#101 of My 101 in 1001

#101 - Complete 7 goals in a week

From Friday, April 27 to Tuesday, May 1 (not a full week), I completed 7 goals.

Here is the list of the 7 goals that I completed: 

1. #9 of My 101 in 1001 - Write a list of inspirational things, one for each letter of the alphabet

2.   #40 of My 101 in 1001 - Visit another state

3. #51 of My 101 in 1001 - Go to the beach

4. #57 of My 101 in 1001 - Try a new restaurant

5.  #55 of My 101 in 1001 - Go to a festival 

6. #74 of My 101 in 1001 - Build a sandcastle 

7. #93 of My 101 in 1001 - Take a bubble bath 

And, if you count this goal, then technically I completed 8 goals in a week! 

Day Zero

Check out my Day Zero tab at the top of the page.  I have created my list of 101 things I want to complete in 1001 days.

And, I have completed one of my goals (#16) already, which is to post about the Day Zero Project.

Day Zero is an awesome website that allows you to create a list of what you want to do.  It is almost like creating a bucket list or a New Year's resolution.  Anywho, the website will give you ideas and the Top 101, and you can search through tags for tasks you want to complete.

Please check it out, and go create your own list.

Still losing weight :)

I have not worked out in almost a month.  I spent two weeks resting because of an injury, then this past week I spent time with my niece, and the weather has not been great for me to go jogging.  But, I am still losing weight. Yay!

So I hurt my ankles, but I believe they are completely healed.  This past week I spent time chasing my niece around and playing with her, and over the past week I lost around 3 lbs.  Now, I like to say it is because of her, but I honestly do not know why I lost it.  I cannot complain, though!

On top of the injury and spending time with family, I have been super busy with school, and I have been filling out invitations for my commencement.  I cannot believe I will be walking in less than three weeks.  In addition, I have been trying to plan my graduation party.

Well, I hopefully will be jogging/walking again in the morning.  I have less than three weeks, and I want to lose at least a couple of pounds before my commencement.  I last weighed in at 181 lbs, and at 179 lbs, I will be considered overweight, not obese anymore.  So, my goal is to get to at least 178 lbs before July 16th.

Hopefully if I do get to go jogging/walking in the morning, it will not be too tough on me, since I have not been in a while.

*Wish me luck!*

The past two weeks

The past two weeks have been full of ups and downs for me.  I have had several things happen that please me greatly, while I have had some stuff happen that just turns my stomach.  Almost two weeks ago I beat my best time for jogging a mile and for jogging 3.4 miles.  Then a couple of days later, I beat both times again.  I was so ecstatic for these accomplishments.  I also received my Associates Degree last week in the mail, which overjoyed me.

So, I have been excited and proud of myself for what I have completed, but I am also upset with myself for some of the choices I have made.  I have been eating unhealthy foods and making poor choices with what I do eat.  In addition, I sprained my ankle jogging last week, so I have not exercised for almost a week because of the pain and swelling I have.  This has caused me to gain some weight, which of course makes me unhappy.  But, it also motivates me to get back to it as soon as I can to get back on the right track.

I am determined that I can do it, and I will do it.  I will start exercising again, eating healthy, and losing weight.  I will not let a couple of boulders in the road block me from my ultimate goal of becoming happier and healthier!

I have lost 15.2 lbs total, as of May 21, 2011! (Updated Picture)!

Since my cousin insisted, and I love to please my family, I have posted this updated pic of my weight loss.  The pic on the left is from November 6, 2010, and I was in the 190's.  The pic on the right is from today, May 21, 2011, and I have lost 15.2 lbs, so I am at 183.6 lbs.  I have also lost of 15 inches (total) off my body! :)

I have 4 more pounds to lose before I will be considered overweight, not obese anymore, and I will have lost 10% of my original body weight!

Week 8 Calorie Deficit, Exercise Journals, Measurements, & Totals for eight weeks!

For this week, I had some pretty stressful events in my life, which did affect me physically, emotionally, and mentally.  I did not workout as much as I would have liked to, but I am not giving up just because I missed a couple of days of exercise.

During this past week, I only worked out on three days, mainly because of the stress, sickness, and time restraints that were placed on me this week.  In addition, it is getting harder on me now to burn calories and get my heart rate up to what it needs to be for calorie and fat burning results, but I did lose over a pound, so I cannot complain too much because weight lost is always good for me! :)

I did eat a little more than I would have liked to this week.  So, my calorie deficit was only a little over 3,500, which is a pound of weight loss, so that is still good.

Over the past 8 weeks, I have lost over 13 lbs and 14 inches off my body.  It is such an amazing feeling to see these numbers and to feel and see the results on my body.  I have lost 4.5 inches off my waist alone, and I can tell the difference, majorly!  I am slowly shrinking, as are most of my numbers, including body fat percentage, bmi, weight loss, and most of the areas I am measuring.  I did not lose any inches over the past four weeks in my butt or chest area, but that is fine.  Also, I gained a half inch in my arms, but believe me, that is from lifting weights and gaining muscle, so I am STOKED!

In eight weeks, I have accomplished a lot more than I could ever write about or express in words.  But, for the items I can write about, here goes:
*I have gained so much strength, endurance, and confidence (which is the best)!
*I am able to jog and run now, which I could not do when I first started.
*I am continually surprising myself with how much I can do, including jogging for longer periods of time, climbing stairs faster and easier, and lifting heavier weights than I thought I could.

Listed below are the miles that I have tracked throughout the past 8 weeks, not including weight lifting, stretching, and other random exercises!

Walking/Jogging (Outdoors) = 68.9 miles
Treadmill = 4.5 miles
Bike = 4.1 miles
Total Miles = 77.5
Plus, countless miles on the stairmill and elliptical!

My struggle through relationships and love!

Ever since I can remember, I have wanted to get married, settle down in my own home, and have children.  This was my dream as a little girl, and as I got older, it did not change, like others' dreams did.  I still want to find my soulmate, buy a house, and have the perfect little family.  Although, I know perfect is not possible, I believe with all my heart that the rest is.

I thought that by the time I was in my early 20's, I would be married, and already have at least one child.  Well, that has not happened so far.  I am 24, and I am not even in a relationship right now.  Sometimes I think, where did I go wrong?  What did I do to mess up my future and dream?

I have had many relationships, some long, some short.  My most recent relationship was almost 4.5 years long, and we lived together for the first 3.5 years.  It was never perfect, but I thought that we would be together forever, at first.  Then, it got crazy between us, and we were headed in completely different directions.  I wanted to settle down, and he, well he wanted other things.  Again, I wondered why this was happening, and what I had done wrong (even though I broke off our relationship)?

But, then I think about it, and I realize that I am exactly where I am supposed to be in my life, right now.  I realize that my plan was not God's plan, and His plan is always the best plan for our lives.

After I broke up with my most recent boyfriend, I went back to college.  If I had not been single, I would not have been able to complete what I did through school because of the relationship.  In addition, I would not be as close to God as I am now, if I were still in a relationship.

I have learned so much through the past year of being single.  I now know that I can accomplish anything, as long as it is God's will, and I have Him on my side.  I know that I do not need a guy in my life for me to be happy and loved.  I know that I am a strong, independent woman, and I have learned to trust in God, ALWAYS, no matter what is happening in my life at the time.

I have been through struggles, I have had my ups and downs, but I now have faith in God, and I am happy where I am at the moment.  Although, I am still praying for my soulmate, but I am waiting on God's time, not mine!

Week 7 Calorie Deficit & Exercise Journals!

So, I do not think I did too bad this past week, especially since I was not tracking everything on a daily basis.  I did write it all down, though, and I entered it into my spreadsheets yesterday.  I did stay below 2,000 calories everyday, but there were a couple of days that I was over my 1,800 calorie goal that I wanted to meet.  Not too shabby!  And, to top it all off, I have lost a total of 12.4 pounds.  I thought that I was going to be stuck at 188 forever, because normally I lose 10 lbs, then I give up or quit because I usually hit a plateau.  Well, not this time!  I pushed right on through, and proved to myself and others, that this time, it is not just a diet or weight loss plan to me, it is my life, and I am determined to become happier, healthier, stronger, and more full of energy!

My new workout plan!

For every day, I have come up with some names for my workouts to make it more interesting!  Tell me what you think.

Muscle Madness Monday (Legs)
Tortuous Tuesday (HIIT)
Wicked Wednesday (Abs/Core/Back)
Tremendous Thursday (Cardio)
Fit-girl Friday (Upper Body - Arms/Shoulders/Chest)
Super Saturday (Stairmill)
Sweet & Sour Sunday (Cheat Day)

These are just general workouts, but I usually do cardio everyday except Sunday, so that I can keep my heart rate up, even while I am doing major muscle workouts.  I hope that these will keep me more motivated to do my workouts throughout the week!

Has my hard work paid off?

That is the ultimate question!  I sure hope so.  For the past six weeks, I have carefully documented every bite I have taken.  I have logged every food and drink that has entered my body.  Well, let's hope that it has worked, because for this week I am putting it to the test.  I am not going to record any of my food and drink intake this week into my spreadsheets.  I am still writing it down and acknowledging what I eat and drink, but I do not know how many calories I have taken in, and I will not know for this week, until Sunday night or Monday morning.

So, I believe I have done well so far.  I know which foods are healthiest and healthier for me, and I know about how much I need to eat on a daily basis to be within my calorie range.  I have lost around 10 lbs, although I do have fluctuations in my weight.  Normally, I get to the 10 lbs lost area, and I give up, but that will not happen this time.  I am so determined to have a better, happier, and healthier lifestyle, so I will not give up.  I will go through struggles, weight plateaus, cravings, and pain, but I will make it through!  I have an awesome support system with friends and family, and I have God on my side, and I know His will always prevails!

Wish me luck, and please pray that I have learned what I need to know to make it through without having to continuously document everything that I eat on a daily basis!

Week 6 Exercise Journals & Calorie Deficit!

This week I had a rehearsal and wedding to attend, so I did eat some things that I shouldn't have, but it is okay.  I am still having some weight fluctuations, also, but I feel so much better every week that I continue on my journey to become happier and healthier!

Week 5 Journals & Calorie Deficit!

Since I had birthday parties and Easter this week, I had some major weight fluctuations, but it is okay because Week 6 is a new week, and I will jump right back into my workouts and eating right!

Week 4 Journals & Measurements!

So, for week 4, I had a calorie deficit of 7,907, even though I went over my 1800 calorie limit on Saturday. 



For this past week, my weight has fluctuated quite a bit.  In fact, it is still fluctuating, and probably will continue to do so for the next week or so, until I finish my antibiotics.  I recently had to go onto antibiotics for an infection in my right hand (which is healing tremendously - Thank you Lord!), but antibiotics can cause some weight gain and fluctuations in weight because it can destroy the good and bad bacteria in our body, slow metabolism, and cause retention of fat cells.  So, for now I will have to deal with these weight fluctuations and just get back on the grind when I come off my antibiotics.

So, I have lost a total of 10 inches from my body in 4 weeks.  All of my measurements are decreasing (which is awesome!), and my BMI is slowly going down, too!

I have learned a lot over the past 4 weeks of my life.  I found out that I can eat what I want and still lose weight.  I have eaten everything from pizza, to cheese, to ice cream, to cookies & muffins.  In addition, I allow myself to cheat on one day out of the week, so that I never feel like I am missing out on my favorite foods.  I also found out that I do not have to kill myself in the gym to burn calories or lose weight.

For now, I am very happy with my progress.  I am steadily losing weight and inches, I do not feel starved or hungry, and I have a ton of energy now that I did not have when I started!

Week 3 Journals & More Weight Loss! :)

Calorie deficit for week 3.  I had a calorie deficit of over 7,000, which averages to about 2 pounds.  This is great - and, I had my cheat day, still on Sunday, in which I ate over 2,000 calories that day!

I had four rest days this past week because of the pain in my legs, which I am trying to work through and heal, but nothing seems to be working.  I did walk/jog 13.6 miles this week, even though it was only 3 days, so that is great.  In addition, I lost a total of 1.8 lbs this past week, so I am in a good position with my exercise, eating, and weight loss!

Now, after realizing I ate over 2,000 calories yesterday, I was a little worried about weighing myself this morning because I was thinking that I would have gained some weight because of my lack of exercise and extra calorie intake, but when I stepped on the scale this morning, I weighed 191.4 lbs, which is a total weight loss of 7.4 lbs.  This is amazing!

Next week, I will have updated pictures and measurements, but I did take a picture yesterday, so I will go on and post it beside an old picture of me!

Overcoming Struggles & Facing My Fears!

Yesterday morning, my cousin, Ashley, and I decided we were going to walk a trail that we normally walk (the greenway/YMCA trail), but this time we were going to walk it twice.  Now this was fine, but then we decided we were going to jog some intervals.

Well, it felt great when we finished.  And, it felt even better when we finished and beat our first time.  So, my best time for 3.4 miles (after gaining all the weight), is 40 mins flat!  This is amazing for me!  I am so proud of myself, and I plan to continue pushing forward and getting stronger and faster.  I am also planning to build my endurance, so that I can run for longer periods of time.

In addition, I stepped on the scale this morning, and I have lost a total of 5.8 lbs so far.  I cannot believe the progress I have made so far, but I am super stoked about it, and I do plan to continue on my journey!

All about me

This post is my first, so I figured I would start with who I am, including random details about my life and journey.

I live in North Carolina, in a very small town.  I am a student, attending the University of Phoenix online.  I am pursuing my Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education.  I will receive my Associates in May, then continue my schooling so that I can reach my dreams and goals of becoming a teacher and helping children learn and grow as individuals.

I am a Christian, and without God, I know I would not be where I am today.  The Lord has truly blessed me in all aspects of my life, and He shows me that when trouble comes, he can help me through it all.  I just need to have faith and remember that no matter how big the storm may be, God is always bigger and better.

One thing that is also bigger in my life is me.  I am at my heaviest weight that I have ever been, which is 196.4 lbs.  My body fat is 42.8%, and my BMI is 32.3.  In addition, my other measurements are:
Waist:  43.5 inches
Thighs:  25 inches
Butt:  45 inches
Chest:  41 inches
Hips:  43.5 inches
At my weight and body fat percentage, I have 84.1 lbs of body fat.  This is almost half of my total weight.

My goals include losing around 63.4 lbs, which would put me at a healthy weight of 133 lbs.  This would also put my body fat around 22%, which is also very healthy.  I have started exercising, which is one of my New Year's Revolutions, and eating healthier.  Also included in my goals for this year are to decrease the amount of debt I have, go to church more often, read the Bible more, and learn to crave GOD instead unhealthy foods and cigarettes.  Yes, I am a smoker, but I am trying to stop.

My intentions behind this blog are to make my information public.  I know that when others know your goals and dreams, it is harder for you to give up on them, especially if you are held accountable by others.  So, this is who I am, and who I want to become.  I want to be happy, healthy, and live everyday to the fullest.  I know that I can reach my dreams, as long as I continue to push forward, stay determined, and stay motivated.