Rock N Sole Summerfest 2013 -- I RAN IT 22.5 weeks pregnant!

See that?!?

I DID IT!!!!

I DID IT!!!!

I DID IT!!!!

(can you tell I'm still excited?)

I ran (and finished) the 2013 Summerfest Rock n Sole half marathon!!!

What an adventure it was.  I am so glad I was stubborn and I stuck with the goal.  I had a GREAT time running the half marathon, and I wasn't in too much pain following it because we had done a great job training for the run over the course of the previous 6 months (you can obviously train in a shorter period of time, but since we had a full 6 months we just used it!)

And just to have it all written out so I don't lose the details in my foggy memory, I'll share the whole story here with you too.  If novels about running bore you, feel free to skip this entire post. :)

The race was scheduled to begin at 7am, so we knew it was going to be an early morning.  My running partner, Laura, came over around 5am (she was actually a bit early that sneaky morning girl...).  I got up, put my clothes on (compression capris from Old Navy and one of Max's race shirts -- I wanted to wear something large and baggy so I wouldn't have to worry about it creeping up during the race.  I was also a little vain about the 'muffin top' my maternity support belt gave me so I didn't want that looking too obvious. In retrospect, this is the one thing I regret about the race.  In most of the pictures taken along the route, I kind of look like the stay puffed marshmallow woman because the shirt is white and non-conforming.  I'm not saying I'd wear spandex the next time...but something a little more form-fitting would've been ideal so people wouldn't look at me and question if that was fat or baby bump).  Ok, vanity rant over...

I drank a ton of water and a double batch of a banana, protein, coffee oatmeal smoothie on the way.  It had been storming all night long and it was raining (sometimes hard) the entire way downtown.  That was really discouraging because I really REALLY didn't want to have to run in the rain, and even considered backing out.  I'm glad, ultimately, that I didn't give in...the temperature - combined with the overcast skies - were a perfect combination although the rain did make it a bit muggy.  Luckily, the rain let up around mile 2 -- so it wasn't a hassle for the entire race (and it was pretty much just a light drizzle for those first two miles).

The crowd control wasn't the best (in their defense, they had warned ahead of time to allow plenty of time to get to your corral because of the new security measures) and we actually didn't reach our corral before they started the race and everyone surged forward.  From my perspective, the 5K runners (who didn't start for a full 20 mins after our start) were the ones clogging up the way.  They should really keep them back away from the corrals until the half and quarter marathon runners are out of the gates.

Anyways, since we hadn't reached our 'official' corral, we just jumped in with the closest one -- which happened to be the 2:10 pace group.  We knew that was going to be too fast for us, so we just did our own thing and let a bunch of people pass.  It was hard to not get disappointed when everyone around you is passing you -- I could sense Laura trying to keep up with them or bolt forward and I remember reminding her that these runners were faster than us and to try not to worry about it.  (Although I suspect that Laura might have been just fine in that 2:10 group, she stuck with me the entire race -- and I am forever grateful to her for that!!)

The first 4.5 miles of the race were ALL BRIDGE -- the Hoan bridge to be precise...  The bridge itself is pretty and has an interesting history -- but man -- it IS LONG!!  There is a slight incline up to the middle point (which SUCKED) -- but going up usually means there is a down, and that part was heavenly!  Oh yeah, the other sucky part of running across the Hoan bridge is the milorganite plant that it passes over.  Let's just say that doesn't smell too good when you are already gasping for air...  It was nice to have over a quarter of the race done after crossing it though.

One memorable event while on the bridge was seeing the elite runners coming back across the bridge while we were heading out.  It was SO incredibly cool to see them...and everyone was cheering them on as they passed by us -- even thinking about it now brings tears to my eyes!  I had to make a pact with myself at that point that I wouldn't cry until mile 10...I had to make that pact because there were quite a few moments my emotions just overwhelmed me and I started tearing up -- not good for the breathing!!  It was super cool to hear the LOUDEST cheers for the first female elite to pass us -- that made me Milwaukee proud.  :)  

It was also cool to wave at Max as he passed by heading back over the bridge.  He was pretty easy to identify with his bright yellow shirt and headband -- I saw him before he saw me. :)

Also, at one point across the bridge I took my headphones out and just listened to the noise of all the shoes pounding the pavement -- that was seriously one of the COOLEST things I have EVER heard. You have to do it, if you haven't before!

Just after crossing the bridge, Laura and I stopped briefly to use the port-o-potties and slammed a goo. We were stopping at every water station to chug a cup of Gatorade or water, even though I was carrying my hand-held water bottle -- I wanted to make doubly sure that I was able to stay hydrated.  The race entertainment was pretty phenomenal -- lots of people on the sides of the street holding funny signs and cheering us on -- tons of signs in the median making us laugh -- polka music at mile 8...I was so surprised at how good I felt the entire time (good indication that I was truly listening to my body!) -- I'm sure some of that had to do with all the adrenaline.  My right ankle, the one that had been giving me problems over the last month, was a little worrisome for the first 3 miles but then it didn't even bother me at all!  I was a little short of breath until mile 2 -- but lately I find it has been taking me until mile 1.5 or 2 to hit my groove anyways. (It didn't help having the long bridge incline as part of those first miles).  All I can say is that I saw the mile marker for mile 10 and I remember thinking to myself -- Wow!  10 already?  I feel great!!

The last 3 miles were definitely the toughest both mentally and physically -- although according to my Nike they were also our fastest.  My Nike was off for most of the race which was SUPER annoying because it was using GPS so you'd think it would be accurate!! At first, it was only off 0.3 miles -- which I attributed to starting the timer before actually crossing the start line.  But, at the end of the race, it was a FULL MILE off (it said I ran 14.1 instead of 13.1), which also affected the pace times it would tell me every 0.5 miles.  At the very end, it told me that my average pace was 10:50/mile (which admittedly seemed quick for pregnant me), and the official race time gave me an 11:50/mile pace.  Basically, we oscillated between 11:30 and 10 min miles according to my Nike -- which probably meant 12:30 and 11 min miles adjusted in reality.  Not bad!  I'll definitely take it!  

So, as I mentioned before, our last 3 miles were our fastest!  No wonder they also felt the hardest, LOL!  I started tearing up the minute I saw my husband cheering me on at 12.75 miles.  He was on the sideline and ran alongside us for a little while taking photos of us.

Right before we got near the finish line, I turned to my friend Laura and asked her if she minded letting me cross before her.  Such a good friend she is, she agreed!  :)  I booked it at the very end and ended up passing about 5 people before crossing the finish line!  

The second my foot hit the line, I broke down sobbing and this sweet old man at the end was trying to make me laugh -- telling me that I was done running and there was no point crying now, LOL.  I was just SO HAPPY to be done, SO PROUD of what I had accomplished and SO AMAZED that we had actually done it!!  I am still on a high (over a week later) from it all!

The finishers chute was pretty cool -- they award you with your finisher's medal, and throw bananas, water, chocolate milk, etc. at you.  The photographers stop you to snap your photo -- which is nice until you learn later that they want you to pay ~$60 to get access to the digital copies!  I was SO PISSED.  Maranthonfoto.com has all the photos for the race if you want to look at them -- freaking rip off though.  My ONLY complaint about the entire race, BTW.

I was pretty sore immediately following the run, but I stayed active for the rest of the afternoon and that worked to my advantage keeping my mucles from tightening up.  I also had done a really good job staying hydrated and that helped as well.  Overall, the entire run was a GREAT experience!  I can't wait to try it again NOT pregnant!

 

Showing off my sexy maternity support band -- I was SUPER happy to take that thing off.  No chafing though!

Seriously, Laura is the BEST running partner ever.  And she's CUTE!  :)

Max bought me a sweet pink 13.1 sticker for the back of my mom van and he keeps telling me how proud he is of me for sticking with it and finishing.  I was so happy to take off my baggy race shirt and put on this shirt -- I EARNED IT!  I guess McTrois can now say he/she ran their first half marathon in utero!  Maybe this little one will be a runner -- if they take after me, not a very fast one though, LOL.  But if he/she takes after daddy (or grandpa) they just might stand a fighting chance!  Max finished the half-marathon in 1:48 -- knocking 4 mins off his previous time earning himself a great new PR for the half marathon!  Way to GO honey!!  So proud of YOU TOO!  XOXOXO

Whole Food Cleanse - 3 week challenge - FINISHED!

For the past 3 weeks, I have been participating in a Whole Foods Cleanse.  Today is my first day 'back to reality' but I have decided to slowly re-condition my body back to reality (which admittedly will be a changed reality from before the cleanse...and that's a GOOD thing).  The Cleanse was a huge success -- for MANY different reasons, which I will go into more detail about below.  But first, the background:


My friend and fellow Nov 2007 mommy friend, Heather, is the one that proposed and guided us through the Cleanse.  Heather's full time job is working as a trainer/nutritionist in Arizona (check her out HERE).  Even though she lives in the southwest, she will work with you no matter WHERE you live.  I have purchased a meal plan from her in the past, and she is great about catering to your specific needs/wants and matching up a plan to your lifestyle.  READ - DOABLE!  Nobody wants to be set up for failure right off the bat!!  Having worked with Heather in the past, I know she's a tough cookie....but I also know that her plans WORK (if you have the willpower and drive to stick with it). 

 See?

And the best part is that I have maintained this weight loss!  (I even dropped a few more pounds from my June 2012 update...and then during the holidays put them back on, oh well.  My lifetime goal is to stick around 130).  Because I am not focusing on weight loss anymore, my new goals now are to tone and increase muscle mass.  But I digress...you want to know about the Cleanse!

So, when Heather proposed to our group of 'Healthy Moms' that we do a 21 day/3 week cleanse -- I know we all panicked a little bit (or at least I know I did!!).  She suggested a contest for the cleanse -- a meal plan was up for grabs (for FREE) -- if we just 'applied' and stated our cause on WHY we thought we should get picked to do the plan.  Naturally, the competitive side of me decided to jump in and apply....I didn't really think she would pick me because...well...I've already DONE one of her plans and, well, I just didn't think she'd pick me....

So, imagine my surprise when I woke up Monday morning only to discover that SHE PICKED ME.  And not only that, but she picked ANOTHER mommy friend (another friend who has also rocked her weight loss in the past following one of Heather's plans).  Fear, competition, excitement...you name it -- they all set in!  Not only was I going to be in competition with myself...but with and against a friend!!  The rules were simple:  follow the meal plan, provide photographic evidence of workouts and food choices (from the plan) and post updates/progress once a week.  Basically -- BARE YOUR SOUL.  Luckily, it is a private FB group so all my other FB friends were spared from seeing countless pictures of my sweaty face or my lunch for that day.

I knew going into the Cleanse that there would be some pretty strict restrictions:  no coffee, no processed foods, no alcohol, no dairy....I was determined to not let these things scare/deter me.  It's just food, after all -- and I reminded myself that I am in control of MY body....not FOOD.

Heather put together a very specific meal plan, complete with recipes and exercise recommendations/levels of exertion for each day.  My job was to follow the plan and NOT CHEAT!

I am happy to report that I DID IT!  21 days without coffee, alcohol, wine, CHEESE, milk, or anything processed.  The first few days were ROUGH -- although the caffeine withdrawal wasn't as bad as I was anticipating...but it was still bad.  Smelling a fresh pot of brewing coffee each morning at work was temptation at its finest!  As were the girl scout cookies and other sweet treats that my coworkers snacked on or shared in the break room   It was hard not to break down and 'just have one'...but I managed (somehow).

I grew to like tea (decaf). At the end of it all, I don't think that carrots or blueberries or strawberries or even almonds have EVER tasted sweeter to me.  Without any of that processed sugar entering my body, I was finally able to taste things how they really OUGHT to taste!  It was pretty impressive!

And my first cup of coffee this morning?  I'm still sipping on it....it just doesn't taste the same anymore.  And to be honest?  I'm not really that upset about that!

21 day cleanse results:
Pounds lost = -3.7 lbs (~2.8% weight loss)
Inches lost = -3.5
BF% lost = -1.5%

So there you have it.  I bared my soul and "big" nose (and all my stats -- SCARY) to you all.  Maybe somebody can make fun of me again just to make themselves feel better.  Go ahead...I'm tough...I can take it!  But first, I challenge YOU to try something similar! Just try to cut out some of the processed foods from your diet....or at least pay attention to what you are eating and what is processed and what is not -- I promise you...you will be shocked!

Project 366: Week 49

337|366 sam made me wear his hat

338|366 have to burn off those holiday calories some way!

339|366 daddy has some big shoes to fill

340|366 crafting time!

341|366 over 100 xmas cards ready to go!

342|366 max and I at his company Christmas party

343|366 pretty fat snowflakes at night

Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Day 21

I was extra thankful to see this number on the scale...because it meant I could indulge guilt free over Thanksgiving and allow myself that extra glass of wine AND extra slice of pie!

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 19

I am thankful to have two working legs, a new-found passion for running, kids that sit in the double stroller (mostly) contently while I run anywhere from 3-5 miles -- and the ability to now run anywhere from 3-7 miles.

Sam was my running partner on Saturday -- and even though he asked me a few times 'you running, Mom?' -- I am going to pretend that wasn't a criticism of my pace or speed.  :)

Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Day 3

Today I did one of the stupidest things of my adult life.  It wasn't stupid in that it was harmful to anyone (except perhaps myself).  It was just stupid because I am so darn stubborn.  

Max and I were both signed up to do the Tyranena Beer run .  Max was signed up to do the half marathon, and I was signed up to do the 1/6 (4.37 mile) run.  When the kids came down with the plague stomach flu, we decided that one of us needed to stay home with them so that we didn't get our sitter sick.  Since my running partner, Laura, was signed up to do the run with us, I decided that Max should stay home and I would go.  

Saturday morning I woke up not feeling 100%.  After a few bouts in the bathroom, I figured I was 'cleaned out' and felt good enough to run.  And, truth be told, I did feel *mostly* fine until after the run.

We didn't end up running the whole thing.  We walked for maybe 0.25-0.5 miles of the total.  That's ok -- we both know we can run the distance easily under *normal* circumstances.  Laura said her hip hurt...but I don't know if she just said that to make me feel better.  ;)  All I know is the course was hilly.  And it smelled like COW MANURE the.entire.time.  Not good when you have a sensitive tummy in the first place, eh?

I ended up vomiting on the car ride home (thank goodness we had plastic bags).  I then took a nap and sat on the couch the rest of the day (to big Max's dismay).  I even went to bed at 7 pm right after we put the boys to bed.  Luckily, I woke up on Sunday feeling MUCH better (i.e. I could actually keep food down!)

So, where is the thankfulness in all of this?

Right HERE:

Today I am thankful for my running partner, Laura.  Without her I would not push myself as hard or be as motivated to continue running.  She really has helped me reach all my running goals this year -- a 10K, and even one run further than that!  Our tentative goal for next year is to do a half marathon -- that's 13.1 miles, folks!  CRAZY!!!

8K -- CHECK!

This weekend, I ran my first 'official' 8K -- Al's run.  Cross another one off the goals list!! Actually, this wasn't ON the goals list, but that's OK!  10K is the official goal on the list -- and I've already run that -- just unofficially....

Laura, Max and I all ran it.  This was Max's second time running this race, and our first.  I was NERVOUS. I'm not sure exactly WHY...I think the fact that 10-15,000 people do this race (running AND walking) was most of the reason.  I do NOT like crowds.

I was super stoked to have Laura along as my running partner, though.  She really motivates me to keep going when sometimes I'd rather quit.  It is so great to have a running partner who is paced so well with me -- and we really do help keep each other going -- either for longer distance or faster speeds.  She rocks!

Do you see us up there?  1815 and 1816 overall!!  We were 104 and 105 in our age class of 246 -- which means we finished BEFORE 50% of other women our age!!  WOOT WOOT!!!  We also were averaging UNDER 10 min miles -- my goal was to average under a 10:30 mile, so I blew this one completely out of the water!!!

Max and I before the race -- I was pretending to be calm....

Laura and I after the race -- she is such a great running partner.  She really has helped motivate me to keep running and to push through a difficult run.  I know there were times during this run that we both wanted to stop.  But we just kept telling each other we could slow down if we needed to.  Funny, we actually never slowed down.  Take a look:

Check out that consistency!!

All in all, it was a great day -- I felt strong after the run.  Maybe because going into it I was still on a high from what I saw on the scale that morning:

....or that fact that earlier that week I bought a new pair of SKINNY jeans....

in a SIZE TWO!! 

 ***GASP***  

Like the bathroom shot?  I'm classy like that...

Whatever it was, I feel like I'm in a really good place with both my weight, my eating, and my time management.  Let's hope I don't start getting lazy and letting my weight creep back up or losing all the muscle I have worked so hard to build up! The last time I asked my scale to calculate my BF% -- it gave me 22.6%!!  That is down over 2% since I first started monitoring it.  I must be doing SOMETHING right!

Project 366: Week 24

Week 24 already!

162 | 366 June 10, 2012 -- enjoying the cool of the pool with old friends.

163 | 366: June 11, 2012 -- Max is playing T-ball this year at his new school.  They all look like mini Darth Vadars....

163 | 366, June 11, 2012 -- Sam wishes he was playing Tball this year.

164 | 366 June 12, 2012 - what a great birthday present to wake up to!!

165 | 366 June 13, 2012 -- My parents were generous enough to give me these wonderful shoes to support my running habits.

166 | 366 June 14, 2012 -- Sam and I get to spend some alone time during a Daddy max night.

167 | 366 June 15, 2012 -- date night -- LOVE this new green dress (its not a real green dress, that's cruel).

167 | 366 June 15, 2012 -- my hottie! :)

168 | 366 June 16, 2012 -- Laura and I ran our first race 5K of the year and finished in 31:00 -- 4 mins better than our time last year. Not bad for having a head cold, 6 hrs of sleep and a few too many drinks the night before...

Hard work DOES pay off!

Now, I don't usually make posts like this, but I am pretty proud of the progress I have made physically over the last 10 months and I wanted to share it with you here.  This post is not intended to be a means of showing off or bragging in the least; I just wanted to share HOW I was so successful in the event that it can be an inspiration or help for others who are trying to get started on a weight loss journey.

Since Aug 2011, I have lost 12.5 lbs!  That number still amazes me considering my original goal in 2011  was to lose 10 lbs and I was already partially there in August -- so that would make my total weight loss over 15 lbs!  No, it wasn't easy -- but was it worth it?  ABSOLUTELY.  Did I need to be motivated and have some self-control?  YES.  Did I have a come to truth moment and need to be honest with myself?  COMPLETELY.  You can't expect to make progress unless you do these things.  PERIOD.

It also helps to have someone along 'for the ride' with you -- and I think that this aspect alone helped me be so successful.  I have a REALLY AWESOME group of online women friends who are committed to making their lives healthier.  We motivate each other, toss questions, recipes, fitness advice, jokes, etc. around and I truly believe that being a part of this group contributes greatly to my success story.

So, how did I start?

Let me tell you -- I don't make it a habit of taking photos of myself half-naked or in my workout gear.  I don't particularly care to ask my husband to take these awkward photos of myself.  But, in August 2011, a small group of my friends posed a challenge to each other that we would pay each other a dollar for every pound we lost.  So, I took my first 'before' photo as part of this challenge.  At that time, I started to get back into running and I started to be more aware of what I was eating....  But I wasn't doing any of it wholeheartedly and I definitely wasn't totally committed at that point. 

It wasn't until Feb/March -- right around the same time my online women friends decided to start our "Healthy World" forum that I realized that all of this was completely up to me -- I could choose to stay the way I was, or I could choose to do something about meeting the goals I set.  It was at that point I made the conscious choice and effort to do something.

I remember reaching a plateau and getting frustrated in April -- sure, I had gotten my weight down to 138 (starting weight of 145.5) -- so I had lost 8 lbs...I had made progress...I had MET my goal.  But I was stuck. I wanted to lose more flab and tone up more.  What was wrong?  Why wasn't the scale moving or my measurements getting smaller?  I appealed to my friend Heather -- a personal trainer and nutritionist by trade who has taken this online group of women under her wing and really inspired us all to take this weight loss/fitness journey together (THANK YOU, Heather....I really owe you).  I remember her response to me at the time -- I remember it because I was kind of pissed about it at the time (I guess the truth hurts).  She said "are you really tracking your calories?"  What?  Of course I am!  What are you talking about? 

So, for the next week, I diligently tracked my calories again (I use Livestrong and I highly recommend using it or another calorie tracking website/app).  And, sure enough -- I hadn't been accurately or honestly tracking EVERY.SINGLE.THING that went into my mouth.  Those empty calories really DO add up.  And in that one week, my weight went down to 137.  After WEEKS of being stuck at 138.  I shouted for joy!!

And, that, my friends is the secret! 

Weight loss is 90% diet and only 10% exercise. 

It is plain and simple -- you need to track your calories and you need to stay within your caloric range for what your weight loss goals are (how much weight you are aiming to lose per week). Most sites don't recommend losing more than 2 lbs a week.  I set my goals on Livestrong to lose 1 lb per week -- I didn't want to drastically reduce my caloric intake (what can I say, I like to eat).  My recommended caloric intake was ~1400 calories/day.  But, what is also important is balancing your macro nutrients.  Heather recommended trying to balance your carb/protien/fat intake around 60/20/20 or 50/25/25.  Now, if I just went by the recommended values that the Livestrong website gives me -- my protein and fat are always 'in the red' or over.  But, Heather assured me to just ignore this -- and that she recommends this type of macronutrient balance to her clients who want to see the fastest results.  The higher levels of protein also mean that you won't be as hungry as quickly as you would if you were ingesting more carbs -- so that is a plus!

If you've tried balancing your macronutrients already you probably already know that upping your protein intake is HARD.  I'm always searching for ways to increase the protein content of a meal.  Greek yogurt, chia seeds, hard-boiled eggs, and protein powder are now staples in our house.

Now, all this is not to say that exercise isn't important!!

Of course it is!!  Working out builds muscle -- which burns more calories than fat.  Working out helps you lose inches!  And who doesn't want that???  As a general rule, I try to work out 5-6 days a week.  I try to listen to my body and alternate what type of workout I do on a daily basis.  Yes, there are some days I will run 2 days in a row -- but then I will alternate what type of running I am doing -- am I running for distance or running for speed?  I also like to use workouts like Ripped in 30 (Insanity is next on my list) or a HIIT workout plan for the treadmill that Heather shared with me (basically you walk at the fastest pace you are comfortable with -- warm up for 5 mins and then increase your incline.  My treadmill runs 1-10, so I start at 4:  1 minute at 4, 1 minute at 5, 1 minute at 6, 1 minute at 7, and 1 minute at 8 --- repeat.  I try to do at least 3 miles or 45 mins the nights I do HIIT).  But don't forget your stretching!  Yoga is great for that and helps you unwind after a stressful day.  I also like to include at least 1-2 days of just strength -- where I work through a weight lifting circuit (this takes me about 45 mins because I go through it at least 3 times...with 5-8lb weights).

That sounds like a lot, but it really isn't!  It's only about 1 hour of my day.  Because of my schedule, I usually fit in my workouts after dinner and after the kids are in bed.  That just works best for me.  It is my unwinding at the end of the day. 

Sure, there are times I want to quit -- there are times that I want to give up....but running or exercising is really a mind game....and if you can conquer those demons in your head...you will be thankful for it afterwards when you are done...  I like to have a mantra that I chant over and over in my head while I run....sometimes I do this one:

That's pretty good motivation if you ask me!!

If you made it this far...I think you should count this as a workout, LOL.  But really, sorry you had to read all this...I am long-winded what can I say?  Looking for a nitty gritty list that cuts to the point?  I love lists (and spreadsheets for that matter....):

My Plan

• ~1400 calories a day
• 60/20/20 or 50/25/25 balance of carbs/protien/fat
• workout 5-6 days a week; running at least 4 days and doing strength at least 3.
• STRETCH
• cook with 'raw' foods as much as possible (some like to say, if it didn't walk on the ground or come from the ground don't eat it....)
• try to achieve at LEAST 10,000 steps a day (we had to wear pedometers for my husband's 'employee wellness program' at his work and shooting for this number of steps really helps motivate you to stay active
• Pinterest provides me with A LOT of inspiration...you can check out my Pinterest inspiration page HERE

It's not that much when you look at it all bulleted like that, is it?  And the best part?

IT WORKS!

Measurements:

Before (August 31, 2011):

• weight = 145.5 lbs
• height = 5'4"-5'5"
• waist = 29 inches (32 right at BB)
• thigh = 23 inches
• hips = 38 inches
• biceps = 10 inches
• pants size = 8, shirt size = S (or M)

Now (June 2012):

• weight = 133 lbs (-12.5)
• height = same
• waist = 27 (28 at BB) (-2 inches (-4 at BB))
• thigh = 21 (-2 inches)
• hips = 36 (-2 inches)
• biceps = 9.5 (-0.5 inch)
• pants size = 4 to 6, shirt size = small  (down 1-2 pants sizes) -- bra size down from 36C to 34 B...much to the disappointment of the hubby, LOL)

And now, all my personal information is out there on the interwebs (insert blushing smiley).  But, if it helps inspire just one person, then I accomplished my goal....weight loss is definitely not easy but it DOES pays off in the end!

Project 366: Week 23

155 | 366 June 3, 2012 -- the boys are sporting their new police badges that they received after helping out during an emergency at the baseball stadium.

155 | 366 June 3, 2012 - Sam was helping me indulge this afternoon!

156 | 366 June 4, 2012 - Daddy and Sam are wearing matching Hard Rock Copenhagen t-shirts!

157 | 366 June 5, 2012 -- Max's lunch box for cold lunch days

158 | 366 June 6, 2012 -- the view from my office window...

159 | 366 June 7, 2012 -- little Max and I are trying have Mommy Max days at least once
a week. 

160 | 366 June 8, 2012 - my running companion looks a little more tired than me.

161 | 366 June 9, 2012 -- the perfect end to a perfect day.

161 | 366 June 9, 2012 -- I participated in my first mud run this year -- SO much fun! (more on this later!!!)