Vlog #2 Check it out!

Im serious, hit me up with what you guys eat Pre and Post workout or running! I want some ideas. Tweet me, Facebook me, Email me, Leave a comment or do all of them.

Vegas Recap

I got back from Las Vegas early after noon on saturday. It felt good to be finally back into my comfort zone. I'm not saying that I wasn't comfortable in Vegas but they didn't have the best food choices to choose from. Also, I thought I was going to be able to work out every morning like in Orlando last year but it cost $25 PER DAY to use the gym them had. No thanks. We did a lot of sight seeing again in Las Vegas and what's good about Vegas is that you have to walk. A lot. Which I didn't mind because I knew I was still moving instead of sitting.

We went to the World Famous Gold and Silver Pawn Shop which is famous because it is known as Pawn Stars on TV. One of my favorite shows. Here are some pics!

My purchase from the Pawn Shop

We walked around the NSCA convention and picked up a lot of new products to sample. One of the products I am excited to try is by Muscle Milk. Its oatmeal that has Muscle Milk whey powder in it. In one serving there is 30 grams of protein! I hope it tastes good.

The rest of our vacation consisted of shopping, walking, swimming/ tanning and eating fancy foods and drinking expensive wine. I did not have a problem with that. Here are some more pics to show.

My sister is about to shank me.

VIP treatment, taking a limo to the hotel.

Walking around The Strip the first day.

*Side note: I was wearing a t-shirt that said "I'm not fat, I'm fluffy" and I kid you not I got complimented and even asked to take a picture by people because they thought it was the best thing.

My sis and I.

Being Silly.

Last night in Las Vegas and headed to the NSCA Banquet.

 

My sis, Mattan and I. His dad is the President of the NSCA.

 

 

 

 

 

My dad and I. <3

 

I think by taking a lot of pictures this time around, I really am seeing what my hard work is doing. I think I look good and I feel even better. I realize I still have work to do in order to lose about 20 more pounds but I am really pleased with myself this far. I know I say this all the time, but when you are losing weight- take pictures! It will show how much your body has changed and how much you progress.

Going back to Las Vegas weighing less!

This year we are going back to Las Vegas for a vacation. I have been there 2 times before. Both of those time I was pushing at being my heaviest weight. Here are some pics to show you.

I believe those are a size 18 shorts

I think I weighed about 225 here. Not flattering at all.

First year we went. I believe I was in the 220's. 

T shirt was a men's large. Shorts were a size 18.

Now here are some pics of last years vacation in Orlando, FL. This is after I lost weight.

Getting my black on B)

Lil bro, Sis and I going to din.

Me at my lowest weight. 196.

 

Take pictures when you lose weight. You may not see a difference in the mirror but when you have pictures you can look back and see how far you've come.

I'll be in Las Vegas from July 5-9. I get to gamble for the first time! Woohooo! I'm going to come back a winner and not a loser.

First Vlog, oh snap!

Enjoy this because it took longer to do then I thought!
Here is the link to it on Youtube

I see changes.

Brother's wedding Sept of 2010

Brother's wedding June 4, 2011

 

I see changes in myself even though the scale does not show them. I just got to keep doing what I'm doing and hopefully more changes will come. Never give up.

New focus and a big thank you.

For the past 6 to 8 months I have been maintaining my weight. I have been comfortable being 198 Lbs for some time but I really want to start focusing on losing weight again. I mean, I am very happy that I have maintained for this long without going back to gaining a lot of weight. I really want to get out of the 190's. My goal weight is about 175 pounds. The reason for that is because then I will be considered "normal" in the eyes of the BMI chart. I don't want to see overweight or obese anymore. I know some of you may think that just because the BMI chart says that you shouldn't believe it. Well, I'm sick of seeing those words. I have seen them my whole life. I want to be done with that and never consider myself either obese or overweight again.

In a month my second oldest brother is getting married. Obviously, I'm a bridesmaid and I want to lose about 5-8 pounds before his wedding on June 4th. Then in October, my cousin is getting married out in Colorado and I asked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding as well. I want to be in the 180's by then. I know it is possible. I have been trying to focus on working out, getting my HR up and eating better while watching portions. I think portion control is my weak spot when it comes to weight loss. It's a struggle but I just need to keep working at it.

Overall, I am very happy with what I have accomplished in over a year since starting my life changing journey. I have inspired people to start running, lose weight, eat better and just take better care of themselves. It's an honor to be apart of others LCJ and I want to continue to thank all the blogger's out there that have came into my life and inspired me to keep going. I also want to thank my many friends and family members who've encouraged me to never give up and always believe in myself. You know who you are and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Recap of my first 10k run

On saturday afternoon my mom and I set out to La Crosse, WI to run my first 10k. The 10k I was running was a relay marathon. That means that a team of 4 people run about 6.2 miles each to complete a full 26.2 marathon. I did the relay with my sister, cousin and one of my sister's friends from school. When we got up to La Crosse, we drove the course so we would know our hand off stations for the chip and where we needed to be and run to. As we drove through my section of the course I was getting excited but then I would get nervous. I had never ran more than four miles. I started to second guess myself, thinking what the hell was I doing. Then I found out that my part of the course wasn't 6.2 it was 6.8 miles long. Almost 7 miles! Damn. My cousin's leg of the race was also over 6.2 miles, she ran about 6.95 miles. That is nothing to her because she has ran much longer distances before.

I didn't get much sleep the night before because I was very anxious to just get running. I got up at around 7:30 in the morning and just made sure I had everything ready. I got my breakfast and drank my coffee to wake me up for my run. My sister started the relay at 7am. She got done running a little before 8am and she passed the chip on to my cousin. When my sister got done, my mom and her came to get me at the hotel. She was encouraging me when they got to the hotel because this was also her first 10k.

We went to meet cheer my cousin on as she was finishing her leg of the course. We met up with Amy, the other girl who was running as well because my cousin was passing the chip off to her. We were waiting outside and it was a tad bit chilly. It was cloudy, windy and about 38 degrees.

Myself, My sister Megan and Amy

 

I had about 3 layers of clothes on because it was cold just waiting outside. My eyes were watering from the chilly wind that was blowing and my nose was running. Good thing I brought a ton of kleenex and put it in my pocket.

Freezing my butt off!

We finally spotted my cousin and we went to where the next passing of the chip would be. My cousin, Addy ran 6.95 miles in under an hour. That's freaking awesome! Amy was the next runner and she was off. We hopped back in the car and went to my drop off area so I could start mentally preparing myself for the run.

Family pic. My sis, cousin and myself.

 

We got to my drop off area and we were waiting in the car, trying to keep warm. An hour pasted and we spotted Amy coming to the end of her leg. I was starting to get butterflies in my stomach. I was actually going to run 6.8 miles! I started jumping around like crazy and was getting my ipod set onto 10K mode. Amy got to me and I whipped off the anklet that the chip was on, strapped it on my leg and was off.

Here we go!

I starting running and for the first mile kept up with this lady. She was going at a pace that was a little faster for me but I kept up. I think my first mile was about 8 something and I just told myself to keep running no matter what. The first 3 miles wasn't too bad. They had water stations about every 2 miles and they offered water or gatorade. I was nervous to take the gatorade at first because I thought it would give me side cramps. I decided to try it and it really gave me a boost until the next water station.

At mile 4 I was feeling pretty good but all of a sudden my left quad started feeling tight. I thought to myself please don't cramp up quad. Just work with me. It would feel tight on and off but for the rest of the race I new I couldn't go to fast without doing something to it. I stayed at the pace I was at and it felt good. I started to get a runner's high, my feet just keep moving and my legs felt good.

Into mile 4

My sister, mom and cousin stopped at a corner to cheer me on and to take a pic. It was nice to get cheered on. That's one thing I noticed about this 10k. So many people cheer you on. Runner's passing you cheer you on, neighbors outside are clapping for you and telling you that you can do it. People at the water stations are wishing you good luck. It's a good feeling especially when you feel like you can go anymore, someone says to you to keep going and that pushes you onto the next mile.

The last 3 miles were around the neighborhood of the UW-La Crosse, WI campus. It was nice to look at the houses and scenery while jamming out to my awesome playlist I made. I hit the 6 mile marker and was so happy. My baby toe on my right foot was starting to hurt. I actually though it might be bleeding but I kept on running. As I got closure to the finish line, the rest of the team came out to meet me and run into the finish line together. I thought I didn't have anything left but I ended up sprinting through the finish.

Running through that finish line, I felt a sense of accomplishment. Just two years ago if you were to ask me if I would every run for fun or do a 5k or a 10k, I would have laughed in your face and said no. I am learning that it is ok to push yourself when you think your body can't do it. I am believing more and more in myself and my ability to run. Not only did I run 6.2 miles, I ran farther. My unofficial time was about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Our total team time was under 4 hours. That was great for our team.

My legs felt like jello and I ripped my shoe off to see if my baby toe was gone. Luckily for me it was still there with a major blister on it. I chugged a bottle of water and went to get some food. They had so much food their because it was donated by a local food store. Everything I ate tasted sooo good!

Team Body by Nitka... Notice I am holding a brat.

Overall, this race proved to me that I can run farther than 3.1 miles. I can run almost 7 miles and who knows how far I may go next... 13.1? I believe I am going to run another 10k in the summer at a little shindig called Summerfest in Milwaukee, WI. Google it and maybe I'll run it with you ;) It was great to run this race with friends and family also. You don't always have to run by yourself. Find someone to do a race with and have fun while doing it. If you don't think you can run, trust me you can. I hated running and now I'm running more in my life than I ever have.