Injury

Ugh...so frustrating...there is something up with my ankle.  I ran yesterday got done and could barely walk.  So its been ice and elevation since yesterday morning and staying off it as much as possible.  I really am bummed not to have run today...I've never felt this way about exercise before.  I'm trying not to get down, I'm really going to watch my food intake.  Not sure if I'll go to the Dr or not...we shall see..

My healthy eating plan...

  I don't want to say  the dreaded "diet" word...when I think of diet it is something you go on and then go off .  I can not do something with the intent of going off of it, if I do I will gain the weight back.  I know what I am doing about the calories spent part of weight loss, running,  but now I need to work on the calories taken in part.  I do not like to count things, calories or points or journaling my food.  I find it annoying and it is something I don't want to do the rest of my life.  I have been on countless diets and I have had success but I just can't seem to stick to it.  Three years ago I did the South Beach Diet, I did really well I lost about 60 pounds, I have since gained 30 of that back.  The low carb aspect of the South Beach Diet works for me.  My body just can not deal with sugar, I need to stay away I can't even eat one bite.  I swear if I eat too many carbs I gain 5 pounds over night.  I feel bloated and get headaches.  So here is my plan, I'm going to stay away from sugar PERIOD, not all carbs, I'll still eat some potatoes or rice or bread, I don't seem to have such a love/hate relationship with those carbs.  I started my healthy eating plan on January 3, it has been 10 days, I did have one small bowl of ice cream a week ago, but since then nothing, no desserts, no candy, no sweets.  I eat breakfast, lunch and dinner and have a small snack after my run in the evening.  I feel fine, I'm not craving anything, it seems to be working well.  I am not drinking soda or juices,  I have one cup of coffee in the morning with a little cream and one equal packet and water the rest of the day.  Since I started this I have lost 6 pounds, I guess maybe it is working.  I don't feel as if I am sacrificing anything.  I've been trying to eat a green salad every night with dinner and eat at least 2 pieces of fruit.   I am hoping that this way of eating and running at least 1 mile everyday, I can lose at least 2 pounds a week.  I'm sure there will be some point in time where I am tempted with some cake or cookies, but I hope I have the willpower to just say no, I am working to hard to let a cookie set me back.

One Month In

 Me and my youngest son, Cooper, at Disney World Aug 2011 

(225 lbs)

I've never done this before, so bare with me...
     A month ago, December 13, an email came to my work email, our principal wanted to start a Forrest Gump  challenge among the faculty.  I went to the classroom next door and said to my friend, I think I want to do the Forrest Gump thing.  He said "Go for it, I think it would be great for you" so I signed up...the rules were simple, run at least 1 mile EVERYDAY or do 20 mins of cardio.  My husband had bought me a treadmill for Christmas, so now was the time to start using it.  I went home that first night and tried to run/jog 1 mile...I could barely run 0.25 miles...but I did 1 mile on the treadmill.  Then the next day I came home and did the same thing...day after day...I plugged away at just tring to run the entire mile.  About one week in I could actually run the entire mile in somewhere around 13 minutes.  I started to really enjoy my daily run/jog, I did it faithfully everyday, until, Christmas.  I bailed on my run on Christmas day and my back was so sore the next day.  I haven't missed a day since.  Next Tuesday will be the final day of the challenge at school, but I plan to keep on going.  I have gone from not being able to run a full mile to running 1.85 miles without walking.  One night I just said I'm going to run for as long as I can until I feel I have to walk, I made it 25 minutes.  I might not be very fast but, at least I'm moving. As of today, I am the ONLY Forrest Gump challenger that has only missed ONE day...I am so proud of myself for not giving up...and most of the competitors in the challenge are very fit people, Ironmen, lifeguards, aerobics instructors, runners...and me the overweight mom of two...

     Now that you know what got me started on this adventure of Dumpy 2 Diva, I'll tell you what I am working toward.  I am about 80 pounds over weight, I have finally realized I need to do something about that.  Once I started running and enjoying it my sister, who is an avid runner, told me she wants me to run the Diva Half Marathon with her in October 2012.  So that is where the Diva part comes in.  I have enlisted the help of my friend, Joe the Ironman,  to help me train for this race.  Joe and I work together, which makes it very helpful for encouragement and accountability.  As with the Forrest Gump challenge at school, I didn't want to be the disappointment, I didn't want to the be the "fat" girl that didn't accomplish what she set out to.  I am on a mission, I want 2012 to be the beginning of a new healthier life for me.

Wish me luck...