I'm so happy!

I just had to post this first thing this morning!

I have to admit I was very nervous to step on the scale this morning. It's been a week since weighing and I was scared that it would have gone up. Well, it didn't and I'm down 3 pounds. It looks like the plateau is broken! I'm so glad. I've been a little looser with my eating, letting myself get in a few more calories than I was a little while back. So I think a combination of upping my calories and my exercise finally kicking in has been the key. I'm just so happy. :)

Surreal

So I was cleaning out my closet this afternoon and started going through a box I've had for years, marked, "Melissa's Hopefuls "which contained some of my more favorite "skinny" clothes. They were from my single years, and early marriage years. Guess what? Every single one of them fit. Some were a little snug, but everything in there I could wear. I was really surprised. I've heard people say this before, but it really is puzzling when it's me experiencing it: I weighed about 30 pounds less than I do now when I was wearing these things. Maybe I'm more dense with muscle or something, but anyway, I no longer have clothes that I used to wear that I'm too big for. It floors me. I still have clothes that my friend has given me to shrink into, but not my old clothes anymore.

Weekend is here

I'm glad today is Saturday. It's a much-needed break from the everyday.

Yesterday it was raining. I still did my inside workout, but didn't go walking. Today I did both and the walk felt so good. I stepped it up and walked the fastest part of my walk to A Little of Your Time by Maroon 5. Holy moly! I didn't know I could walk that fast. It makes all my other music feel so slow in comparison. I usually use Blake Lewis' She's Making Me Lose It for my fastest song. I guess I'm increasing in intensity. I have to remember to start the Couch to 5K thing on Monday. That should be interesting.

We took my measurements yesterday. I've lost 1.5 inches off my hips in the last two weeks. My arms are smaller, my thighs, and my waistline. All in the last two weeks. So I was right about inch loss happening, even if the scale isn't moving. I haven't been on the scale since Tuesday. I'm anxious to see what it will show next Tuesday. I'm glad I don't even know where the scale is because I would certainly break down and use it.

Couch to 5k

I think next week I'm going to start implementing the Couch to 5K program. It eases you into running bit by bit. I'm fit enough that I think I can do it without too much trouble, although today my legs were really hurting me on my walk. It's not usually that way, so I'm not too worried.

The Couch to 5K program is supposed to be 3 days a week which works out well with my schedule, since three of my walks are intended to be longer, and more strenuous. I'm still going to walk on the off days, just not add the running, I suppose.

I'm feeling great and happy.

New features added

I just wanted to direct your attention to a few new features I added:

The coolest ones are the little slideshows on the right side. I added one of before shots. I hate looking at those pictures, but it really serves the purpose of showing just how far I've come, especially if someone doesn't know me in real life.

I also have progress picture slide shows from the front and from the side. I love how you can just watch them morph into the new me. I'll continue to add the newest shots to those.

I also added an option for you to subscribe to my blog. I'm not exactly sure how it works, but you can choose to either be notified of the new posts, or every single comment. I hope you find that helpful.

I also have started a list of favorite websites, but that's nothing new, most blogs have those.

Enjoy!

Guess why I'm smiling. . .

This is me wearing my husband's pants. The pair he wears all the time. They have a 36 inch waist. I was able to get them buttoned and zipped with no trouble at all. They're not as baggy on me as they are on him, but they weren't tight. I can hardly believe it! I've never been able to put a pair of my husband's pants on before! What a fun surprise.

Freedom

There was a measure of freedom today with not weighing.

I woke up and thought, What the heck, I'm going to weigh just to see. Well, Brad did his job and hid the scale, so I couldn't. Good man. It was nice not to have those numbers bugging me all day.

I just realized that tomorrow is Tuesday, so I will do my weekly weigh then, but then back away with the scale.

I'm still really enjoying the T-tapp and walking. I do feel muscles that I haven't in a while. My thighs (quads, I think) and my waist both have more muscles under the fat, but I can really feel them. I was really thinking today about muscle weighing more than fat and realizing that I believe that is happening to my body. I know that I'm developing more muscles and that they must weigh more. Now, I just want to see them turn into the promised fat-burning machine and get the rest of this excess weight off of me.

I set my monthly exercise goal high, 26 days. That's every day but Sundays. That's what I did in August, so why not?