot so I'm going to do my best to stay in it.

Goal #2 - Couch to 5K

I made a bit of progress with the C25K by just getting on the dreadmill but still haven't pushed myself past week one.

Goal #3 - Build More Muscles

I hit the weights twice this week and will be scheduling an appointment with a personal trainer next week. I'm not sure I can afford to splurge on personal training sessions but maybe one or two would give me a little push to do more in the weight room.

I got another confidence boost yesterday when the owner of the gym complimented me. She stopped me in the hall and told me that she was impressed with my dedication and wanted to know how much weight I've lost so far. She said that it's been her experience that if you exercise consistently for at least six months you have a good chance of doing it for the rest of your life. I hope she's right. I don't want to lose this feeling ever again.

I hope you all had a great week. I haven't made it to as many of the Hot 100 blogs as I wanted to but I'm working my way down the list.

Have a great weekend and remember to keep it HOT!

Sweet Spot

I don't want to jinx myself or scare my mojo away but I have to tell you I've been feeling like I've hit the healthy lifestyle sweet spot. I'm in such a groove lately I wish I could bottle it up and store it away for when I really need it.

I haven't been getting too hung up on the numbers on the scale since they've been going in the right direction, I'm not stuffing my face with sugar and crap, I'm working out regularly and I'm feeling things I haven't felt in years (hello collarbones!).

I had an amazing workout today. In addition to making the elliptical machine my bitch for 70 minutes I also jogged a mile on the dreadmill. I was a sweaty mess and it felt great. I was already high on endorphins when a complete stranger stopped me in the hall and said "I just have to ask, how do you stay on the elliptical for so long. It's impressive. I can barely stay on for 10 minutes. " I told him I could barely stay on it for 10 minutes less than a year ago but I've worked up my stamina, increased intensity, and just get into a zone now. The first 10-15 minutes are the hardest but once I get going it seems to get easier and easier. Of course, not lugging an extra 50+ pounds of fat around helps too.

Let me know if you have any ideas on how to bottle this stuff up. We could get thin and rich.

Hot 100 - Week 3

The weather is getting colder and colder here in the northeast but my drive to lose weight is getting hotter and hotter. I almost feel "normal" in my skin even though I'm barely out of the obese category on the BMI charts.

It's been a challenge to stay on track this week because my sMother is visiting so there have been lots of restaurant meals and not enough time to get to the gym but I've been able to keep things under control. Although I didn't make any real progress on two of my Hot 100 goals, I lost an additional 2.4 pounds and broke into the 180s.


Here's my Hot 100 stats:


Goal #1 - Lose An Additional 15 Pounds by December 31st

Challenge Starting Weight (9/23/10): 194.2 lbs.
Week 1: -1.3 lbs.
Week 2: -0.9 lbs.
Week 3: -2.4 lbs.

Bye-bye 190s! I was so happy to see you and get into Onederland but I'm even happier to see you go.

Goal #2 - Couch to 5K

I haven't made a bit of progress with the C25K program this week since my time at the gym has been limited. I'm determined to get working on this next week when things get back to normal.

Goal #3 - Build More Muscles

I did a little better with the weight training than I did with the C25K. Even though I didn't get into the weight room at the gym I've been using some hand weights at home. I'm going to talk to the personal trainer at the gym next week to see how much it would be for a few sessions in the weight room. I know what to do but I'm thinking if I have someone there to keep me accountable and give me a little push the more likely I'll actually do it.

I've been having fun getting to meet more of my fellow Hot 100 challengers but I haven't made it to everyone yet.

Keep it HOT!

Hot 100 - Week 2

Hello Hotties!

This is just going to be a short and sweet update for Week 2 of the Hot 100:

Goal #1 - Lose An Additional 15 Pounds by December 31st

Challenge Starting Weight (9/23/10): 194.2 lbs.
Week 1: -1.3 lbs.
Week 2: -0.9 lbs.


Every little tenth of a pound gets me that much closer to goal. Slow and steady seems to be working for me and I'm determined to keep it that way no matter how tempting it is to go to the extreme and lose it quickly. Been there, done that, gained it all back plus more. Although I didn't even lose a whole pound this week, by losing 0.9 pounds I hit the 50 pounds lost mark exactly. It's taken a really long time (a lifetime) to get to this point and I'm now HALFWAY to my ultimate goal.

Goal #2 - Couch to 5K
Goal #3 - Build More Muscles

Unfortunately, I've been slacking and haven't made any progress with the C25K or my weight training this week but I'm not giving up on it. I'm thinking of cutting back on my elliptical time and just concentrating on the dreadmill and the weight room. We'll see how it goes next week.

Gotta run. It's a long holiday weekend and I gotta get packing for my escape. I hope you all have a great weekend. Rock on!

Dance Party Winners

If you were able to attend my Onederland dance, left a comment and live in the continental United States, YOU won a prize.

If I had a billion dollars I would love to say "you get a car, and you get a car, and you get a car" just like Oprah did but, unfortunately, I haven't hit the lottery YET so you'll have to settle for a small token of my appreciation. You guys are the BEST support system and I'm blessed to have you in my life.

I want to apologize to my friends that live outside the states and are not eligible to win but this unemployed girl can't afford the hefty price of postage to send you anything but my gratitude. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

So, to all my fellow dancin' partners, send me your address at "mb photography vt [at] gmail [dot] com (you know, without the spaces and with a "@" and a ".") and I will send you a onederland party door prize.

WOW! My feet are killing me from all that dancin'. Thank you all for sticking with me over the years of struggling and being there to celebrate my crossover into Onederland. I had a blast.

The next party I have will be when I reach my goal sometime in 2011. I can't wait.

Hot 100 - Week 1

Hello Hotties!

Have you joined South Beach Steve's Hot 100 challenge yet? It's not too late, you can be a hottie too. Steve has extended the deadline to join until the end of the day today so head over there and state your goals for the remaining days of 2010 and let's finish out the year on a strong note. I'm hoping the challenge will help me stay focused through the upcoming holiday trifecta of temptation.

So, here's how I did for Week 1:

1. Lose An Additional 15 Pounds by December 31st

Challenge Starting Weight (9/23/10): 194.2 lbs.
Week 1: -1.3 lbs.


I'll be in good shape if I can see these numbers every week. At least I'm off to a good start.

2. Couch to 5K

It may not seem like much to you runners out there but I'm excited I can even RUN for a full minute. I wish I didn't get so bored on the dreadmill but I'm determined to get through this program and be able to complete a 5K.

3. Build More Muscles

I must confess I've been slacking on the weight training. I didn't make it into the weight room at all this week but I'm going to force myself to go in there at least 3 days next week.

I think I'm off to a decent start. Next week may be a bit more of a challenge because my Smother is coming to visit. Oy...I'm stressed out just thinking about it. Her last visit was over a year and a half ago and it didn't end well. There's always so much drama stirred up when she visits but I'm going to try to not feed into any of it or feed myself to avoid dealing with the drama. It's going to be tough but I'll get through it.

I'm so happy to have met a few new bloggers through the Hot 100 and plan on making my way over to visit each and every one of my competition's site. It may take a while but I'll be visiting you and cheering you on to your goals.

It really has been one crazy week. There's construction going on in my house, walls being ripped out, old plaster and dust flying around, the electricity has been shut off for hours at a time, a window blew right out of the house and smashed on one of the construction worker's brand new truck due to the strong winds yesterday, I locked myself out of the house and had to break back in ... oh, the list goes on and on. If I was still working and stressed out I'd be ready for the funny farm by now.

I'm so ready for a relaxing uneventful weekend. I'm planning on taking lots of foliage pictures, hitting the apple orchard to stock up on some Honeycrisps, sitting around the bonfire and relaxing. That's all I have planned and I can't wait.

My Onederland dance is still going on but because of all the craziness this week I'm going to wait until next week to announce the door prize winners so if you haven't entered to win yet get over there and do it.

Have a great weekend Hotties. Keep on dancin'!