20 pounds

I am very close to 20 pounds now. If someone would of told me that I would be twenty pounds lighter running the PF Changs, Phoenix 1/2 Marathon then I was when I ran the PF Changs Denver 1/2 Marathon three months early I would of never believed them. Since Oct. 18th I have been keeping tracking, logging EVERY thing that enters my mouth. Even on my bad days. My goal - 1200 a day, adding an additional 100 for every hour of cardio that I do that day. Training for this half has been much different than Denver - this time I am actually training. Five days a week I run or walk/run/walk depending on what the training schedule is that day. The average number of miles per day is around five. Yesterday was seven and today is a vigorous nine. My fastest mile (only one) was about 8:30 min/mile. Before Denver, I could not run a single mile without slowing to walk. The Denver half, I walked the last 6 miles while running the entire first 6.5 - very proud of myself, but it was a long walk to the finish. My goal in two weeks from today will be to run the entire time. No slowing to walk, although I will be very happy if I finish in less then 2:30 hours.

I believe there have been four major factors (four different people) to the success of my weight loss. The first one is having friends to hold me accountable for what I eat. Someone who can regularly view my online food diary and speaks up when I eat poorly or exceeds my daily calorie limit. They can also view what I log in as my daily weight. The second is having someone I meet to work out. We plan it the day before what time we will be meeting and where and we stick to it. No backing out. We find a time everyday - no matter how much we have going on, we make it work. It has helped to keep both of us committed. Third, having a friend who is a personal trainer, training me in my home. She is a friend, so the cost is minimal for me, however I could not put a price now on how much she has helped the success of these twenty pounds. My workouts with her are MUCH harder then I would have EVER pushed myself. There are many times I have wanted to quit, but with her, I don't have that option. I am also much stronger now then I was before I started training with her. I have a gym membership, and I know how to use the equipment, but my workout changes with her each and every time and having someone there to say - 10 more when you would have determined you were finished makes all of the difference in the world. The muscle I have gained working with her has saved me from days that I do eat poorly. The muscle continues to burn the fat I put into my body instead of packing it all back on. I have always known this but never experienced it to this extent. And finally, having my husband be there to support me each and every step of the way - to encourage me and tell me how great I look, how good of a job I am doing, and how proud of me he is.

Without all of these factors I am not sure I would be 20 pounds of FAT less then I am today. There are not words to how much better I feel about myself and life. I cannot thank any of them enough.