A Goal that will Stick

I downloaded a cool new weight tracker app. What I like about it is that you can set a goal and it will create a trend line after a few weigh-ins that will show your predicted success date.

My new goal is to reach 135 by May 1st.

As of today, the app thinks it will take me until May 18th. I can't wait to prove it wrong!

The Competition has Begun!

If my fiancé has a fault, it's that he's very competitive. He needs to lose some weight...and by some I mean he could easily lose 45 pounds and not look underweight. I too could stand to lose 55 pounds. We're both in about the same boat. Now in light of his competitive nature, we (I) decided to start a competition: whoever loses 19% of their weight by November 18th, my birthday, wins! I won't go into what they win, but trust me when I say he's very motivated.

Now, I'm not competitive. Not even a little. On the other hand, I exercise more and eat far healthier than my fiancé and I hope that I'll lose a little faster and motivate him.

So what are the terms? He'll have to lose 47 pounds and I'll have to lose 39. It seems like a lot, but it puts him at less than 2 pounds a week. Nice and healthy pace.

Anyway, so this is my current medium goal- though it does seem like almost 40 pounds should be a big goal. Anyway, I'll be doing updates on the 18th of every month.

Measurement Monday: May 11th, 2014

Alright, so this week's Measurement Monday is actually on a Sunday because I don't know if I'll have time to do it tomorrow. I doubt there'd be a huge difference between today or tomorrow.
Here's this week's progress:
Abdomen: 44.125 (-.125)
Waist: 35 (0)
Bust: 43.25 (-.25)
Chest: 37.5 (.25)
Hip: 46.5 (.25)
Left Arm: 14.75 (.5)
Left Forearm: 11 (0)
Left Calf: 16.25 (0)
Left Thigh: 27.5 (0)
Right Arm: 14 (-.25)
Right Forearm: 10.75 (-.25)
Right Calf: 16 (0)
Right Thigh: 27.5 (-.25)
Shoulders: 43 (-1)
Neck: 14.75 (-.25)
Current Weight: 201 pounds (3)
Inches lost: -1.37
Running total: -2.12, + 5 pounds
 Although I've put on more weight this week than last week (bummer), I'm down 1.37 inches, where last week I only had a change of -.75 inches, this week I lost almost an inch and a half. Yay!
I have to say, this weekly analysis of my inches lost really is helpful. I don't feel disappointed that I've gained 5 pounds in two weeks (seriously? Ugh.), I'm more excited that I've lost more than two inches total. This is real progress. It's not much, but it's progress.
My goal for this upcoming week? Commit to trying a Ketogenic diet for a full week, and I still would like to try to lose two inches next week. I'm hoping a keto diet will help with that. This week was a good start, but the extra .63" would mean a lot (mentally, at least). Besides, two inches off my entire body isn't a lot. I measure 15 places for a total of  357.75 inches currently. Two inches is .6% of my current inches. I can manage a .6% loss.
Anyway, I highly recommend measuring weekly. For those of you not doing it, start! It really is motivating, and it only takes 10 minutes (and the first four minutes are spent trying to find the tape measure). So, get measuring and share your progress in the comments!

Couch to 5k: First Impression

Periodically,  I'm going to be testing different fitness trends. First up is Couch to 5k. For those that haven't heard about it, it's supposed to be an easy introduction to running. Woth just nine weeks of training, a couch potato can run a 5k.

One thing you should know about me: I'm not a runner. I have short legs, I'm prone to side stitches, I throw up when I run a quarter mile straight, and I had pneumonia a few years back which scarred my lungs. I'm really not a runner.

Why the hell am I doing this? Well, I've never been any good at running, not even as a kid. I want to be able to say I can run. I want to prove to myself that I can do it. It's that simple.

 Yesterday I tried day one of Couch to 5k. The directions were simple enough. Five minute brisk warm up walk, then alternate between running 60 seconds and walking 90 seconds   for a total of 20 minutes followed by a five minute cool down walk. This sounded pretty reasonable...until I started doing it. The first minute was good, but the 90 seconds of walking wasn't enough to really catch my breath. Things went steadily down hill from there. I stopped running when I had two running intervals left. I felt like I was going to barf. Barfing with a hernia is a bad idea.

Not a great first run for a program that claims to ease beginners into running. Has anyone else tried Couch to 5k? What were your thoughts?

For those of you wanting to give this a try, the guide can be found here and I reviewed a Couch to 5k running app here.

First of the Month Photos: May

So this is a little embarrassing. Pictures of me! Yeah, I'm out of shape, but won't it be great to look back on these photos when I have abs? This is me, at 196 pounds and a size 14.  Ugh, these are terrible. 

But while we're on the subject of abs: that's my end goal. Now, I don't have any ambition of maintaining abs for the rest of my life, but I've always been heavy, and for once damnit, I want abs!