What I have done up to this point

I started losing weight back in September of 2008 by changing the way I eat and adding in exercise. This post will be a quick recap of what I have done since then to accomplish my current weight-loss status:

Sept. '08-Oct. '08 - When I made the decision to get fit again, the very first thing I did was look for a good workout dvd. I knew I wouldn't be comfortable going to a gym so I researched a bit and decided on Jillian Michaels' "30 Day Shred" dvd. I also bought an elliptical and these two items were the first steps for me. As far as diet, MFD really put my eating habits into perspective and I learned how to choose healthier items to eat. Since I wanted this to be a life change, I took things one at a time... worked on increasing my water intake and when I could do that daily without even thinking about it, I moved on to something else like adding a fruit or veggie in at every meal. I worked slowly and one change at a time because I wanted to make these changes permanent and last a lifetime.

Nov. '08-Jan. '09 - The HOLIDAY SEASON!!!! During these months, my boyfriend and I decided to make hiking a weekly thing and we've kept it up even to today. I was still continuing with "30 Day Shred" and the elliptical and actually bought another one of Jillian's sets, "The Biggest Winner" series and was rotating through the dvd's three to four times a week. In Nov. my boyfriend and I signed up for our first 13K, The Great Aloha Run, so we also started to run. I used a modified version of the "Learn to Run" program to get me going and it worked out great. I also bought the Beach Body workout program P90X but didn't start it because I wanted to lose a little more weight first. Diet wise I was still making my little changes and incorporating a lot more whole and clean foods and cutting out all fast-food. Now I was also using a food scale and measuring cups for all the food I ate. I know most people hate doing this, but if was neccessary for me so I could learn portion control. At the end of these three months, I was down 20 lbs. from when I started. **First time I have ever lost weight during the holiday season!**

Feb. '09-today - February 16 was the date of the 13K and we ran and complete it in 1:45 minutes... 13 minute miles which isn't bad at all! In Feb. I also started a different Beach Body program, ChaLean Extreme (CLX). I bought this one and used this before P90X because CLX is geared as a weight-loss program, where P90X is not. I am currently in my last month of CLX and totally love this program because of the results that I have gotten (check out my review in a future post), but I can't wait to start P90X! Scheduled start date is May 7, 2009. I also decided to try the "100 Push-Up Challenge" and I am on my last week of that, but no where near reaching 100 push ups. I can currently do 23 standard push-ups (standard TOE push-ups! No girlie push-ups for me!) which is a huge difference from the 5 that I could do when I started the program. I'm still continuing with weekly runs and hikes. Diet wise I have changed it up and I am trying to follow a 40 carb/30 protein/20 fat ratio diet. Incorporating a lot more lean protein and cutting out some of the carbs has given me more energy and I really like that.

Of course my journey so far has been much more than I have written but this was a brief description of where I have come from in the last 7 months. I've had to deal with a lot of people who think I'm crazy for trying to lose 55+ lbs., either because they don't think I can do it or because they don't think it's possible, but these are the people who push me to strive for more. I am a huge competitor and I am stubborn so I feed off of comments like these. On the flip side, there have been so many other people who praise me and think it's absolutely wonderful that I can do this. I've even had people call me an inspiration because they see me as proof that "normal" people can lose weight.