Weekly Weigh-In: -4 lb (240 lb)

happy dance!! i cant believe that i lost 4 lb this week! that makes my total weight loss 25 lb. i am so happy with that. it has been pretty slow going. i started 03/22/10. so its been 13 weeks. but that averages 1.9 lb a week weight loss.

thats why i was so surprised by what buddy texted me today. we signed up for the gym at the same time. and we make a lot of plans to go together. but i usually end up being there all by my lonesome...which i surprisingly dont mind so much any more. i think i might actually be enjoying my work out time! i dont usually tell people about my weight loss. but after she texted me this morning...to (*surprise*) say she was NOT going to meet me at the gym, i told her that i had reached my 25 lb weight loss mark (*woo-hoo*).

she sent back a message saying that it makes her really sad to think that if she had just persevered like i did, that SHE would be 25 lighter as well.

i really didnt know what to say to that. im glad she was honest with her response and didnt pretend like it didnt bother her. but it feels like my weight loss has been sooooo slowwww. i can hardly believe that some one else would have a hard time accomplishing the same thing. maybe im not giving myself enough credit. especially given some VERY exciting news!!!

my mom who is super generous and has literally bought me every dress i own (and i need dresses because as a jehovah's witness, i wear a skirt/dress when i go to my meetings) surprised me yesterday. she walked into my house with THREE beautiful dresses for me!!! the last time she bought me dresses from this particular store, i was a size 20 (which is a joke because i was more like a 26...but this brand runs really big...which i LOVE). so, this time she bought me size 18....and they were toooo BIG. yup. so we went to the store to exchange them. i got 3 dresses that are size 16. and they are BEAUTIFUL. gorgeous! when did shopping and trying on clothes become FUN??? granted...it DOES help when you dont even have to bring your purse because your amazing mother is paying (*thanks mom*). that really really strengthened my latest resolve.

i am determined. DETERMINED. to run a mile. yes. a mile. jogging. no stopping. for a whole complete total MILE. so. i did a little research.

many times in the past, i have tried to train to run a 5K. i tried the couch to 5k program. which is super cool. but too hard for my chubby butt. so i looked around for a training program to run JUST a mile. and i found one. on sparkpeople! there is a great article about training to run a mile.

many times i have wondered if i was physically capable. because, lets face it. im a bit of a chubster. i get kinda frustrated when training programs act like any one CAN run if they CHOOSE to. so not true. this article says, "You do have to be able to walk before you can run. Once you can comfortably walk for one full hour, then you're ready to start running." hmmm...ok. i can do that. so i guess i can start training. so i DID!!!

the training is 4 weeks. but i think i am going to need more than a month. so im doubling it. my training looks like this.

Time Involved: three 20-minute sessions a week, repeat each interval 4 times. 5 minute warm up, 5 minute cool down.

WEEK 1 & 2: jog 1 min/walk 4 min

WEEK 3 & 4: jog 2 min/walk 3 min

WEEK 5 & 6: jog 3 min/walk 2 min

WEEK 7 & 8: jog 4 min/walk 1 min

if i keep up with my training AND dont miss sessions, i should complete 480 minutes of training in 8 weeks (my little hula girl is gonna dance me to the finish line on the ticker in my side bar). and in theory, when im done with my training, i SHOULD be able to run a mile. straight. with OUT stopping....or (*hopefully*) dying. which brings me to my SURPRISE.

i am walking in a 5K august 15th for lung cancer. and i will JOG one mile of it with OUT stopping. crazy? maybe. really....i dont think i'll be able to pull it off. honestly. i dont think i'll be able to pull off week 5 and 6! me? jog 3 minutes??? not likely.

although, when i did my first training session saturday, i didnt think i'd be able to jog for a minute. and i did. i was sweating bullets. my knee was twinging (which it did NOT do today) and i had shin splints. today, oddly, it wasnt too bad. hard. really really hard. but i did it. some one must have saw me almost keeling over on the treadmill saturday...because there was a NEW SIGN in my gym this morning. SEE?? as scary as that is....its also kinda comforting :-)