SeptMEber

I have obviously slacked off recently on the blog.  And to make up for it, I'm going to try and post every day for the rest of the month.  Why?  Because it's SeptMEber.  What is SeptMEber?  I've decided to make this month about me.  Concentrate on doing things that make myself happier and eliminating things that don't.  

To start, I have decided that I HAVE to work out more.  One of the get healthy groups I'm a part of decided to start this today:

So I decided to join them, but add some things of my own.  I will admit that I wasn't good today with the food.  I volunteered this morning and I was bored and exhausted, so when I got to work at 9, I broke down and got a Diet Dr. Pepper.  Just one and I admit that I didn't even drink the whole thing.  But as for food, I also didn't do very well:  bagel slim with low fat peanut butter (not horrible), Apple Cinnamon Nutra Grain bar (also not horrible), Vocelli bread sticks (VERY BAD), a small fudge pop (forgot about the no chocolate thing), 3 frozen fruit bars.  I wasn't feeling good today - when I am sick I tend to eat a lot of frozen stuff.  On a good note, other than the one DDP, the only other thing I drank today was water.  

I did some light exercising tonight as well.  I walked the trail behind my house (it's about 1.5 miles) and stopped 4 times at each of the benches along the way to do a set of 25 squats and 10 pushups on the bench.  So 100 squats and 40 pushups and a 1.5 mile walk.  Not too bad for not feeling well.

Now for the somewhat embarrassing part...  I weighed myself when I got back from the walk and weighed 194.8.  Why is that embarrassing?  Many reasons...  That is not the weight I want to weigh.  Who knows who might read this...  I do know that it's probably higher b/c of the breadsticks and that I weighed myself at 8 pm, but still...  Here's a picture of me after the walk.

Please ignore the messy bedroom.  :)

Other than working out, I'm also not going to drink (other than for the WVU vs. UMD game) this month.  I'm going to work harder to organize my life.  I need to get rid of/sell a bunch of crap that I have, but don't need/use.  It's also time to surround myself with people who make a positive impact on my life.  I've met some amazing people this summer.  No reason to keep people around who bring me down.

Until tomorrow...

Hot In Here

Actually it was Hot Out Here, on Sunday. 

I participated in the Biggest Loser 10k walk with two of my girlfriends Sunday morning and man was it H-O-T.  Overall the walk was disappointing (took place on a parking lot, not a lot of water stations, etc), but we did it.  We thought about stopping when we got to the 5k point due to the heat and boring layout of the race, but we continued on.  And I gained two more blisters (both next to the balls of my feet).  I'm seriously glad that I am allowed to wear flip flops to work, or I'd be in trouble.  I sent a note to the shoe store where I bought my shoes from - I feel like if I paid $150 for shoes and wore the synthetic socks, I should not be getting blisters from a 10K.

I took a walk last night.  Again it was hot.  Guess I should expect this since it is July.  Luckily I enjoy being outside, even if it is hot.  Blisters didn't hurt super bad, so I did 3 miles.

Tonight is softball with a new team.  Only know one person on the team, so hopefully they are a fun group.  :)

In regard to weight loss, I've officially stayed below the 10 pound mark all week!  Next goal will be 15, which hopefully I will get to soon.  I went to the grocery store over the weekend and bought a bunch of healthy foods and premade a lot of things so it would be easier during the week.  I have to say I'm excited about my lunch today - a bunch of raw veggies with hummus and fat free ranch dip.  Does anyone else have a love/hate relationship with food like me?  I love food, but hate cooking.  I don't like eating the same thing over and over again, which is a hard challenge when you live alone since you often have left overs.

Walkin' On Sunshine

Rather I was walking in sunshine over the weekend.  :)

My friend, Dave, and I had big plans for the long 4th of July weekend.  Drop one car off in PA at the end point of our 47 mile Appalachian Trail hike Weds night after work and start the hike Thursday morning in WV.  Aah DC metro traffic...  Seemed to take forever to get to the drop off point in PA.  When we did, it was too late to find the site in WV and set up camp for the night.  We ended up opting to sleep in actual beds for one more night and start out for WV in the morning.  We got to the starting point in WV around 11 Thursday morning.  Threw on our packs, took some pictures and started walking.

You can't really tell, but my backpack in the picture above is black.  Why do I point this out?  Because about a half mile into the hike it broke.  It was an adjustable pack and had broke through some of the straps.  So we turned back and went to Harper's Ferry to try and find a replacement pack (where is REI when you need one?).  A lot of money later, I got a pack that seemed like it would work (and not break).

At this point, we are three hours later in the day.  So we opted to restart the hike a little farther along the trail (we already walked in WV and VA, so why not).  Found the parking lot, strapped the packs back on and headed for the trail.  Little did I know, this section was ALL uphill.  Let's reflect back on the main purpose of this blog - weight loss.  I'm overweight.  I'm out of shape.  And it was hot.

It didn't take me long to start to wonder why I had agreed to do this...  And to have serious doubts about finishing.  But I will give it to Dave, he was awesome.  Encouraged me and waited for my slow ass to catch up.  I'm sure it didn't help that my pack was a good 40 lbs and his had to be 60 lbs.  After what seemed like an endless amount of switchbacks, we got to the top.  And here was the view...

Note my footwear in the picture above.  This will come in to play in a bit.  We roll into our first camp around 6 or so - Ed Garvey Shelter.  Set up the tent and then set out to get water.  One of the other fellow campers showed us the path and said "it's hell".  He wasn't kidding.  Nice downhill trek to get the water at the spring.  And a grueling uphill climb (with full water containers) on the way back.  Dave took most of the water and I told him to go at his own pace.  I was exhausted and the last thing I wanted to do at that point was walk up another damn hill.  But I made it.  Considered taking a nap, but I had my first freeze dried food experience to look forward to - and bed.  I was a little concerned about how the freeze dried food would taste.  We got a large variety of flavors and for the first night I opted for Chicken & Noodles and Dave had Beef Stroganoff.  I was surprised that both were actually pretty good!  And not super bad for you!  Chatted with some other hikers (my favorite was Butterscotch Bob).  I got my trail name - Broke Pack Ally.

After dinner, we were both exhausted and were in bed around 9.  We thought we were geniuses when we decided to use pool floats as our air mattresses.  However, when it's hot out, you stick to them.  So neither one of us got a great nights sleep. 

We got up the next morning, packed up camp and were very happy that we still had enough water left over from our trek down to the spring from the night before that we didn't have to go back down there again.

As we were starting out I felt as though I might be getting some blisters.  I decided to ignore them and keep walking.  Yeah, that wasn't a very smart idea.  As the day wore on, the blisters got bigger and worse.  About four miles into day #2, we made it to Gathland State Park and decided to break for lunch.

They had fresh water there and I decided to assess the damage on my feet.  I had blisters on both pinkie toes, one on the inside of my left foot between my heel and ankle, and one on the bottom of both feet.  But I put my shoes back on and kept on trucking.  One foot in front of the other, the steps got slower and slower as the day went on.

 I'm pretty sure that I collapsed and passed out in the picture above.  My feet hurt and I was tired.  I was frustrated with myself b/c I made such a poor decision on shoes and that I thought I was going to be this bad ass who could walk 47 miles with a 40 lb backpack without much training and being out of shape. Who was I kidding?  Oh yeah, myself...

We finally made it to the camp site.  Set up camp and had our next round of freeze dried meals.  I had lasagna, Dave had chili mac.  I swear that lasagna was delicious!  The campground also had bathrooms with showers AND hot water!  It felt good to take a shower, even though I was joined by various insects.

I opted to fore go the air mattress and just do the sleeping bag.  After some entertaining sounds coming from another tent in the campground, I slept like a rock.  I woke up thinking I was going to be able to continue on with the hike.  Butterscotch Bob performed surgery on my feet.  I made it about a half mile and despite the help from Mr. Bob, my blisters wouldn't allow me to go any further.  A trek to Washington Monument State Park and a call to a FANTASTIC friend and we decided to stop there and pick up the trip later in the year.

 A few things learned:
*GET HIKING SHOES
*Pack less... WAY less
*You don't need as much food as you think
*Leave the alcohol at home
*Wrap your feet in duct tape to help prevent blisters

What I'll take away from the trip other than the lessons learned - the trip was fun.  Dave has the patience of a Saint.  Work harder, buy new shoes and kick the second half of the trip's ass in October.

I weighed myself when I got back and had lost 3 lbs.  I believe this was because I sweat like a waterfall.  I'm back up to where I was when we left.  Kind of disappointed, but the blisters have made it hard to work out this week.  I do have the Biggest Loser 10K on Sunday.  Hope the feet heal quickly!

Celebration!

Well, sort of.  As I teased yesterday, something big happened last week - I officially lost my first 10 lbs!  However, I weighed myself this morning and I was back up a half a pound.  BOOO!!!!  But I'm very close, so I'm going to do a little victory dance!

I was an exercise machine last week.  I started out last Saturday on the high from accomplishing my last C25K day.  I decided to keep going.  Well, it was hot as hell last Saturday and smart me decided to run at 4pm.  Needless to say I lost a few pounds in water weight from sweating, but ended up walking more than running.  I was kinda pissed, so I tried again on Sunday.  Headed out a little later in the day, but to the same avail.  Sweat my ass off, but it was too hot to run.  I still wanted to do some sort of activity, so I focused on just walking this past week.  I am going to be walking 47 miles here in a few days, so why not?  There is a great hilly trail (4 Mile Run) that runs parallel to the W&OD right near my house, so I have walked that every day (with the exception of Friday, Saturday and last night).  It's a about 3.5 miles with a few really good hills and if I book it walking, I can do it in under an hour.  I'm gonna do it again tonight.  Taking tomorrow off and then...

It's AT hiking, baby!  My friend, Dave, and I are heading out Weds after work.  Gonna start the hike Thursday morning in the best state ever (WV!), walk through this state called Maryland (way less cool than WV) and end up in another cool state of PA.  The way we have it mapped out it should be about 47ish miles of hiking.  I put together my pack last night and I'm pretty sure I'm going to capsize at some point in the trip.  Yes, imagine me on my back like a turtle who can't turn over...  I'm pretty sure the pack is more than half my size.  Guess that probably means I should downsize a little.  :)

I'm going to weigh myself before and after the hike to see if I've lost any weight.  Our main source of food is going to be MRE's (freeze dried food) and various snacks (nutrition bars, nuts, etc).  Weather is looking to be pretty good, so I'm sure I'll be sweating out any water I drink.  I'm excited and nervous - it's a pretty big challenge for me.  But if i can do it, it's because of the work I've done up until this point and the support I've gotten from everyone along the way.

Push it

I try not to post more than once in a week, but I had to post today.  I just got back from doing another day of C25K (no, I didn't do it this morning like I said I would). After not really exercising for the last 2 weeks, I considered going backwards and redoing a day that I had done before.  When I saw what the workout consisted of (see picture below for details), I REALLY considered going backwards.  But I figured I'm never going to get anywhere if I don't push myself.  

I did it and here's proof!

Fat Bottom Girl(s)

It's been another frustrating week.  If it's not the ankle, it's my sciatic nerve.  Makes me want to dive into a pint of ...  well, anything.  But I didn't.  With the exception of a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger (ok, two of them) and french fries, I didn't go crazy with food last week.  I weighed myself this morning and I'm at 196.8.  That's almost 2 pounds away from my first 10 pound loss.  

To motivate myself a little I decided to go back and look at some pictures.  The picture on the left was me back in December of 2006.  I was probably around 150.  Picture on the right was from August 2012 which was around 200.  The picture on the right makes me want to puke.

Tonight I took a walk in my hiking shoes.  Why?  Because over the 4th of July weekend I'm going to be hiking 47ish miles on the Appalachian Trail.  I might be insane, but I am motivated by goals.  That's one reason that I sign up for 5Ks.  Hopefully I'm not crazy...

I'm also motivated by competition...  so if you have a FtiBit, I want to be your friend.  Give me more people to try and out step.  Send me a message if you don't have my email and I'll send it to you.  And feel free to spread my blog around to anyone else you think might want to read.

Tomorrow morning will be C25K.  Feel free to harass me to make sure I got my fat bottom out of bed.

Step by Step

Ooh baby...

And it seems like my steps are backwards right now...

I have been super frustrated the last week and a half.  I figured I would hit the 10 lb loss mark last week.  But I keep fluctuating between 6 and 8 lbs lost.  Just can't for the life of me get there, or at least that's how I feel right now.

I tried really hard last week to exercise and eat right.  Went to spin class twice, did 2 days of C25K and played softball.  Also did wall pushups, squats and crunches almost every day.

Saturday came and I was super pumped to do Run Amuck in Quantico.  I had so much fun at Foam Fest that I was excited to face this next challenge.  And boy was it a challenge!  It had rained for a few days before the race and to say the course was muddy would be an understatement.  I was pretty proud of myself for running a lot the first half mile.  Then I went over the first wall, came down and OUCH!!!!!  My fat ass managed to sprain my ankle at the beginning of the race.  Fan-freaking-tastic!  I was determined to finish though.  I focused on the many obstacles in front of me and made it to the finish line.  The obstacles were pretty awesome - one trench that was so deep it went up over my chest, crawling through the mud and my favorite wasn't even really an obstacle, just a hill so muddy you couldn't run down it and had to just slide down on your butt.  When else can you play in the mud as an adult?

After the race, I took a nap hoping that my foot would feel better.  It didn't.  So I went to CVS and bought a brace.  Wore it all Saturday night, but it didn't really help.  On Sunday I couldn't take it anymore and went to Urgent Care.  They took x-rays and said it was, in fact, just a sprain.  Got the lovely air cast and crutches.  

So I've been sidelined all week.  No exercising (although I DID go to a spin class earlier in the week, but that was a bad idea).  And I have been down all week.  I know that the weight isn't going to fall off and that it takes time and effort. But I feel that it with everything I've been doing I should see more results.  I'm wondering if I need to do more, or if I'm just destined to be this weight forever...

Another One Bites the Dust

Pound that is...  :)  Still not quite at 10 lbs lost, but hopefully will be by next week's post!

I realized something this past week -  the saying that it takes 28 days for something to become a habit is true.  I've been doing the exercising and eating better for over a month and I'm now wanting to do it.

Last week was my birthday (the big 3-5).  I came home from work on Weds with no intentions of doing any exercising. About 20 minutes into watching something on TV, I got ants in my pants and thought to myself "I need to run or something".  So I then did Couch to 5K, week 3, day 1.  That meant that I ran for 9 minutes total (not in a row, but did do two rounds of running for 3 minutes each and two rounds of running for 90 seconds each).  Came home and had a big smile on my face!

I did spin class on Sunday and the new shoes felt a little better.  Didn't have to unclip at all this time.  I'll call that a success!  Going back again tonight, so we will see how things go.

Since it's a new month, I've decided to incorporate some toning exercises into my routine.  Taken from one of my new favorite websites, I'm doing their 30 day challenge.  This month is abs.  But since I missed out last month with squats, I'm adding those as well.  And I figured, what the hell, let's also add some push ups.  Doing wall push ups first because there is no way I'd be able to do 120 regular push ups quite yet.

Saturday is my next 5K - Run Amuck.  It's another fun run/tough mudder, so no focus on time, just finishing. Wonder if I'll get any fun colored bruises...

And a big THANK YOU to all the readers.  It's great to get your encouragement!  And it seems as though I've also influenced some of you as well - what a great feeling!

Hard to Breathe

Hi all -

I have a few quick updates and some questions for you readers.  I'm now realizing how beer can tank any progress that has been made.  They really need to make a zero calorie beer.  They have zero calorie pop (or soda for all you Southerners), so why not beer?  Someone needs to get on that STAT!

Did another 5K on Sunday - Alexandria Running Festival.  I took almost 2 minutes off my time from the week before.  48:26, which is a 15:38/mile pace.  I gotta do better.  I'm thinking about signing up for another 5K this Saturday.  Want to get to 46:00.  New shoes seem to be working well though.  

Spin shoes are ok too.  But that brings me to my first question - is it normal for the arches of your feet to hurt when spinning/biking?  I unclipped my shoes from the pedals and moved my feet so the pedals were more under the arches of my feet instead of the ball of my feet.  Seemed to feel better, so I switched between clipping and unclipping.  Am I doing something wrong?  The clips are as far back (towards my heel) as they can go on the shoes.  

I also need some new songs to run to.  Any suggestions of good, upbeat songs?  I like pretty much anything!

My last and main question is how do you breathe when you run/workout?  I know it might sound silly asking this, but I find that is my biggest hurdle.  Yes, I have weight I need to lose, but I find that I get out of breath very fast.  I feel my body could go longer, but I have to stop so I can breathe.  I also yawn a lot when exercising (even at spin class).  Any tips on how I can keep from getting out of breath so quickly?

Feel free to leave comments, or you can email me directly at missadventuresindieting@gmail.com.

Weekly Weigh In

I'm down 2 pounds from Monday.  So that has given me momentum to continue it over the weekend.  I have less than a pound to lose over the weekend to win my diet bet that ends on Monday.  Total weight loss in the first month - 8 pounds.  I plan to keep it up next month!

I Get Knocked Down...

But I get back up again!

Last night I was really frustrated with the whole weight loss/ exercise journey.  Luckily I have two good friends who talked some sense into me.  I was all excited last night to try out my new spin shoes.  I got about 15 minutes into the class and was seriously considering cutting my feet off at the ankles.  The spin shoes were killing my feet.  And dumb me, I wore my flip flops to class instead of bringing another pair of sneakers.  So I ended up leaving in the middle of class.  I went straight to the cycle store where I got the shoes on Saturday.  Turns out the person who helped me on Saturday gave me the wrong kind of shoes.  Of course, like the rest of me, my feet are freakish...  small length wise and wide.  So frustrating!!  But, I got a new pair.  Will be trying them out tomorrow morning.

My friends, Kin and Maggie, talked me back up from being upset last night.  I sometimes feel like whenever I try to take a step in the right direction with something I get knocked back down.  They helped me realize that I've faced harder things before and kicked ass...  so why not this?  Hell yeah... I got this!

50:17 - that is now my time to beat.  I did my first "real" 5K on Friday (Singles Mingle 5K at the National Harbor) with three of my girlfriends.  One of them actually placed first for the women (so S!) - I placed 66th out of all the women.  But I have a goal to beat.  And I signed up for another 5K for this coming Sunday.  On a side note, men really are crazy - it was a "singles mingle" race and I think there were 15 men and 85 women...  Not the kind of odds I like.

Horrible picture, but this is me before the run...

I started another week of C25K.  I thought about repeating week 1 since I didn't run at all last week.  I figured, go big or go home and went with week 2.  I was rather impressed with myself.  I only crapped out with the first run interval and started walking about 15 seconds early.  The rest of the time, I ran when the voice in my ear said run.  May not have been fast, but I ran dammit!

As for the food...  this was not my best week.  Considering I may have eaten cupcakes for at least one meal over the weekend.  :)  Hey, they were good!  I weighed myself yesterday and I am pretty much the same as the week before (maybe 1/2 pound heavier).  Maggie made a great suggestion - weigh myself on Fridays.  That way I can see the progress I've made during the week and it will hopefully motivate me to keep it up over the weekend.  This weekend will be the test since it's a long one.  :)

This week I'm trying to alternate C25K and spin classes with the 5K on Sunday.  Gotta focus more on food...  Will update with weight on Friday!

New spin shoes on the left... New running/walking shoes on the right.

Results, Part 1 - Pain in the back

Annoyingly this is going to be part 1 of 3.  I had my follow up appointment with the spine/pain doctor this morning.  He reviewed my back MRI and the x-rays of my knee.

Diagnosis:  bulging disc in the L5 vertebrae in my back and an order for an MRI of my knee.

So knowing that it's my L5 means that could be part of the problem with the sides of my calves hurting when I run/walk.  Apparently it's connected somehow.  I'm still going to get the foot/run/etc testing done (probably on Sunday).  Right now, since my back isn't really bothering me, I'm not going to do anything other than take pain meds as needed.  If it flairs up like before, then we may have to do injections (oh how I love needles)... 

And yes, I suck.  Skipped out on spin class this morning.  BUT I plan to go tonight instead.

Drumroll, Please....

Down another 1.2 lbs.  Another 2.2 lbs in the next 13 days and I win my Diet Bet!

Obstacles

The past week I have gotten through some obstacles both physical and mental.

Let's start with the fun one!  Foam Fest 2013!!!!  My friend, Erin and I signed up for the 5K which took place this past Saturday down in Richmond, VA.  Holy crap was that fun! 

This is me after.  I know I should be dirtier...  but we had to go through a slip 'n' slide at the end, and I think it removed most of the mud.  Just know I was drenched...  I'll post action shots if I have any of me from the official race photos.

And this is what happens when you scale an 8 foot wall and once you get over, you just let go.  Yep, that's my arm.  I promise the wall is fine.

I am pretty proud at my food consumption.  I had two days where I ate like crap (Tuesday my team at work went to Coastal Flats and I am never going to turn down some beef tips).  The rest of the week I ate well.

I went to spin class Weds morning and did 3 days of Couch to 5K.  I am slowly realizing that I'm not a runner.  I'm pretty sure that people laugh at me as I run by, but at least I'm out there trying.  I have two main problems while running - 1. I can't breathe.  Part of this apparently come from my weird nose (ask me to do my nose trick the next time you see me), which will hopefully get fixed sometime this year.  2. I have the wrong shoes.  I know I wore the wrong shoes to Foam Fest and I'm paying for it now with a blister the size of Texas on my foot.  But my main pair of shoes that I currently exercise in are not good either.  I know this by the aching I get in the sides of my calves when I run or even walk.  My goal for this coming weekend is to go get my feet/run/stride/whatever tested at one of those fancy running stores.

This coming week brings some additional challenges in the form of my busy life.  I will need to make exercising a priority where I can fit it in.  I'll probably redo week 1 of C25K because I know I can kick more ass than what I did last week.  I'm also going to do another 5K this coming Friday, but I'm going to be walking this one.

I forgot to weigh in this morning - ate breakfast THEN remembered.  Look for a post tomorrow on current loss status.

Dear Thighs...

Please shrink some.  You rub together when I exercise and it's not fun.

Thanks,
Me

Challenges and Discoveries

One week in...

And as the title of this weeks blog says, there I've had some challenges and discoveries this week.

Challenge - my aging body.  As my 35th birthday is creeping up, I realize that my body is not the same body it use to be.  I'm sure that has a lot to do with my weight.  Trying to work out and what not is harder because I'm carrying more weight than ever.

But of course as it happens, my body decides to fail me the week I decide to start working out.  My back had been hurting for the last few weeks off and on.  It was feeling a little better on Monday, so I decided to try a Body Combat class that I'd wanted to try.  Man, the class was awesome, but about 15 minutes in I was in agony.  My left leg was going numb and my back was killing me.  So, I left the class (I'll go back again though - it was awesome!).  A trip to the spine doctor on Weds and a potential diagnosis of a bulging disc in my back and an MRI on Thursday.  Will find out in a week what's really going on.  Things are feeling a little better today.

Discoveries - My new favorite "toy" is the FitBit (www.fitbit.com).  It's basically a pedometer on crack.  It kind of makes me want to work out.  And for those who know me, that's a shocker.  The FitBit not only keeps track of your steps, it tracks calories burned, floors climbed, gives you statistics about how active you were during the day and shows you how efficient your sleep is.  Oh!  And you can "compete" against friends.  As I look at my "friends" on there right now, I feel like I should start walking around the room b/c there is only 500 steps between me and the person in first place...

Another discovery is that I SUCK at tracking my food on WeightWatchers.com - even with having the app on my phone.  Luckily I have a good idea on how many points things are, so I just keep track mentally.

The most shocking discovery to me is that I'm learning how to run.  Thanks to the Couch to 5K app.  The picture below has always been my philosophy to running...  But I have now completed the first two days of the program.  Granted I'm only running for 30 seconds at a time, but that's good for me.

I done pretty well on eating.  I went to Trader Joe's and stocked up on some healthy foods - chicken, salad stuff, and healthy snacks.  I'm still allowing myself some junk foods - a Diet Dr. Pepper a day, a beer here or there and, of course, chocolate.  And... DRUM ROLL, please... after one week, I've lost 2 pounds!

Triple Chin

I'm going to start a blog regarding my weight loss journey.  Today is April 26, 2013, I am 34 years old, 5'3" tall, and weigh 205 lbs.  I just saw my reflection in my iPad and realized that I currently have 3 chins.  When did it get this bad?  Growing up and even through my 20's I was relatively thin.  I was never a size 2, but I had curves - and a butt and pretty big boobs.  I guess hitting 30 halted my metabolism.  Or I got lazy.  Probably both.  I know that I am not as active as I was 5 years ago.  A lot has changed in the last 5 years.

So why am I starting this blog?  Part to inspire, part to get inspired, part in hopes that it will help me stick to it even though I know it's going to be a hard journey.

For those who don't know me... You already know my height, weight and age.  Other than that I'm originally from Morgantown, WV and currently live in Arlington, VA.  I am currently single (not for lack of trying, and that is the subject of another blog), have a good job, a great family and some of the best friends a girl could ask for.  I am passionate about seven things:  music, photography, traveling, the West Virginia Mountaineers (#HailWV), the Pittsburgh Steelers and my cats, Avi and Lulu.

Right now I'm writing this first blog post on a plane - I'm on my way to visit my best friend and her family in Alabama for the weekend.  One last crazy weekend before starting the diet/exercise (or as I currently view it - living hell).

I hate going to the gym.  H-A-T-E it.  And I also hate eating healthy.  I'll take that back... I kinda hate eating healthy.  But everyone keeps telling me that I'm not going to lose the weight by sitting around and waiting for it to go away and that I have to make a life change.

Well, here it is.  Starting Monday, (4/29), I will start my workouts and eating healthier to improve my quality of life and lose approximately 50 pounds.

This will be a very difficult journey for me.  I hope that you follow me along - with tips, encouragement and hopefully I might even inspire someone as well.