Reaching those stars...

So as I took my daily walk, by myself today ( that's a rarity) I actually got to clear my head and think. As I listened to my music and walked a hill, I thought to myself a year ago I could not even walk this tiny hill, now..ehh no big deal. Didn't even break a sweat. Not till further in my walk I realized what a goals I had set back in the beginning of my journey and how many of them I have achieved. It's crazy! I started with 10 goals:

1.To be 180 pounds (last week I weighed in 191..I will weigh in again Tuesday March 30th) So I am almost there.

2.To be able to run. I am doing that! Everyday! Never did I think I would day I was a runner

3.To stop listening to the negative things and become a more positive person. So done that! I am such a happier more positive person then I was.

4.To stop the junk food! I was eating ice cream, sonic blasts, candy almost every day. Now I let myself have a bit on my cheat day. But my beloved sonic blasts..eck...i cant stomach them anymore!

5.To be more outgoing. Come out of my shell! Oh so true, I am back to the Anna I used to be! Back to the outgoing, fun loving person! No more, depressed hermit!

6.To be able to inspire others to get healthy too. I am pretty sure I have done that. My biggest thing was I was so scared to go to the gym and be judged by people. I want to show people that it is ok to go to the gym. Whether you are 300 pounds or 150 pounds. Don't be afraid!

7.To be open to try new things. Exercise, food and people! I so have done that! This past October I went to Wisconsin and met with my girls! Tried quinoa, learned what organic meant, and workouts that took mine to a whole other level!

8.To be able to work out for more then 10 minutes! I know that sounds silly, but it is true. At the beginning of this journey I could not even make it through the warm ups on my workouts! Now I am exercising daily an hour and a half to two hours a day.

9.To do a road race. I completed my first 5K in March and I set my goal back when I started to run the Disney princess half marathon! I am training for that right now and will complete this goal in March 2011.

10.Finally, the most important goal of all....to take care of myself and put myself as a priority. I know this may sound conceded but you have to do this for yourself. When I was 250+ pounds I didn't care what I looked like, what my health was, how my mental state was. I always put everyone in front of me. Now, I know I have to take care of myself so that I can take care of others. Thats to Kristin Steede and Bob Harper, I have learned that I'm Worth It! I am worth taking care of myself. I am worth kicking heart disease when I am older. I am worth seeing my nieces and nephews grow up. I am worth being a great friend for extra years! I am worth being there for my husband for many years to come.

So as I walked and thought of how I have overcome almost every single goal I set for myself it really hit me....I am doing this. I have the determination, motivation and drive that I never thought I would have. I have committed myself to a healthy me! And learned that it feels great I feel great! I decided when I hit 180 pounds My last goal on my list...I get to make new goals! Ones that I am sure will take a year or so to complete..but I can and will do it! No matter what! Thank you everyone who has supported me in this journey! You have all been my rock's in one way or another! You are all amazing!

What a crazy life I live

So things have been going well the last few weeks. Kenny and I took a well needed break from life this past week. We went to the Chateau Avalon in Kansas City. I highly recommend it! We ate and were just in heaven. Then I came back and stepped on the scale...uhh no so happy after that. In 2 days I gained 5 pounds! SERIOUSLY 5 pounds. We took the days on Monday and Tuesday. So I will have almost a week to try and get back to the weight I was before my cheeseburger in paradise. But, it seriously is WAY harder getting it back off as it was putting it on. I never realized how hard it would be to lose weight once I got into the 100's. I have been working twice as hard and it seems like I am not getting the results I want/need. I am hoping that the weather gets better again so I can start running. It is so hard with my work schedule and them taking our days off to get to the gym. So thats a bust. Working 7 to 8 days straight is not fun.

With only 1 to 2 days off in between. I seriously cant catch up on anything. But it is almost over. Only 2 more work cycles and then I am done. And craziness ensues, we will finally be getting out of Missouri. But all the work that we have to get done before then seems overwhelming. And with them taking our days of break it is hard to get anything done when everything on base closes at 4PM and the kids are not picked up until then. But we think the movers and packers should be here April 16, 19 and leave the 20th. That will give us 2 days to clean and we are hoping to get our final walk through on April 23rd. Then it is off to on an 8 hour drive to Becca's in murfreesboro from April 23rd to April 30th. Then after that a 10 hour drive to my dad's in astabula ohio for 3 days and then 4 hour drive to my mom's in fayette city, pa. We will be there from May 3rd to May 16th. We leave there the with for our LONG drive to Florida. We are planning on stopping in Chattanooga TN for a night. That's 10 hours from my mom's house. Then on the 17th a 8 hour drive to hurlburt field afb, Florida. In about 2 ½ weeks we will be driving 2500 miles and car time of 38 hours. But it will all be worth it in the end. We get to see our families, which we have not spent time with in almost 2 years.

So that's my rambling. Thanks for reading and have a great day!

One year ago today...

March 11 2009, that was the day I decided to change my life. Today marks my 1 year anniversary of my weight loss journey. And if you would have told me I would have had the determination and motivation to keep it going for a year I would have thought you were crazy. But I did and am still going. 59 pounds in 1 year. I am 11 pounds until I hit my goal I set at 250 + thats 180. I set a new goal when I hit 199 pounds that I wanted to be 150 as my ideal goal. I have 41 more pounds to go! If it takes me another year so be it! I have the determination and motivation to keep going. The drive to get healthy and to teach others that they can do it too. I was there and will NEVER be there again.

What an emotional, wonderful, frustrating, happy and crazy journey this has been. I have met so many wonderful people along this journey. I have received so much support for family, friends and people who I don't even know. I am beyond grateful to everyone that has been there for me along the way! I could not have done this without my support! You all are just as detrimental to me as food and exercise.

Speaking of food and exercise, I went from eating a whole pizza, 3 hamburger and a large fries and all junk to chicken, turkey burgers and steamed veggies! I have learned that moderation is key. You cant deprive yourself of some of the things you used to like. Also portion control! What an amazing thing that is. Weighing my food, counting my calories. WOW! Never in the world would I thought I would be doing that.

As for exercise, when I started this crazy ride, I could not make it through the warm up of a dvd, and I could only walk 10 minutes and I was done. Now I am doing about 2 hours of exercise a day. I am RUNNING (which I thought I would NEVER do), I am doing P90X, kick boxing, and my Richard Simmons and Biggest Loser DVD's all the way through. It's AMAZING to me.

Not only have I transformed on the outside, but on the inside too. I am learning that I have to put myself first. I have to take care of myself so I can take care of others. I have learned that it is ok to do that. Some think it is selfish, but if you don't then you will not thrive and be where I was.

So here is a hooray to this year and many healthy and happy years to go!

Thanks everyone!

A Well Needed Rest..

So this past week I took a well needed break from my exercise regime. I took Feb 25th to the 28th off. Even though I felt like a lazy bum, I knew deep inside I needed it. My head thought otherwise. I Kept thinking I HAVE to workout. I HAVE to keep going. I will admit. I did over indulge on a few things. But, I guess I needed that too. My hubby kept me in check and kept telling me...Anna just RELAX! HA HA HA! So as I say and tried to relax, I thought what are you doing to your body...go go go go go. You just CANT do that! So I sat and wrote down a weekly regime for the next few weeks. This week I am focusing on running/walking really fast to prepare for my 5K this weekend. Next week I get back to P90X.

I also got a special tattoo on Feb. 26th. I got a tattoo on my left ankle that says I'm Worth It. For some strange reason I always put my left running shoe on first, so everyday I put my shoes on I see that wonderful reminder of what I truly am! Once I hit my 100 pounds down I plan on MAYBE getting stars on the other side on my ankle for every 20 pounds I have lost.



So this morning, Tuesday March 2nd was my weigh in and I in all honestly expected a gain, why shouldn't I since I ate. I was just praying that I maintained. Well I stepped on the scale and to my surprise...I lost 2 pounds! WHAT! Are you SERIOUS! I had to step on it 3 times to make sure! I was floored

So all in all, I learned my lesson. I need to quit beating myself up. And take care of myself before I burn myself completely out.