Tag Archives: 100 pound countdown

Today Is The Day

Posted on April 24, 2012 | 20 comments

…and what a day it is, folks!  I hit that 100-pound mark this morning…actually just a touch beyond!

214.8

That puts me at a total of 100.2 pounds lost in *exactly* nine and a half months…to the day.  Absolutely INSANE in every way.  I would never have imagined coming this far so quickly!

I, of course, have worked *very* hard to get here…I have overhauled my relationship with food (big game changer).  I have reorganized my life to include activity every single day.  I have surrounded myself with people who are a positive influence and who push/inspire me to be better.  I have owned things that I never would have before (such as being addicted to food, being an emotional eater, etc.).  I have remained honest (not only with all of you, but with myself).  I have consistently worked on (and continue to do so) my mental status and have strived to put the kibosh on self sabotage/harrassment.

As much determination as I brought to the table from the very beginning, I do have to give credit to those who have been instrumental to my journey.  Denise, of course, being number one.  Without her I know I would have become frustrated (especially with all the injuries and such) and quit months ago.  I would not have been able to dig deep enough within myself to find passion for fitness and even a little self love.  She is an absolutely amazing woman (both as a trainer and just as herself) and I am truly thankful to have her in my life.

Other people who have encouraged and assisted me include Dorsey, Aaron, Ketrell, Chris, my daughters, Branden, Bill, friends, family, other members at Fitworks, all of you who read and comment with kind words, and even random people who just said the right thing at the right time.  Collectively you all have made this journey much more interesting, exciting, and achievable.

This is certainly not the end, though.  I still have 29.8 more pounds to lose (at least).  So, my next incremental goal is to make it under 200 pounds…that, my friends, is going to be one seriously exciting day!!!  I have not seen anything on the scale beginning with a one in a minimum of 13 years!!!  That will be an incredible milestone…and certainly cause for celebration!

GOAL TRACKER:
5 weeks; 3 days
15 pounds

-Erica

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Weigh Day (week forty-one)

Posted on April 22, 2012 | 7 comments

Things are down to the wire, ladies and gentlemen.  Seriously…to the wire.  I am getting so anxious I can barely stand it…and I know Denise is feeling the same anticipation I am.  How wonderful that she is so invested in my success, right?  She is not just excited for me when I am with her…she and I communicate nearly every day via text.  She is 110% invested in me, and that is an amazing feeling.  Truly something I would not have expected.

I could go on and on about Denise and all her exceptional qualities as both a trainer and just a person.  However, I should probably move on to tell you about my week:

Sunday – 3-mile loop at Sharon Woods with Denise and Branden (Denise’s trainer, folks) (17,752)

Monday – physical therapy; 35 mins with Denise; stairs with Chris; 30 mins shoulders & back with Cathie (10,072)

Tuesday – day off (somehow missed my step count, too?)

Wednesday – full fit score with Denise (CRAZINESS, folks – seriously)! (missed my step count again?)

Thursday – 15 mins of spinning; 30 mins with Neil and Chris (18,407)

Friday – physical therapy (2 hours); manual resistance training with Aaron (arms and back) (9,564)

Saturday – 1.5 hours of bootcamp with Denise (11,845)

Apparently somewhere in the middle of the week my step counts did not make it to my journal.  Not sure what happened there.  Friday was obviously a slow day for me, step-counting-wise, which is the first day in a *very* long time I did not break 10,000 steps.  I did work *extremely* hard that day, though, so I am not too terribly torn up about it.

I have to share the fit score thing with you all.  It was MADNESS at its finest.  Seriously.  The fit score test was created by Branden (Denise’s trainer) as a way to really measure both strength and endurance in such a way that is comparable to future testing.  I cannot tell you specifically how it is done (because as I said, it does belong to Branden), but I will tell you this much…  It includes EIGHT sets of pushups, squats, upright rows, burpees, and situps.  You have to complete all eight sets of all five exercises with *very little* rest between each set.  They then add up what you were able to complete and that makes up your score.  I scored 604, which they say was pretty good.  They also told me I beat an NFL player’s score.  Go figure that one!

On to this week’s weigh in (since I know you are all anxious to know, right?):

215.8

That is 2.2 pounds down from last week.  That also puts me ONLY 0.8 away from my 100-pound mark!!!  I think it is safe to assume I should be hitting that milestone at some point this week!  How very exciting!

As for today…I am getting ready to head out to Sharon Woods with my chicklets for the 3-mile nature trail.  They are excited to see what is going to be out and about today (critter-wise).

I will keep you all posted throughout the week!

GOAL TRACKER:
5 weeks; 5 days
16 pounds

-Erica

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Countdown to Century: 1.6

Posted on April 20, 2012 | 12 comments

The anticipation is just about killing me…I have to be honest.  It seems like it will take *forever* to get to the 100-pound mark.  That saying keeps popping into my mind, though, and it is pretty relevant:

“Slow and steady wins the race.”

I know it will happen for me…eventually.  The struggle that I have had with the last few pounds I have lost (really about the last 10) are preparing me for just how hard it is going to get after I pass that 100-pound mark.  The weight is not going to continue to just melt off of me.  I am going to have to crank it up to HIGH all the time to keep things moving.  I am going to have to switch things up every few days to keep this body guessing.

I also wanted to share this with you:

The last picture was taken when my chicklets and I went walking at Sharon Woods. We walked the 3-mile loop they have…and the trail is beautiful! My chicklets loved it and had a great time searching for wildlife along the way. We ended up spotting a frog, fish, ducks, 2 turtles, an inchworm, a spider, lots of squirrels, and a chipmunk. That, of course, does not include the dozens of doggies we saw trotting along with their owners.

How is your week going?  What is the goal you currently are working toward?  How close are you to obtaining that goal?

-Erica

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Weigh Day (week forty)

Posted on April 15, 2012 | 7 comments

I do not know that I will ever get used to just how fast time goes.  This week has been exciting and frustrating all rolled into one.  Probably more frustrating than anything, though, if I am being totally honest.

As you all know, my doc did not have great news regarding my left knee.  However, the news got worse as I went to see the sports med docs Friday.  They gave me a cortisone shot (OUCH!!!) and want me back in therapy for the knee…and in therapy for my right hip, too!  The deal with the hip is strange.  When I started therapy for my left knee weeks ago they were showing me stretches and told me it would be wise to do them on both legs (because it is likely both are equally tight).  So, I did.  The problem?  Somehow I strained my adductor and impinged a (something) in my capsule.  This equals discomfort and pain when doing certain exercises (like squats and lunges, to name a couple).

He also gave me a brace for my knee and followed that up with: “There is not a lot of documentation that this kind of brace is really going to mean improvement for your condition.  However, try wearing it and see if it makes a difference for you.  If it does, wear it.  If it doesn’t, don’t.”  Fun, right?  So, here is an extremely uncomfortable neoprene brace that you practically have to lube up and shove your leg into…but it probably will not help.  Perfect.  I wore the stupid thing to bootcamp yesterday morning and will not be wearing it today.  I will wear it again tomorrow, and not the next.  Hopefully I will learn quickly if I feel any relief from it…and then decide if it is worth *all* the trouble to get it on and off.  Sigh.

So, aside from all that nonsense…here is what my week looked like:

Sunday – lazy day (didn’t write my steps down – shame on me!)

Monday – physical therapy (10,068)

Tuesday – back, shoulders, abs; 5 mins on the stairs with Chris; 22:30 mins on Neil with Chris (23,622)

Wednesday – 10 mins on the stairs with Chris; 35 mins with Denise (13,388)

Thursday – light legs and abs with Denise (17,349)

Friday – lights arms and back (11,090)

Saturday – 1.5 hours of bootcamp with Denise (10,052)

One truly exciting part of the week is that I have officially starting studying for my personal training certification exam.  I must admit I am really stoked about doing this…and a whole ton of nerves over the whole thing, too.  I suppose that is to be expected, though, right?

So, as for weigh in…

218.0

Ever so slowly creeping toward the 100-pound mark…and getting *so* very close!!!  That leaves me exactly THREE pounds away…and only 18.2 away from ONEderland!!!!  Words cannot describe how *that* day is going to feel – really!  I cannot remember the last time I saw *ANYTHING* on the scale that started with a ONE (I do know it was *never* as an adult, though…ever)!

GOAL TRACKER:
6 weeks; 5 days
18.2 pounds

-Erica

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Weigh Day (week thirty-nine)

Posted on April 8, 2012 | 2 comments

Happy Easter (to those of you who celebrate)!!!

Time is seriously getting away from me.  Week 39, really?  Already?

This week has been good.  Great, really.  Physical therapy kicked it up a notch, so now I am jumping as part of my rehab.  I hate to admit it, but I am pretty stoked about that.  I cannot wait to have zero limitations set on me so that I can attack new workouts with Denise.  I know she is dying to do the same with me.

Here is what the schedule looked like for the week:

Sunday – 1 hour (or maybe a touch more) with Denise, Aaron, Ketrell, and Sarah at Sharon Woods (13,517)

Monday – physical therapy; fit score session with Denise (19,704)

Tuesday – 3+ miles of walking at Sharon Woods with my chicklets (17,536)

Wednesday – legs & abs (13,144)

Thursday – whole body with Chris (on the stairs) & Denise (14,379)

Friday – physical therapy; back & chest with Denise (13,138)

Saturday – 4 hours at the zoo with my chicklets (14,741)

I continue to make my way toward 100 pounds lost.  Honestly just typing it looks strange to me.  How unbelievable, right?  I admit that if you had asked me 39 weeks ago I would *not* have thought I would be here right now.  I would have probably told you that this journey (like all others before it) would have stalled out at some point.  Maybe I would have thought 50 pounds lost by now…maybe.

If I had to go this journey alone there would not have been enough faith – enough drive – enough belief in myself.  It is the people I have surrounded myself with that have made my journey this successful.  The fact that I have an entire network of people (including all of you reading right now) rooting for me, standing behind me, believing in me is what has pushed me this far.  I thank each and every one of you for the kind words and encouragement.

So, as for my weigh in this week:

219.4

That is 2.8 pounds down from last week.  What excellent progress!  That means I am 4.4 pounds away from 100 lost – insane!  This also means I am only 34.4 pounds away from my initial goal of 185 – unbelievable!

Denise seems to think I will hit the 100-pound mark by next weekend’s weigh in.  I am not so sure about that, but we will see.  Her serious belief makes me wonder what kind of workouts she has planned for the week though.  Maybe I should be afraid.  Although it could not *possibly* be worse than the fit score test we did on Monday.  That. Was. Brutal. Seriously.  I cannot remember the last time my arms felt so weak.  I cannot remember the last time my whole body ached in the morning.  I cannot remember the last time I worked so hard I had *no* words to say when I was working out.  Seriously, all I had were grunts and sighs.  It was fabulous!

GOAL TRACKER:
7 weeks; 5 days
19.6 pounds

How was your week?  Did you try anything new with your workouts?

-Erica

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