I'm here.

You guys, I'm terrible at keeping this thing updated. I wish my first post back would be "I'm still doing awesome with my weight loss," but sadly that's not the case. Honestly, I'm really struggling with it. I mean REALLY struggling. Obviously you can see that because it's been basically a year since my last real update. I'm sorry about that.

I told you all from the beginning I would be very truthful & candid in my posts here. I said I would blog through the good, the bad, & the ugly. Well, I'm here to blog about the ugly in hopes that this will jump start me back on the right path. Soooo, here we go.

I was flying high after the 5k I did last summer, and I wanted to keep up the momentum. I didn't... I started off with the best of intentions to keep up with my walking. As most of you know, I'm incredibly heavy so, right now, walking in the best exercise for me and it worked. Hell, I lost 80 lbs just from eating right and walking.

As summer faded and fall came, I started to slack more and more. I wasn't walking anymore, but for awhile I was doing a half-assed job with tracking my food intake and eating clean. Then Thanksgiving hit, then Christmas, then New Years.... You get the picture. Well, here I am, in a situation I am not happy with. It's now March 11th and I've gained quite a bit back of the weight I lost. It's been a few weeks since I weighed myself, but last weigh in my total loss was down to 50 lbs from 80. So basically between Thanksgiving and now I gained 30 lbs. I know how it happened. Boy do I know how it happened. I'm more upset with myself that I even let it happen.

I'm really trying not to be so hard on myself because that really gets me nowhere. I've been telling myself over the last two weeks that I would get back on track, but I haven't been able to find the drive or motivation. In all honesty, I've not been eating my meals like I'm supposed to. I've been going to work without my lunch, and then basically binge eating when I get home. Add in the fact that, since January I've had the most fast food I've eaten in over a year, and you can see my troubles. It's terrible and I feel terrible. My clothes are getting tighter, and I just feel like crap.

All I've really wanted to do lately is sleep. I know part of this is from how I've been eating. My body feels sluggish and I can feel the negative changes from my recent terrible food habits. I do have issues with depression, which I feel is just adding to the mess. There's a lot of changes happening in my life right now that are making me feel unbalanced. I don't do too well with change. But, life isn't always easy and I need to get back on track.

I think the hardest thing has been, not only letting myself down but, letting you guys down. I have received some of the most amazing messages from you guys. Some of you have even gone as far as to say I inspire you. You have no idea how much that means to me. So right now I am going to remember the lovely things you all have told me, along with the clothes that are getting tighter and tighter by the day, to get back on track. Thursday is payday and I'll be doing my food planning & grocery shopping. I also need to start walking again. I'll be excited once it gets warmer out so I can go back to Blackwell and do my walks there. But until then, I may need to suck it up and get a gym membership. I found one close to home that is $10 a month and it has all I need. I mean, I can't just walk anyway.. I do need access to some weights. So we will see. Either way, I need to get back to eating clean and walking.

So thank you to those who have stuck around with me while my fitness train went off course a bit. Hopefully I'll be having some good updates coming soon. Thank you all again and let's do this!

Hello Prairie Path!

Hey everyone! So 5K training has "officially" started for Michelle and I. Thanks to GeoDistance.com & Google Maps, I was able to find the mileage for the leg of the Illinois Prairie Path near my house. With that in hand, Michelle & I set out for a walk last night. This is the path we took:

EDIT: So I tried to embed the map here, but it didn't work out as planned. SO, here is the link to the route we take. :)

West Chicago Prairie Path! (Google Map)

The walk takes us from the start of the Prairie Path in Reed Keppler Park, and ends at Kress Road, which is a total of 1.7 miles. So to walk to Kress Road & back, the total mileage comes to 3.4 miles, which is a little over what we need for the actual 5K in July. 

Sadly, we didn't make it to the end last night. We were almost to Kress when we turned around and headed back. The only reason, the mosquitoes were INSANE. Honestly, it's a great path to walk. I had never walked out that far on the Prairie Path before, but it was a nice walk. Very peaceful. You do share the path with other walkers, joggers, & cyclists. And if you decide to walk the Prairie Path, I would suggest bringing some kind of mosquito/insect repellent. Poor Michelle was getting eaten alive and it seemed like clouds of mosquitoes were following her, haha. So bug spray is a MUST. 

So all in all, Michelle and I walked 2 miles last night. It was honestly probably a little over that. My feet were a little sore afterwards, but I felt good. Today it's raining, so the path is out of the question today. But I'm hoping we'll get another crack at it before the end of the week. I'll keep you all posted. :) 

Sunday check in!

Hey everyone! Hope this Sunday finds you all doing fantastic! I'm sorry I haven't been around much lately. Life has been interesting the last couple weeks, which has kept me busy. In short, CAR REPAIRS. This next week my car will be going in for some new tires after the lovely blowout I had last week.. so I'm hoping the car repair costs will stop for awhile.

Anyways! Last Sunday when I weighed in, I was up 3 lbs. I wasn't really all that surprised by the gain because I still have yet to get my monthly visitor. For awhile there I had it like clockwork, but I feel like with the increase in working out and my consistent weight loss, that my body is still trying to catch up. When I weighed in today, I was down 5.2 lbs. That brings my weight loss total to 62 lbs (36 lbs since 01/13/2013). Needless to say, I am happy with my results so far. 

On April 8, 2013 I took my measurements for the first time and decided that I would take my measurements once a month to see what kind of progress I was making. So when I took my measurements on May 5, 2013, I was a very happy person. In total, I had lost 8 inches. I lost 3 inches in my hips, 3 inches in my thighs, & 2 inches in my upper arms/bicep area. I had been able to tell that I was losing inches because of how my clothes were fitting. 

Which brings me to my next point, I'm getting smaller!!! A lot of people have pointed out to me that my face is not as round anymore. I can also tell a difference in my upper body. I'm having some slight issues because I have lost quite a bit up top, but my bottom half still needs to catch up. So, that makes for some interesting clothing purchases. I bought a couple of dresses recently in the size I would normally need, and they are way too big in the top now, but they fit my bottom okay. I also recently bought a dress a size smaller than I normally would at Target. It's really amazing the stuff I am starting to be able to fit into. With the loss of inches in my thighs, there are jeans I have that I have either never been able to wear, or haven't worn in quite some time that I can now wear! I also have some of my favorite dresses going in to be taken in so I can wear them over the summer. ALSO!! I bought a coat last year that was super cute. The issue was, I couldn't zip is closed. Well, I CAN ZIP IT CLOSED NOW!! As you can tell, I am SUPER stoked about that. Being a woman of my size, I've head to almost always wear open coats, even in blizzard conditions, because it was hard to find a coat that fit. Now I CAN!! It's rather exciting! 

My feet aren't hurting as bad anymore either. Being that I'm still quite heavy, I notice that after I've walked about an hour my feet are unhappy with me. I thought it might be the shoes I was wearing, but I start to notice the time I'm walking more. Usually when I hit about 45 mins, my feet start to get sore. I mean, I DO need to go get fitted for proper shoes, but I think with my weight it's more the time I'm on my feet than the shoes at this point. So with my continued walking, I know this will start changing. 

Which brings me to my next thing.. COLOR ME RAD!! We are officially 61 days away from the 5k Michelle & I will be walking. I hope some of you will be joining us. Check my last blog post for more info on how you can sign up and join us :)   I made a nifty countdown for myself. I'm getting excited, but I know I still have some work to do before then. I'm hoping maybe this next week Michelle and I will be able to hit the prairie path and see how far we can go. I really want to be able to time how long it takes for us to do 3 miles. I really need to get a pedometer. 

Other than that, not too much is up. I've been eating out more recently, which I've been making good decisions with, but I really need to get back in the habit of cooking. I have more control there, and it's cheaper for me anyway. :)  So that is my plan this next week. Get back into the swing of things with cooking & prepping. I'm VERY successful when I go that route. 

So how have you guys been? What were your successes this last week? What will you do to be successful this week? Share your thoughts! :) Thanks for reading! 

Color Me Rad 5K Chicago

I know I've posted about this before, but I feel it is worth posting and talking about again. How many of you Chicago area lovelies will be joining Michelle (https://www.facebook.com/MichelleResi82) & I for the Color Me Rad 5K on July 20, 2013??

For you larger lovelies concerned about having to run the 5K, rest assured that you can walk it too. Michelle and I will be doing just that. While we would like to be able to jog a portion of it, we know that running/jogging is a lot of impact and pressure on our knees in our current state, so we'll be walking a good portion of the race. So if you would like to join us, it's not too late!! Here is the link to join in on the fun. 

http://www.colormerad.com/race.i?raceid=125&t=Chicago

Michelle and I will be doing the 10:00am wave, and if you would like to join the "team" I've set up, click "join an existing team." It will ask you for my team name, which is Beyond The Fat, and my last name (Kelly). To get 10% off of your registration fee, you can enter promo code “WORLDSPORT." The use of the promo code also gives World Sport Chicago 15% of your race entry fee.

If you're not already familiar with World Sport Chicago, they're a pretty awesome organization. World Sport Chicago is an independent, non-profit organization that teaches positive values and leadership through sport. The organization acts on the belief that sport has the power to strengthen individuals, and in turn, Chicago’s communities. World Sport Chicago promotes programs and events and collaborates with several community partners, public agencies and Chicago’s professional sports teams to deliver impact and change.

World Sport Chicago has a unique history as the living legacy of Chicago’s bid for the  2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The organization has evolved substantially since the bid. However, the collaborative spirit that drove those efforts remains central to the work of World Sport Chicago.

The mission of World Sport Chicago is to promote the development of sustainable sports programming that improves the quality of life for under-served youth in Chicago and at-risk communities. World Sport Chicago does this by:

-- Teaching life-enhancing values and character development through sport

-- Leveraging on-going sport programs and events to engage families and strengthen communities

-- Directing resources and technical expertise to communities of need for high-quality and sustainable programming

-- Sharing practices and innovations to develop thought leadership on the positive impact of sport

-- Advocating sport-for-all, regardless of physical and visual abilities.

So pretty please, use that promo code when your checking out so that World Sport Chicago can get 15% of your race entry fee. They are a great organization and, if you would like to learn more about them, you can visit their website at the link below! 

http://www.worldsportchicago.org/

I would LOVE to see a lot of you there. This 5K is not about how fast you walk/run, but it is to do it for a great cause like World Sport Chicago. It is also to show that, no matter your size, you CAN get moving. Speaking from my own experience, you would be amazed at how much walking can do for you. So please, if you've been thinking about signing up for the Color Me Rad 5K, do it! Come join in on the fun with Michelle and I. And if you are going, please let me know so we can look for you! I'll be bringing a camera along, so expect LOTS and lots of photos. Let's DO IT!!! 

Checking in!

Hey everyone! Happy Sunday! It's a beautiful day here in Chicago, but I'm working so I can't enjoy it, haha. Hopefully you all are having a wonderful day.

Today was weigh in day for me. Last week I didn't blog my results, so I figured I'd cover that now. Usually the week right before my period I have a big loss. So when I weighed in on April 21st, I was down 5.8 lbs. That was to be expected since I was supposed to be getting my monthly visitor the following week. So that following Sunday I weighed in and I had gained 3 lbs. Again, that was not all that unexpected as I usually fluctuate a lot around my period. So again, I was not surprised. Well, it's Sunday again, so it's weigh in day. Also, I still have yet to get my period. It's 7 days late. Don't worry, I'm not pregnant.. haha. That would actually mean something would have had to happen, which I can say DID not.. haha. So unless it's an immaculate conception.. I'm golden. LOL.

So anyways, last week I walked Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I didn't walk as much as I would have liked, but I did at least get some walking in. I plan to change that this week. So when I got to work I weighed in and found myself down 7 lbs. Needless to say I was shocked with this weigh in. I didn't expect it, especially since I am a week late on my period. But, a loss is a loss and I'll take it! So that brings my weight loss total to 60.8 lbs (33.8 of it since 01/13/2013).

I would be telling a lie if I said I couldn't feel the difference in my body. I tried on some of my dresses that I wore last summer. I've always been really self conscious about my thighs, so I always wore leggings or shorts under my dresses just in case they rode up a little bit. Well, I am happy to say that this summer I will NOT be wearing shorts or leggings under my dresses. I tried some of the dressed on this week and there really is no need to break out the leggings and shorts anymore. :)  So that will be a whole new ballgame for me this summer. I'm super excited to break out some of the sundresses I have and really wear them for the first time. I also tried on a pair of black jeggings that I had. The last time I wore them was last spring and they were tight and uncomfortable. I was able to get them on last spring (I couldn't even get them on before that), but my thighs were too fat and they were tight in the waist which made things SUPER uncomfortable for me. Well, I tried them on yesterday and they FIT. They actually FIT me. My thighs have shrunk with all the walking I've been doing, and I actually sit down in them without cutting off circulation.. haha. Needless to say, I am super stoked to see what the summer holds for me. I can't wait!

So how have you all been doing? Any successes you would like to share? What are your plans for this new week to be successful? Let's kick this weeks butt!

Also, Michelle and I have been thinking about getting a group together on the weekends (Saturdays) to walk with us at Blackwell. Would any of you in the area be interested in doing that with us?

Happy Tuesday!

Howdy everyone. I hope your Tuesday is off to a good start. It's a rainy day here in Chicagoland, which made it difficult to get out of bed this morning. Sorry I haven't been updating like I should, I'm working on fixing that.

So Sunday was my weigh in day and I found myself down 5.8 lbs. The Sunday before I hit the 50 pounds loss mark! So that's two Sundays in a row of great news! But this Sunday I was shocked at the loss, but remembered that (this next part may be too much info for you guys out there) next week I get my monthly visitor. For whatever reason, I always have a big loss the week right before my period. So being that I'm supposed to get it in less than a week now, it all makes sense. But a loss is a loss, and I'll take it. So being down that 5.8 lbs brings my total weight loss thus far to 56 lbs, 29.8 lbs of it lost since 01/13/2013. Needless to say, I am thrilled with my progress.

So last week I didn't work out at all. I had been having some knee issues, so I gave my knees a rest. I probably could have done some arm workouts, but I didn't. So this week I had to get back into the swing of things. I realized last week that I am still too heavy to be jogging. While I LOVE it, it's too much impact on my knees at the moment. But anyways, my best friend is in Morocco until the 30th of April, so I went to Blackwell by myself to get in a good work out. It was such a beautiful day and I was feeling good.

When I got there, I expected to walk Mt. Hoy, walk the trails, get in some pushups, and then do some free weights. Yesterday it took me only 10 mins to go up Mt. Hoy, and down the trail. I only made two stops on the way up (usually I take 3 or 4), which is an accomplishment for me. For some of you, it might not be work, but when you're carrying around the weight I am, it is definitely a struggle. So, once I got to the end of the trail, I stopped and did 30 pushups (3 sets of 10) on the bike racks, then started heading back to my car. Once I got there, I found myself looking at Mt. Hoy again and the voice in my head told me "give it a shot, I bet you can do it again." At that point, I found my feet taking me back to the hill. I made my way up Mt. Hoy (making 3 stops on the way up), and I was shocked. If you would have told me two weeks ago that I would have been able to walk Mt. Hoy twice in one day, I would have laughed at you. But I did it, and I felt amazing afterwards. So, I walked down the trail, around the parking lot again, bringing my walking to 50 mins. Once I reached my car I did some free weights, and then headed home. All in all, I got in a great 60 minute workout and I felt great, though I am sore today. And, I did it all by myself. Usually I hit Mt. Hoy with my best friend, but I am glad I made myself go. Plus, it was nice to get out in the beautiful weather... though I wish it would have carried over into today.

With the rain today, and the dropping temperature for later, it's looking like Mt. Hoy won't be happening today. BUT, the rest of the week looks okay, so I think I'll head back out there hopefully tomorrow, Thursday, and Friday. Looks like some rain is possible, and it will be cooler so I'll just have to bundle up and be prepared. I may go walk the mall tonight after work, so we'll see. Either way, I'm happy with what I've been accomplishing. I have the Color Me Rad 5k on July 20th, so I'm hoping to get my walking up to speed. And maybe by then I'll be able to do some jogging.

Other than that, I've just been taking things once day at a time. I'm still tracking my calories (I'm KittyCat613 on MyFitnessPal if any of you are on there), and eating right. Though the M&M's I had the other day beg to differ. BUT, I don't regret them one bit. They were within my calories, and made a nice little treat. :) So here's to be successful the rest of the week!

Happy Monday!

Hey everyone! Okay, so I have just a few things I wanted to update here. Sorry I haven't been around much, but rest assured I've been eating healthy and working out!

So last Saturday my best friend Michelle and I started working out at Blackwell Forest Preserve in Warrenville, IL. As I posted before, we did some jogging, climbed Mount Hoy, and did some trail walking. We had such a great workout in the great outdoors that we decided to hit Blackwell as many times as we could the following week.

Sooooo, this last week Michelle and I worked out and Blackwell on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, & Saturday! Each workout we managed to throw in some new stuff. On Friday our friend Kristin came along with us, and helped us utilize some other places in the park for some workouts. When I tell you we utilized a good portion of the park, I mean it! Honestly, I think Michelle and I will make a video on how to make a park your own personal gym. :) But that day we did more jogging, climbed Mount Hoy, did some kickboxing moves at the top, walked the trails, did some push-ups & squats at the bikeracks, did some free weights, and then finished off with another round of jogging. It was a fantastic work out!

Honestly, it is amazing what you can do in the great outdoors. Since the weather is getting nicer, I want to be able to work out as much as I can outdoors. There is nothing better than getting in a great workout in the fresh air! So that really is my plan. To hit the park as many times as I can in a week and get my workout on!

As you all know, Sundays are my weigh in day. I weighed in and was down 1.2 lbs from last week, which brings my total to 49 lbs lost (22.7 lost since January 13, 2013). So this week I should be breaking the 50 lbs lost mark! I was expecting to lose a little more this week, but I know I have definitely lost some inches because my clothes are fitting better. Last week I wore a pair of jeans I've never been able to wear, and some underwear I haven't been able to wear in years. Haha! So I know I'm making progress, I just have to be patient. I also took my measurements today. It's something I wish I would have done at the beginning of the year, but at least I have them now as reference and plan to take my measurements once a month.

Another thing I have realized is that I miss working out on my "rest" days. My rest days right now are Sunday & Monday due to my work schedule on those days. Yesterday and today I have been chomping at the bit. I'm ready to get back out there tomorrow and workout. I have also come to the realization that I enjoy jogging. I know I have a long way to go before I'll be able to run, let alone run any great distance, but the time that I spend jogging I enjoy. Which brings me to my next topic...

Since I like jogging so much, and I have my very first 5k coming up in July (July 20th), I've been reading up on the Couch to 5k info and I'm seriously considering doing it. It's a 9 week program that prepares you to be able to run a 5k. I know it will take me longer than 9 weeks to be able to do that, and I know I may have to repeat some weeks a couple of times, but I feel like the structure of the program will help me a lot. And it will help me lose some more weight. So I think I may start giving that a try sometime this next week, we'll see. Either way, jogging will help me get back into shape so when I play basketball again, I'm not killing myself on the court. But, I did come across this article that I like, and I wanted to share it with all of you.

http://www.dailyspark.com/blog.asp?post=running_while_chunky_a_guide

Other than that, not too much is up in my world. It's supposed to rain a lot this week, but I'm hoping some of it will hold off enough to be able to get my workouts in at Blackwell. Otherwise, it'll be plan B. :) Hope you all have a wonderful week, and I will check in again with you all soon!