5 Miles

I've picked out a route that seems like something I can do. I will start near point A at Ayers and Gollihar (which is actually under point E), go down Ayers to Holly, go down Holly to Kostoryz, down Kostoryz to Gollihar then back down to Ayers (my house). According to this map the round trip is 5.04 miles.

Most of these roads do have sidewalks along the side. The only part I am not completely sure about right now is down Ayers on the south side of SPID. I do not recall if there are any along that path.

This is something to look forward to.

The Big Prize

So far I have lost about 87 lbs. I am only 13 lbs. away from 100 lbs. AND only 24 lbs. away from finally being under 300. My current weight for the week is 323 lbs. That first goal is so close I can feel it. It is within my reach.

The more I think about it, the more excited I get. Last week I lost 7.5 lbs. I have four weeks to lose 13 lbs. to reach my first goal. But if I can lose 7.5 lbs. in a week, and 6 and 7 lbs. in recent weeks I am going for the 24 lbs. mark. I am really going to push myself these next few weeks to not only lose 100 lbs. by my birthday, but to be under 300 lbs. by June 15.

I want that feeling so bad. That feeling of accomplishment, that feeling of success, that feeling of pride. I have wanted this for so long and I finally believe I can do it.

Now I want to start walking. I want to start running. I want to get out there and start moving. I have to be reasonable about this. Yes, I am probably in the best shape of my life so far. That does not mean that I am ready to run a marathon tomorrow. I want to make a plan. I need to map it out. I want to look into the distance around my neighborhood and also down Ocean Drive. I would like to find out the distance from the TAMUCC parking lotto the art museum. I guess I could look it up online or go for a drive.

I am not sure how my knees are going to hold up, but I want to at least try. And with summer just around the corner, the weather will be intense. So take a cap and some sunscreen. I would also like to invest in a nice pair of running shoes.

So these are my new goals. I have been psyching myself up lately about going for it all. I've been telling friends at work that I'm not going to just try and lose 13 lbs. to reach 100 lbs., I am going for the big prize. On June 15, 2010, I WILL be under 300 lbs.!

Marchin' On by One Republic (with lyrics)

This song was featured in the opening montage of last night's episode of The Biggest Loser. It played in the background as the final four contestants watched their journey to where they are now. It was amazing!

The Home Stretch

After 22 weeks I am now 87 lbs. lighter!

I had an unbelievable weigh-in yesterday! Walking into the doctor's office, my weight from last week was 330.5 lbs. I knew I had a good week of workouts. The night before around 12:30 a.m. I did a Last Chance Workout again. I did the 25-minute and 10-minute workouts. Talk about major sweat going on. I think that really helped out. And it did! When I left the doctor's office my new weight was 323! I lost another 7.5 lbs. in one week! I think that is the most in one week so far!

Over the last few weeks I have had some amazing numbers come up. Four weeks ago I lost 6.5 lbs., followed by 7 lbs., then zero one week, then 4 lbs. last week. When I didn't lose any two weeks ago I was disappointed but not discouraged. I knew it was not a big deal. I've seen it plenty of times on The Biggest Loser where a contestant loses huge numbers one week and loses zero to two pounds the next week. It's just my body trying to recover from that dramatic change. So I got back on track and worked out hard. The following week I was back with a 4 lb. weight loss.

I kept on going and working out hard. I monitored my diet and ate healthy. I did have a splurge day where I have something not usually on my menu. I had some tacos for lunch one day with my mom. It has been a while since I've had tacos from that restaurant. They were so good but full of grease. Later that day, and all through the night, I could still feel those tacos and the grease running rampant throughout my body. It has been so long that my body was not used to it. This caught me completely off guard! My stomach was hurting. My skin felt greasy the rest of the day. I just did not feel good. As much as I loved them before, they will never touch my lips again.

I am now closer to my goal than ever before. When I first started this I weighed around 410 lbs.* My goal is to lose 100 lbs. by my birthday. That day is four weeks away with only 13 lbs. left! It is within my grasp and I want it now more than ever! I need this! I want this! I will accomplish my goal! When I reach the century mark, my next goal is to be under 300 lbs. THAT goal is becoming more and more of a reality. I am only 24 lbs. away from accomplishing what seems to be a lifelong goal. I have no recent memory of EVER being under 300 lbs. The lowest I can remember being was hanging steady at 330 lbs. and dropping down to 310 lbs. where I plateaued and gained it all back. I get emotional thinking about how close I am to breaking the 300 barrier. I KNOW I can do it and I know HOW to do it.

The feedback and support from family and friends has been unbelievable. I am always getting compliments at work about how I am "wasting away" and "the belly is just gone!" My network of friends on facebook has really been an inspiration to me. Reading the comments and e-mails really pushes me to keep going. Without that support I don't know if I would be pushing myself this hard. The one thing I did not expect at all was how much I have become a source of inspiration for others. I always knew I wanted to help others but to actually be doing it is another thing. They are coming to me for advice. I really don't have any pearls of wisdom except to get up and start doing it. I am doing it for my own personal reasons: to be healthier and feel better about myself. You need to find your own reasons why you want to lose weight. When you find the motivation, grab onto it with both hands and hold on tight.

One of the best pieces of advice I've heard came from The Biggest Loser during week one. Ashley, who is now in the finale, asked Sherry, her mother and her teammate, "What if I go in there and I can't do it." Sherry paused for a moment, looked Ashley in the eyes and said, "What if you go in there and you can." Now Ashley is one of the top two finalists. Sherry had the confidence in Ashley before she ever did. That is how I have often felt when I first started.

"What if I start this workout regiment and I give up after a couple of weeks?"

"But what if you start working out and just stick with it?"

Well, it is now Week 23 and I am STILL going strong!