Pump Up the Weight Loss

Here we are - halfway through another work week. And of course that makes me happy! And of course that makes today another Weigh In Wednesday post with Alex and Erin. So let's get straight to it!

Initial Starting Weight = 227

January Starting Weight = 217

Last Week, March 13 = 197.5

Today, March 20 = 194.5

So "technically" since last Wednesday, that's a loss of three pounds. However, last week was actually a gain of two pounds, because the week before I was at 195.5. So really, I'm gonna say I just lost one pound. But ONE POUND is still great! My motto for this journey is after all "One Pound at a Time." And so one pound at a time I'll reach my goals.

And let's jump right into my exercise from the past week and my calories burned...

Wednesday: 2-mile run (the first mile was my fastest yet!) and some at-home circuit stuff (605 calories)
Thursday: 1-mile run (150 cals) and 60 minutes of Zumba (595 cals) = 745 total cals
Friday: 2-mile run (364 cals) and this has been my fastest two miles yet!
Saturday: 1-mile run (150 cals) and at-home circuit stuff (155 cals) = 305 total cals
Sunday: rest day
Monday: 45-minute lunch time walk with my Aunt Q (233 cals)
Tuesday: 1-mile run (150 cals) and 60 minutes of Zumba (613 cals) = 763 total cals

I'd say that's a pretty great week of workouts, wouldn't you? I mean, that's 2,865 total calories burned in a week! Maybe I should make this week's goal to burn 3,000? Yes. I just made that my goal before next Wednesday. Let's do this!

Last Thursday - me before zumba on the left, and total calories burned from my run and zumba on the right!

And I did pretty well staying under my daily calorie goal on MyFitnessPal as well. I think my stomach has really gotten used to eating less, and so it's easier for me to get fuller off of smaller meals and snacks. Which is great news! Because obviously this girl hates to be hungry. And I've been trying to not eat back my exercise calories, and stay under my normal goal as if those "extra" calories aren't there at all. And I think that's part of what's helping me. Today actually, when I entered in my new weight of 194.5, it recalculated my daily goal, and brought me from 1480 calories a day, down to 1420. (I very first started somewhere around 1600 or so.)

And for a quick non-scale victory report (to link up with Katie on Thursday) - I'm really starting to notice a difference in quite a bit of my clothing. Things are starting to get baggier and saggier in new places, and some things are just too big. My jeans and black work pants are both really big and saggy in the but/thigh area. A lot of my dresses are starting to hang differently on me. Size large t-shirts that were once a bit snug, are now big and long on me. (Shown in the bottom right of the picture below.) And when I bought a new dress at Old Navy the other day, I first tried on my normal XL, but it was too big and so I went down to the Large!

Yesterday after running and zumba. Looots of water, total calories burned, and a shirt that's too big now!

Since the beginning of my entire weight loss journey, I'm now down a total of 32.5 pounds, and 22.5 of that has been lost since January 8!! My lowest recent weight was August 2011, at 192. I will be so pumped when I make it there again, and hopefully it'll be soon! My diet bet still has two weeks left in it, but it's not looking good right now. I'm supposed to weigh 189.1 by April 2. So that means I still have to lose 5 more pounds in two weeks...yeah that's discouraging. But that doesn't mean I'm giving up. I just might not win my money back...

Also, so many of y'all have been telling me that I'm an inspiration to you to start working out and exercising more. And guys - this is still crazy for me. Even though I've been hearing that for a couple of weeks now, it's still something I'm not used to. I'm not a crazy fitness expert or guru, I'm just a girl who wants to finally shed some weight. I hardly even know what I'm doing most of the time. But if I'm motivating and inspiring you, then that makes me super duper happy. It means that sharing this story and this journey on my blog has been worth it. Worth the risk of admitting my weight every week for friends, family and bloggers. Worth me pushing myself and working hard, so that others might start their own journey towards getting healthier.

And you know what? It also creates a nice little cycle of motivation. Because when  y'all tell me that I'm motivating and inspiring you - it actually makes me want to work harder! I think about y'all when I'm running and want to stop. I think about you when I'm sweating buckets in Zumba and "need" a break. You guys say that I'm inspiring you - but this road is going both way here friends. And for that I'm so very thankful! I really do love sharing this journey with y'all!

In the next couple of months though, I really want to find some extra ways to Pump Up the Weight Loss. My original short-term goal was to be at 180 by my sister's wedding, which is May 18. That means I have 14 pounds to lose in a little less than two months. I need to get movin' on this! What kind of exercise tips do y'all have for me? What are your favorite things to do to workout? Should I think about joining a gym again, since I never did? How can I Pump Up the Weight Loss over the next two months?!