Long time no see...

Well I've slacked on blogging but I've been in track.

Down 35 lbs! And officially missing 24 inches from various areas.

I'm pretty happy with the progress.  I can now run/walk a 5k in about 45 minutes.  And the time just keeps improving. I am down almost two pant sizes which makes me giddy! I can scoff at the box of donuts or sweet garbage that regularly occupies the counter at work. I'd say I'm becoming quite the bad ass when it comes to willpower and determination.

And all I'm doing is eating right and exercising. No magic pills... no current diet fad. Using common sense and logging my food and making sure to burn 500 calories over what I consume (usually more) everyday. Life is beautiful!

Still not "skinny" but feeling fine,
Tara

2 weeks til D Day.

In 2 weeks we will learn how far I can push myself. A 12 obstical course in the mud... over 3.1 miles. :)

Time to put on the big girl panties and take this bull by the horns! I have an amazing team of ladies I'm doing this with to support breast cancer. I suspect it will be very fun and very empowering for all of us.

Tara
Maybe a mud warrior?

Well hello there June

June is here. I've been MIA but not dormant. I've been very busy!

5k season is in the air. And this soon to be skinny girl has been working her booty off. Literally!

Color Run KC was June 1st. As you all know, I started my journey January 1st 2013 at 261 lbs. Since I've been changing my lifestyle. I've been eating right, working out, being active and staying focused. I participated in a 4 mile event in May to see how I'd do. One hour and 12 minutes later I crossed the finish line satisfied that I'd done it.

June 1st at 8am we were at the start line for the Kansas City Color Run. I stood at a whopping 234 lbs. (That's right folks, this fat girl has lost 27 lbs!). We waited and got pumped up with the crowd. I had my friend, Sarah, by my side and we planned to walk / jog in increments at our comfort level. Time not being a factor obviously as this was both our first actual 5k. We finished up at 52 minutes and were both pleased with ourselves.

We have a full month ahead! Muddy obstacle courses and more 5ks! This year will prove to be my most accomplished yet! And the weight loss is finally on a downward slide!

While I may not be on point for my 1 year/ 100 lbs goal... I'm making changes to last a life time. I'm changing my body for good, not just for the moment. :)

Tara
The incredible shrinking woman...

Half way through February...

Well, I'm half way through February. I'm sure you're wondering if I've been on track and lost enough to stay on goal. :) 

OF COURSE! I have control. Not the food. I've lost 5 lbs so far this month. And I'm just getting started. I've decided to take the plunge and use a Slow Carb structure in my eating habits. 

Slow Carb really relies on your meat, beans and veggies mostly. One day a week I can be a crazy fiend and eat whatever the hell I want and as much of it as I can hold. But the rest of the week, I focus on body needs rather than tastebud wants. And in 3 days, I lost the entire 5 lbs I've lost for February. I just started this on Monday. 

I think I've found my body's perfect plan. I feel good, my calves are looking good. My muscle mass is building beautifully and not causing over bulk to affect the scale. I'm loving it! (aside from the gas... but hey, I'll take a little flatulence now to be healthy later.)

13 more days until the end of February. Let's see if that other 5lbs can melt away before then... 

Tara
Still a fat girl but seriously seeing results! 

January, Oh how you've been good to me...

Thank you very much January 2013. You've been good to me... Making some changes but not anything absurd or over board (if you'd like information on what changes, let me know), I've managed to destroy 12 lbs of FAT in the month of January! I couldn't be happier. I'm off and running! 

Eleven more months. Bring it on February!

Tara
A thinning Fat Girl. 

One Month Down... Eleven to Go.

What can I say... January is going to end very well. I'm on course. I'm motivated and I'm not wanting for anything! I've had sweets, I've had pasta, I've had red meat...

But I know come February 15th, I'm going to hit that wall. I'm going to have to buckle down. I'm going to have to take that next step in healthy eating and cutting out the things I don't need. But I'm ready! Bring it on! I don't plan to end February with anything less than 8 lbs of useless, lumpy fat off this body. 8 lbs... that's alot of FAT.

To get a good idea of what I've accomplished in January alone, I went to the internet to look at things that weigh 10 lbs. (as I plan to finish the month at around 11-15lbs lost, may as well use 10 lbs as my visual). The one I fancied the most was a sack of potatoes. I got a sac of lumpy potatoes off this body in the month of January.

So then I thought... wonder what that really looks like. So I looked up 10 lbs of FAT. What I saw disgusted me. 1 lb of fat equals the size of a coffee mug. So 10 lbs.. OH MY GOSH! So I had my visual on the fat, my idea of the feel of the weight. Then realized that what I had to destroy was 12 TIMES THAT AMOUNT! That is a lot of FAT!

Each month that passes I'll look at the size of what I'm dumping from my frame. I will measure myself as well because, let's face it... weight is just a number. If I build muscle, the scale is no longer going to be my friend as muscle weighs more than fat.

1 month almost down and I have a solid plan in place already that has been more than effective. I feel confident in my ability to change my patterns and thinking about food. Now let's see what the results will be!

Tara
Still 11 lbs lighter but my jeans are falling off :)

Sweeter than Sweets!

Today is proof that there is no sweeter thing in the quest to get healthy than stepping on the scale and seeing the results of your determination and hard work. There's no candy or pastry that would ever replace the satisfaction I received this morning. 

I am seeing that in times past I made the excuses that I couldn't follow a decent meal pattern because my husband refuses to. And the kids don't like the things I do. So I ate the pre packaged, flour packed, sodium packed meals they wanted. But this past month I've come to realize, there was absolutely no reason for that to happen! 

All it takes is some knowledge and application in a tricky way to get everyone on board. Maybe not fully, so on those nights I'll have my separate salad or Healthy Choice soup rather than the craziness they demand. And don't get me wrong. Over the Month I've "swayed" at least 5 times and eaten meals that were NOT healthy by any means. And yet I still made more progress this month than I'd ever dreamed I would. 

I guess it's like when I quit smoking. I woke up one morning and said I'm not going to do that anymore. And I didn't. I've been a non smoker for over a year now. After Christmas, I woke up with a candy and goodie induced hangover of sorts... I felt sick to my stomach, my body felt gross and I just wanted to lay there and not move. I said to myself, I'm not going to do this anymore. So far so good. 

Everyone has their own breaking point. And even when you reach it, you can still stray from the path if not properly motivated to reach the prize at the end. I'm writing this blog to keep my self accountable. I don't want to come back here in 6 months and see that I was talking out of my ass. I want to be here every day recording the reasons and struggles and blessings that will come with my journey. I want to finish what I started this time and mean it. Own it. 

This is my motivation. And hopefully yours. 

Tara
11 pounds lighter today.